Recently, animal rescuers cooperated with the Jones County Sheriff’s Department to rescue cats and dogs from a large-scale cruelty pool in Mississippi. The issue of animal welfare not only centers on house pets but also on those subject to animal testing. Some companies still resort to using animals to test their products on, thus giving them adverse effects.
In 2016, the US government tallied around 800,000 animals used for laboratory research. Guinea pigs showed the most turnout, with 183,237. Health experts say that these types of tests are a waste of time. Some studies involve artificially inducing animals with human illnesses. However, animal species differ from one another regarding biological structure. Thus, the results might vary when applied to human conditions.
PETA also added to what experts said, commenting that these animals are also subject to painful processes such as getting restrained for extended periods and mutilating their body parts. These conditions cause them to experience health problems and often lead to death.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration shared that based on findings, nine out of ten experimental drugs do not reach the standards of clinical research because they do not give an accurate result regarding how the medicines would work when humans ingest them. Health experts, therefore, conclude that animal testing results do not have a significant correlation to curing human diseases.
They are also silent on the matter regarding using animals as test subjects. However, the office highly recommends that as much as possible manufacturers conduct the most humane methods available.
The department’s stand on the issue agrees with the Animal Welfare Act. Lawmakers implemented the AWA 1966. It regulates animal testing by setting standards about using animals in research and other testing methods but does not extend to rodents, birds, and farm animals used for these purposes.
On the other hand, the U.S. Department of Agriculture monitors compliance with the statute by requiring research facilities to secure a license from the USDA. The USDA expects the companies that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services Office examines their equipment yearly. In general, the department said it would work on expanding the AWA and redefine the term “animals” under the said law.
