Cover Story Exposes Irish Animal Experiments!

ARAN are calling on the Irish government to pull funding for animal research at Smooth Muscle Research Centre (SMRC) located at the Dundalk Institute of Technology in light of this week’s expose by leading local newspaper Dundalk Argus.

In yet another expose of animal experiments in Ireland, the Dundalk Argus reveal how researchers at Smooth Muscle Research Centre (SMRC) use mice and rabbits that are imported into Ireland from Charles River Laboratories based in the United Kingdom and Mayo, Ireland for research into erectile dysfunction, urinary tract infections, incontinence and cardiovascular system. At SMRC, mice and rabbits are routinely killed and dissected so their body parts can be used in the experiments. ARAN argues that the researchers at SMRC would be far better placed to use human body parts from bodies donated to science and that such work would provide human-relevant data while also eliminating the extra steps of having to breed the animals, transport them, kill them, and then use their body parts.

The article also goes on to highlight the financial support obtained from the Irish government for such research -- Animal Rights Action Network is calling for an end to funding of animal research at Smooth Muscle Research Centre (SMRC) and other Universities and research centre’s across Ireland and to fund non-invasive, modern humane research.

“Yet again animal experiments are shown to be highly unethical, unnecessary and unreliable, says Stephan Wymore, Head of Research for ARAN. “Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals, and the answer is: 'Because the animals are like us.' Ask the experimenters why it is morally OK to experiment on animals, and the answer is: 'Because the animals are not like us.' Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction. Irish medical research needs a rapid modernized shake up.”

Please click here to read this breaking news story which has made cover story in Dundalk and please click here to read a news article out this week that encourages people to join ARAN to stop cruelty to animals
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