Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
| Subscribe to Newser's RSS feeds RSS | Follow Newser on Twitter Twitter


1

Rodent Rights Activists Face Uphill Climb

Animal campaigners seek a better quality of life for lab rats

Share

(Newser) – Activists have managed to improve the lives of many animals in recent years, but they've met indifference when it comes to getting a better deal for rodents, the Wall Street Journal reports. Rats and mice make up 90% of the animals used in research in the US, say advocates, but privately funded labs aren't required to follow even basic animal welfare guidelines when it comes to rodents.

Animal rights campaigners trying to get the public to greet rodents with sympathy instead of squeals say that while they'd prefer animal testing was eliminated, they'll settle for giving the critters a better quality of life. PETA has sent companies a list of guidelines to follow, including giving rats and mice proper nesting materials and toys to keep them busy, and many labs have been surprisingly receptive.

"Rats and mice tend to get a bad rap," one advocate said. "We just have these biases built in that are not really representative of who they are."   (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Rats and mice make up over 90% of the animals used for lab testing in the US.
Rats and mice make up over 90% of the animals used for lab testing in the US.   (Getty Images)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

I used to see rats and think, 'Ew.' Now I see rats and think, 'Those rats have probably got a family somewhere.'
- Chad Sandusky, director of toxicology and research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
OFF THE GRID
11.6.09
Galleon Scandal: Shocked, Shocked by Insider Trading
11.5.09
Rupert Murdoch Is Mad but Cute
1 comment
VIEWING:
 
kokuaguy
May 16, 09 11:49 AM CDT
Hey, jemikeos, how can you be numero uno on Newser, but you so seldom let us hear from you? Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
+1
LEAVE A
COMMENT Comment Policy
Facebook ConnectPost this comment to Facebook?

After connecting you will have the option to post your comment on your Facebook profile.

 

Related Newser Stories

9 Stories

(Newser) - If Ray Clark did, as police apparently suspect, kill Annie Le, investigators have an odd theory about his motivation, the New York Daily News reports. In emails that caught their attention, the Yale lab technician scolded Le about her lax handling of mice in the lab. Le apologized, but... More »

MORE ABOUT:
murder • mice • animal testing • killings • Yale • Annie Le • Raymond Clark

(Newser) - Animal rights militants have torched the home of the CEO of drug giant Novartis and stolen his mother's ashes from a Swiss cemetery, say company officials. Employees' cars have also been vandalized and attacked with crude explosive devices, reports the Wall Street Journal. More »

MORE ABOUT:
drug companies • animal rights • Novartis • grave robbing • animal testing • arson

Critics Beef About Pig Explosions in US Army Tests

Campaigners question need to test body armor by blowing up pigs in Humvees

Apr 8, 09 4:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Animal rights activists have condemned the US military for blowing up live pigs to test body armor, USA Today reports. Military officials say the tests provided valuable information on the relationship between body armor and brain injury. But critics say the pig-blasting program caused unnecessary animal suffering for questionable results.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
US military • animal rights • explosion • animal testing • Humane Society • pig • swine • body armor

 Scientists Wipe 
 Mouse Memories 

Treatment selectively erased memories of electric shocks

Oct 25, 08 3:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists have succeeded in blanking selected memories from the brains of mice, Reuters reports. After brain protein levels were manipulated, the mice lost the memory of an electric shock but didn't forget anything else. The researchers said it was doubtful that it would be possible—or desirable—to do the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
memory • mice • brain • memory loss • neurology • mouse • lab mice

 Stress Pushes 
 Animals to Binge, Too 

House pets feel human worries; lab animals turn to high-fat treats

Oct 17, 08 6:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - Animals get stressed out just like humans, and they even cope anthropomorphically, binging on sweet, fatty foods, LiveScience reports. What’s more, animals can read our misgivings and take on that stress themselves. “The more intelligent an animal is, the more psychological stress it can undergo,” one veterinarian... More »

MORE ABOUT:
rats • stress • monkey • human • sympathy • scientific study • scientific research • animal • brain chemistry

9 Stories


University of Michigan under fire for animal abuse
Michigan Daily


Science & Health 
TwitterFollow @NewserScience on Twitter

 
mice • rats • animal rights • animal testing • scientific research • lab mice

from our news partners