Senseless slaughter is how animal rights activists describe animal research. But arguably it’s the only use of animals that is ethically acceptable. The enormous medical benefits are, for most people, sufficient justification. Add high welfare standards to the equation and there is little case to answer.

A new page on the RDS website puts the number of animals used in medical research into stark contrast with other uses – and abuses – of animals by society. It starts off with the fact that each of us enjoys the medical benefits of animal research from the use of three mice and one rat over our entire lifespan.

Just consider the numbers. Every year in the UK alone we consume about 2.5 billion animals for food; let over 100,000 dogs roam our streets as strays (and put down one in 10); hit the same number of cats and dogs on the roads when driving our cars (and don’t even stop for a quarter of them); destroy at least 2 million vermin in our homes; and let our pet cats kill 220 million small mammals. 

Why are the animal rights activists largely silent about this treatment, abuse and killing of billions of animals? What is it about the much smaller number of animals used humanely in research, and for enormous benefit, that triggers such vocal and violent protest?