Many people believe that cats, dogs and monkeys make up the bulk of animals used in research. In fact nothing could be further from the truth. Because of the massive expansion in biomedical research during the last 40 years many people, quite reasonably, think that the number of animals used in research must also have increased dramatically. The reverse is true and the numbers of animals used has fallen steadily from a peak of about 5,500,000 in the 1970s to low point of less than 2,650,000. By refining their techniques and working to find alternatives to animal testing scientists have managed to half the number of animals used in the last 20 years.
Many people think that abandoned or stolen pets are used in research.
This is completely untrue and is banned in this country. Many people think that many wild animals, especially monkeys, are captured and used in medical research laboratories. It is against the law in the UK to use any captured wild animal in medical research unless permission to use such an animal has been obtained from the Home Office. Such permission will only be granted in very exceptional circumstances. Approved breeders specifically breed most animals used in medical research in the UK.In cases where animals have not been specifically bred for research purposes an approved breeder must supply them.