Animal Testing by Maya

You know the makeup you use or the medication you take sometimes are tested on animals? 100 million animals die each year from animal testing. We should STOP this cruel way of drugging and testing on these animals. The history of testing on animals goes back to the Greeks in the second or fourth century B.C.E when doctors and scientists, specifically Aristotle and Esasistraus tested on live animals to help advance the understanding of the human body and how it works. Drug testing on animals became more popular in the 20th century.

One of the more commonly tested animals is chimpanzees. Chimpanzees share 98% of genes with humans, that’s why some chimps are put in labs to be tested on. More than 100,000 monkeys are kept in labs each year. Baby chimpanzees are born and taken away from their mothers when they are only a few days old. They never get to swing on vines and feel the warmth of the sun on their faces like they do in the wild. These monkeys will spend the rest of their lives having tubes shoved down their throats. In labs, these monkeys are kept in small cages if they are lucky they get a plastic toy or a slice of an apple. Imagine if you were an animal put in a cage for your whole life.

More than 100 million rats and mice lose their lives each year to animal testing. Mice and rats do not have the same genes like humans, but they still test on them. Mice and rats are not humans, their bodies do not react the same way. Testing on animals is terrible. There are other options to animal testing, like computer programing and models.

Many people who are pro-animal testing use the following arguments. Antibiotics, organ transplants and insulin for diabetes are just some of the medical wins that have come from animal research. Over 50 years ago polio was a deadly disease, but because of animal testing, the polio vaccine was created, and now this vaccine has saved millions of lives. Some countries specifically England have put laws into place to better guarantee the safety of these animals being tested on.

Some people think we should test on animals because they are similar to humans. We shouldn’t do this because we are taking away animals’ lives. We shouldn’t test on animals but maybe we can test on fruit flies instead of testing on rabbits or mice. We can save people’s lives and not kill as many animals. Finally we can use the 3Rs campaign (1) replacement of animals with non-living things; (2) reduction in using animals; and (3) refinement (removal) of animal testing. Getting rid of animal testing altogether is impossible because it will slow down medical successes, but if we try the 3Rs, we can save animal and human lives.

Everyone can do their part and check the labels on their bottles in their homes. At my house, we buy animal-test free body wash, shampoo and conditioner. Go home and check your bathroom to do your part.