Cruelty Free
I know that everyone reading this blog is a lover of animals; none of us would knowingly do anything to harm them, and most of us weep at the thought of them being mistreated.
For the past couple of days, a short video has been making the rounds among my Facebook friends. It shows young beagles, creatures who have lived their entire lives in metal cages in an unidentified laboratory, stepping onto grass for the first time.
While the video is upbeat, reporting how happy the animals are since their rescue, some of them placed in forever homes, one need only look into their eyes to see that all is not well. Each of them has a haunted expression, like something inside has been deeply wounded.
Here is the link to the video of these gorgeous creatures and their rescuers:
The Power of the Pen
The response of most of my Facebook friends (and their friends) was disgust at the imagined mistreatment of these creatures (which wasn’t detailed) and joy at their release. And while witnessing and celebrating this event is important, we can, we must, do more.
In the spirit of changing the world for the better, I invite you to visit the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine website (PCRM.org). This outstanding site explains the types of research that animals are still being used for, who is doing it, why most of this research is entirely unnecessary, who is violating the Animal Welfare Act, and what we can do about it.
If you sign up for their newsletter, you will receive updates on current violators and be invited to sign petitions and letters. And—this is the great part—the petitions and letters work. In the few months that I have been on the mailing list, the US Army has stopped chemical casualty training on monkeys, and several university medical schools have stopped dissecting live animals in classes.
I know you are busy, perhaps overwhelmed. You may be thinking you will get to this later. But I implore you to think about these gorgeous beagles, their haunted eyes.
The Power of the Pocketbook
We don’t know what kind of laboratory these sweethearts were in. While the PCRM site talks about medical research, it’s possible that these creatures were being used to test the safety of chemicals for personal care or cleaning products.
I’m guessing that most of you already make a point of purchasing personal care and cleaning products that are cruelty free. You look on the package for the words “not tested on animals.”
But did you know that “not tested on animals” can just refer to the product itself? In other words, while the shampoo you purchased may not have been rubbed into an animal’s eyes, the individual ingredients may have been. This “testing” would have been done by the manufacturer of the ingredients, not the shampoo maker.
But, again, we have the power to create change. We can sign petitions and letters, and we can make phone calls. But we can also use the power of our pocketbooks (or wallets) and look for words such as these, which appear on Desert Essence Organics hand and body lotion, “no animal testing of raw materials or finished product.”
Now that’s more like it.
We can also contact manufacturers through their websites. Following my own advice, I just contacted Aubrey Organics about their shampoo. I wrote, “Your wonderful shampoos say ‘No Animal Testing’ on the label. Does that statement refer only to the finished product or to the ingredients as well?”
I’ll let you know how they respond.
Can You Help?
If each of us makes a commitment to speak up, both in words and purchasing power, we can put an end to the barbaric treatment of laboratory animals in this country. It’s not enough to feel badly about it, my friends. We have to take action.
I’d like to compile a list of personal care and cleaning products that are not tested on animals anywhere in the production process, but I need your help to do that.
What truly cruelty-free products do you use?
If you have received this post via email, just click on the title to respond. I hope you will be moved to share your thoughts.