Public Turns on Animal Terrorists
Summarizes a UK poll which shows that the proportion of people approving of animal testing is at an all time high and more than three quarters view fanatical activists as terrorists.
This survey shows that less than 1 out of every 5 British people consider animal testing to be completely unacceptable under any circumstance.
More than 70% felt that animal testing was sometimes acceptable due to lack of alternatives.
There is also broad concern that a ban on animal testing would push research efforts abroad.
Previous polls have been more or less evenly divided on support of animal testing.
This poll suggests that by extremists stepping up their campaign, they may have inadvertently harmed their cause.
Part of the reason for changing public attitudes could be an appreciation that animals are no longer used to test cosmetics in Britain, though the number of tests for medical purposes is rising. In 2004, there were around 2.85 million “procedures”, a rise of just over two per cent on the previous year.