BIO3011 Research Methods In Biology

Personal Essay - Treating Animals Humanely

Introduction

Animals are so lovable and it is hard to imagine a world without animals. It is sad to know that millions of animals undergo painful procedures to make the lives of people better. While I agree that there experiments on animal have added towards the understanding of different diseases, I disagree that they should be treated in an inhuman way in labs, and I am sure there are alternatives that can be used to prevent the cruel treatment of animals for scientific research.

As a child, I spent endless hours of fun and adventure on my uncle’s farm which was like a wonderland for my cousins and me. The actual farm life was very different from those pictures in children’s storybooks. And I was not aware then that animals lived not just in the wild or raised in farms or kept as pets, they were also used for scientific research in labs.

Importance of animals testing for scientific break throughs

The other day, I watched a documentary about animal testing and was shocked to see the industry practices. Animal testing is not new, and it has been done for centuries in the health and has always played an important role in medicine and research industry. Scientists have developed effective and safe medicines for humans based on years of research on animals.

Inhuman treatment on animals in labs

 I was vaguely aware of animal testing but was not aware of the disturbing inhuman approach towards the animals. Those cruel practices raise the question of ethics and legislation related to animal experimentation in modern societies. While I was aware that animal testing has helped make progress in scientific research, however, those disturbing and challenging questions regarding the ethics behind lingered on in my mind. While it is true that significant scientific, breakthroughs have been possible because of research and testing on animals, but how does one justify all that cruelly applied on healthy animals in the name of research done for the benefit of humanity? I asked myself if human lives are more important than the animal lives. I agree with De Villiers (2012) when he states that there are very few subjects that are as controversial as the use of animals in scientific research.
Alternatives to prevent the cruel treatment of animals

I browsed the web and was glad to learn about the ongoing debate regarding the use of animal in scientific experiments and the ethical issues behind (Kolar, 2006). The “3Rs” concerning animal experimentation strive to replace, reduce and refine the testing and experimentation on animals. Many countries are aware of the ethical issues and are already working towards treating animals humanely. International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS), with a membership of about a hundred countries, promotes ethical care regarding the use of laboratory animals (Saraf, and Kumaraswamy, 2013).New technologies are being used for scientific and medical research. 3D computer models, video footage and plastic life-size models are used instead of the traditional methods (PETA, 2018).

Conclusion

The whole experience made me realize about the need to create awareness regarding the inhumane treatment of animals in research and experiments. Animals are highly social and intelligent, and there is no reason why they should undergo and pain or inhuman treatment. Scientists and researchers should look for alternative ways and technologies of developing drugs.

References

De Villiers, R. (2012).The Animal Experimentation Controversy: Ethical Views of Prospective      Teachers. Perspectives in Education 30(3), 88-97.

Kolar, R. (2006) Animal Experimentation. Science and engineering ethics 12(1), 111-22.

PETA. (2018). Alternatives to Animal Testing, People for the Ethical Treatment of AnimalsRetrieved from https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/alternatives-animal-testing/

Saraf, S. K., & Kumaraswamy, V. (2013).Basic Research: Issues with Animal    Experimentations. Indian journal of orthopaedics 47(1), 6-9. Print.