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Vivian Lee
Professor Greg McClure
Writing 39C
20 Aug 2015
Advocacy Project Full Draft
Animal experimentation is the most common outlet for scientific research, in so that,
millions of animals are used for testing every year, as found by PETA. According to T.K. Pal, a
professor under the Department of Periodontics at the Guru Nanak Institute of Dental Sciences
and Research in India, he describes animal experimentation as the foundation of, biomedical
sciences, because it provides a substantial amount of information about our biology, as well as
the, improvement of method of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of man and animals (Pal
7). In other words, the act of using animals for scientific research has not only served as the basis
of biomedical sciences, the information that was discovered has also improved the lives of both
animals and humans.
To provide background information, animals have been proven to possess emotions. Inbal
Ben-Ami Bartal, a post-doctoral recipient at UC Berkeley, Jean Decety, a Ph.D. recipient of
Neurobiology from the University Claude Bernard, France, and Peggy Mason, a professor for the
Department of Neurobiology for the University of Chicago, have conducted a research
experiment with rats, in which they, test for empathically motivated pro-social behavior,
(Bartal, Decety, Mason). To elaborate more on the evidence of animals being able to have
emotions, rats are an ideal candidate, as they are considered to be less-complex compared to
other animals, like dogs and horses, as the higher the complexity, the more accepted it would be
to consider an animal to have emotions. On the side, although empathy is often debated as

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whether it is an emotion or not, we can assume that the researchers are inquiring for emotional
empathy, as they state that, sharing anothers distress via emotional contagion thus allowing
empathically driven pro-social behavior, (Bartal, Decety, Mason). For this experiment, they
paired up rats (a free rat and a trapped rat), in which the task of the free rat was to, liberate the
trapped rat by applying enough force to tip over the restrainer door, (Bartal, Decety, Mason).
The researchers found that, A greater proportion of female rats became door-openers
consistent with suggestions that females are more empathetic than males, which shows that,
from this experiment, females are more empathetic, and both male and female rats showed
empathy (Bartal, Decety, Mason).

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They also furthered the experiment by having half-open cages and chocolate (as an
incentive), which proved that the, indica[tion] that the expectation of social contact is not
necessary for eliciting pro-social behavior, in which the results were either the rats had, no
differences in the dooropening latencies[or
the] rats opened the
chocolate-containing
restrainer more
quickly, (Bartal,
Decety, Mason). This
part of the experiment proved
the opposite of the previous
trial, and the overall result of the, study demonstrates that rats behave pro-socially when they
perceive a conspecific experiencing non-painful psychological restrain stress the free rat
acted intentionally to liberate a trapped conspecific, and so it establishes the capabilities of rats
displaying emotions (or at least, using their emotions to induce an appropriate response) (Bartal,
Decety, Mason).
Now that we have seen animal experimentation to help add onto evidence that proves
emotions existing within animals, it is known that animal experimentation has been around for a
while. The information that animal experimentation provided has benefitted us in many ways, as
we were able to develop and produce different kinds of medicines, vaccines, products, and
information. Ian Murnaghan, a writer for the online article compilation About Animal Testing,
provides a list of those who perform the animal experimentations. Because animal

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experimentation is done for the benefit of mankind, institutions and companies make up a
majority of this population. For example, institutions, like schools (mainly high schools and
universities), use animals mainly for educational purposes, like understanding organs and how
they work, drug development, and for pharmaceutical purposes (Murnaghan). High schools
generally use dead animals (cats, pigs, frogs, etc.) for dissections, while universities rely on
animals for research purposes. Companies use animal testing generally for product development,
like how research companies would use animals for research purposes, usually for behavioral or
observational experiments.
For example, Eryn Brown, a writer for the healthcare section in the LA Times, wrote an
article in 2013 that talks about how research scientists were able to produce a more flexible type
of placental tissue (a type of stem cell) from mice, compared to the embryo lab dish that they
used, which did not produce any flexible placental tissue. (Brown). Without the use of animals,
we would not have been able to discover the ability to produce those tissues of equivalent
quality. However, this rings up several issues for this experiment, like how the procedures of this
experiment were. Even though, it seems unnecessary to wonder how the experiment proceeded,
it would actually provide more information about the the experiment itself and it would also
function as a gateway to how exactly the mice were used in order to produce those stem cells.
Also in 2013, Understanding Animal Research, a website that provides information about
animal usage in biomedical research, reported that exactly 4,121,582 animals were used for
testing for that year, just in the UK alone, (Understanding Animal Research). Even though four
million does not seem like much, this shows us the popularity that animal experimentation has
possessed throughout the years, as shown in the graph below, starting with the 1960s in the UK:

