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Home (/) > Why we do it (/why-we-do-it) > What is animal testing?
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An animal test is any scienti c experiment or test in which a live animal is forced to undergo something that is likely to cause
Animal experiments are not the same as taking your companion animal to the vet. Animals used in laboratories are
deliberately harmed, not for their own good, and are usually killed at the end of the experiment.
Animal experiments
Animals used
Only vertebrate animals (mammals, birds, sh and amphibians) and some invertebrates such as octopuses are de ned as
‘animals’ by European legislation governing animal experiments. Shockingly, in the USA rats, mice, sh, amphibians and
birds are not de ned as animals under animal experiments regulations. That means no legal permission to experiment on
Animals used in experiments are usually bred for this purpose by the laboratory or in breeding facilities. It’s a cruel, multi-
million dollar industry. Cruelty Free International believes that all animals are equally important. A dog bred for research is still
Some monkeys are still trapped in the wild in Africa, Asia and South America to be used in experiments or imprisoned in
breeding facilities. Their children are exported to laboratories around the world. The use of wild-caught monkeys in
Horses and other animals such as cows, sheep and pigs are often supplied by dealers and may originate from racing
stables or farms for use in animal experiments. The rules preventing the use of stray companion animals like dogs and cats
A large proportion of animal experiments in the EU are reported to cause ‘moderate’ or ‘severe su ering’ to the animals -
according to the researchers who carry them out. In the UK in 2018, 31% of animal experiments involved moderate or severe
suff ering.
Some experiments require the animal to die as part of the test. For example, regulatory tests for botox, vaccines and some
tests for chemical safety are essentially variations of the cruel Lethal Dose 50 test in which 50% of the animals die or are killed
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The strength of botox
is measured in mouse LD50 units. This cruel test involves injecting hundreds of mice directly into
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their abdomens and counting the number who die from poisoning over the next three days. Tens of thousands of mice
Laboratories
Laboratorie s are no place for any animal. They are typically sterile, indoor environments in which the animals are forced to
live in cages – denied complete freedom of movement and control over their lives. Some animals in laboratories are con ned
An animal test is any scienti c experiment or test in which a live animal is forced to undergo something that is likely to cause them pain, su ering, distress or lasting harm.
The science relating to animal experiments can be extremely complicated and views often di er. What appears on this
website represents Cruelty Free International expert opinion, based on a thorough assessment of the evidence.
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