Cruelty in Animal Testing! Hobbes, the cat, has been under experimentation for most of his life if not all of it. This is probably the last time that he will ever have to be experimented on again. Why? Because he is probably not going to live through the experiment this time. The makers of Herbal Essences are about to force shampoo down his tiny throat to see what happens to its organs. Even if Hobbes lives through the whole ordeal, they are going to kill him to see which organs the shampoo could have damaged.
If this was an actual human going through this deadly experiment, people would be in shock and absolutely forbid it. Instead, scientists are testing whether or not swallowing shampoo would affect a cat, which is absurd because this product isn’t being made for cats, it being made for use by humans. Testing on animals is a very cruel process that should not be allowed to take place. Animal testing started many years ago to help provide humans with information. The process of animal testing is one of the most disturbing experiments in history.
Many cosmetics and personal care lines are made every year and put into the market after being tested on defenseless animals. Almost every product has been animal tested at some stage in its development process. The website titled “Animals in Product Testing” stated, “… these products have gone through a long and complex testing process that leaves millions of animals mutilated, burned, poisoned and gassed in outmoded and unnecessary tests. ” From these different experiments, animals are often left with different diseases like Syphilis or AIDS (“Animal Rights: Animal Testing”).
Manufacturers of these different products say that they are performing these tests to assure our safety for these products. They want to make sure that humans are not in any amount of danger. (“Animals in Product Testing”). My first point why animal testing is a morally wrong process is because of some of the brutal things that happen in the process. There are certain types of animals they use for certain types of experimentation. Some well-known animals that they use for testing are: cats, dogs, mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, sheep, llamas, cattle, owls, deer, monkeys and other primates.
These are not, by any means, all of the animals that they use. These are just the most common (“Animal Rights: Animal Testing”). For example, the Draize Test is used on white albino rabbits (S. , Jeremy). They use white albino rabbits because of their sensitive eyes and also because the formation of their tear ducts stops tears from draining away all of the foreign substance (“Animal Rights: Test … “). In this experiment, scientists rub shampoo, soap, toothpaste, lipstick, or lawn products into their beautiful, red eyes.
From this point, scientists record the damage that they observed. This test can last up to eighteen days or even longer with the poor animals eyelids held open with a clip. Many of the rabbits end up breaking their necks trying to escape from the horrifying pain. First of all, it is pointless to keep the product in their eyes for that long of a period. There is no way that even a child would have something like that in his/her eye for very long. The second reason this is unnecessary to do to a rabbit is that the eye tissue of a rabbit is completely different from humans.
The pain they go through for no beneficial reason is ridiculous (S. , Jeremy). Why do companies even agree with animal experimentation? Some companies, like Clairol, demand that they do not use animal testing on their shampoo product, Herbal Essences. Even though they have cut down on animal testing, they have not eliminated the complete line of cosmetics and other products of animal experimentation (“Consumer Companies… Animals”). There are also some companies, like Mother’s Bath products, that do test on animals.
The only difference is they shampoo their own dogs to see how it smells after being cleaned off with water. This type of procedure is not actual animal testing. The reason being is because it is not harmful and does not injure the animals in any way. Mother’s Products inventor did mention, “Beyond these happy volunteers WE DO NOT TEST ON ANIMALS. All other product testing is done on ourselves, friends, & family. ” This is the best type of testing to do, on real human beings (“Mother’s Cupboard Bath… “). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has different laws about the safety of humans health.
In other words, the FDA and the different laws agree with animal testing. The FDA supports two different acts, the Animal Welfare Act and the Public Health Service Policy and Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (“Animal Testing”). The Animal Welfare Act is to assure the health of humane care and the management of dogs, cats and other certain animals that are used for research and experimentation. As well as to make sure that humane treatment of animals during the transport to help protect the owners of the animals from theft (U. S. Fish… ).
The Public Health Service Policy and Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals is a law that assures animal care for farm animals, mice and rats (“Public Health… “). The FDA feels that if animals are used instead of actual human beings, then there is no risk of taking a human’s life. If animals are put under experimentation, then the loss of an animal wouldn’t be as devastating as an actual person. Other companies like: Arm & Hammer, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, SmithKline, Beecham, and Unilever still test their products on animals (S. , Jeremy).
