Rights of the Lab Rat

Photo from lab-rat.tumblr.com

I recently ran across this rather disturbing article. Needless to say it left a bad taste in my mouth. 

Animals not covered by the Animal Welfare Act are not subject to the “3 Rs.” Basically, there are virtually no restrictions on experiments performed on any rats, mice, or birds used for scientific research – scientists don’t need to look into possible alternative research methods, they can use as many animals as they want, and they don’t have to minimize any potential suffering.

Now, I can understand – and accept – that, sometimes, it can be necessary to experiment using animals when it concerns something important and there are no other alternatives. Cancer research comes to mind, or the scientists who grew a human ear on a rat a few years back – that was actually an incredible feat. Weird, but incredible, and I imagine that the rat was still able to function all right despite its extra appendage (though for how long, I don’t know). However, the examples listed in the article simply astound me. It almost sounds as if the experiments in question were selected specifically for their elements of cruelty rather than their necessity. I find it incredibly sad that an animal’s size (and possibly some twisted sense of tradition for the classic lab rat/mouse) can determine whether or not its comfort is considered important or not. As any rat owner knows, they can be intelligent and inquisitive as any dog. So, why can’t they be treated as well as dogs? Definitely food for thought.