Brian S. Ebers 14

DE. Campus Life Editor

Mice congregated tightly in glass prisons, rabbits scratching containers for their freedom and finding none, and rats being forced to smoke marijuana are all part of the reason why Travis Clark is speaking out against the use of animal experiments at SIUC.

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Why study the effects of marijuana in rats? Clark asked. It’s (marijuana) illegal. Why is the government supporting this?

Clark, a member of the Anti-Vivisection group and a senior in plant biology from Springfield, said animal research is unwarranted and unnecessary in America. The name of the group springs from negative feelings against the vivarium in Life Sciences III.

Vivarium is an archaic term that describes a facility for housing animals used for research or teaching.

The Anti-Vivisection group is against all forms of animal research, even dissection of dead animals.

It’s archaic to bring in buckets of dead animal and have the class cut them open, he said.

The University has a committee to ensure that animals are treated properly in accordance with federal requirements. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee follows two sets of federal laws when dealing with animal research.

The committee is comprised of 10 members, including a non-University member, a non-scientist, a veterinarian, a non-voting representative from the college administration and six faculty members.

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Kay Smith, director of the vivarium and veterinarian of the committee, said there have been no instances of animal neglect on campus in the nine years she has been on the committee.

Anyone who requests animals for research must address the committee with a proposal outlining the measures and details of the experiment.

After a protocol proposal is reviewed, animals are ordered from only top-quality commercial suppliers with licenses, Smith said.

Mice, rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs are ordered as needed by the University researchers. About 10 rabbits are ordered per month at a cost of about $50. Some mice cost as much as $20, depending on how rare they are.

When the animals have been used for their experimental purposes, they are killed, Smith said.

You can only use the animal once for an experiment, after that you put them to sleep, gather their internal organs and get the result of the experiment, Smith said.

Animals not used for physiological data are put to sleep after experiments.

The animals are bred in captivity, Smith said. If we let them go they wouldn’t be able to take care of themselves. They could not feed themselves or keep themselves warm.

However, Clark said animals do not need to be cut open in order to understand them.

Animal systems are so different from human systems, it doesn’t make sense to study them, Clark said. We can’t continue to use animals as a means to our ends.