Dear Future President,

Animals are furry little creatures that are cute and cuddly and that we as humans have taken into our homes knowing that they will always love us and we will love them no matter what, so why when it comes to science we treat them like objects? According to an article published by Psychology Today, more than half the people in the world are animals lovers and have a variety of pets. Many people like myself love animals so much that they become vegetarian, donate to various organizations, or volunteer at shelters. So why are we not doing more against animal testing? Animal testing is a form of animal cruelty that I believe is overlooked by many including the government because nothing is being done to stop this brutality. There is such a strong bond between humans and pets that there is a need to care and look after them. So why are we still making them suffer through the abuse called animal testing?

Animal testing is an issue that I feel strongly about because animals have always been a part of my life ever since I was little and I believe many others would agree. This is why I believe that we should fight for them because if you look at it in the end, we are their only hope. Thousands of innocent animals are dying each day in labs and suffering in gruesome ways, according to NEAVS, New England Anti-Vivisection Society, many of these animals include primates,hamsters, rabbits,rats, guinea pigs, mice, and cats. Just these alone make up 90% of the animals being used and the rest of the 10% are animals ranging from chimpanzees to cold blooded reptiles. According to the AWA, Animal Welfare Act, about 95% of the animals being tested on are not even protected under their laws. Also, according to PeTA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, state that “one hundred million animals are used in labs per year but not even a third are protected by the law”. Without the protection of these laws thousands of animals each day are put through suffering, pain, and neglect, some of these conditions include, starvation, abuse, mutilation, burning, poisoning, drowning all without painkillers. These laws are not strongly enforced because there is not nearly enough inspectors to inspect facilities that use animals and the fines for violating these laws is nothing compared to how much the company makes per year. For example, in 2012, monkeys were boiled alive when being tested on scalding hot mechanical cage washers while others died of poor conditions within the facilities, but guess what a crime like this is punished by at most a thousand to a ten thousand dollar fine! A fine like that is not even a dent in the bank for the labs or a reason why they should stop testing. Let me inform you that more than half the tests being done does not even benefit us as humans. Our DNA and structure is completely different from animals for example,something that works on them will more than likely not work on us. The best way to get results that are benefiting to us is by testing humans themselves or with the advanced technology we have now we can make replicas or robots, and alternatives to animal testing are more safe, reliable, and relevant.

Please future president, I urge you to look into this topic and strive to gain more laws against animal brutality and to terminate animal testing in the United States. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Nancy Mendoza