Animal Testing (Vivisection)

The UK Government annual statistics revealed in 2005 that over 2.8 million animals suffered and died in British laboratories in experiments that "may have caused pain, suffering, distress and lasting harm" (experiments that are considered unlikely to cause pain do not need to be licensed and are therefore not included in the annual statistics). An estimated additional 8 million animals were bred and then destroyed as surplus to requirements. Many alternatives to the use of live animals exist in research but humane science is under funded and there is a general lack of awareness surrounding the subject. Besides saving countless animal lives, alternatives to animal tests are efficient and reliable. Unlike crude, archaic animal tests, non-animal methods usually take less time to complete, cost only a fraction of what the animal experiments they replace cost, and are not plagued with species differences that make extrapolation difficult or impossible.