Many lifesaving drugs such as cortisone and insulin, and treatments for anaemia, emphysema, malaria, stroke and heart attacks are animal-based. While some pharmaceuticals, such as insulin, can now be synthesized through biotechnology many are still made more economically from animal-based products. Medical supplies also rely on animal products. Animals help us live a healthier lifestyle. They contribute in countless ways to our sports and recreation.
Sheep wool gives baseballs their bounce.
Gelatin helps golf balls roll straight. Leather, foam rubber and plastics are used in most types of sports equipment. Sheep intestines are used to string some types of sports racquets while poultry feathers are thought to make the best darts and fishing lures. Not only do they support farmers and food businesses but their by-products provide source materials needed for hundreds of other industries and thousands of jobs. At the office, animals help to make computers and photocopiers work.