Another element why animal experimentation is just plain cruel is because in multiple ways, it is pointless. The reason that companies even test their products on animals is because they are supposedly watching out for our safety. Most toxic products are tested on different animals. Some toxic products that are used are: soaps and detergents, and toilet cleaner, etc. What is wrong with this picture? The internet site titled, “Animals in Product Testing” stated, “… no amount of animal testing can change the fact that many of these products are harmful if ingested or used in a way not intended by the manufacturer. In other words, there is no reason to force animals to swallow any toxic products, when no matter what, they would harm someone if they digested it (“Animal in Product Testing”). Also, many different types of drugs are very useful to human beings, but are very dangerous and deadly to animals. For example, Penicillin can help people’s lives, but actually kills guinea pigs. Another drug is Aspirin, which, in fact, causes birth defects in mice, monkeys, rats, cats, guinea pigs and dogs. Obviously, this is not a problem toward humans (“Animal Rights: Animal Testing”).
There are many reasons why animal experimentation is meaningless, but, in many ways, it can be good according to Jack Botting and Adrian Morrison. Both of these scientist claim that animal experimentation is necessary because that is the only way that cures can be invented for many diseases. Also, many other medicines have been developed through animal testing. Morrison and Botting feel that there is no difference between humans and animals. (Botting, 78). Animal testing is also unnecessary because there is not a law saying that you have to test any product on animals (Stevens).
The only product that is forced by the law, to test on animals, are certain types of chemicals and pharmaceutical products (S. , Jeremy). To think that people are so cruel against animals, and there is no reason for it. Karen Lee Stevens stated, “Sophisticated alternatives to the use of animals in consumer product testing are readily available. ” So, from the Steven’s statement, there are obviously many other ways, besides animal testing, which can be used to test different products.
These different alternatives could possibly be more effective, be a better indicator for humans, have much quicker results, and it would not be involved in any kind of animal cruelty. So, why don’t all companies realize that they don’t have to do testing on innocent animals? There are two main reasons why it is so difficult for manufacturers to use alternatives: the fright for human safety and the fright of product assurance. The first company that changed their ways of animal testing was Revlon Cosmetics. In 1979, Revlon gave $750,000 to the Rockefeller University to research different alternatives to test their products.
Different organizations such as the John Hopkins Center for the Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), Toiletry and Fragrance Association, the Cosmetic, the International Foundation for Ethical Research, and the Soap and Detergent Association started their own research to develop different alternatives. While this research is going on, the amount of animal testing increases so that they can guarantee consistent results with the new alternatives (Stevens). The final reason why animal testing is so cruel is because innocent animals are being abused without reason.
For example, many animals that are used in all of these experiments are animals that have either been stolen or are from different animal’s shelters. From there, they are taken to animal testing sites. All of these animal experimentation sites have been inspected, but just because the research centers are legalized, does not mean that animals aren’t being abused. According to Jeremy S. , “A research scientist at Huntingdon Life Sciences was recently caught on videotape punching four puppies repeatedly in the face. ” This so-called “scientist” is trying to prevent humans from danger by punching puppies.
The scientist tried to back up his crime by stating that he was only trying to do the puppies a favor because the product that he just made them sniff was giving them terrible effects on the body (S. , Jeremy). There is no reason to do this to such young animals, or any animals for that manner. Today, many companies have turned from animal testing. They now feel that animal experimentation is a cruel and unjust process that leaves innocent animals dead for no apparent reason. Although many companies have agreed that it is an absurd process, animal testing still is a huge part of product testing (“Animals in Product Testing”).
After all of the reasons of why animal testing is ridiculous, hopefully a law will stop the cruel process. Although, like stated in the previous paragraph, many companies have stopped these practices and tests; there are many that still practice this process. Hobbes, the cat, could still be alive today if it wasn’t for the companies that still believe that it is okay to test animals with products. A question that is brought up in many peoples mind is, why would animal testing still be going on if there are alternatives? What type of person has the heart to kill animals for no apparent reason?
