RATS and MICE

"Nature did not intend for these animals to be stand ins for people, and it is not safe to assume that what occurs in rodents will predict what happens in people."

I'm the type of person who loves animals. But when I say that I love animals, I am mostly talking about dogs and horses; the animals that make you feel like you have a connection with them. I feel as though many people would consider themselves the same when talking about animals; they would probably agree with me when I say that I hate animal cruelty. But what exactly defines animal cruelty? Are any animals "exempt" from such term? The answer should be no; but of course for science, rats and mice are excluded from this.

Did you know that "more than 100 million mice and rats are killed in U.S. laboratories every year. They are abused in everything from toxicology tests to painful burn experiments to psychological experiments that induce terror, anxiety, depression, and helplessness". How can so many people be against animal cruelty, but not be against killing so many mice and rats? The answer is simple; we have come to learn that testing on rats and mice is necessary to further our scientific knowledge, and to save millions of human lives. Because human lives are way more important than animals right?

After reading "Mice and Rats in Research" by the National Anti-Vivisection Society, I gained a new insight on the misconception delivered to the general public about mouse and rat use in laboratories. According to the Animal Welfare Act, they specifically exclude mice, rats, birds, and invertebrates from the definition of "animal." This allows laboratories to not count or report any death from these animals while working with them. This means that people will never truly know how many rats and mice are killed each year just to possibly save a number of human lives.

Additional websites for more information:

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animals-laboratories/mice-rats-laboratories/

http://www.navs.org/what-we-do/keep-you-informed/science-corner/animals-used-in-research/mice-and-rats/