So they’re particularly useful for medical research studies that rely on observing several generations of an animal, such as gene manipulation or anti-aging research.
Researchers also understand the genetic and physical anatomy of rodents very well, making it easy for them to engineer their genetic makeup to suit their needs.
Which is something they very commonly do.
Research labs spend thousands of dollars every year on acquiring inbred mice with specific qualities so that they’re the same genetically, and then proceed to alter their DNA and breed them further.
One gruesome example of this is transgenic mice, which are mice that have been genetically engineered to carry the same genes that cause various diseases in humans, so they can test out potential cures on the mice.
But the apparent need for animal testing isn’t confined to just medical research labs that test out new virus strains or create vaccines for them.
Many companies test harsh chemicals and products on animals, especially those in the beauty industry, as well as household and industrial cleaning agent manufacturers.
This is a well-documented practice so I won’t go into the details here, partly for my own sanity.
But feel free to search for more information on this if you want to dig deeper - just avoid Google images if you can, for your sanity.
According to the humane society, companies across the US use more than twenty five million vertebrate animals - so animals with skeletons made of bone - in testing facilities, research labs, and educational institutions every year.
An estimated eighty five percent of those are mice that were bred in captivity specifically for testing purposes.
But they also went on to say that this number still isn’t accurate.
Because while the department of agriculture in the US does compile statistics annually, their efforts only go so far.
Plus, there’s just no way to get conclusive numbers when you want to include the rest of the world - especially when it comes to Asian countries like Vietnam and China where the lives of animals generally aren’t exactly held in high regard.
