Alternatives to Animal Testing
Please everyone read this article and share it with as many people as you can to create awareness. Tweet and Facebook/ blog it please. Help animals by creating awareness for them, I beg you.
Tsem Tulku
From: Painless Option, published by The Star on June 29th 2010
A look at alternatives to animal-testing.
WE are often led to believe that the only way to make sure any product is safe for human use is to test it on animals first. The pain, suffering and death of these animals are but a price that has to be paid.
We are told that dogs, for instance, have similar cardiovascular and respiratory systems to humans. Cats’ neurological systems are apparently very much like that of man’s. And non-human primates are the closest relatives to Homo sapiens.
But do we know that there are actually other means to conduct trials on products, be it for cosmetics, body care, pharmaceuticals, household products, or industrial and agricultural products? The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), an animal protection and advocacy group, and the Dr Hadwen Trust, a British-based charity that funds non-animal alternatives, outline some of the options available.
BUAV communications and special projects director Sarah Kite opines that non-animal alternatives for testing can be cheaper, quicker and more effective, besides being more humane.
Silicon chip technology
This allows rapid identification of genes whose activity changes in response to certain diseases and drugs. It can help identify whether a drug or chemical is going to be therapeutic or harmful.
Kite quotes the example of the Toxichip, a cell-based biosensor, that could replace animals in toxicity screening. It was developed by scientists at the Tyndall National Institute in Cork, Ireland, and acts as a sensing system that monitors the effects of substances on human and animal cells in culture.
Toxichip works by detecting the cellular responses that occur as a result of toxicity. It can be used to examine the overall toxic effect of individual chemicals and combinations of these chemicals in areas such as environmental protection, and drug development and design.
Cell cultures
It is possible to obtain human cells and tissues from biopsies, post-mortems, placentas, or as waste from surgery, and grow them in the laboratory. The cells behave more simplistically than in the living body, though. Cellular systems have been central to key research on cancer, sepsis, Parkinson’s disease, kidney disease and AIDS, and are routinely used in chemical safety testing, vaccine production, drug development, and diagnosis of disease.
It is important that human cells, rather than animal cells, are used for medical research, to avoid the problem of relating results from one species to another. To encourage the use of human tissue, the Dr Hadwen Trust helped establish the UK Human Tissue Bank at Leicester. The Trust has funded research using human cells and tissues to replace animal experiments on Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, rheumatism, cataract, allergies and meningitis.
Animal rights activists, including Miss Malaysia/World 2009 Thanuja Anandan, are against animal-testing
Human tissues
As an extension to cell cultures, healthy and diseased tissues can be obtained from human volunteers following biopsies, surgery or death. Blood or urine samples can also be easily taken. Post-mortem brain tissue has provided important leads to understanding brain regeneration and the effects of multiple sclerosis.
One important alternative is the Reconstituted Human Epidermis (RHE) skin model (trade names: EpiSkin, Epiderm and SkinEthic). The reconstituted human skin is derived from donated, discarded skin from cosmetic surgery. The models are used to test the irritancy of chemicals and cosmetics on the skin. One model has recently been shown to be more effective than the original rabbit Draize skin test which it replaces.
Micro-organisms
Tests with simple micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, yeast and algae are being used as early indicators of chemicals likely to be harmful. They are often faster and cheaper than animal tests. Bacteria can be genetically manipulated to manufacture useful products such as human insulin and monoclonal antibodies which were previously obtained from animals.
Analytical technology
Technological advances have resulted in improved molecular methods for analysing and identifying new compounds and medicines. The Trust has provided analytical equipment to researchers selecting new anti-cancer and anti-malaria drugs based on their molecular interaction with human DNA.
Quantitative Structure/Activity Relationship programmes (QSARs)
These are computer programmes which can predict the toxicity of new chemicals or drugs based on their similarity to more established compounds.
The Trust has helped develop various computer models, including a model of the human placenta and foetus which assisted in the treatment of problems affecting unborn babies; and a model of the human jaw and teeth for dental research. These models are based on relevant human data and can be used to carry out simulated experiments, in place of experiments on animals.
The Trust has also supported work using mathematical modelling to improve cancer treatments, and to explore illnesses related to ageing.
Volunteer studies
One of the best ways to conduct medical research is by studying the human body. New scanning and imaging techniques are making it increasingly possible to conduct safe and ethical studies of human volunteers, where previously animals had been used.
