Are animal experiments cruelty to animals?

Are animal experiments cruelty to animals?

Animal experimentation and love of animals are not mutually exclusive: Scientists are not automatically abusers of animals. It is the same in my research that deals with infectious diseases. As far as possible, we work without animals.

What to do if you see cruelty to animals?

In acute emergency situations or in a clear case of animal cruelty, you have the option of filing a criminal complaint with the police or the public prosecutor’s office. This does not entail any costs for you and helps to arrest animal abusers.

How many animals die each year from animal experiments?

Germany 2018: consistently high numbers – almost three million animals suffer and die in laboratories. The consumption of animals in experiments in Germany has remained consistently high: in 2018, a total of 2,825,066 vertebrates and cephalopods (octopuses and squids) were used for scientific purposes.

What are the alternatives to animal testing?

Cell cultures and biochips instead of animals The funded projects cover a wide range of alternative methods. These include, among other things, pioneering techniques for the use of three-dimensional growing cell cultures, computer simulations or imaging processes such as magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasound.

Can cell cultures replace animal experiments?

Experiments that are carried out in cell cultures are also known as in vitro experiments – in contrast to in vivo experiments that are carried out in living organisms. With such co-cultures, some biological processes can be simulated in the in vitro model and certain animal experiments can be replaced.

How can you prevent animal testing?

It is often claimed that animal testing could be abolished immediately and replaced by alternative methods. Computer simulations, microdosing, magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) and in vitro tests are often cited as alternative methods.

Are animal experiments really necessary?

Animal experiments are carried out in Germany in particular in basic research. Although this is not targeted, it is absolutely necessary in order to achieve general progress in medical research, says biologist Dr. Christina Beck from the “Understanding Animal Experiments” initiative.

Why is there still animal testing?

Why are animal experiments being carried out? The most important reasons are basic research in order to better understand life processes and diseases, to develop new drugs and healing methods, and to test the safety of drugs and other substances with which humans come into contact.

Who carries out animal experiments in Germany?

The Max Planck Society uses a significantly higher percentage of fish for its research than the national average and thus fulfills an essential requirement of the German Animal Welfare Act, according to which vertebrates that are organized as little as possible should be used for experimental purposes.

Where are most of the animal experiments carried out?

At 64.3%, most animal experiments in the field of basic medical research were carried out in Switzerland in 2018.

Who controls animal testing?

Every animal experiment is supervised by an independent official veterinarian. Several times a year, the responsible veterinary authorities also carry out controls, which can also be unannounced.

Who is allowed to do what in animal experiments?

The Animal Welfare Act stipulates that animal experiments may only be carried out by people who have the necessary knowledge and skills. This usually requires a university degree in veterinary medicine, medicine or dentistry.

Which animals are most often used for animal experiments?

Fish made up 9.8 percent and birds two percent. 0.04 percent of the test animals were cats, 0.1 percent monkeys and monkeys and 0.1 percent dogs. Great apes are not used in experiments. Mice are the most common animals used in research.

In which countries is there animal testing?

Animal tests for cosmetics are also still carried out in Japan, Russia, the USA and Canada. However, they are not required by law and it is possible to use animal-free methods for risk assessment where they are available and officially approved.

Which drugs were discovered through animal experiments?

Millions of patients therefore benefit from the results of research with animal experiments. Thanks to animal experiments, antibiotics, insulin, vaccines and heparin (a “blood thinner”) have been discovered, and organ transplants, surgical techniques and implants have been developed.

Are all drugs tested on animals?

In Germany, animal experiments are only allowed to be carried out for the development of new pharmaceuticals, to identify environmental hazards and to check the harmlessness of pharmaceuticals and pesticides, foods and commodities, chemicals and hazardous substances, and for basic research.

Are cosmetics tested on animals?

Decorative cosmetic products such as make-up have not been allowed to be tested on animals in Germany since 1986. The German Animal Welfare Act prohibits this for the development of such products. So-called care products are also affected by the ban.

Are animal experiments for cosmetics banned in Germany?

Animal experiments for decorative cosmetics have been banned in Germany since 1986, provided that suitable alternative methods exist. This ban was extended to care products in 1998 and now also applies at EU level.

Are animal experiments allowed in Austria?

Since 1999 there has been a general ban on carrying out animal experiments on finished cosmetic products for all cosmetics manufactured in Austria, regulated in the Austrian Animal Welfare Act (Federal Law Gazette No. 501/1989 in the amendment of 1999 Federal Law Gazette No.

Are animal experiments allowed in the EU?

Animal experiments for finished cosmetic products and for components of cosmetics have been banned in the EU since 2004 and 2009 (test ban).