The animals unfortunate enough to be imprisoned, crippled, burned, cut into, poisoned and killed in UC Davis’ laboratories are no different than the animals with whom many of us share our homes and think of as friends and family. We would never allow anyone to mistreat the dogs and cats in our homes in ways that are commonplace in laboratories. Outside of a laboratory it would be illegal.
The hypothetical benefit to humans of harming animals in laboratories can never justify this cruelty. Animals – from mice to monkeys – experience pain, suffering and pleasure just like cats, dogs and humans. Indeed, they possess all of the same biological and cognitive characteristics that make it similarly repugnant to experiment on vulnerable humans.
Treating our fellow living beings like disposable laboratory equipment degrades our humanity and requires turning a blind eye to the findings of biology from the time of Darwin to the present.
We can no longer allow animal experimenters to minimize and ignore the moral implications of the well-established biological and psychological similarities among species. For animals, it is a matter of life and death.
IAN SMITH
Research Associate
Laboratory Investigations Division
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
