I never really paid attention to animal testing, until recently when I heard about all the animals getting hurt because of it. I think animals are creatures that should be free and not experimented on. An estimated 26 million animals are tested every year for scientific or commercial uses. Though knowing something is safe for humans, after testing the product on an animal is reassuring, the animals are still the ones that are suffering. The thing is, there are now alternate testing methods that exist that can replace animals and do a better job than animals. My thought is, animal testing is very wrong. The thought of scientists measuring how long it takes for a rabbit’s cornea to burn is just cruel. Manufacturers can now create a 3D tissue structure, produced from human cells instead of risking an animal’s eyesight or even life.

The PETA or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals foundation, has over five-million supporters and is the largest animal rights organization in the world. While people all over the world are experimenting, abusing, or even killing the poor animals, the PETA is trying to protest their ways into stopping animal abuse.

When I think of animal abuse, I think of people not respecting animals in a heartless way. Animals have existed on this planet for about 560 million years, this way of treatment is like treating your elderly in a very disrespectful way. Why should humans test on animals? What did these un-harmful creatures do to get experimented on? Sure, it is as we know very unethical to experiment anything on humans, but if humans are basically animals wouldn’t testing animals be the same as testing humans? The answer is yes. And that is why scientists are experimenting on animals, and as most of us know — it is not necessary.

To alleviate this commonly debated issue, I think just generally respecting an animal is enough to keep it safe from any type of harm.

–Julia Fang