![]() How Do Laws and Regulations Govern the Use and Care of Animals? 21–22.What Is the Difference Between Animal Rights and Welfare? 19–20.What Are the Issues Surrounding "Animal Rights"? 17–18.Are There Alternatives to the Use of Animals in Research? 15–16.How Do Animals Benefit from Animal Research? 14.Why Are Animals Used to Study the Brain? 11–13.How Has Science Advanced as a Result of Animal Experimentation? 8–10.How Have Animals Contributed to Improving Human Health? 5–7.10 Between 50,000 and 60,000 nonhuman primates, such as monkeys and chimpanzees, are studied each year, many of them coming from breeding colonies in the United States. In fiscal year 1988, about 142,000 dogs and 52,000 cats were used in experimentation, with 40,000 to 50,000 of those dogs being bred specifically for research and the others being acquired from pounds. 9 About 85 percent of these animals are rats and mice that have been bred for research. An estimated 17 to 22 million vertebrate animals are used each year in research, education, and testing-less than 1 percent of the number killed for food. For example, many diseases that affect human beings also affect other mammals, but they do not occur in insects, plants, or bacteria.įar fewer animals are used in research than are used for other purposes. In particular, mammals are essential to researchers because they are the closest to us in evolutionary terms. But researchers also investigate a wide range of animal species, from insects and nematodes to dogs, cats, and monkeys. 8 Many basic biological processes are best studied in single cells, tissue cultures, or plants, because they are the easiest to grow or examine. Researchers draw upon the full range of living things to study life, from bacteria to human beings. (The polio vaccine was developed, and its safety is still tested, in monkeys.) Animals are also indispensable to the rapidly growing field of biotechnology, where they are used to develop, test, and make new products such as monoclonal antibodies. Some animals have biological similarities to humans that make them particularly good models for specific diseases, such as rabbits for atherosclerosis or monkeys for polio. As with inbred mice, members of some animal species are genetically identical, enabling researchers to compare different procedures on identical animals. Animals can be fed identical and closely monitored diets. Instead, the drug or technique is tested in animals to make sure that it is safe and effective.Īnimals also offer experimental models that would be impossible to replicate using human subjects. When a new drug or surgical technique is developed, society deems it unethical to use that drug or technique first in human beings because of the possibility that it would cause harm rather than good. By studying animals, it is possible to obtain information that cannot be learned in any other way. 7Īnimals are also used to learn more about living things and about the illnesses that afflict human beings and other animals. Animals are used for transportation, for sport, for recreation, and for companionship. More than 5 billion animals are killed in the United States each year as a source of food. ![]() The approximately 260 million people in the United States keep about 110 million dogs and cats as pets. Human beings use animals for a wide variety of purposes, including research.
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