I am very disturbed to learn that the Mauritius Cabinet has adopted a new Regulation (prescribed the Animal Welfare (Experiment on Animals) Regulations 2017 under the Animal Welfare Act 2013) that allows experiments to take place on monkeys, rabbits, mice and rats and possibly other animals in laboratories on Mauritius.
Initiating research laboratories using animals goes against the best and most current 21st science, which indicates that animal research is an inferior and inhumane method for biomedical research.
Increasingly, scientists in the United States and around the world are seeking to replace the use of animals through a number of ground-breaking initiatives and progressive legislation.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) affirmed a desire to move away from animal research in its most recent strategic plan, calling for developing human-relevant research based on complex 3D cell cultures using human cells and tissues.
Similarly, the U.S. Food and Drug Association, in collaboration with the NIH and the Environmental Protection Association have established the Tox21 Program, to use non-animal methods for toxicity studies, because decades of animal toxicity tests have proven inefficient. The U.S. military is ending its use of animals for trauma training, and every single American medical school has abandoned the use of animals to teach basic surgery training.
Globally, more than 30 countries have passed legislation to prohibit using animals to test the safety of cosmetic products and The Netherlands announced in 2016 a goal of phasing out all animal testing by 2025.
The decision by the Mauritius Cabinet to set up animal laboratories goes against this global trend, negatively impacting tourism and tarnishing Mauritius’ reputation as a progressive nation committed to ethical ventures. I urge you to reverse this decision.
Thank you.
