So I'm an animal researcher (mice) and I do wish some regulations were tightened on animal housing inspections. As a researcher I want my animals healthy, happy, fed just right, never mixed up or "lost" but the university's animal care staff has more control over these issues than me and more inspections, better training on techniques, and higher quality facilities would suit me just fine (my experiments would be more reproducible).

But to people who want to call a halt to ALL animal research I want to know:

What scientific discoveries are you willing to forgo? What treatments were worth it? Which were not? What basic biology that led to treatments do you want to give up, for yourselves and for your children?

I strive not to be cruel to the animals I use in my research and here I am down in the trenches, getting peed on and occasionally bitten by mice and it seems some high and mighties just want their scientific discoveries without the science. Unless folks against animal research include in their discussion EXACTLY what science they want to forgo, I will not be getting over feeling like these people are squeamish ingrates. You want to talk about better housing, better inspections, better training, better technique? I am all for it, let's talk. But if you just want to moon about the poor sweet animals whilist you enjoy the all medical science has to offer, well that's gonna piss me off everytime.

Also why does nobody ever talk about how people treat the animals in their homes. Those glue traps people use? The mice die by dehydration, unspeakable cruelty. On the two occasions mice have been found in my home they were put outside (since my husband and I work with mice, we're pretty good at catching them by the tail).

Plus does no one watch nature videos? People idealize the "life in the wild" vs "a whole life spent in a cage" but life in the wild is full of disease, injury, harsh elements, and predators. I honestly believe a well cared for lab mouse leads a nicer life than a wild one.