Do animals suffer in experiments?
Yes, an experiment on a living animal only needs to be licensed by the UK government if it has the potential to cause “pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm.” (see the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986). Animals are capable of experiencing both physical pain and suffering as well as psychological harm like fear (including, for some species, anticipation of harm), boredom or depression. Suffering can be caused not only by the experimental procedure, but also due to the unnatural and often stark laboratory environment, handling or excessive noise or light.
Yes. An experiment on a living animal only needs to be licensed by the UK government if it has the potential to cause “pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm.” (see the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986). Animals are capable of experiencing both physical pain and suffering as well as psychological harm such as fear (including, for some species, anticipation of harm), boredom and/or depression. Suffering can be caused not only by the experimental procedure itself, but also due to the unnatural and often stark laboratory environment, handling or excessive noise or light.
