Abstract
The phenomenon of animal abuse in science can be traced back to antiquity. However, the significant rise in the current use of animals in research and testing is due in large part to outdated legal requirements and rampant scientific curiosity. While society at large is generally uncomfortable with unnecessary animal suffering, animal researchers are able to receive continued funding for controversial animal experiments by exploiting ‘speciesism’ and public ignorance about the perceived need to use animals for the development of new treatments for human disease. The first part of this chapter considers the legal basis for animal abuse in science, focussing on EU law. The second part of this chapter considers the nature and prevalence of animal abuse in science, focussing on fundamental research (aka basic or ‘curiosity driven’ research) and regulatory toxicology. The chapter concludes that the biggest obstacle to the replacement of animals in laboratories is not a lack of innovative technology, particularly with the development of alternative testing methods, rather communicating a complex message about these alternatives to ‘non-scientific’ politicians and policy makers and the general misinterpretation and lack of awareness about the law.
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Menache, A. (2017). Animals in Scientific Research. In: Maher, J., Pierpoint, H., Beirne, P. (eds) The Palgrave International Handbook of Animal Abuse Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43183-7_18
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