PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is a well-known animal rights organization that has been fighting against animal cruelty and exploitation for decades. The organization has been actively investigating and addressing the killing of animals in universities across the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Shockingly, it has been reported that at least 25,000 animals have been killed at 22 different universities around the country, causing outrage and concern among animal lovers and PETA advocates.
In a letter addressed to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate, PETA has requested a thorough investigation into this matter. This follows prior complaints made by the organization regarding the killing sprees at 14 other universities. The letter specifically concerns eight schools, and PETA is calling on the NIH to hold these universities accountable for their actions. It is clear that PETA will continue fighting for the rights of animals and ensure that they are treated with compassion and respect, even during the pandemic.
Recently, PETA has disclosed new information suggesting that several universities across the country, including the University of Georgia, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, and West Virginia, Pennsylvania State, Tulane, Montana State, and Ferris State universities, have been disregarding the sensitive nature of various animals used in experiments. According to the evidence uncovered by PETA, these experimenters have been labeling these animals as nonessential, noncritical, and other similar terms, effectively deeming them unnecessary or unimportant in their research. Sadly, as a result of this labeling practice, these animals, in mass amounts, have been sent to their untimely deaths. The findings of this investigation are both shocking and concerning, and have raised questions about the ethics of animal testing practices in some scientific institutions.
PETA, has recently made a request to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct an investigation in order to determine why these 22 institutions had deemed the animals as nonessential, yet still wasted a whopping sum of $9 million in taxpayer funds to detain them in laboratory environments. PETA is hoping to not only find answers to their inquiries, but also to start discussions and awareness around the issues of animal rights and ethical treatment in research. It is their belief that every living creature deserves to be treated with kindness and respect, and that animal lives and welfare should not be taken for granted or considered expendable.
Animal experimentation has been a long-standing practice in the field of medical research, and has been a source of much controversy and debate over the years. While some argue that it is necessary in order to develop safe and effective treatments and medications for humans, others counter that the practice is cruel and often unproductive. In fact, studies have shown that animal experimentation largely fails to produce the desired results, as animal physiology differs significantly from that of humans. As such, the search for alternative methods for conducting medical research has intensified in recent years, and organizations like PETA have taken up the mantle in this regard. PETA has been at the forefront of the movement to find better, safer, and more ethically sound alternatives to animal experimentation, and has invested significant time and resources in developing and promoting these approaches. So, if you’re passionate about advancing science and medicine in a more humane and effective way, then PETA may be the organization for you!
We cordially request and urge your support in our mission to bring about a positive change in the field of medical research. Our Research Modernization Deal is a groundbreaking effort that seeks to revolutionize the way research is conducted by prioritizing human-relevant research methods and eliminating animal experimentation from laboratories.
We understand the significance of animal welfare and the ethical concerns associated with animal testing. With that in mind, our Research Modernization Deal is an initiative that aligns scientific progress with moral responsibility. We are steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that medical advances are achieved through methods that are ethical, sustainable, and fair.
By supporting this effort, you will not only stand with us in our vision but also contribute to the welfare of animals while providing cutting-edge breakthroughs in medical research that will benefit humanity. We thank you in advance for your support and understanding of our critical mission.
NIH has failed to take effective steps to address the following problems:
- Ninety-five percent of all new drugs that test safe and effective in animal tests fail or cause harm in human clinical trials.
- The failure rate of new drugs developed using animals in specific disease research areas exceeds 95%. Here are a few examples.
- HIV vaccine—100%
- Strokes—100% (based on 1,000 new agents tested in animals in 100 clinical trials)
- Alzheimer’s disease—99.6%
- Cancer—96.6%
- Eighty-nine percent of preclinical studies, which are largely experiments on animals, can’t be reproduced, even though reproducibility is a critical component of scientific research.
Consider this: 5.8 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease. But treatments that have appeared promising in mice simply haven’t worked in humans. The U.S. is expected to spend $1.1 trillion on research for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia by 2050—but if we stick with our current path, most of that money will be wasted on cruel and pointless animal experiments. No cure for humans is in sight.
This disastrous boondoggle throws good money after bad. Reliance on animal models is diverting funds from more promising areas of research and delaying the development of effective drugs and treatments.
The majority of Americans oppose animal experiments. A 2018 Pew Research Center poll found that most Americans (52%) oppose the use of animals in experimentation. People who continue to support it—who are in the minority—assume that the harm to animals is outweighed by the benefits to humans. But now we know that animal experiments don’t actually help humans.