Science is a vast field that has progressed through numerous experiments devised on theories. Animal testing has been in use for a long time and stems thousands of years back. My coverage of animals testing have included numerous experiments involving mice. In a time where technology and scientific knowledge is reaching new heights, an era of moving away from animal testing altogether may be soon coming. Humane treatment of animals is something that the scientific world has been continuously urged to implement into its research methods. It is not unreasonable in this day and age that testing move towards other means of testing without involving the lives of animals. Accountability and justification of animal testing is yet another chapter in this movement to remove animals from laboratories, there is still much to do to see them removed altogether.
There are various reasons why animal testing has persisted over the years and under some circumstances, discoveries made today would not come to fruition. Emphasis on ethical testing and analysis of whether research is essential/beneficial seems to be a middle ground that campaigners are moving towards. Mice in particular show great intelligence and benefit from specific living conditions. Acting as a responsible science body should see these obligations fulfilled at the very least if the nature of the tests are to contribute massively to society. I read through copious pieces of research every week and mice are often involved but the living conditions of these animals are unknown.
King’s College London in the United Kingdom became the first in the world to move away from mouse swimming tests in January 2020, an experiment that was deemed to be cruel in nature. Not only was it seen that such an experiment inflicted despair on its test subjects, it was also seen to not carry any benefit to anti-depressant drug development. Animal research requires constant revaluation to determine whether tests are necessary in the first instance. Modern science should seek all possibilities of alternative testing without using animals. If experiments are to be carried out, the results of testing are not validation of its benefits. Post result analysis is required to justify further testing. It’s encouraging to see scientific institutes pay more attention to this area of science and further methodologies applied to experiments to ensure the ethical requirements of animal treatment should continue to evolve.
Sources
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/it-time-replace-one-cornerstones-animal-research
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2020/01/10/kings-college-becomes-university-world-formally-end-cruel-mouse/