The Trust projects have made use of a variety of sophisticated imaging techniques to non-invasively investigate the intact human body. These include using a Magnetoencephalography scanner (which maps brain activity) to study epileptic patients; Magnetic Resonance Imaging to investigate pain in patients; and developing a novel technique, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to study the function of the human brain in healthy volunteers. So even humans can get involved in testing and trials with no pain. Do we still need to look at animal-testing?
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An animal testing is known as testing of live animal in any scientific experiment. A live animal is likely to suffer pain, distress and lasting harm in the procedure . Animals used in laboratories are deliberately harmed, and are usually killed at the end of the experiment. It is cruel and inhumane to experiment on animals, that alternative methods available to researchers can replace animal . I am sure there are other methods as now the world is so advance in their technology. Animals should not be used in research or to test the safety of products. Thankfully, the development of non-animal methods is growing, and fast. Due to innovations in science, animal tests are being replaced in areas such as toxicity testing, neuroscience and drug development.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing to bring awareness of these animals testing which should be banned.
Since there are so many ways to do the testings on medicine and cosmetic, it is unnecessary to do the testing on animals. To test the medicines, diseases have to be cultivated in their bodies and then medicine will be given to them to do the test.
The whole process is very painful. Animals are kept in a cage, they suffer from diseases, they are treated like an object. They live in fear daily.
We have to stop treating animals like an object. They are like human beings, they know how to love and they want to love. They want to feel safe and live freely. If we cannot give these to them, at least don’t hurt them.
Million of animals are crippled, poisoned, and abused in labs every year. Animal testing is morally wrong no matter how much humans may benefit because the animal’s basic right has been infringed. When animals are used for laboratory research, they are subjected to painful deadly experiments. The harmful use of animals in experiments is not only cruel but also often ineffective.Animal testing are cruel, unreliable, and even dangerous .Signs of diseases are artificially induced into animals in laboratories in an attempt to mimic the human disease.Well as these modern era more laboratory research teams found many alternative ways instead of animal testing.They are using human cells and tissues to replace animal experiments for cosmetics, body care, pharmaceuticals, household products and many more products.Thats wonderful as less animals been tortured then.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing
Since there are so many alternative ways instead of animal testing, I really do not understand why don’t people do more research on that? How is it not worth of your time to study? Why torture the animals, cage them, abuse them, starve them, inject them with all kinds of funny chemicals? Why don’t you do it on yourself and see how does that feel? Its definitely not a good feeling. Animals have feelings as well, why cant we make peace and stop testing on them? Just because they don’t speak human language, that doesn’t mean we can take advantage on that and “assume” that they are just animals, then what’s the difference between us and them? To them, we are just a bunch of crazy talking animals that go around hunting them down, keeping them in captivity while they belong to the nature. I really hope that more people will realise the horrors behind all the animal testings and speak up, help the ones that really need us.
I hate animal testing. I find that it is useless, and all it does is hurt animals. I am so happy to read this post, because this is proof that people do no need to test on animals anymore. There are other, and better ways to test. I love this. If this post get a lot of shares, and if the awareness spreads, I cannot wait to see the end result. Of all the animals being freed of animal testing.
How can testing on animals reveal the secrets of the human body’s reaction to chemicals and drugs.
It is good to know now that there are actually other tests already available in place of animal testing. This way, animals wont have to suffer in pain with us human beings being the benefactors.
If other ways are available, why then scientists still rely on animals for their product testing? Is it because of costs? Old beliefs? Or simply because that we as human beings think that we are so high up and that we can make use of any beings that we perceive as weaker than us? Those who cannot speak.
I agree that awareness is important. Making this known through highly regarded people such as Oprah can help spread the information more effectively. Those in the labs can help greatly too, if they take out their humanity and cease the practice of animal testing through their own actions.
Dear Rinpoche,
Thank you for sharing with us this article on Alternatives to Animal Testing. It is admirable that a charity organisation like the Dr Hadwen Trust has been set up to fund such alternative and more humane testing.
The article and pictures in Star Two ,28 June,describing and depicting the cruelly painful and horrendous ways in which animals have been used for testing of cosmetic, health and medicinal products have left an indelible mark in my memory.
