According to Collins Dictionary, Animal testing involves doing scientific tests on animals when developing

new products or drugs. Scientific experiments or tests using animals has been a huge part of the history.
Animals are used in experiments because other species suffer from the same diseases found in humans.
Without animal testing, the cure for cancer and other diseases would not exist but regardless of its
benefits some people argue that animals shouldn’t be used in research purposes or testing the effects of
drugs or industry products such as cosmetics, food additives, etc.

Most researchers and medical experts have a broad choice of species used for experiments. Animals used
in experiments are classified as vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Invertebrates are animals that do
not have a backbone or spinal column while vertebrates are animals with an internal skeleton made of
bone. Most experiments commonly used invertebrate animals such as mammals, birds, fish, and
amphibians but some invertebrates such as octopus, nematodes, insects etc. This is because vertebrates
have more benefits compared to invertebrates. The estimated number of animals used in animal testing
worldwide every year is more than 100 million including mice, rats, frogs, dogs, cats, rabbits etc.

Animals testing are performed in different places. It could be performed in medical schools and
universities, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies or even in military defense establishments. In
medical schools or universities, animal testing is often used in research and to have a better understanding
on how the human body works as well as the effectiveness of drugs. In Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology
Companies, animal testing allows the researchers to understand how different drugs affects the body
system. Animal testing also occurs in military defense establishments and this include wound testing
wherein the military study how weapons causes wounds and how those wounds heal or can be cured.

There are different procedures and tests performed in different species but these procedures often cause
psychological distress and suffering. Different types of animal testing are used in cosmetics and household
products and this includes Acute Toxicity Testing, Eye and Skin Irritation or Corrosion Testing and Skin
Sensitization Testing. Acute Toxicity Testing is used to test the level of toxicity of a dosage of chemical or
product. In this test, the amount of dose is increased until 50% of the animals die. Eye and Skin Irritation
or Corrosion Testing is a test wherein a substance is dripped into animals’ eye mostly rabbits to test
different products. The substance can either make their eyes bleed or even go blind. Skin Sensitization
Testing usually used guinea pigs or mice to find allergic reactions on the skin. In guinea pigs, the substance
is either injected or applied on the skin while in mice, the substance is applied to the ears and get killed
to get their lymph node and be examined.

Many people argue that animal testing is unreliable and cruel but in certain circumstances it is cruel to
test drugs and products using humans and let them die after. Most animals experience pain and suffering
and some are killed at the end of the experiments. Although human benefits from animal experiments,
the pain, suffering as well as the death of those species is not worth of our benefits as a human. Since
animal testing became controversial, researchers developed some alternatives including cell-based tests
and tissue models, computer models etc. Animal has been a big part of the industry but it would be perfect
if we improve the use of alternative methods and find a perfect substitute for animals in experiments.

Millions of species are suffering and experiencing psychological distress or even die because of the
different procedures performed in animal testing. Animal testing is not only performed in laboratories but
also in Medical Schools, Universities, Pharmaceutical Industries as well as Military Defense
Establishments. Animal testing has been a controversial topic because of its cruelty. Animal testing should
be banned especially in testing new products. Animal testing is very unethical and each one of us should
act as an advocate for the animals. Although large companies think that animal testing is essential
especially for products such as cosmetics or industry products for the safety of human use, that is
inaccurate. Some alternatives are developed to lessen the use of animal testing. Human benefits from
animal testing but we should also know that these benefits can also be harmful to others especially the
animals.

Reference/s:

http://www.aboutanimaltesting.co.uk/what-animal-testing.html

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/animal-testing

https://www.dw.com/en/what-is-the-future-of-animal-testing/a-42488737

https://www.hsi.org/news-media/about/

https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animals-used-experimentation-
factsheets/product-testing-toxic-tragic/