My Life in a Laboratory

Posted November 10, 2015 by Kim Johnson

Hi. My name is Rabbit 32*. I’m one of more than 170,000 rabbits who will be killed in U.S. laboratories this year for cruel experiments and product testing. Here in the laboratory, animals like me don’t get names, just numbers. That’s because the humans who experiment on us think of us as tools—not individuals with feelings. Experimenters like to use rabbits in their painful tests because we’re small, gentle, and easy to handle.

Outside the laboratory, many rabbits like me get to hang out with other animals and humans, but instead of hurting them, these humans pet their fur softly and give them treats and scratches on their ears. It makes me sad to think that I’ll never get to live in a warm house or snuggle with other rabbit friends or humans—or even know any kindness or affection at all from a human.

I’ve spent my whole life alone inside a cramped, empty metal cage, often for weeks or months at a time.

Testing

Experimenters poison me in order to see what happens when a high dose of a chemical is given to an animal. Many rabbits in the cages around me have died because of these excruciatingly painful tests. I’m scared and in pain, and I wish this would stop.

During another test, they put me in a restraining device so that I can’t move, then they force chemicals into my eyes, which burns them and hurts so much. They also scrape my skin and spread harsh chemicals onto it. The experimenters watch to see how long it takes for the chemicals to burn my eyes or my skin and to see the damage that they’ve caused. 

They leave the chemicals on me for up to two weeks and don’t give me any painkillers. I wish they would make it stop hurting, but instead, they just take notes as the substances burn me and I scream in pain.

During and after the tests, my skin sometimes bleeds and swells. Other times, my insides hurt, my eyes swell up, or scabs form on my back. My eyes are cloudy now, and they always hurt. Some of my friends have already gone blind because of the tests, and I’m afraid that I will, too.

After they finish torturing me, I’ll probably be killed without ever getting to have a single moment of happiness. I’ve seen experimenters cut up the bodies of other rabbits that they’ve killed, and I’m so scared. I don’t want to suffer anymore, and I don’t want to die. The products they test on me include things like soap, shampoo, household cleaners, and makeup—all of which can be safely made WITHOUT testing chemicals on me. 

The Law

There’s no law in the U.S. that says that these products need to be tested on animals like me. In fact, in some countries it’s ILLEGAL to test products on us. But lots of companies, like Johnson & Johnson, ChapStick, Revlon, and Secret, still perform or pay for horrible tests on animals. Chemical companies test on animals like me, too, even though there are many reliable, superior, non-animal test methods available.

Why Do These Tests?

There’s no reason to test a chemical on an animal. There are plenty of other tests out there that don’t hurt animals and are more reliable than animal tests. One test uses a model of human skin grown in test tubes, which is made from real human skin cells, so the results can better predict how a chemical will affect a human. Animal-test results usually can’t be applied to humans because we react to substances differently.

What You Can Do

Rabbits aren’t the only animals who are tested on in laboratories. Mice, rats, guinea pigs, and other animals are poisoned and killed in cruel product tests, and monkeys, cats, and dogs are also used and killed in other painful experiments in the U.S. every year. You can help end this suffering by buying cruelty-free products and avoiding any products that have been tested on animals like me. Will you help me and the millions of other animals who suffer every day in cruel and deadly tests?

Not sure how to tell if a product is cruelty-free? Look for the PETA bunny logo on the package, check PETA’s cruelty-free database, or e-mail peta2@peta2.com. You can also order a cruelty-free shopping guide.

*This is not the story of one specific rabbit in a laboratory. The facts in this feature are based on the experiences of many different rabbits used in laboratory tests.

Read more: http://www.peta2.com/blog/animal-testing-rabbits/#ixzz3rmU1mVfn

How Circus Training and Abuse Killed These Baby Elephants

Posted September 22, 2015 by Kim Johnson

The first step in training baby elephants to perform is to destroy the bond between them and their mothers. To do this, Ringling Bros. trainers drag the babies away from their mothers. For up to 23 hours a day, the babies’ legs are tethered so that all they can do is stand in one spot on a concrete floor. They aren’t provided with any mental or physical stimulation, and they can’t lie down, stretch their legs, or even turn around.

After up to six long months of standing in their own waste, these once curious and energetic elephants lose all interest in fighting back. Their spirits are broken. Now, they’re under the control of the trainers, who begin forcing them to do confusing and painful tricks through the use of violence and fear. This type of “training” and abuse is what killed these elephants:

Riccardo

Riccardo’s life began inside Ringling’s misleadingly named breeding facility, the Center for Elephant Conservation. After Riccardo’s mother, Shirley, gave birth—while she was chained by three legs—she made several desperate attempts to reach out and care for her newborn, but instead of allowing mother and baby to bond, Ringling’s trainers pulled Riccardo away.

When Riccardo was only 8 months old, he fell off a pedestal and broke his hind legs. Ringling trainers originally claimed that he had fallen while he was playing, but it was later revealed in court that Riccardo actually fell while he was being trained to get on the pedestal. His trainer admitted that he was holding a bullhook and that a rope was tied around Riccardo’s trunk when the baby elephant toppled over. The damage to Riccardo’s legs could not be treated, and veterinarians euthanized him. 

Kenny

Kenny was just 3 years old when he died. In the wild, he would still be at his mother’s side, but in the circus, Kenny had to spend much of his time traveling around the country inside a cramped boxcar. One day in 1998, Kenny was reportedly very sick, but trainers still forced him to perform in two shows. 

According to the circus’s animal-care log, Kenny was “not eating or drinking.” He also was “bleeding from his rectum … had a hard time standing, was very shaky, walked very slowly,” and “passed a large amount of blood from his rectum.” Later that night, he died alone in his stall. 

Benjamin

Just a year after Kenny’s death, Benjamin died while he was traveling with Ringling. During a stop in Texas, he went swimming in a pond with another young elephant named Shirley (who would later give birth to Riccardo, mentioned above). When the elephants’ trainer commanded them to exit the pond, Shirley obeyed immediately, but being a young and curious elephant, Benjamin continued to splash and play in the water, ignoring the trainer’s commands.

The trainer then grabbed his bullhook and went into the water after Benjamin. Likely out of fear of the trainer and the bullhook, Benjamin moved away into deeper water and drowned. 

Bertha

In 2005, an 11-day-old elephant named Bertha reportedly died. The circus did not announce her birth or death.

What You Can Do

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has announced that it plans to phase out the use of elephants in its performances by 2018. While this is a great victory it is not enough. For the next three years, elephants with Ringling will still be chained, hit with bullhooks,and crammed into tiny boxcars. Many of the elephants suffer from painful arthritis or carry tuberculosis, and their retirement day needs to come now.

Three years is too long for a mother elephant separated from her calf, too long for a baby elephant beaten with bullhooks, and too long for an animal who would roam up to 30 miles a day in the wild but who is instead kept in shackles.

Never go to a circus that uses animals! Continue to speak up for animals abused by Ringling, and urge the circus to retire the elephants NOW.

Read more: http://www.peta2.com/blog/ringling-baby-elephant-training-deaths/#ixzz3mVvHRDhO