The Society for Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology, which is a division of the American Psychological Association, suggests that looking at the similarities and differences between human and animal behaviors can also be useful for gaining insights into developmental and evolutionary processes.

Understanding how genes and the environment come together to shape animal behavior is also an important underpinning of the field. Genes capture the evolutionary responses of prior populations to selection on behavior.

Many psychologists study nonhuman animals because they find them fascinating. They want to understand how different species learn, think, and behave. Psychologists also study animals to learn about people.

Comparative psychology is the study of animals in order to find out about humans. The underlying assumption is that to some degree the laws of behavior are the same for all species and that therefore knowledge gained by studying rats, dogs, cats and other animals can be generalised to humans.

Animal studies have therefore greatly increased our understanding of the basic principles of brain structure and function. Without this knowledge our ability to further develop neurological models and psychological theories of brain function would be impaired.

The use of animals in some forms of biomedical research remains essential to the discovery of the causes, diagnoses, and treatment of disease and suffering in humans and in animals.

Animals create balance, stability, and well-being. From pollinating crops and plants, to promoting healthy forests, acting as pest control, and even combating climate change, this is another reason that wildlife conservation is so important for the planet and its people.

When animal models are employed in the study of human disease, they are frequently selected because of their similarity to humans in terms of genetics, anatomy, and physiology. Also, animal models are often preferable for experimental disease research because of their unlimited supply and ease of manipulation.

Animal research has helped us to make life-changing discoveries, from new vaccines and medicines to transplant procedures, anaesthetics and blood transfusions. millions of lives have been saved or improved as a result. Animal research has been important in the development of many major medical advances.

Animals feel pain in many of the same ways that humans do; in fact, their reactions to pain are virtually identical (both humans and animals scream, for example). When animals are used for product toxicity testing or laboratory research, they are subjected to painful and frequently deadly experiments.

The majority of the animals used in experiments are euthanized (killed) during or after the experiment. In some cases, animals are not euthanized, but die as a result of the experiment for which they were used.

In 2004, the FDA estimated that 92 percent of drugs that pass preclinical tests, including “pivotal” animal tests, fail to proceed to the market. More recent analysis suggests that, despite efforts to improve the predictability of animal testing, the failure rate has actually increased and is now closer to 96 percent.

Because animal tests are so unreliable, they make those human trials all the more risky. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has noted that 95 percent of all drugs that are shown to be safe and effective in animal tests fail in human trials because they don’t work or are dangerous.

People choose not to eat meat for various reasons such as concern for animal welfare, the environmental impact of meat production (environmental vegetarianism), health considerations and antimicrobial resistance, which England’s former chief medical officer Sally Davies said is as menacing as climate change.

Animal experiments prolong the suffering of humans waiting for effective cures because the results mislead experimenters and squander precious money, time, and other resources that could be spent on human-relevant research. Animal experiments are so worthless that up to half of them are never even published.

The animal tests provide data on efficacy and safety. Testing on animals also serves to protect consumers, workers and the environment from the harmful effects of chemicals. All chemicals for commercial or personal use must be tested so that their effect on the people and animals exposed to them is understood.

Animal research has also been integral to the preservation of many endangered species. The ability to eliminate parasitism, treat illnesses, use anesthetic devices, and promote breeding has improved the health and survival of many species.

6 Ways to Help Animals Suffering in Experiments

1. Always buy cruelty-free products. Cruelty-free cosmetics and household products abound.
2. Educate others. Don’t leave people in the dark about the horrors of the animal experimentation industry.

We estimate that the top 10 animal testing countries in the world are China (20.5 million) Japan (15.0 million), the United States (15.6 million), Canada (3.6 million), Australia (3.2 million), South Korea (3.1 million), the United Kingdom (2.6 million), Brazil (2.2 million), Germany (2.0 million) and France (1.9 …

Regulatory testing In these experiments, animals are forced to eat or inhale substances, or have them rubbed onto their skin or injected into their bodies. For example, hundreds of thousands of animals continue to be used worldwide for tests where there are available non-animal methods (see our RAT list campaign).

Examples of animal tests include forcing mice and rats to inhale toxic fumes, force-feeding dogs pesticides, and dripping corrosive chemicals into rabbits’ sensitive eyes. Even if a product harms animals, it can still be marketed to consumers.

Types of Animals Tests Currently Performed

• Eye Irritancy. John H.
• Acute Toxicity.
• Repeated Dose Toxicity.
• Skin Corrosivity/Irritation.
• Skin Sensitization.
• Pharmacokinetics/Toxicokinetics and Metabolism.
• Dermal Penetration.
• Mutagenicity.