Summary

Stop animal testing! It is cruel and inhumane. Animal rights are violated and animal lives are wasted. Few people are aware of the truth behind the walls of testing labs, the torture, and the suffering inflicted on innocent animals. This must be stopped immediately. There are numerous alternatives and solutions available; it is time to make a change! Stop using animals in research!

Facts & Statistics

“Each year, more than 100 million animals—including mice, rats, frogs, dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, monkeys, fish, and birds—are killed in U.S. laboratories for biology lessons, medical training, curiosity-driven experimentation, and chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics testing” (Animal testing Facts and Statistics). 

“Before their deaths, some are forced to inhale toxic fumes, others are immobilized in restraint devices for hours, some have holes drilled into their skulls, and others have their skin burned off or their spinal cords crushed” (Animal Testing Facts and Statistics).

“It is legal in Canada to use live animals to test cosmetics, household products, pesticides, drugs and other substances. It is legal to subject these animals to the most severe levels of pain, in some instances without pain relief” (Animal Research in Canada).

In one year, between 2008 and 2009 the number of animals used for experimentation in Canada jumped from 2,272,815 to 3,375,027 and in 2019, the number reached 4,562,522 (Animal Research in Canada).

In 2018, 120,099 animals subjected to “severe pain near, at, or above the pain tolerance threshold of unanesthetized conscious animals” in Canada (Animal Testing Facts and Statistics). 

Why care? 

- Animal rights are violated
- Suffering and torture of animals 
- Animals are deliberately sickened with toxic chemicals or infected with diseases, live in barren cages and are typically killed when the experiment ends (Taking Suffering out of Science). 
- Humans and animals are very different, so outdated animal experiments often produce results that cannot accurately predict human responses (Taking Suffering out of Science)
- Sometimes irresponsible industries release the animals back into the wild after being tested on, disposing of potentially dangerous chemicals, waste, and more which results in environmental exposure to pollution, toxic chemicals, diseases, and other risks.This increases pollution causing harmful environmental effects, such as climate change and  affects our health, safety, and natural resources, such as our drinking water and air quality 
- Alternative testing methods now exist that can replace the need for animals
- Animals are very different from human beings and therefore make poor test subjects

Alternatives 

As technology develops, The ability to mimic or recreate parts of the human body is becoming increasingly possible and more normal.

Here are some of the alternatives to animal testing: 

Computer models:                                                                                                              There are already computer models of the heart, lungs, kidneys, skin, digestive, and musculoskeletal systems (Alternatives to Animal Testing). They can be used to run virtual experiments based on pre-existing data and mathematical formulas (Alternatives to Animal Testing).
“There are also data mining technologies that can assist in making predictions about a substance's likely hazard based on data from other, comparable chemicals” (Alternatives to Animal Testing).

Cell Culture:                                                                                                                      Although technology may not always be as effective as testing on live subjects, almost every variety of human and animal cells can be produced in the lab (Alternatives to Animal Testing). Scientists have even been able to coax cells to develop into three-dimensional structures, such as miniature human organs, which can provide a more realistic way to test experimental therapies (Alternatives to Animal Testing).
Human cells have been used to create clever small devices known as "organs-on-chips," which can be used to study biology and disease processes instead of animals (Alternatives to Animal Testing). Devices that accurately imitate the lungs, heart, kidneys, and intestines have already been developed (Alternatives to Animal Testing)." The ultimate goal is to develop a whole 'human-on-a-chip' using these chips" (Alternatives to Animal Testing).
Why not keep using cell cultures in areas like cancer, sepsis, kidney disease, and AIDS, where they are often used in chemical safety testing, vaccine manufacture, and medication development? (Alternatives to Animal Testing).

Human tissues:                                                                                                                  "Both healthy and diseased tissues donated from human volunteers can provide a more relevant way of studying human biology and disease than animal testing" (Alternitives to Animal Testing). Human tissue can be donated from surgery, instead of using live animals. 
Plus, we don't only need Human tissues from live volunteers, human tissue can also be used after the death of a person. 

