Today, April 24, is World Day for Laboratory Animals. Since it's inception in 1974, this day has brought to light the suffering animals used in laboratories; as groups work to end the intense cruelty animals are subjected to in laboratory settings and to encourage use of other, animal-free alternatives. Read more about this day here
I remember when I first learned about animal testing. I was at the mall as a pre-teen and walked by The Body Shop. They used to have a logo of two rabbits standing facing one another with the words "Against Animal Testing" between them. They also had a famous quote from Philosopher Jeremy Bentham on their back wall:
The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?
Can they suffer?
That really is the crux of all of this, isn't it? That's what stood out to me the most. While it would be years before I made the connection to how those who are raised for food suffered at the hands of humans, I was instantly aware of and against testing on animals. I hardly saw beauty products as more important than these animals lives and I could not understand how scientists working to cure things like cancer couldn't determine another way to understand the human body and its inner workings.
In 2022, while there are many companies that have never tested products on animals, many still do. Animal testing is not limited to rabbits and mice, monkeys, sheep, dogs, and cats are also tested on regularly.
"...evidence shows that in certain areas of research, the animal model may even be holding us back from scientific breakthroughs. On average, it takes approximately 13 years and $1 billion to develop a new drug. Yet 90 percent of drugs that advance to human clinical trials following promising animal tests ultimately fail in humans." NAVS - Read more here
Thankfully, there is a lot of information now readily available to us to help us understand how to make the best choices which align with our values. In fact, there is so much information this blog could be way too long to read, so, I'll stop here and give you some excellent resources. Do come back with questions or if you need help finding something out, I'm happy to research with you!
Check out Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine and the National Anti-Vivisection Society both groups are doing incredibly meaningful and impactful work.
To find cruelty-free products, visit Leaping Bunny
Please check out the Save Ralph video below. Ralph is an animated rabbit who takes you through his average day as a test subject. It is honest without depictions of live rabbits enduring testing.
Tell me in the comments below one thing you will do this week to move towards a cruelty-free lifestyle.