ARFF - Animal Experimentation



	Millions of mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, cats, dogs, primates and other animals are killed each year in the U.S. in scientific research, product and cosmetic testing, and in education. The animal's only legal protection, the federal Animal Welfare Act does not cover rats, mice or fish, despite the fact that they make up approx. 95% of all animals used in research! The Act does not prohibit any experiment, no matter how frivolous or painful. The justification for using animals in experiments is usually a promise of scientific discovery. Research institutions promise cures to diseases such as AIDS, cancer and diabetes. The reality is that creating disease in healthy animals is an unreliable way to study human diseases. Because of biological differences between species, animal research yields results that cannot be safely applied to humans. Animal rights advocates are not anti-science. We believe animals have the right to not be exploited as experimental subjects, but we are also convinced that animal research harms humans by diverting research dollars that should be going to proven methods of curing disease. An increasing number of doctors and scientists are voicing their opposition to animal research based on scientific reasons. Innovative non-animal research methods such as human clinical and in vitro (test tube) research, cell and tissue cultures, epidemiology, and genetic research are more effective methods of studying disease and to test the effectiveness and toxicity of drugs. If you are concerned about the welfare of animals in laboratories, please become involved in our campaigns against animal research.
	Scripps Research Institute. Click here to learn about ARFF's campaign. Burnham Institute for Medical Research.
	Animal Research in Florida In 2005 (the most recent year from which information is available), over 7,000 animals were used in research in Florida. Included in this number were 964 pigs, 601 cats, 576 rabbits, 570 nonhuman primates, 246 dogs, and 168 sheep. NOT included in this number are the tens of thousands of mice and rats used in research every year in Florida. The largest research facilities in Florida are the University of Florida, University of Miami, and the University of South Florida— each killing thousands of animals every year in experiments. Other institutions, such as Mount Sinai Medical Center, use fewer animals but have records of cruel treatment of animals. Research facilities in Florida: (USDA list) – Brevard Community College – Dolphin Research Center (Grassy Key) – Dumond Conservancy For Primates (Miami) – FAMU College Of Pharmacy – Florida Atlantic University – Florida Institute Of Technology – Florida International University – Florida State University – Hillsborough Community College – Imperial Point Animal Hospital South (400 SE 29th St., Fort Lauderdale; not associated with Imperial Point Animal Hospital, on Commercial Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale) – International Institute for Biomedical Research (Treasure Island) – Lemur Conservation Foundation (Myakka City) – Lubee Foundation (Gainesville) – MD Anderson Cancer Center - Orhs Health Research Institute (Orlando) – Miami Dade College - Medical Center Campus – Mote Marine Laboratory (Sarasota) – Mount Sinai Medical Center (Miami Beach)* – Primate Products (Miami, Immokalee) – Rumbaugh-Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research (Plantation) – St. Petersburg College – Scripps Research Institute Florida (Jupiter) – The Mannheimer Foundation (Homestead) – Tactical Medics International (Jacksonville Beach) – University Of Central Florida – University Of Florida – University Of Miami* – University Of South Florida* – Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (Bay Pines, Miami, Gainesville, Tampa) *Important notes:* This list does not include institutions that use only "nonregulated species." The Animal Welfare Act excludes from protection mice, rats, birds, frogs and snakes. This list includes institutions that use live animals for teaching purposes. For example, live animals are used in the veterinary technology programs at Brevard Community College and Miami Dade College. Also included are institutions that use captive wild animals in behavioral research, such as the Dolphin Research Center. This list does not include federal facilities, school laboratories below the college level, and agricultural research institutions (these facilites are exempt from federal regulations). Mount Sinai Medical Center: A former staff veterinarian at the teaching hospital filed a lawsuit alleging that she was fired after complaining about repeated neglect and mishandling of animals. Her lawsuit detailed cruel treatment of sheep who were used in research. The Sun-Sentinel reported (July 21, 2003), "Workers left sheep unattended in shopping carts that sometimes fell over, once leaving a sheep with two broken legs. A nursing female sheep was found dead with its neck caught in the bars of its cage," and several sheep suffered horrible deaths due to malfunctioning nebulizers. In 2005, Mount Sinai Medical Center reported using 28 sheep and 58 pigs in research projects. University of Miami: In its 2004 Annual Report, the University of Miami reported using 43 dogs, 13 cats, 39 guinea pigs, 4 hamsters, 265 rabbits, 94 non-human primates and 882 pigs in research (in addition to an estimated thousands of mice and rats). Pigs are used at the university in wound healing experiments. In one experiment, a small blade was used to make 105 cuts in the back and chest of a pig. University Of South Florida: In June 2005, five primates in a diabetes experiment at the Division of Comparative Medicine died within a two-week period, reportedly due to neglect. USF was cited by the USDA after a May 2004 incident when several dogs received burns from heating pads.

	Troubled by dissection? Students in Florida public schools (grades K-12) have the right to refuse to dissect on animals (Florida statute 1003.47). Today, there are many humane alternatives to classroom dissection— including models, computer software and other state-of-the-art educational materials. Visit www.Animalearn.org for more information about alternative methods. Please contact ARFF if your school has refused to provide you with an alternative to dissection, or if you feel that you are being penalized for choosing a non-animal alternative.
	Product Testing The Food & Drug Administration does not require animal testing for personal care products (soap, cosmetics) or household products (laundry detergent, floor cleaner). Non-animal test methods exist today that accurately predict product safety. Over 600 companies manufacture cosmetics, personal care items and household products that are not tested on animals, including Avon, Clinique, Mary Kay, Nivea, Norelco and Revlon. Sadly, there are still manufacturers of these products that blind and poison animals in cruel “safety” tests. Be a caring consumer; please only buy products from companies that have adopted a non-animal-testing policy. Visit the below links to view lists of companies that do/that don't test on animals: • PeTA's Caring Consumer Guide. • American Anti-Vivisection Society's Compassionate Shopping Guide.

	Links ARFF recommends the following links for more information about animal experimentation: - American Anti-Vivisection Society - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine - Americans for Medical Advancement - The Medical Research Modernization Committee - FAQs About Vivisection (National Anti-Vivisection Society) National Animal Experimentation Campaigns: - Huntingdon Life Sciences (one of the world's largest animal testing labs)