Challenging cruel science

Join ARA for an insightful exploration into the alternatives to animal use in science.

Justifications for invasive experiments on animals rely on claims that such research is essential for the advancement of biomedical knowledge, for the development of cures to human diseases, for evaluation of the toxicity of compounds to which humans are exposed, and for the training of future scientists and medical personnel.

Until recently, critical evaluations of the accuracy of such claims have been rare. However, several large-scale systematic reviews of the value of the animal experiments have now been published in scientific and medical journals, by the speaker and his scientific colleagues. Several have received awards at international scientific conferences.

The outcomes have been consistent: animal experiments have contributed far less than advocates would have us believe.

This presentation summarised these recent results, and comprehensively reviewed the alternatives to invasive animal use with biomedical research, toxicity testing, and education.

About the presenter:

Andrew Knight BSc (Vet Biol), BVMS, CertAW, MRCVS, FOCAE
Andrew has been an active animal advocate ever since helping launch Australia’s campaign against the live sheep trade to the Middle East in the early 1990s. He completed a veterinary degree at Western Australia's AVMA-accredited Murdoch University in 2001, primarily to provide specialized knowledge and skills to assist animal protection campaigns. He has a post-graduate Certificate in Animal Welfare Science and is a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. He’s the President of Animals Count: a UK political party for people and animals; the Director of Animal Consultants International, which provides multidisciplinary expertise for animal issues; and the Founder of the Extreme Vegan Sporting Association, which showcases vegan fitness through increasingly novel means of risking life and limb. Find out more at www.aknight.info

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