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New Zealand’s Massey University Pledges to Stop Animal Testing When Possible

white mouse being injected with syringe by person in lab coat. animal testing lab rat

Animal testing is a horrible form of animal cruelty. Animals are experimented on and often put through a great deal of psychological and physical pain. Sadly, many medicines, household items, cosmetics, and more are tested on animals. Animal rights activists have long decried animal testing as a barbaric form of animal cruelty. Yet it continues around the world in both private and public labs. One group of labs that often test on animals is university labs. However, one New Zealand (Aotearoa) university has recently pledged to stop testing on animals whenever possible. Massey University has become the first university in the country to pledge to stop using animals for scientific research whenever possible.

Source: HSUS/YouTube

Animal testing continues to be a requirement for certain products in countries around the world. However, there is irrefutable evidence showing that many of the results obtained from animal testing do not apply to humans. Many alternatives to animal testing now exist. These alternatives often are quicker, more effective, and less costly. Due to growing awareness about animal testing’s cruelty and inefficacy, many countries are slowly beginning to phase out some of their animal testing requirements.

According to the New Zealand Animal rights organization Save Animals From Exploitation (SAFE), animal testing for cosmetics was banned in the country in 2015. They are one of 44 countries worldwide to ban cosmetics animal testing. Although this is a great start, many of these countries still allow the sale of imported products that are tested on animals. Additionally, animal testing for other purposes continues. Animals may have medical procedures or drugs tested on them, be used for research or dissection purposes, or chemical testing. Information from the SAFE website states that the majority of animal testing in New Zealand is done for agricultural research purposes.

In these experiments, researchers often attempt to make livestock animals more “productive”. This can compromise the animals’ health. In 2019, over 150,000 cows and sheep alone were used for animal testing.

By pledging to reduce animal testing, Massey University is setting an example for other universities across New Zealand. As part of their pledge to reduce the number of animals harmed by animal testing, Massey University has implemented the “Three Rs of Animal Ethics.” These three Rs stand for:

Reduce the number of animals to the minimum required.
Refine manipulations to minimize their noxiousness.
Replace animals with alternative methods wherever possible.

There are over 100 other institutions in the island nation that could follow Massey University’s example. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a deeper commitment from institutions of higher education to eschew animal testing and bring the barbaric custom to an end.

Sign this petition To Help End Animal Testing in the United States!