AAHR media release
ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS SOAR IN AUSTRALIA

National statistics on animal experiments recently
collated show a massive increase (67.2%) in animal
usage - suggesting that the 3R's Principle* (Reduce,
Refine and Replace) are clearly not effective.

The increase is due mainly to Victoria where
2,177,247 poultry were used in a single project,
however other states also show substantial increases,
with the exception of Western Australia and
Queensland who have both reported a decrease in
the numbers of animals used.

The total figure of animals used in 2004 was
6,489,005. (2003 figure was 3,880,932)

The most commonly used animals are domestic
fowl and fish.

The number of primates used has increased
from 288 (in 2003) to 477 (in 2004).

AAHR Chief Executive Officer, Helen Rosser,
said today "It's extremely disappointing that
with such innovative technologies now emerging,
researchers still rely on crude and unreliable
animal tests - a mode of research that has
resulted in dangerous outcomes when results
have been extrapolated to human conditions."

For example:

- 85% of drugs that reach clinical trial fail to
attain general distribution (which certainly
questions the efficacy of animal tests).

- The development of the Polio vaccine,
often cited by researchers as an example of
the necessity of animal experiments, was
long delayed due to misleading results from
primate experiments. This was stated under
oath by Dr Sabin (inventor of the polio vaccine).

- Penicillin was delayed for 50 years and
blood transfusions for more than a century.

Explanatory Notes
*The three R's - replacement, reduction and
refinement were proposed by William Russell
and Rex Burch in their manuscript The
Principles of Humane Experimental Technique,
published in 1959. The recommendations, which
have been universally accepted, were intended
to reduce the overall amount of suffering caused
to animals during research.

A breakdown of the figures can be obtained at
http://www.aahr.asn.au/statistics.htm