Rabbits
Rabbits
More rabbits are used for research in the U.S.
than any other covered species. In 1987, an all-time high of 554,385 rabbits were exploited for research and testing. Over the past two decades, rabbit use has gradually declined, with the latest
reports indicating that over 200,000 rabbits are utilized annually.Rabbits are widely used for experimentation and testing mainly due to practical rather than scientific considerations. They are small and usually docile, easily restrained, cheap to maintain, and breed prodigiously.
Most people associate the use of rabbits in laboratories with toxicity testing for cosmetic, personal, and household products. The best known tests are the Draize eye and skin irritancy tests, which are extremely painful and cruel. While being experimented upon, rabbits are also often locked into full-body restraints to prevent them from touching eye or skin sores. These tests are not very reliable, and increasing attention is being paid to the development of alternatives to replace the use of rabbits for these categories of toxicity testing.
For medical products such as vaccines, drugs, and medical devices, rabbits are used to test pyrogenicity (the ability of the product to induce a fever). Additionally, because of their high rate of reproduction, rabbits are also used to test developmental/embryotoxicity (the danger that a product will harm a pregnant female or developing fetus).
Rabbits are also used in basic and biomedical research, as models for diseases and disorders of the eyes, skin, heart, and immune system, as well as asthma, cystic fibrosis, and diabetes. Another common use of rabbits is in a painful procedure to produce polyclonal antibodies, which are widely used for a variety of research and diagnostic purposes.
In addition to the suffering caused by the experiments, the laboratory environment itself is also particularly noxious to rabbits, causing great stress, weakening their immune systems, and making them more prone to illness.
Read More about Rabbits Used in Research
“The Rabbit Died. But For What?” AV Magazine, Spring 2006.Rabbits are much loved in our culture. But there is a brutal reality in their lives that is hidden behind closed laboratory doors.
“Rabbits in Research: The cost of experimentation,” AV Magazine, Winter 2007.
Rabbits are exploited in a number of ways by many industries, including the biomedical industry.
“Rabbits Used in Antibody Production,” AV Magazine, Winter 2007.
Additional Information
Number of
rabbits used in research from 1973-2006 Rabbit Patent challenge