I also remember reading, in an issue of the Readers Digest,about the creation of a sanctuary for these animals which were discarded after being used for these tests.All these animals were broken-down specimens of life, physically, mentally and emotionally. Unfortunately,this sanctuary had to be closed down eventually because of lack of funds and resources. Sad that people are not willing to support such causes.
In very recent times, there has been a great hue and cry in this country over the many incidents of ‘baby dumping'(which is indeed HORRENDOUS!).I wish people would feel as outraged over animal cruelty and the abuse of animals for testing.
Many years ago when I was younger I have read about placentas that was used to make cosmetics for humans. I think this is the correct way. But because of advanced techology many scientist now do research with animals. I don’t know whether it is true or not. But I have heard researchers take animals like cats and dogs that are most common. Open them up with surgery test them then close them up again and put the parts back again to normal. But during the process how much pain and sufferings the animal has endured we know. They are not able to ask for pain relief medications as they cannot talk. So they suffer in silence. I have undergone a few operations and have experience pain. But at least we can request for pain killer. When we undergo operation there is a reason for that. Best if we can find another source or alternative to do research so we don’t have to use animals and avoid hurting them.
Animal testing is not scientific method as the results are not transferable between species. The former scientific director of Huntington Life Sciences, one of the largest contract research labs in the world, Dr Ralph Haywood said, “The best guess for the correlation of adverse reactions between human and animal toxicity data is somewhere between 5% and 25%” and “90% of our work is done for legal and not for scientific reasons.” a crime against animals and humans. curedisease. net
“The history of cancer research has been a history of curing cancer in the mouse… We have cured mice of cancer for decades – and it simply didn’t work in humans.” Dr. Richard Klausner, as director of the US National Cancer Institute
1981 Congressional Testimony by Dr. Irwin Bross, former Director of the Sloan-Kettering, the largest cancer research institute in the world, and then Director of Biostatistics at Roswell Park Memorial Institute for Cancer Research, Bufallo, NY: “The uselessness of most of the animal model studies is less well known…Indeed, while conflicting animal results have often delayed and hampered advances in the war on cancer, they have never produced a single substantial advance either in the prevention or treatment of human cancer.”
more at http://www.pnc.com.au/~cafmr “Cancer research- a super fraud”
and from the Safer Medicines Campaign http://www.curedisease.net
“Given substances are not necessarily carcinogenic to all species. Studies show that 46% of chemicals found to be carcinogenic in rats were not carcinogenic in mice. [23] If species as closely related as mice to rats do not even contract cancer similarly, it’s not surprising that 19 out of 20 compounds that are safe for humans caused cancer in animals. [24]
The US National Cancer Institute treated mice growing 48 different “human” cancers with a dozen different drugs proven successful in humans, and in 30 of the cases, the drugs were useless in mice. Almost two-thirds of the mouse models were wrong. Animal experimentation is not scientific because it is not predictive.
The US National Cancer Institute also undertook a 25 year screening programme, testing 40,000 plant species on animals for anti-tumour activity. Out of the outrageously expensive research, many positive results surfaced in animal models, but not a single benefit emerged for humans. As a result, the NCI now uses human cancer cells for cytotoxic screening.[25]
refs 23# DiCarlo DrugMet Rev,15; p409-131984.
24# Mutagenesis1987;2:73-78.
25# Handbook of Laboratory Animal Science, Volume II Animal Models Svendensen and Hau (Eds.) CRC Press 1994 p4.”
“Animal studies are done for legal reasons and not for scientific reasons. The predictive value of such studies for man is meaningless.”; – Dr James D. Gallagher; Director of Medical Research; Lederle Laboratories; Journal of the American Medical Association; March 14 1964.;
According to the US FDA 92% of new drugs fail in clinical trials, after they have passed all the safety tests in animals. US FDA (2004) “Innovation or Stagnation, Challenge and Opportunity on the Critical Path to new Medical Products”
curedisease. net mrmcmed. org health. org . nz curedisease. com vivisectionresearch. ca pcrm. org drvernoncoleman. com speakcampaigns. org navs. org
Please spread the word, this terrible crime must stop
I strongly protest against animal testing. It sickens me to see all those wires, probes and electrodes sticking out of animal heads or bodies and their terror stricken looks.
Human Beings will go to all lengths to ensure they are healthy, live long and look beautiful at the expense of all other living beings. I am glad that they are now finding alternatives without using animals for testing.
