Uni defends animal testing after star’s plea
THE University of Bristol has defended its use of experiments which see rats and mice put in water and made to continually swim to stop themselves from drowning.
The scientists at Bristol University have been criticised by actor and former university student Will Poulter, who has joined animal rights group PETA in asking the university to stop the practice.
Mr Poulter, who starred in The Maze Runner, has written to Bristol University’s vice-chancellor and president Professor Hugh Brady, ‘imploring’ him to end the use of what are known as ‘forced swim experiments’.
PETA said that in the controversial experiments, small animals such as rats are placed in inescapable beakers of water and made to swim to keep from drowning, ‘purportedly to shed light on human neurobehavioural conditions such as depression and stress’.
A PETA spokesperson said: “Yet these types of tests have been heavily criticised by scientists who argue that they’re bad science.”
PETA said its campaign against the ‘forced swim experiments’ has already been successful – 14 companies and two universities, including King’s College London,have agreed to drop the experiments.
Mr Poulter said in his letter: “I don’t want to imagine the panic the animals must feel as they are dropped into an inescapable cylinder filled with water and furiously try to climb up the sides and dive
Please, stop using forced swim tests now
Will Poulter
down to the bottom to look for an escape.
“Please, stop using forced swim tests now. They harm animals and mislead experimenters,” he added.
A spokeswoman for the University of Bristol said: “As a research university, we are committed to a culture of care where animals are treated with compassion and respect.
“We are in regular conversation with the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction and Animals in Research (NC3Rs) and the Home Office, as well scientific societies and academic colleagues, so we can keep up to date with the latest thinking on all aspects of research using animals,” she added.
“We acknowledge that some people have concerns about the use of animals in research, but we also recognise that research involving animals is vital for advances in medical, veterinary and scientific knowledge to improve our understanding of health and disease and the lives of both animals and humans,” she said.