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With this graph, referring back to Ian Murnaghan, he states that even though the, abuse
of animals during testing were well publicised, in the 20th century, animal testing was still the
gaining popularity (Murnaghan). It is apparent that we can see the effects of the growing
popularity, with the burst of different types of animal procedures used that started to occur in the
late 1980s, within animal experimentation. Looking at these types of procedures, from normal to
harmful genetic mutations, brings about an issue as to what exactly is happening to laboratory
animals? What is the treatment they are undergoing; why are we genetically mutating them in
such a harmful way? What information would that provide; how would it benefit mankind? It is
important to note that the process of acquiring this newfound knowledge is not as peaceful as it
seems.

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The question of the ethics of using animals for scientific purposes is debated, even still to
this day. People argue that the use of animals has provided us with many scientific observations
and information that benefits humans, like the aforementioned stem cells discovery. On the other
hand, others feel that using animals is unnecessary, as animals have feelings, and that they should
be able to possess more opportunities to be given equal welfare/protection rights, just like
humans. Another reason for the unnecessity would be that the results of the experiments cannot
always be applied to humans (since animals and humans are biologically distinct). For the
remaining duration of this paper, the opinion of using animals for experimentation will be that it
is unnecessary.
An issue for animal experimentation would be the treatment that the animals are involved
in. Scientific American, one of the oldest continuously published magazine in the U.S, informs
us of the conditions that are present in cosmetic testing: animals fur is shaved and then several
layers of skin are removed technicians apply test substances...can cause, intense burning,
itching and pain and can leave subjects ulcerated and bleeding, (Scientific American). These
are, of course, inhumane ways to test products on animals, with the removal of several layers of
skins to test for irritants, and the fact that some of the products can cause intense reactions.
Another example of the treatment that laboratory animals have to go through (not
cosmetic) would be the from Neavs, an anti-vivisectionist society in Boston. They writs that
animals are exposed to experiments that include, testing new drugs to infecting with diseases,
poisoning for toxicity testing, burning skin, causing brain damage, implanting electrodes into the
brain, maiming, blinding, and other painful and invasive procedures electric shocks,
withholding of food and water, (Neavs). These painful occurrences provides a scope of what is
actually happening to these animals. They are unnecessary to perform on animals, as there

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definitely other means of acquiring data of the same experiment, but, of course, not with the
same procedures.However, it would be ultimately unrealistic to completely phase out animal
experimentation, and alternatives should be made available to lessen the amount of cruelty
accounts for laboratory animals.
Not only are laboratory animals subjected to such sufferings, according to Humane
Society International, an international organization dedicated to protecting animals of all kinds,
report that,very often the symptoms and responses to potential treatments that seen in other
species are dissimilar to those of human patients. As a consequence, nine out of every 10
candidate medicines that appear safe and effective in animal studies fail when given to humans.
(Humane Society International). This means that a majority of the experiments that are done on
animals for the benefit of mankind will not be applicable. This provides evidence that using
animals for experimentation/ research is unnecessary, since the reactions from the animals are
not directly equal to the reactions of humans.
The use of animals in scientific purposes has been around for centuries, and although
animal experimentation has provided humans with copious amounts of information and products,
it is inhumane to continue to use animals. This is because the treatment that the animals go
through is unnecessary, as, for example, Humane Society International has given us information
that the results from animal testing do not always correctly predict those of humans. Even though
animal experimentation seems to be the only available option for research, there could be dozens
of other alternatives that can help prevent the use of animals in experimentation.Why would we
test animals, even though we would not even test humans?
Since it would be unrealistic to cease animal experimentation to protect laboratory
animals from the suffering that occurs in experimentation, like as mentioned before, there have

