What is Vivisection?

Vivisection literally means the 'cutting up' of living animals, but has now become more generally used as the term for all experiments on living animals.

Vivisection is the use of animals in scientific Experiments in order to gain knowledge of pathological or physiological processes. In about 85% of these experiments, no anaesthetic is used and results are believed by most to be inconclusive and of no benefit to Humans.

33 Animals Die in Laboratories around the world every second. In South Africa no legal protection exists for laboratory animals. This means that a laboratory can even use animals that are facing extinction. Even if it meant the destruction of the animal, there is no law that would protect the species. Chimpanzees are an endangered species.

The dog pictured above had its leg deliberately shattered with a hammer to induce psychological stress. The dog received no anaesthetic nor medical treatment during or after the injury was inflicted (Source: Entering the Gates of Hell, IAAPEA).

What Kind of Experiments are Conducted??

Animals are used in almost any experiment conceivable. They are forced to ingest or inhale anything from eye mascara and pen ink to detergents, pesticides and pharmaceutical products. A common acute toxicity test is the LD50 Test, where a group of animals are force-fed a substance to see how much of that substance is needed to kill half of them. Many of the animals die from ruptured organ

s as a result of the force feeding process and not from the test product. In the Draize Eye Irritancy Test (Right), a frequently performed experiment, rabbits are immobilised in stocks and have a test substance dripped or sprayed into their eyes. No pain relief is given. In psychological experiments, animals are subjected to torments like maternal deprivation, drug and alcohol addiction and brain damage.