नागरिक पोष्ट News

Sankalpa Baral

The rate in which science is advancing is exceedingly large. One of the major benefits that humanity has been able to pluck out of it is mitigation of sufferings of men and animals. For instance, we now are a part of world that produces meat in lab, thanks to the rise in animal welfare culture all over the world.

Some facets of modern science, however, still indulge in the inhumane treatment of animals. Researchers, for example use animals for new discoveries in medical science. Modern science should opt for other alternatives and avoid animal research for three simple reasons that these researchs are morally wrong, they are very expensive, and only a few testings are productive.

Firstly, it is morally wrong to use animals for experiments and research owing to the fact that animal test undergo experiments that is likely inflict pain and suffering in these speechless beings. They are picked from their natural environment and are often kept in captivity. These freedom loving creatures are forced to live in a certain way, and are exploited to unimaginable extent. Scientists and researchers only see the positive contributions of animal tests to the medical field and their private companies ignoring the side effects of the tests on the animals’ lives. These animals are deliberately harmed and are usually killed at the end and that too for the benefit of others. Clearly, it is against our moral values to forcefully abduct and deliver agony to those who cannot defend themselves.

Secondly, animal testing is expensive. Some animal tests can even take 3-4 months or even years to come up with adequate results. The experiments has to be in a controlled environment also the animals has to be taken care of with food, proper housing which adds up to the cost, making the experiment very expensive. The money required happens to be trivial if every research carried out on animals are productive. But if most of the researches are unfruitful, the cost required to carry out such researches should be seriously taken into consideration. Therefore, focusing on non-animal testing methods such as vitro methods, silico models and human volunteers would save scientists money and time at the same time.

Lastly, very few results of the animal researchs are worthy of implications because humans are biologically different than animals. No matter how much researchers and scientist justify the experiments saying that the use of animals is mere to develop new drugs and treatments we cannot ignore the fact that humans and animals do not always react in the same way to a drug. Since there are many differences between animals and humans, no any animal model is ever perfect. Also they are in a controlled environment and the result that they posses in the natural environment can be potentially different. Moreover, the reason that some medicines do not make it to market is that despite passing tests in animals they then fail in humans.

Even though there are rules and regulations to limit the sufferings the animals have to face during testing, the sacrifice that animals have to make is going in vain. It is solely because the agony that animals have to face is not proportional to the outcome of such research, the research based on animals is too costly and the anatomy of animals and humans are different because of which the outcome of research may not have direct implications on humans. Hence, it is high time we put our efforts and investment in non-animal tests making it not just cost and time convenient but also humane and effective.