Why test on animals?

Many laboratories conduct animal tests because animal and human biology are similar, allowing us to learn more about human biology, diseases, medicines, diagnostic tools, and developing and testing potential forms of treatment (Four Main Reasons Why Animals Are Used). Many companies also test their cosmetic products on animals to ensure that they are safe to use.

With all of these alternatives, there is no need for animal testing. Yet, this is still happening. There are many solutions:  If businesses lack the resources to replace animal testing, the government can invest and fund them. But, if some industries continue to use cruel practices because it is easier and cheaper for them, then the government should prohibit or limit animal testing in Canada. There are many options, but the government is doing nothing. It seems like the government isn't aware of what's going on and they are doing nothing about it. This is why I need your help. We need to raise awareness, inform, and encourage the government to put a stop to this problem.

Goal

My goal is to educate, raise awareness on animal testing, and encourage laws and strict rules regarding the limits for testing. Animals are being used in research, education, and testing, which is both upsetting and problematic. Many Canadians, including myself, are concerned about the sufferings of animals in labs and want to help. This is why I started this petition: to educate and inspire people to speak out about this issue. This petition will hopefully raise awareness and call out the companies that continue to engage in these heinous practices. With your support, we will be able to inform the government about this issue, causing them to establish rules and restrictions to eliminate animal experimentation and ensure that alternatives to animal testing are available.

How you can help 

Every animal, just like humans, has the right not to be tested and experimented on. Even though "Sections 444 to 447 of the Criminal Code of Canada protect animals from cruelty, abuse, and neglect," the government is not doing anything to address this issue (Canadian Legislation and Policies). It's disheartening to hear about the reality, but you can help change it by:

Vote: It is important to vote for the party that will take action on the issue in which you strongly believe. If you are concerned about animal testing, remember to vote for a politician who is concerned and will take immediate action to address the issue.

Educate: Educating citizens about the realities of animal testing will help raise awareness. Even something as simple as sharing an Instagram post about what's going on in these labs can make a big difference. The more people who are aware of the problem, the more likely it will be addressed.

Protest/Strike: Anyone who is passionate about bringing about change can do so. One important thing you can do to help put an end to animal cruelty is to organise a strike/protest. Protesting will attract the attention of many people, including the media, and raise awareness of the problem. Raising awareness will help bring the issue to the attention of those in positions of power, and leaders will be forced to act on what the people are protesting about. So, Informing the government about this issue will encourage them to establish rules and restrictions to eliminate animal experimentation and ensure that there are alternatives to animal testing. 

Last but not least, sign the petition: Sign the petition at https://chng.it/VzKCfkZH to end animal testing and raise awareness in Canada. Join me in educating as many people as possible about animal testing and, hopefully, persuade the government to ban animal testing in Canada by exposing the horrifying truth about these testing labs. Help me by signing and sharing the petition to promote the importance of this issue.

 

WORKS CITED

“Alternatives to Animal Testing.” Cruelty Free International, https://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/why-we-do-it/alternatives-animal-testing Accessed on November 7, 2021. 

“Animal Research in Canada.” Animal Alliance of Canada, 17 Nov. 2020, https://www.animalalliance.ca/animal-research-canada/ Accessed on November 7, 2021.

“Animal Testing Facts and Statistics.” PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals , 6 Oct. 2021, https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animals-used-experimentation-factsheets/animal-experiments-overview/ Accessed on November 7, 2021. 

“Four Main Reasons Why Animals Are Used in Medical Research.” Ari.info, 15 Feb. 2021, https://www.animalresearch.info/en/designing-research/why-animals-are-used/ Accessed on November 7, 2021. 

“Taking Suffering out of Science.” The Humane Society, https://www.humanesociety.org/all-our-fights/taking-suffering-out-science Accessed on November 7, 2021.