Humans must learn to respect the sanctity of life and all living beings must be treated with equal respect and dignity. We cannot be so indifferent to the sufferings of animals for our own selfish desires. After all do these tests really give true results that the products are safe and effective? If that is the case then the statistics of people dying from cancer and other diseases will not be on the up trend. In the old days people rely on plant oil and herbs and seemed to work quite well.
We must now cooperate collectively to boycott all products that use animal testing and government must come up with legislations to ban all forms of animal testing.
We really do not need animal testing. It is one of the worst forms of cruelty to animals. Many experiments have failed and the animals are scarred for life. Some are rescued by NGOs and kind individuals who build sanctuaries for the abandoned animals that have served their purpose and are no longer needed by the scientists. Some end up in zoos and the circus. It is a fact that these experiments conducted in the name of disease prevention and cure have resulted in the death and permanent scarring of countless animals. In this article, Rinpoche points out alternative ways of testing without using animals. They are much more humane because we avoid committing more negative karma.
As a person that have participated in animal testing for educational purpose… I’d have to say that it is not a nice experience.
Just like Justin said, the amount of fear and stress the animal go thought… is tremendous. Animals have instinct, and the mice used for testing often have so much fear, they defecate and urinate when handled by people.
Although alternatives of animal testing is good, the cost certainly is a deterrent factor. Increased cost equates to high-priced drugs, resulting it to be unaffordable to certain class of patients whose quality of life would have improved if the drug is consumed. Therefore, in drug testing… i’m on the fence…
However, cosmetic products using animal testing is certainly one that i do not support.
I strongly oppose to animal testings for the benefit of human pleasure. I would be very happy to let go of the so call leisure for the animal to suffer pain unnecessary. I am very glad now that we have alternatives to it instead of making animals as a test and suffer. I agree with David that animals can’t express their sufferings and that doesn’t mean that they don’t feel pain or simply does not have the inteligents to feel pain at all. And to this, doesn’t mean that we can exploit this. Can anyone imagine the amount of fear and stress that the animal will be put up with for the test?
If animals can write, I would not be surprised to read about articles they write about human beings in their forum labeling us as “DEVILS” for conducting all sorts of tests and inhumane experiments on them causing endless horrific sufferings just to ensure that cosmetic and products are safe for human consumption.
It is also a relief to know that various national and international bodies have put in efforts to curb animal cruelty through establishing regulations by statute for scientists to comply by treating research animals with care and compassion in cruelty-free methods and also observed in encouragement through support in facilitating credible science through R&D approaches where they gain wide public acceptance by eradication of animal testing.
I have done quite a number of stupid things, knowing that they were stupid or sensing that there were not the “right” thing to do, but doing them anyway because someone told me that is was “OKAY” to do such things.
Then, later one, you get to experience the un-pleasant effect of these stupid actions, and you regret. Well, at least, that is in the best case, I mean when we can actually connect the effect to the cause and think it through. I believe most of us have had similar experiences.
It can be things like “oh, cheating on my partner is OK”, then we realize later that it was really not “OK”.
It can be “cheating on taxes is OK”, and we find out later that it really was not “OK”.
We can think things through at the level of our lifetime and see that we have fooled ourselves many times (well, I have anyway!). How does it then affect our experiences over many lifetimes then? WOW, that perspective gives me kind of a vertigo…
Most everyone tells us “it’s OK to run clinical tests on animals”, “this is how it has been done for many years”, “better to test on animals than on humans”. I think we all know, somewhere inside, that is not just “OK”… When we harm another being, when we damage another being, whichever being, how can it be OK? And I believe that because we know for sure inside us that it is not OK, eventhough we have justified why we do it or even support it, we suffer when we do it, we suffer now, or we suffer later, because we are going against our real compassionate nature.
So perhaps, we should think deeper and stop relying on un-reliable justifications telling us that it is “OK”, and listen to the true us screaming inside “NO, NO, NO, IT IS NOT OK!!! DON’T HURT BEINGS, HELP BEINGS INSTEAD!!!”. We really should know better…
“One of the best ways to conduct medical research is by studying the human body New scanning and imaging techniques are making it increasingly possible to conduct safe and ethical studies of human volunteers, where previously animals had been used.”