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been solutions that takes animals in consideration. Some of the solutions that lessen the cruelty
that occurs towards laboratory animals have been presented mainly by the government, or by
animal rights organizations. However, these organizations are not doing everything that they can
to help these animals.
An attempted solution that had been presented to alleviate the cruelty that occurs towards
laboratory animals was the Animal Welfare Act of 1966, which is the only federal law that
regulates animal treatment in a variety of fields in the United States. This Act was signed by
President Johnson, and it is also enforced by the U.S Department of Agricultures Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service. It requires standard care for laboratory animals, in which those
animals should have shelter from extremes of weather and temperatures, adequate veterinary
care (Public Law 99-198). The importance of this act brings upon greater rights to laboratory
animals, as it would be realistically impossible to completely phase out animal use in laboratory
testing.
In addition, the act also covers general treatment of the animal for their use in testing.
The Office of Extramural Research of the National Institutes of Health provides information on
the Health Research Extension Act of 1985, in which there is a section that states that the animals
used in research should be cared for properly, having a requirement of, appropriate[ly] us[ing]
tranquilizers, analgesics, anesthetics, paralytics, and euthanasia for animals in such research; and
appropriate pre..and post-surgical veterinary medical and nursing care (Health Research
Extension Act of 1985). Providing these measures gives the public a sense of security when it
comes to the welfare of laboratory animals.
However, there are some flaws in this Act, with the first one relating to the Animal
Welfare Act. Amy Blount Achor, an author for animal rights and animal welfare, informs us that,

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there is no federal law that regulates what an experimenter may do to an animal during an
experiment (Achor 99). The Animal Welfare Act only regulates laboratory animal rights before
and after an experiment, but nothing is stated for the treatment of animals during the experiment.
As of 2010, the USDA reported 97,123 animals undergoing pain without drugs, making us
question the reliability of the Animal Welfare Act (Annual Report Animal Usage by Fiscal
Year). Achor mentions how dogs are burned via hot plate, to observe the effects of burns on
metabolism, and how cats are shocked on their eyelids to observe their reflexes(Achor 99).
These issues should be brought upon for revision, in which the Animal Welfare Act should, at
least, attempt to include the welfare of animals during experimentation, not just before and after.
Another flaw would be what animals the Act actually protects. Unfortunately, Speaking
of Research, a project that
discusses animal research, states
that, 93% of research is
conducted on animals which are
not counted under the US
Animal Welfare Act (Speaking
of Research). The chart to the
left shows the types of animals
that are used for experiments, in
which the 2002 amendment for the Animal Welfare Act does not protect birds, certain types of
rat species, and animals that were bred specifically for laboratory testing.
Another flaw would be the organizational system of the USDA. As previously stated, the
USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) passed the Animal Welfare Act;

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the issue is not with the Act itself, but it is the fact that the USDA has grouped together animal
and plant health into one unit. It is obvious that plants and animals are distinct forms of life, in
which they deserve to at least have separate governmental service units. If APHIS were to
separate the two differing biologically kingdoms, there would be more specificity and focus. In
other words, if APHIS had a separate inspection service for animals, then there would be more
focus for the welfare of animals, because there would be a service specifically for animals.
People in that service would be able to focus on just animals and their welfare, which can include
a review of the regulations and standards for laboratory animals, instead of both plants and
animals.This provides a more sensible way of providing more restrictions for the cruelty that
occurs to laboratory animals.
With this, social media is the one the best ways to advocate for solutions in the 21st
century because a majority of the world has access to social media, and in turn, social media is
everywhere. In the TED talk How Social Media Can Make History, Clay Shirkey, a social
media theorist, explained how social media provides a more modern outlet for people all over the
world to interact with each other, whether it be to inform, or to stand for a cause. He provides
examples: Chinese citizens reporting the Sichuan earthquake in real time, which lead to stricter
censorship for China, and the online campaign for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for
President Obama, which became, the fastest
growing group, which catalyzed a response from
President Obama himself (Shirkey). The responses
that those examples received gives us an idea of the
impact that social media campaigns provide.

