Necessary Evil?
I love animals in general, including mice. I see two areas of concern to this site - rodents being used for scientific research/testing, and rodents being used as feeders for pet snakes, etc.
As far as the first area…While I strongly agree that all animals need to be respected and treated as humanely as possible, I also contend that mice have proven invaluable to helping further legitimate (yes, there have been many illegitimate, but I do not put forth those examples as valid arguments, and rightfully condemn them…) research that has led to treatments and cures that have provided relief - and saving of millions of lives - to humanity. Mice are heros in my book for that reason alone. I’ll also be the first to say quit using them for that purpose if another equal or better method of scientific inquiry/testing is found, but for now, there isn’t a better one.
The second area - used as feeders - that one has solutions already. I have read that there are viable, nutritionally equivalent (maybe even superior), and affordable alternatives to live feeding of rodents to snakes, etc.
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Just an FYI: This page is geared solely toward non-research rats and mice. What happened was that researchers didn’t want to have to deal with the Animal Welfare Act and so they asked for (and received) “pardon” with respect to rats, mice, and birds. This “pardon” came in the form of a complete exclusion of protection for rats, mice, and birds - a uniform exclusion excluding not only rats, mice, and birds used in research but also all other rats, mice, and birds!
AAVS sued the USDA asking for a rewrite of the regulations. This rewrite was to include the return of rights for rats and mice (and birds) when not used for research (namely feeder/pet rats, mice, birds). The Request for Comments, then, was asking the general public what kind of rights they expect for the humane handling, care, and transportation of rats, mice, and birds.
Even so, research animals should still be treated humanely - it’s the least that can be done even if we can justify their use for our personal gain. The irony is that research animals are treated, on a whole, much better than rats and mice destined for other purposes (pets, food) because most are regulated under the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
The NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals is the document we referred to when asking that specific regulations be put in place for rats and mice destined for other (non-research) purposes.
Comment by nat — 11.9.2004 @ 11:14 am
Thank you for clarifying for me. I applaud the purposes of POJ and thank you for educating me on this issue…
Comment by Trish — 11.9.2004 @ 1:52 pm