Animal Scientific Experiments - Essay Example

? ANIMAL SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS By Animal Scientific Experiments Many scholars are against the use of animals in science experiments because of different reasons. Some of the reasons are based on issues of morality and ethics. Other opinions show that the consequences of using animals to carry out science experiments will turn to affect human beings after a long time. Other opponents of the use of animals in science experiments base their arguments on matters of religion. The views of different scholars from different fields are all concerned about the way in which the experiments can harm the state of nature of the animals because the experiments have bad impacts on many species that scientists use in their testing. According to some scholars of animal life and human survival, there is a danger on human survival if the experiments on the animals will continue. The danger will arise because of the changes that will happen in the food chain. Some of the animals that are used in the experiments are very important in sustaining the food chain that makes it possible for mankind to survive in the environment. The evidence from many fields of science show that when food chains are disrupted, the higher animals are the ones that suffer more because of the consequences. Mankind belongs to the higher animals. Other higher animals such as cows and other mammals will also be affected by the disruption of the food chain. This means that the survival of mankind will be compromised if the lower animals that support the existence of the higher animals are killed in large numbers due to the scientific experiments. Therefore, it is important for scientists to stop the use of animals and to find some alternative ways of testing their experiments. Millions of animals are killed each year because of these experiments. The number will continue to rise because many scientists are joining in the practice of the experiments for many purposes. This will mean that more animals have to be used in the conducting of the experiments. In the end, it will be difficult for the animals to reproduce to fill the eco-system. Some of the animals which are often used in the experiments are likely to become extinct after some years. Some activists who champion for the rights of animals have argued that the white mice is the most commonly used animal in many of the experiments. Many of the tests that are conducted on the white mice usually result in the death of the animals. According to some people who conduct research on the animals, many of the species of white mice are becoming extinct and must be protected by world governments. There have been proposals for the development of more strict ethical code of conduct that controls the use of animals in the experiments of science. Some studies have found out that there are no standard methods of conducting experiments on the animals. There are indications that some scientists do not use anesthetics when carrying out experiments on the animals. Such practices are unethical. The practices always cause a lot of pain on the animals. Animals are living things and have senses to feel pain. It is unethical and morally wrong to subject defenseless creatures to pain and torture because of goals that do not serve the interests of the animals (Watson, 2009; Hayhurst, 2000). Those who protest against the use of animals in science experiments have also mentioned the question of religion to support their arguments. According to them, the existence of animals in human societies was God’s plan and should not be disrupted. Usually, mankind is supposed to help animals are considered in religious ideologies to be part of God’s creation. The increased killing of animals by scientists is considered as an act of defiance against God’s plans. This matter has often caused many religious bodies to support campaigns for the protection of animals. There are also fears that the use of animals for experiments in science is likely to result in some accidents that can affect humanity. For example, some of the experiments may result in pests that are resistant to the conventional ways of controlling the pests. Such accidents will become difficult and dangerous to the life of humanity. There are also concerns about the possibility of the experiments resulting into some viruses and other organisms that cause new diseases for humanity. Such concerns have always been considered due to the fact that the nature of global terrorism has evolved to include scientific experiments. Some rogue scientists may link up with terrorists to use the knowledge acquired in animal experimentation for the purpose of creating viruses or biological weapons such as anthrax. Therefore, it is necessary for the world to regulate the manner in which scientists carry out their experiments on animals. This is because the danger can reach the lives of humans and affect them in ways that are difficult to control. Biological terrorism is one of the greatest fears by world governments. The continued use of animals to conduct experiments can be misused to create danger and threats to humanity. The use of animals inscientific experiments has also been opposed because it can affect other sectors of human life (Fish & American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine 2008). For example, the extinction of some animals can lead to the disruption of tourism if some of the animals become extinct. Tourists may find no cause to travel to certain destination of they realize that some of the attractive animals have become extinct. Some animals may also migrate to other regions, which will contribute to the damage on the ecosystem and more disruption of the food chain. As such, scientific experiments must be conducted using other methods that do not involve the lives or health of animals (Guerrini, 2003; Hedrich & Bullock, 2004). Prolonged suffering of the animals as they are subjected to chemicals and other processes makes it immoral and unethical for the scientists (Paul, 2001; Greek & Greek, 2002). Science is usually guided by some ethics that control the manner in which certain activities are concerned. Man is the primary beneficiary of scientific experimentations. However, many studies continue to show that experimentations that focus on the animals are more likely to affect the nature of life of many organisms that are essential for the production of food and other processes (Hartinger, 2005, p. 14). Many aspects of human life are connected. The effect of any process in one sector will usually lead to some other effects in another sector. This means that the negative effect on the life of the animals will affect many other sectors in a negative sense (Yarri, 2005, p. 36). It is important to realize that many of the challenges that affect the life of animals are caused by the disruptive nature of human activities (Gluck & Orlans, 2002, p. 50). Therefore, scientific experiments on animals are wring because of the practical, ethical, moral and religious reasons. There is need to appreciate the way animals exist and the way in which they feel and coexist. The life of many animals is negatively affected by making them to spend years in closed cabinets instead of letting them to live in their natural habitats (Day, 2000). The animals require space and opportunity for interaction with others in their natural habitat. Closing them in places where movement is restricted makes it hard for the animals to live normal lives. It causes strain and discomfort for the animals. Usually, there is a manner in which animals require to reproduce in order to increase their species and to produce offspring of a higher quality. When animals are closed in laboratories for long periods of time, they lack the opportunity to reproduce, migrate, or carry out other processes that are required for their survival (Harrison & Hester, 2006). It is also difficult for animals to develop natural instincts when they are forced to live in artificial environments. Such existence usually translates into the development of weaknesses that make it difficult for the animals to exist in a proper manner. They become easy targets for predators because they lack the natural instincts that other animals have. Another danger of scientific experiments on animals usually revolve around the matter of releasing them after some period of time. When animals are released to live with others, they may contain defects that will threaten the rest of the species because some of the experiments that were conducted on them can cause genetic malfunctioning (Greek & Greek, 2003). The adverse impacts can include humanity. Therefore, the use of scientific experiments on animals is wrong because of moral, religious, scientific, and ethical reasons. Works Cited Day, N 2000, Animal experimentation: Cruelty or science?, Enslow Publishers, Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. Fish, R, E & American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine 2008, Anesthesia and analgesia in laboratory animals, Academic, Amsterdam. Gluck, J, P, Di, P, T & Orlans, F, B 2002, Applied ethics in animal research: Philosophy, regulation, and laboratory applications, Purdue University Press, West Lafayette, Indiana. Greek, C, R & Greek, J, S 2002, Sacred cows and golden geese: The human cost of experiments on animals, Continuum, New York. Greek, C, R & Greek, J, S 2003, Specious science: How genetics and evolution reveal why medical research on animals harms humans, Continuum, New York. Guerrini, A 2003, Experimenting with humans and animals: From Galen to animal rights, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Harrison, R, M & Hester, R, E 2006, Alternatives to Animal Testing, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick. Hartinger, W 2005, The animals are our brothers and sisters: Why animal experiments are misleading and wrong: responsible medicine based on a spiritual view of creation, Temple Lodge, London. Hayhurst, C 2000, Animal testing: The animal rights debate, Rosen Publishers Group, New York. Hedrich, H, J & Bullock, G, R 2004, The laboratory mouse, Elsevier Academic Press, Amsterdam. Paul, E, F 2001, Why animal experimentation matters: The use of animals in medical research, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick. Watson, S 2009, Animal testing: Issues and ethics, Rosen Pub, New York. Yarri, D 2005, The ethics of animal experimentation: A critical analysis and constructive Christian proposal, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Read More