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For example, social media has helped the organization, PETA (People for Ethical
Treatment of Animals) advocate their campaigning efforts to stop the human possession of
animals. PETA provides considerable amounts of information about animal experimentation,
providing facts, videos, and pictures of what occurs to animals; the image on the right was
featured on their Animal Experimentation page, showing the audience an example of what
happens to rats when they undergo chemical testing. PETA has also included several ways for
their audience to provide support: donating, signing pledges, and even sharing pages of their
websites to social media platform. For instance, the
Facebook page that they use to help campaign, has
mainly gained positive feedback and also causes many of their followers to share their posts (an
observation that I have seen on my own Facebook News Feed), thus rapidly spreading PETAs
message. Ever since PETAs campaign launched, everyone has seen the accomplishments that
they gathered, from freeing farm animals to having animal companies improve their animal
treatment policies.
In addition to PETAs social media campaign, our class also did a social media campaign,
in which we were able to advocate an animal issue. During this activity, we researched and
shared information about the cruelty that occurs on factory farm animals, in hopes of raising
awareness to our audience (just like other campaigns). What I gathered from this was how
campaigning via social media alleviated the process of reaching our audience, because I noticed
how a variety of strangers would give us feedback on the posts we would make (mostly just
likes on our Instagram). The social media sites we used to campaign (Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram) gave us the ability to use hashtags, allowing us to increase the amount of people who
would view our posts, thus spreading our campaign. It was surprising to have outside people

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interact with our campaign, making it more effective than expected. Because of this ability to
reach others in an efficient way, social media presents a promising outlet for advocating for a
cause.
Overall, although animal experimentation has given us plenty of beneficial information,
the ultimate concern would be the treatment that laboratory animals go through. There is
evidence that practically portrays the animals being tortured, and even though the government
has attempted at providing some regulations, it still does not suffice. Fortunately, social media
has provided the world with a system that expedites ones campaign efforts, in such that it always
leads to an immediate, and sometimes greater response/feedback. Using social media to advocate
for a campaign makes it easier to reach others, as the one thing that everyone (if applicable) has
in common, would be access to social media. If we all took a stand for the laboratory animals,
then the treatment for them could be greatly improved.

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Works Cited
Annual Report Animal Usage by Fiscal Year. USDA APHIS: Animal Welfare: Animal Care.
2011. PDF file.
<https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/efoia/downloads/2010_Animals_Used_In_
Research.pdf>
Health Research Extension Act of 1985. National Institutes of Health. 18 Aug 2004. Web. 16
Aug 2015.
Harm and Suffering. Neavs: Humane Science is Superior Science. 2015. Web. 12 Aug 2015.
<http://www.neavs.org/research/harm-suffering>
Do Cosmetic Companies Still Test on Live Animals? Scientific American. 06 Aug 2009. Web.
11 Aug 2015. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cosmetics-animal-testing/>
Numbers of Animals. Understanding Animal Research. (updated) 26 Jan 2015. Web. 11 Aug
2015.
Public Law 99-198, Food Security Act of 1985, Subtitle F - Animal Welfare. United States
Department of Agriculture: Nattional Agricultural Library: Animal Welfare Information
Center. (modified) 17 Aug 2015. Web. 17 Aug 2015.
Achor, Amy Blout. Animal Rights: A Beginners Guide: A Handbook of Issues, Organizations,
Actions, and Resources. Yellow Springs: WriteWare, Inc., 1996. Print.
Bartal, Inbal Ben-Ami, Jean Decety, and Peggy Mason. "Empathy and Pro-Social Behavior in
Rats." Science 334.6061 (2011): 1427-1430. Google Scholar. Web. 13 July 2015.
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/334/6061/1427.short
Brown, Eryn. Team reportedly grows better quality stem cells in live mice. Los Angeles

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Times. 11 Sept 2013. Web. 10 Aug 2015.
<http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-stem-cells-mice-20130911story.html>
Murnaghan, Ian. Who Performs Animal Testing? About Animal Testing. (updated) 16 July
2015. Web. 10 Aug 2015.
<http://www.aboutanimaltesting.co.uk/who-performs-animal-testing.html>.
Pal, T. K. "Animal Experimentations: Part I: General Considerations." Journal Of The
International Clinical Dental Research Organization 7.1 (2015): 7-10. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 10 Aug. 2015.
Shirky, Clay. How Social Media Can Make History. TED. Jun 2009. Lecture.
<http://www.ted.com/talks/clay_shirky_how_cellphones_twitter_facebook_can_make_hi
story/transcript?language=en>