I would like to see how many humans would actually volunteer themselves for the testing of new creams, lotions and shampoo. There are some companies out there who offer their human guinea pigs a pretty good pay rate for them to test out new products. But this is always AFTER siginificant animal testing has been carried out, to ensure that the new product is fairly safe. Yet many people still hesitate for fear that their hair will fall out, that their skin will break out in pimples etc.
BUT DID ANYONE GIVE THE ANIMALS A CHOICE?
We treat animals as though they are here for our convenience – as food, as test subjects, as companions to be set aside when they get too ill, old, inconvenient. How cold and uncaring that is. Who made humans the kings of the earth?
People should realise that animals have feelings too. They feel love, they feel pain, they are loyal, and they have every right to a good life just like we do. Please think and start to care.
Buy products that are not tested on animals. If everyone does that, it will make a difference.
I started doing some basic research on this issue and found that we can confirm obtain some products that are not tested on animals from the PETA catalogue. I also learnt that we cannot depend solely on the labels as the finished product may not have been tested on animals but the development product may have been, therefore, it can be misleading at times.
What is interesting is that there is this One Voice label that is an independent certification body which actually certifies both the product and composition are not tested on animals. Please check it out too.
For the ladies, we can obtain some natural formula for our exfoliating and masks by using fruits and veggies. That way we can minimize buying those products off the shelve. We can also share information with each other on the brands we are using that have not been tested on animals so that we encourage each other to use it.
It may be true that new technologies are safer and less harmful towards animals during testing stages, however, the question will always revolve around money. Apparently, it is much cheaper to test on animals the old ways – yes, injecting them and downright abusing them and even allowing them to die as a result of the vigorous testing. It costs more to treat the animals in a humane way and then to test them in a humane way. At the end of the day, it is all about dollars and cents. Even recycling and saving the environment – same issue. It costs more to recycle. It’s cheaper to just continue using the harmful products and disposing them in someone else’s backyard. Seriously, when we will wake up to the reality that we all live in this giant fish bowl called, earth. What we throw in someone else’s backyard will eventually come back to haunt everyone, not just us. Everything goes back to earth, and we live off this same earth. So, we need to realize that what goes around will definitely come around.
Especially today, where technology continues to advance at an exponential rate, animal testing is such an antiquated method of medical research. As another person said, the up-to-date techniques are far more accurate at predicting the effects of products and medicines on humans; aside from the very significant fact that animals are put through the most horrific and needless torture, it simply makes much more sense to abandon animal testing in favour of newer science. To continue with this old-fashioned approach is a bit like choosing to communicate by telegram when email is so readily available! It doesn’t make any sense at all.
Kind regards,
Sandy
chemicals should never be tested on animals in the first place! it is sad that people can still run around and impose what they would not like to be done on themselves to other beings with less control and who are weaker than them, when those should be protected!
no matter how it is, there is not much logic in animal testing as the human body and an animal’s body will react differently towards chemicals.So a reaction on an animal’s body is hardly any justification to say that a human body will have the same reaction. The whole thing fails to kinda make sense for me in more ways than one.
What’s more, those animals are defenseless and those people are just taking advantage of those poor helpless animals and subject the animals to unecessary suffering against their will. It makes me so sad to see them! on the other hand, volunteers for testing new products does seem logical as these people willingly subject themselves to the tests.
I really hope these cruel practice will die off soon!
Laboratory testings on animals are cruel and abusive. By all means alternatives means should be used instead of live animals. Why should we cause suffering on animals when we can use alternatives? Animals have feeling and sense of fear like us. They also wish to have happiness and free of pain like us humans.
Although I am not a scientist I know accuracy in laboratory testing between human and animal body parts is questionable. In the science of Chinese tradition medicine both human and animal cells and metabolism cannot interface naturally and if any unnatural cells or parts are introduced to human body it will disturb the human body cycle and metabolism. Eventually this will lead to cancer or diseases.
Ah yes perhaps this the price one pays for living in a developed/developing world where its inhabitants are constantly exposed and often chose to be dictated by the ever hedonistic & materialistic forces and in that pursuit, the ‘majority’ demands that pursuit be even extended at any cost, even the life of both humans and non-humans. Being ‘content’ is anything but its original meaning these days…I have heard it said before that the value of life is cheap and even meaningless in some parts of the world and these were referring to humans (can’t imagine what they want to think of animals)
It becomes a highly charged issue where hidden vested interests are often not made known and instead emotionally appealing ones are being played up to distract all from the actual causes, conditions & situation.
