ONE REASON WHY I LIVE THE VEGAN LIFESTYLE:Animal Experimentation in the United States
A Stop Animal Exploitation NOW! fact sheet
The Facts About Animal Experiments
Animal experimentation is a scandal that has been
hidden from the American public. We have been lead to
believe that the animals used in experiments are well
treated and that the procedures performed on these animals
are thoroughly regulated and governed by federal laws.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Over 90% of the animals used in
experimentation are purposely excluded from
protection under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA -- the
only federal law that governs animal
experimentation). Rats, mice, birds, and many other
species have been expressly eliminated from all
safeguards. Violations of the Animal Welfare Act by
labs have increased by over 90% in the last five years.
The AWA places no real restrictions on what
can be done to an animal during an experiment.
Animals are routinely subjected to addictive drugs,
electric shock, food & water deprivation, isolation,
severe confinement, caustic chemicals, burning,
blinding, chemical and biological weapons, radiation,
etc. The "scientist" in question only has to say that a
specific procedure is "necessary" for the experiment, and it
is allowed. The goal is not to protect the animal; the goal
is to insure that the experiment proceeds -- at any cost.The National Death Toll
Recent (fiscal 2005) United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) statistics list a total of 1,177,566 (a
one-year increase of 7%) primates, dogs, cats, rabbits,
guinea pigs, hamsters, and other species as being subjected
to experimental procedures. The species by species listings
include:
66,610 dogs 57,531 primates
58,598 pigs 245,786 rabbits
22,921 cats 176,988 hamsters
64,146 other farm animals 32,260 sheep
231,440 other animals 221,286 guinea pigs
However, this total is likely far from accurate. At no
time have all laboratories in the U.S. reported their
experimental totals. The total of non-reporting facilities
has varied from 22 to 128 (out of approximately 1100).
The species that are not covered by the Animal Welfare
Act (rats, mice, etc.) are not even counted. Therefore, the
total above ignores the majority of animals experimented
upon in the U.S. The real number of animals
experimented on in the U.S. each year is well over 20
million. Additionally, these statistics do not cover animals
that are caged in laboratories but are being held for
conditioning or breeding.For example, while the USDA
reports the use of over 57,000 primates in labs, the actual
total is probably more like 120,000.
Where Does the Money Come From?
Many federal agencies fund animal experiments
including: the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA),
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA),
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDCP), Agency for Health Care
Research and Quality (AHRQ), and Office of Assistant
Secretary of Health (OASH).
During fiscal 2005 these seven agencies within
the federal government funded over 28,937 projects
involving experimentation on more than 27 different
species including: macaque monkeys, squirrel
monkeys, rats, mice, dogs, hamsters, guinea pigs, and
cats. Use of these species in federally funded projects
has increased 59% in the last ten years. Governmentfunded
experiments in these species cost U.S. taxpayers
over $12 billion annually.
Animal Experimentation in the United States
A Stop Animal Exploitation NOW! fact sheet
Government Waste
How does the federal government manage to spend
so much money on animal experiments? Simple, it pays
for the same experiment to be done over and over and
over again. There are currently (for fiscal 2005) 1200
separate projects (costing a potential $495,600,000 per
year) that examine drug addiction. 778 projects study
neural information processing in 11 species costing an
estimated $321,314,000. The list goes on and on and on.
Even if this experimentation was worthwhile, why must we
pay for it to be done over and over and over again? Who
wants this duplication to continue? The table below
contains estimates of federal funding for animal
experiments at many well-known colleges and universities.
Simple (again), hundreds of institutions and
thousands of individuals make money from these
experiments. Look at the table of approximations below
for some examples. The bottom line is that the federal
government currently supports an industry that squanders
billions of dollars, kills tens of millions of animals, and is
essentially unregulated. No experiment, no matter how
painful, is illegal. The majority of animals used in
experimentation receive absolutely no protection under
current laws.University of CA, San Francisco $203,196,000
University of CA, Los Angeles $194,110,000
Harvard $441,273,869
Johns Hopkins University $256,886,000
Yale $199,066,000
Stanford $164,374,000
Vanderbilt $170,982,000
Emory University $239,303,364
Duke University $162,309,000
Baylor $173,047,000
University of Pennsylvania $256,060,000
University of Wisconsin, Madison $141,655,452
University of Washington, Seattle $418,889,748
University of Michigan $216,825,000
What YOU can do to Fight Animal
Experimentation:
1. Read, copy, and distribute this fact sheet.
2. Contact your Senators and Representatives to
ask for these things:
A. Extend the protection of law to all species that are
the victims of experimentation.
B. Extend the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act to
prohibit:
1. The use of electric shock
2. Food and water deprivation
3. The use of extreme confinement, such as the
primate restraint chair
The Honorable ____________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
202-224-3121 www.house.gov
Senator ____________________
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
202-224-3121 www.senate.gov
3. Organize public events to expose abuses at
facilities in your area. Use the Stop Animal
Exploitation NOW! (SAEN) website:
www.saenonline.org to investigate labs in your area.
Contact SAEN for help with investigations or for
event planning.
4. Write to your federal legislators to request a
General Accounting Office (GAO) investigation of
National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded animal
experimentation.
5. Send as large a tax-deductible donation as you
can afford to Stop Animal Exploitation NOW!
(SAEN) to support this campaign.
Send contributions to:
SAEN
1081-B St. Rt. 28 PMB 280
Milford, OH 45150
513-575-5517
www.saenonline.org
University of CA, San Francisco: $166,156,140ENJOY YOUR CRUEL MAKE UP
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.... ""You must be the change you wish to see in the world" Gandhi
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