• Question: do you agree with animal testing- using harmful chemicals on innocent animals?

    Asked by X.mollie.X to Charlotte, hannahmoir, Majid, Richard, Sam on 8 Mar 2016. This question was also asked by Noah sheridan, JessArthurs.
    • Photo: Hannah Moir

      Hannah Moir answered on 8 Mar 2016:

      Hi Mollie, very poignant question.
      Animal testing is a tough subject to broach, but we also have to consider why it is taking place. All animal research in the UK needs to be licensed and follows strict controls. Testing of chemicals etc., typically goes through a lot of testing before it then is used with animals. This is to see what effect it has and if it works before we cna then for example use it in humans. Clinical trials for example take years and years and unfortunately for safety and seeing what happens we have to pick the right model to use. Without such research we may never find treatments and cures for so many life-threatening research. But i only agree with relevant, useful testing that will be beneficial to all.

    • Photo: Sam Smith

      Sam Smith answered on 8 Mar 2016:

      Hi there, excellent question and one that is going to be debated on and on. So here’s my perspective.

      Animal testing for cosmetics is a big no no in my book. Animals shouldn’t be subjected to testing so we can look better. But for medicines, I think that it is sometimes preferable for us to test new drugs on animals before they are consumed by humans. Some new medicines can have devastating effects on us, and cause great harm. So my personal opinion is for that to be tested on animals first, to limit the chances of humans being harmed. This should only be done when absolutely necessary, and when appropriate safety and wellbeing concerns are addressed.

      As I’m writing this, I feel selfish. But ultimately, a huge number of medicines that people take every day are possible because of animal testing. Without the sacrifice of these animals, humans would have to take huge risks and not many of us are willing to do that. You may recently have heard of a story on Germany (I think) where humans took a new drug for the first time in a trial – it went wrong and several people died. My opinion is it’s better to limit these occurrences through animal testing.

      My own relatives, friends and loved ones have benefits from animal testing. Whether that makes it right for me to support that or not though is a question you (and we!) have to decide. What do you think?

    • Photo: Charlotte Green

      Charlotte Green answered on 8 Mar 2016:

      Hi Mollie

      this is a very good question and it is something we take very seriously in the science world. Before any experiments on animals are performed the ethics (is it moral) are considered and assessed by a panel of experts. Additionally, the main question is is there any other way to test the drug etc that you are interested in. As Hannah says you have to have a licence to do work on animals and there are very strict controls.

      I am totally with Sam that cosmetic testing on animals is a no no. It is really not necessary however, in order to make new and safer drugs for humans animals have to be part of this as as Sam states the risk to humans would be too great otherwise.

      One thing I will tell you is animals in science animal houses are extremely well cared for and no unnecessary procedures or experiments are carried out.

    • Photo: Majid Ahmed

      Majid Ahmed answered on 16 Mar 2016:

      Yes I do agree with using animals in research. This is a very sensitive subject and one that can be difficult to discuss, but as scientists I think we have a duty to talk about it and teach the public about how we use animals and what we think the right thing is.

      I do use animals in my research (mostly mice). When I was your age, I never imagined I would work with animals, let alone use them to do research. When I had to learn to use animals, I was a nervous wreck (I’m not the most comfortable with animals), but I slowly gained the ability to look after them well and handle them with care and comfort.

      I can understand why some people think it is not nice to use animals in research, and to some extent I agree. I think we have to be very cautious about how we use animals in research and only use animals when there is an acceptable reason to use them, and when there is no other way to do the research. The animals should be treated nicely, looked after very well and be treated with dignity and respect. In general, this is always the case and I had to attend a course to get a license from the Home Office to be able to use animals in my research. One of the conditions of my license is that if I breach the rules or do not look out for the welfare of my animals properly, I could go to prison for up to 5 years. So I hope you can see that we take our responsibility very seriously when it comes to using animals in our research and looking after them.

      You should know that many of the common drugs that we use nowadays, some of which do marvellous things for people who are ill, would not have been possible without the use of animals in research. These drugs have saved lives and will continue to do so until they are no longer used. I would like to think that any scientist using animals in research does so with the overall aim of sacrificing that animal for the greater good of mankind.

      On the other hand, I do not agree with using animals for things like testing cosmetics or keeping animals in captivity for entertainment purposes.

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