Animal rights

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Perceived animal rights or animal welfare concerns or pressures ... 

There is tremendous pressure from the animal rights groups to look for alternatives, rather than using dogs and monkeys for investigating purposes. 

Quotes from Animal Rights The Inhumane Crusade by Daniel T. Oliver, Merril Press, Bellevue, WA. Reproduced with the approval of the Capital Research Center, Washington, DC. 

My only interpretation is that the animal rights protagonists don t know anything about farming. This is the most charitable explanation. 

Lund, V., Hemlin, S. and White, J. 2004b. Natural behaviour, animal rights or making money - a study of Swedish organic farmers view of animal issues. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 17 157-179. 

There are difficulties in reconciling the often-conflicting demands of public and regulatory authorities to demonstrate safety with pressure from animal rights organizations against the use of animals for this purpose. 

The eye irritation test is probably the most criticized by advocates of animal rights and animal welfare, primarily because it is inhumane. It has also been criticized on narrower scientific grounds in that both concentration and volumes used are unrealistically high, and that the results, because of high variability and the greater sensitivity of the rabbit eye, may not be applicable to humans. It is clear, however, that because of great significance of visual impairment, tests for ocular toxicity will continue. 

Despite extensive use, animal models have not contributed significantly to AIDS research. While monkeys, rabbits, and mice can be infected with HIV, none develops the human AIDS syndrome. Of over 100 chimpanzees infected with HIV over a 10-year period, only two became sick. Because chimpanzees turned out to be poor models for AIDS, and were expensive to maintain, all of the animals were faced with euthanasia (a euphemism for being killed). In 1997, the National Research Council recommended a solution. For all of the chimpanzees housed in research facilities throughout the United States, a breeding moratorium was introduced and specific steps taken toward making long-term care available for the primates. Animal rights supporters applauded the decision on the basis of moral responsibility. 

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