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Hi Steph: I think you really need to think through some of your questions so they are really targeted. I am a long time animal researcher from Australia, now retired.
Q. 1 is straightforward. While cruelty to animals can be intentional (dog fights, harpooning whales), I think it is mostly out of ignorance, and it can be unintentional but necessary. In the first category, cruelty can be from the inappropriate treatment of pet and domesticated animals in not being aware of the Five Freedoms, and the needs or appropriateness of the animal as a human companion; in the second category, I think of animals especially in the Third World where they have to submit to whatever humans want because owners' livelihoods depend on this.
Q.2: I am with Wayne here. If AR had its way, there would be no research or testing (they are two different things) using animals, and humans would suffer. And so would their animals. Contrary to what AR organizations tell people, diseases have been eradicated (small pox) or are about to (polio) - rinder pest is now a disease of cattle species of the past. Without animals, the next flu epidemic or emerging diseases would kill countless humans (or animals) before a vaccine or cure might emerge ( and it might not).Just staying within my own area, we will not ver have a treatment for dementia, schizophrenia, or severe depression; or be able to help people with brain and spinal injuries, or after strokes. To me, to say, as some AR people do, that humans have no right to expect cures for what may ail them, this is invariably said by people who are healthy (or if not, like suffering from diabetes yet taking insulin, saying '"the animals need me, therefore I take this treatment") is misanthropy. I get furious when I see a good friend of mine who has Parkinson's disease that someone would tell me we should not look for treatments that may use naimals - even though of all uses of animals by humans, the use of animals in research and testing is the most tightly controlled. Q4 (I'll come back to Q3, forget it for the moment) I have certianly been the target of AR people because of my research, receiving mail calling me a murderer, a nazi (which of course loses you the argument) and other names; it has been suggested that my parents abused me, the best thing for me would be to commit suicide... that is the level of discussion AR goes down to. Fortunately, I have also found that this is only true of the real fanatics who always know best what other should do. Ordinary people when you talk to them and explain the hwat and why of what is done with animals in research, and the legal safeguards for these animals, will (as is shown in most opinion polls where questions are more nuanced) not be against the use of animals, because they now know what it involves.
Good luck with your project, I'll check on Q3 and come back to it if necessary.
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