Mice are easily scared and shy by nature. They are very quickly frightened by hectic movement or harsh light and, if possible, take flight. If this is not possible, they are under enormous stress. This is confirmed by a current scientific study that demonstrates that merely the »normal« way of treating experimental animals has considerable influence on the results of animal tests.
Mice, rats, rabbits, dogs, geese and other animals are considerably more stressed by merely being handled and through so-called routine examinations that was previously assumed. The stress reactions of the animals falsify the data from the animal tests. A scientific study reached this conclusion that was published already in September of 2004 in an animal testing journal.
That this is no individual observation can be concluded from the fact that the behavioralist Dr.J. Balcombe of the American »Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine « examined not only one, but 80 different publications regarding procedures used on experimental animals. Based on this, he was able to show that merely lifting up a mouse triggers a series of stress reactions in the animal, which are still verifiable an hour afterward. The animals react with fear and panic to so-called routine procedures, such as taking blood and forced feeding with a stomach tube. Stress hormones increase in the blood; the pulse races; the blood pressure goes sky high and the immune defense decreases. This happens already before the actual experiment and continues for a long time in the mouse’s body. Thereon it becomes clear that there are no humane experiments and that the research results can be falsified through stress reactions such as release of hormones and immune suppression.
Dr. Balcombe’s criticism is also confirmed by other scientific studies. Studies at the University of Gießen (Germany) and the University of California confirm that the stimulus-poor environment of standardized laboratory cages lead to behavioral disturbances and permanent brain damage in rodents such as mice and rats. This can also lead to false test results.