Perhaps, that’s why the Wheel of Birth and Death cannot stop rolling for some as its rolling is meant/justified for the small ‘mercies’ of this world and disregarding the bigger picture?
Rinpoche’s quote rings true here:(with some bolded emphasis)
‘The animal sanctuary is something I started to create AWARENESS for the SANCTITY of ALL LIFE”
Easier said than done. The body is a complex machine and all the parts don’t work independently of each other. Therefore these alternative methodologies cannot be developed for certain types of tests as a piece of dead tissue does not work the same as a whole physiological system. Everything is relative. A rabbit is not the same as a human, so a test on a rabbit gives a conclusion that still has to be extrapolated to the human. But in tests based on tissue harvested from cadavers or tissue culture, the gap is much wider and the extrapolation will be more theoretical and much less accurate in reality. So with more unknowns, the risk is ultimately passed on to the consumer and the environment.
Remember that consumers want safer products, and in their effort to protect the consumer, the regulators impose on companies to prove that their products are safe by means of these tests. The test methods are globally accepted, and the guidelines on how to perform them have been set by the OECD. Therefore, the authorities the world over, adopt the same standard tests as set by OECD, because all of them need to speak the same language, ie if every country adopted different methods according to their own liking, then one result cannot be interpreted by another. Companies really don’t want to do all these tests if they could help it, because they are very expensive, but they haven’t got a choice because the authorities want them, otherwise they cannot be registered for use.
And don’t be tricked into believing the “not tested on animals” hype and pay extra $$. Ok the finished product may not be tested on animals, but the chemicals that go into the manufacture of the product have all been tested on animals. You can’t make a formulation without chemicals no matter how natural they claim it to be. You can’t make a cream stay a cream in our jar if you did not make a formulation with various additives. These are chemicals like it or not. To extract an active ingredient from a plant, and then purify it you need chemicals too!
The only way to stop the cycle of destruction is to cut the demand. If we could go back to live simply without the comforts and conveniences of modern living, stop using processed goods, cars, aircons, appliances, medicine, synthetic textiles, flying on airplanes, and go back to living in a natural environment, eat natural whole foods, use herbs for medicine, we would begin to reverse the cycle of destruction. But are we willing to do that? If not, there is a price we have to pay.
This article by The Star especially by the writer SS YOGA is very important to be read by everyone and anyone that called themselves human being. SS Yoga follow up his/her earlier articles when the star reported the commonality of using animals to test checmicals based product for the “comfort and safe usage” of us humans. Thats absolutely outrageous ! If not because of this report by the star i would have never known that such testings still existed in this highly advance age. I have always thought nowadays those companies have other ways of making sure the products they created are safe to be used.
This articles has truly open my mind and i hope it will do the same for everyone else. Now we know there are other alternatives in making sure products are safe. Kechara members shall be the strongest advocates to promote not using animals for testings.
I wish to say KUDOS to ss yoga for reporting.!
All the newest and latest alternative testing techniques are nice to have and, I think, easily implementable. And why are animals still being use for testing in most of the giant manufacturers’ state-of-the-art research and development labs!?? Being privately funded and with the sole purpose of making money, in the name of cost contentment they opt for cheaper alternative, ie exploiting the poor animals which have absolutely no ability to defend themselves! Testing on human is a totally different scenario all together; those who signed up did that on their own free will and are duly compensated. Anyone care to find out how do those poor animals feel? There is much to do to bring awareness to the entire human race that it is WRONG to do this! It is WRONG to mistreat follow sentient beings.
The concept of human beings using animals for testing products, be it cosmetics,drugs or food related productes before we humans actually consume them look logical and protective for the “I “ who is protrayed as being more important than these lower beings in today’s world. People will buy these products with the concept that if it is safe on these poor little animals, then “I” can use it because “I “won’t get harmed. This type of phoenomena of always protecting the “I” and making sure that the “I” is ok is paving wave for cultivating more selfish thoughts and actions towards the other beings. If only we humans can see that all beings are the same, have feelings of pain and pleasure, will we be able to realise that such testings on animals are actually very unnecessary. It is good to hear that scientists are making effort and finding other “alternatives” to animals testing. We should all support this cause by not buying any products that clearly state that they have tested on animals. Every small effort initiated will create a big wave at the end. Thank you to the Stars for sharing this article with us.
