Animal Numbers in Research
Different sources for statistics are based upon different criteria and this confuses the issue. Accurate global figures for animal testing are both difficult to obtain and to update so the following numbers of animals involved must be allowed as estimates only and considered in that light. The purposes for which the various classes of animals are used at the present time however are accurate.
BRITAIN The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) estimates that 100 million vertebrates are experimented on around the world every year, 10–11 million of them in the European Union. The Nuffield Council on Bioethics reports that estimates range from 50 to 100 million animals used annually worldwide in medical or scientific research, not counting invertebrates. In the UK, Home Office figures show that nearly three million procedures were carried out in 2004 on just under the same number of animals. It is the third consecutive annual rise and the highest figure since 1992.] Most animals are used in only one procedure: animals either die because of the experiment or are euthanized afterwards. A “procedure” refers to an experiment that might last minutes, several months, or years.
Nearly 200,000 fish and 20,000 amphibians were used in the UK in 2004. The main species used is the zebrafish, which are translucent during their embryonic stage, and the African clawed frog. Over 20,000 rabbits were used for animal testing in the UK in 2004. Albino rabbits are used in eye irritancy tests because rabbits have less tear flow than other animals, and the lack of eye pigment make the effects easier to visualize.
UNITED STATES According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the total number of animals used in that country in 2005 was almost 1.2 million, not including rats, mice, and birds, which jointly make up 85% of research animals, and not including invertebrates. The Laboratory Primate Advocacy Group has used the USDA’s figures to estimate that 23-25 million vertebrate animals are used in research each year in America. In 1986, a report produced by the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment reported that estimates of the animals used in the U.S. range from 10 million to upwards of 100 million each year, and that their own best estimate was at least 17 million to 22 million.
Dogs are widely used in biomedical research, testing, and education — particularly beagles, because they are gentle and easy to handle. They are commonly used as models for human diseases in cardiology, endocrinology, and bone and joint studies, research that tends to be highly invasive, according to the Humane Society of the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Welfare Report for 2004 shows that nearly 65,000 dogs were used in USDA-registered facilities in that year. In the U.S., some of the dogs are purpose-bred, while most are supplied by so-called Class B dealers licensed by the USDA to buy animals from auctions, shelters, newspaper ads, and who are sometimes accused of stealing pets.
The numbers of rats and mice used is estimated at 15-20 million a year. Mice are the most commonly used vertebrate species because of their size, low cost, ease of handling, and fast reproduction rate. Mice are widely considered to be the best model of inherited human disease and share 99% of their genes with humans. With the advent of genetic engineering technology, genetically modified mice can be generated to order and can cost hundreds of dollars each. Other rodents commonly used are guinea pigs, hamsters, and gerbils. Cats are most commonly used in neurological research. Over 25,500 cats were used in the U.S. in 2000, around half of whom were used in experiments that caused “pain and/or distress”.
Primates or Non-human primates (NHPs) are used in toxicology tests, studies of AIDS and hepatitis, studies of neurology, behavior and cognition, reproduction, genetics, and xenotransplantation. They are caught in the wild, taken from zoos, circuses and animal trainers, or purpose-bred. The primates used in the USA, China, and Europe are mostly purpose-bred either domestically or imported. Rhesus monkeys, cynomolgus monkeys, squirrel monkeys, and owl monkeys are imported; around 12,000 to 15,000 monkeys are imported into the U.S. annually. Around 65,000 NHPs are used each year in the United States and European Union. Notable studies on non-human primates have been part of the polio vaccine development, and development of Deep Brain Stimulation, and their current heaviest non-toxicological use occurs in the monkey. Most of the NHPs used are macaques; but marmosets, spider monkeys, and squirrel monkeys are also used, and baboons and chimpanzees are used in the U.S; there are currently 1133 chimpanzees in U.S. research laboratories. Animals bred for research then killed as surplus, or used for breeding purposes, are not included in the figures.
AUSTRALIA Australian statistics This information was taken from Australian Association for Humane Research “The total number of animals used for research and teaching in Australia in 2004 was a staggering 6,489,005.” Another source is more moderate at 6,221,154 The following table is comprised of the latest available statistics of animal use in research and teaching in Australia. These statistics should be used for general purposes only. The final figure being a composite of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. As at the time of posting, Northern Territory and ACT statistics had not been obtained. The total of 6,221,154 of animals and creatures used in experiments in Australia is made up as follows – Mice 580,550 Rat 154,692 Guinea Pig 14,161 Rabbit 6,911 Others 1,710 Cat 2,149 Dog 7.179 Other domestic 46 Sheep 316,271 Cow 32,203 Pig 94,692 Horse/Donkey 6,576 Others 5,789 Native mammals 204,259 Exotic ferals 14,521 Primates 328 Domestic fowl 1,569,626 Other birds 376,304 Reptiles 44,913 Fish 1,168,385 Amphibians 8,151 Other aquatic 1,081,412 Other 11,360.
Total 6,221, 154 ………………………… to our nation’s shame.
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