Bad information equals misinformation ; vivisection is a lie

There is information available about animal use at UK Universities. One can ask for this information
via such mechanisms as the freedom of information acts. This is nothing new and has abundantly been used by animal activists. One web site will even provide you the tools to do this on your behalf -follow the link.

This blog provides the number of animals used by UK universities for the year 2011. Some show the animal species or families used together with the amount of animals per species, others just the overal total amount. The header reads University Vivisection abuse. Clearly this type of publishing information does not follow a rigorous scientific methodology as scientist do when engaging a procedure or study. There is no mention of what was studied nor why but I guess that is pointless because the intent is to link amount of animals with abuse.

It reminds me of the tactics used, to say that animals die in transit or during air transportation without any further substantiation. That situation changed when US airlines reported animal escapes, injuries and deaths. The numbers reported clearly demonstrates that whilst there are such instances they are nowhere near the level animal activists want you to believe. I think there are actually more animals that die or are put to death because of lack of space at shelters than those in transit. For an overview of such incidents reported to the DOT by US carriers click here. I don't think it is the love for statistics that keeps this reporting requirement alive because by now it should be clear that some statements made by animal activists are pure and simple misinformation.

Actually the more they are able to insert new requirements into laws in the name of animal welfare, the less attractive flying animals becomes for airlines. The result is that they throw in the towel and the flying public has less options for flying their pets. Sounds all too familiar? Well indeed the same tactics are used with other animal use industries such as those involved in fur or breeding, agriculture, display, entertainment, ornamentals or the food industry. Even my colleagues involved in conservation at zoo's and aquaria are feeling the lack of available carriers as an increasing problem.

So what can you do? Make sure your associations know about your needs, ensure that transportation is a permanent agenda item and available air services is monitored on a regular basis. Ensure your voice is heard at CITES and at the OIE/World Animal Health Organization and the WHO. For what matters to you most likely matters to others as well, even if they appear silent. Make sure the devil does not creep into the details of regulatory proposals in the name of animal welfare!

No room for mistakes

Look at this web page. It sounds as if medical research still operates on the same grounds as in the 70'ies. The page mentions how many people have died as a result of taking prescription drugs to finally conclude that 1 out of 10 hospital beds is occupied as a result of iatrogenesis (medically induced disease). I really don't know what world these people live in but apparently theirs is a flawless one.
A world where no mistakes are made or if mistakes are made then the activity needs to be stopped.
A few doctor statements are interjected as a means of illustrating how wrong animal research is and how it never leads to results for humans. After all these years of investigating, trying to understand, analyzing, comparing and creating drugs or cures that are safe for humans, this entire effort ends up to a zero sum equation. The entire medical field and those regulating it are all dead wrong. And if you speak in favor of animal use in research you are part of the torturing business. You are on the wrong side of the fence.

This reminds me of a joke where a scientist after having progressively cut off a frog's legs concludes that the result of his actions rendered the animal deaf because it could no longer move...!

It is good to be held to a high standard but when people play the cards against you because their motivation is not to improve but to stop an activity on the basis of their own moral grounds, then there is not just a problem. They become the problem. As far as I know animal research is used as a means towards discovering a solution. There is never a guarantee that what is undertaken leads to the expected or wished for outcome. Does that mean it does not need to be undertaken? No, absolutely not for mistakes are part of the learning. There is no straight line towards drug discovery and low hanging fruit is long gone.

No system is perfect and  built in safeguards are needed. Have animals been sacrificed in this process? Yes and there always will, until such time as animals are no longer deemed necessary. Only science can answer when this will be and science depends on our activities, our capacity to understand, investigate and discover.   When and if we get there we will have cured every disease and have eradicated pain and suffering from this planet, perhaps shall we all be immortal by then.
Meanwhile I suggest we let researchers search for cures, airlines continue to transport laboratory destined animals and patients have faith in the drug discovery process.