The new technologies is nice because it would mean no animals are hurt or damaged in anyway for our human convenience of having toiletries or cosmetics. This is really a far cry when every research that was done was to be tested upon animals.
I think many people don’t really care much whether there is animal testing or not because they just feel animals are meant to be exploited or that they think animals don’t have the intelligence to feel pain. That is utter rubbish because if the animals that are tested upon have similar physiological structure as humans, that they also feel pain similar to human or they may even feel more pain than human.
Just because animals can’t express themselves, doesn’t mean they don’t feel pain. How would a human feel if they were subject to nasty experiments. Hence, there is much sci-fi movies and fiction on such notions as a role-reversal of humans and animals like that of Planet of the Apes etc. The message is to have human conscience.
Yes it is still very hard to know if certain medicines or products were tested on animals or not because most of the big boys (esp big drug companies) still unfortunately test on animals (lab rats etc).
It is really up to us consumers to really say NO and choose alternative medicines as best we can. Perhaps we can use homeopathic or ayurvedic medicines as alternatives to the more common ailments we experience.
We can also be more conscious with where we purchase our products from. The safest is to buy from an organic shop as they practice no animal testing in general or environmentally safe when you dispose them.
supporting Paris on this… I’m also currently started to minimize many of other products which I’m lack of the knowledge whether they tested on animals or not, so I choose to just use mostly products from The Body Shop (not just “vegetarian” but also helping the third world countries by supporting their organic growth, cos organic= “poison” free. Lessen the sufferings of living beings by not contaminating mother earth…) and also L’occitane.
Would very much like to know more too… 🙂
I’m feeling really retarded now because I don’t quite understand any of these technological or scientific terms but I really like hearing of the efforts, research and time going into finding alternatives. Many thanks to The Star for sharing this information.
It’s crazy how much we put other beings through suffering just for incredibly STUPID things like body lotion, shampoos and headache pills. Hello, people even 100 years ago didn’t need all these products to survive – they did quite well in life without using all these complicated chemical-soaked products! (in fact, then, they had less crappy problems too – less cancer, less illnesses etc) Go back to using coconut oil and herbs, yo!
I’d like to ask though, if anyone would have any ideas as to how to check if products are animal-tested or not? Some products (e.g. Body Shop) are clear that they do not test anything on animals but many don’t state or aren’t clear (or is that in itself a sign that they DO test on animals?)
sometimes, you really do need to buy some medicine for example, and there’s only 10 brands in front of you. And none of them state that they are against animal testing… so how can we check? Would appreciate any advice 🙂
As far as I know, any beauty product that doesn’t specifically state “NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS”, has probably been tested on animals. No money grubby corporation has been legally required to write “TESTED ON ANIMALS”, as far as I know. With powerful lobbyists working for the corporations and very little resistance by consumers, it is logical to assume.
Example: If you write “NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS”, your product will make more money. If you are able to OMIT the words “TESTED ON ANIMALS”, you make more money. Usually when you follow the money trail you are getting the facts. A company who does not do animal testing would love for you to be aware of that fact in bold letters on the product…
It is worth noting that the animal tests do not work anyway, they are not predictive for humans. The ‘alternatives’ should be called real scientific methods because they work, animal ‘experiments/tests/research’ does not.
“Are there alternatives to vivisection? Of course not. There are no alternatives to vivisection because any method intended to replace it should have the same qualities; but it is hard to find anything in biomedical research that is, and always was, more deceptive and misleading than vivisection. So the methods we propose for medical research should be called ‘scientific methods’… they are not ‘alternatives’.”
– Prof. Pietro Croce M.D, Fulbright Scholar, Vivisection or Science: A Choice to Make, page 21. Available at http://www.dlrm.org or http://www.nzavs.org.nz
I cannot forget the picture I saw in Star Two on 28 Jun which is of a cat with a hole bored into his skull for electrodes to be implanted in his brain. Both his eyes are almost shut, it is as if he is grimmacing in pain. Star has done a great job in highlighting this cruelty on animals, and I hope it will not be in vain. Now all we have to do is to ask ourselves if we are guilty of using those products tested on animals. If we are, it is time to change and give a thought to those poor animals. I don’t know what you are going to do, but I shall stop for a moment and check those labels the next time I buy a product. When there is no demand, there will be no supply, and there will be no testing on animals.