Fight product-testing on animals

By Ingrid Newkirk

Right now, in laboratories across North America, dogs, cats, monkeys, mice, rats, rabbits, and other animals are being subjected to crude, painful, and ultimately deadly experiments. PETA’s fight for animals in laboratories began with our founding in 1980. And after winning a groundbreaking victory for them in 1981, we have been making major strides for these animals ever since. But our work for them is far from over.

With the ever-growing popularity of cruelty-free products, it’s easy for some consumers to think that product testing is rarely done anymore. They are wrong. Unilever, Dial, Clorox, Johnson & Johnson, and many other companies continue to fund cruel animal experiments even though superior non-animal test methods are available.

For example, a lethal poisoning test developed nearly 100 years ago — in which animals are force-fed increasing doses of a chemical until they die — is still the single most common animal test in use today. When you consider that government-mandated tests kill more than 2,000 animals every single time they are conducted, you’ll understand just how much suffering animal experimentation produces.

Tests such as these cause both intense individual suffering and death on a massive scale—and can never be justified. PETA is making tremendous strides in preventing painful animal tests (also known as “vivisection”), in educating scientists and policymakers about the more effective non-animal testing methods that are already available, and in funding the development of new non-animal test methods. Yet despite our recent advancements, millions of individual animals are still being imprisoned and subjected to horrific cruelty behind closed laboratory doors … .

Right now, PETA is exposing and helping to end animal tests that would otherwise result in the death of countless individual animals. Vivisectors know how dedicated and far-reaching our work for animals in laboratories is:

Our shareholder resolutions targeting some of the largest chemical and pharmaceutical companies in the world are helping to educate investors and senior executives who might otherwise never hear about the plight of animals in laboratories or about alternatives to animal testing.

Our work with government policymakers is getting cruel tests canceled and is encouraging more of them to turn their backs on animal testing.

Our scientific journal articles, papers and briefs on alternatives to animal testing are giving the next generation of toxicologists and physicians the news that they might not otherwise hear about simple, effective replacements for common animal tests.

With each passing day, PETA is building more momentum to stop painful animal experiments before they ever have a chance to begin.