Ten percent of UK medical research using monkeys (macaques or marmosets) provides no clear scientific, medical, or social benefits, according to an independent report by Professor Sir Patrick Bateson, president of the Zoological Society of London, and reported in a BBC article and other UK press (Guardian, Independent, etc.).
According to the BBC report, 0.1% of experiments in the UK involves monkeys, and are legally allowed only if there is no other possible way to do the experiment and that it leads to significant medical benefits. Between January 1997 and December 2006, over 3,000 animals were subjected to experimentation. This means that 300 animals were needlessly experimented upon, hurt, harmed, traumatized, and likely killed, without any benefit. Prof. Bateson was also reported as stating that in some experiments the justification for using monkeys was "not compelling".
Most of the research was in neuroscience and disorders such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons, or HIV/AIDS. In 31 studies, 50% involved considerable animal suffering, though it was reported these had a high scientific value. Though the article also references Prof. Bateson saying there was "little direct evidence of medical benefit", and some research caused a high degree of suffering, but did not give high-quality science.
One stark example of poor science was the UK funding of overseas based research that performed a hysterectomy on a monkey, where the mother had its fetus aborted. This was done simply to train students and was a repeated a study that had been carried out a decade earlier. It seems no new science was gained from this research, so it should not have been funded in the first place
It also seems some research that does not work out as expected is not published, leading to other attempts which also fail and cause unnecessary suffering. If the findings had been reported, then there would be no need to repeat the experiment.
Michelle Thew, Chief Executive of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, said "This report is a chilling insight into primate research in the UK. Regulations to protect primates are failing..."It is shocking that 25 years after legislation was introduced to give primates special protection, many experiments are being carried out that have a devastating impact on them with little or no human benefit.The only measure that would completely protect primates, and ensure more productive medical research, is an outright ban."
Over 3.7 million animal scientific experiments were performed in Great Britain in 2010, an increase of 105,000 versus 2009.
It is a highly moral-based argument about whether or not animal based experiments should be performed. I have never supported animal experimentation, and the technical need for it is less today than it has ever been given the ability to simulate and model so much in a computer environment.
Based on this report, with ‘considerable animal suffering’ in 50% of the research, and basically 10% of it being useless, as well as the compromised state of funding overseas animal experimentation, I believe that much stronger legislation, fines and even legal action should be put in place to prevent unnecessary animal suffering.
Visit: http://www.buav.org/
Via BBC & Independent & Guardian
Trevor Williams is a University of Victoria Mechanical Engineering PhD candidate specializing in renewable energy, power grid modeling and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. He has a bachelors in Aeronautical Engineering, a Masters in Management Science and over 23 years international experience in the space industry, having worked on Earth observation and telecommunications satellites. He is the author of the Eco-Geek blog.
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