From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 2007:
Alternatives to animal experiments
Animal experiments have long been the subject of controversy.
Although many claims have been made either way about their value,
until recently large-scale scientific studies of their efficacy in
advancing human health have been rare. Since 2004, however,
several such studies have been published in peer-reviewed scientific
journals, and presented at international scientific conferences, at
which some have received awards.
The results have been remarkably consistent: the stress that
laboratory animals experience is greater than commonly understood,
and experiments on them contribute far less to advancing human
medical progress than advocates often claim. The abstracts, and
usually complete texts of these studies, are freely downloadable
from <www.Animal-ExperimentFacts.info>, along with published reviews
of non-animal experimental models, and relevant government reports.
We have also just launched <www.HumaneLearning.info>. This
provides over 250 published studies describing humane teaching
methods, sorted by academic discipline, including a review of 28
studies conclusively demonstrating that students using well-designed
humane alternatives achieve learning outcomes at least as good as
those achieved via traditional harmful animal use; detailed
submissions describing the alternatives available in certain academic
disciplines, that have resulted in their introduction at some
universities; a large photo gallery of humane alternatives and
harmful animal use in education; links to free on-line alternatives;
links to alternatives databases; links to alternatives libraries;
links to humane education email lists; links to other humane
education web sites; and resources to guide and assist students who
wish to conscientiously object to harmful animal use in their
education.
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