14,000 Animals Killed At NI Universities

New statistics have revealed that almost 14,000 animals have died in experiments at Northern Ireland's universities in just one year.

The figures, released by the Department of Health having been acquired by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), found that while there was a slight fall in the number of animals used for research in 2012 (just over 1%), the use of animals by universities has risen.

As a result, it comprises some 70% of animal experiments carried out in NI.

In 2012, 17,455 animals were used in experiments and included 12,132 mice, 1,255 rats, 69 rabbits, 12 dogs, seven horses and six cats.

Legislation says that animals used in such laboratory tests are to be destroyed.

A majority of the experiments were said to have taken place within universities – some 13,784 animals. Of these, 11,886 animals were at Queen's University with 1,898 at the University of Ulster.

In response to the statistics, the BUAV has voiced their concern that the six cats were subjected to 167 experiments – an average of 28 per animal; while the dogs were subjected to an average of 11 experiments each.

A spokesperson for the organisation said it would be asking the government to explain why these types of experiments are occurring.

It has been reported that some of the research being carried out includes feeding rats lavender oil to see if it reduced anxiety after playing loud noises and bright lights, as well as pumping rats with a hormone to see if it made them lose weight.

Responding to the figures, Queen's University said they have only used only rats, mice and a small number of guinea pigs, rabbits and frogs within the Biological Resource Unit (BRU) within the last five years. It said this was for "essential animal experimentation".

QUB conducts research on animals only when it is essential for clinical, biomedical and environmental studies and where there are no alternatives.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the DHSSPS said that all experiments in Northern Ireland are monitored under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, which is a UK-wide legislation.

(JP/CD)