In the beginning of March 2019 The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) revealed undercover footage of dogs, primarily beagles, being used in experiments to test the toxicity of pesticides in a scientific lab at Dow AgroSciences in Michigan. The experiments, which included the force-feeding of pesticides to dogs, were noted as cruel and unnecessary by several scientists and experts in the field. Moreover, the US government ended requirements for such testing over a decade ago. Why Dow was conducting these unnecessary experiments remains a bit of a mystery, much as the experiments themselves did before the HSUS released […] Read more »
In research conducted in the American Southwest between 2012 and 2015 on public and scientific perceptions about animal testing, I found that overwhelmingly, both laypersons and scientists had a disdain for the use of animals in cosmetic testing. To many, the torture and abuse of animals simply for humans to look, feel, and smell better, was simply an untenable concept. Conversely, the use of animals in testing biomedical products to save the lives of humans was seen as not only necessary but also noble – both for the animals who are sacrificed and for the scientists who devote their lives […] Read more »