There are some common misconceptions about the numbers and types of animals used in medical research.
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.