Education / The Bodhi Project / Other Animals
Animals in Research, Fashion & Entertainment
A lone tiger cub at the Kampot Zoo. Kampot Zoo, Kampot, Kampot Province, Cambodia, 2008. Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals
Content warning: The following images may be disturbing.
Click to reveal them and open your eyes. Photos credit: We Animals
Research
The use of animals in research raises serious ethical concerns, as it often causes pain, distress, and long-term suffering.
Animals like mice, rats, and monkeys are commonly used in biomedical studies, drug testing, and genetic research, where they undergo highly invasive procedures such as toxicology tests, pharmaceutical trials, behavioral experiments, surgeries, genetic manipulation, and exposure to radiation or infections. These practices exploit sentient beings for human benefit, often causing significant harm. After enduring painful procedures, most research animals are euthanized.
Click the eye to reveal
Unlucky number 7. An immobilized pig awaits the administration of an infusion in a jugular catheter. Spain, 2019. Carlota Saorsa / HIDDEN / We Animals
In the United States, dogs, cats, and chimpanzees are among the most frequently exploited animals in laboratory research. Each year, an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 dogs, primarily beagles, are used in experiments such as drug testing and toxicology, while 15,000 to 20,000 cats are subjected to neurological and vision research.
However, the true scope of animal use remains unclear due to inconsistent reporting requirements, exemptions for species like mice, rats, and birds, and the lack of transparency in many research facilities, resulting in underreporting and incomplete data.
Click the eye to reveal
This rabbit’s back has been shaved and points marked in preparation for a product dermal toxicity test. Spain, 2018. Carlota Saorsa / HIDDEN / We Animals
The benefits of drug testing on animals are much smaller than is generally assumed. In practice, animal research has a limited ability to predict human outcomes, with a high failure rate in clinical trials.
Up to 90-95% of drugs that show promise in animals fail in humans, highlighting the significant gap between animal models and human biology.
“The history of cancer research has largely been the history of curing cancer in mice. We have cured mice of cancer for decades, yet it simply hasn’t worked in humans,” said Dr Richard Klausner, former Director of the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
In contrast, ethical alternatives like in vitro methods, computer models, and human trials are increasingly viable, offering more scientifically reliable ways to conduct research without involving animals.
Click the eye to reveal
Black-furred mice, also known as C57BL/6 and are the most common mice used in medical research and considered to be the "workhorse" of such research. When they are no longer needed, they are euthanized, often in large numbers and then incinerated. USA, 2022. Roger Kingbird / We Animals
With advances in technology, such as organ-on-a-chip systems and AI simulations, we have the opportunity to move away from animal testing.
What You Can Do
Look for Cruelty-Free Certifications: Many brands are certified cruelty-free, meaning they do not test on animals or work with suppliers that do. Look for trusted certifications such as the Leaping Bunny logo, Cruelty-Free International, and PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies. Additionally, apps like Cruelty Cutter can help you quickly identify cruelty-free products while shopping with a simple barcode scan.
Research Brands and Ingredients: Checking a brand’s specific stance on animal testing—particularly for products sold in regions where animal testing may be required by law—can ensure they align with your ethical standards.
Support Smaller, Independent Brands: Many smaller brands, especially those in the natural and organic beauty sectors, are dedicated to cruelty-free practices. These companies often uphold higher ethical standards and are less likely to engage in animal testing, offering a more transparent and humane alternative.
Spread Awareness: Sharing your commitment to cruelty-free products can help raise awareness and inspire others to make more ethical choices. This growing demand for cruelty-free alternatives can encourage more companies to adopt humane practices and eliminate animal testing.
Clothing & Footwear
Animal parts are routinely used in everyday clothing and footwear. Although wearing fur and reptile skin as fashion items is now widely criticized, animal leather remains ubiquitous in shoes, boots, belts and wallets, while feathers are a common filling for bedding and some winter clothing.
Obtaining animal leather self-evidently requires the killing of an animal, while feathers may alternatively be plucked from the skin of a live bird—a process that causes serious pain and often injury.
Click the eye to reveal
The steaming skins of cattle are mechanically lifted from the slaughterhouse into a transport truck. Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2014. Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals
Wool is arguably the least destructive animal product, but sheep are nonetheless kept with the intention to maximize profit rather than to promote their wellbeing and when the two conflict, the former takes precedence.
There is no guarantee that sheep kept for wool are treated humanely and ample evidence that they are sometimes not. Moreover, because many breeds are ‘dual-purpose’—kept both for wool and meat—purchasing wool provides economic support for the meat industry.
Click the eye to reveal
A sheep on a dairy farm is restrained by their ear while sheared with electric trimmers, a procedure carried out twice yearly by a trained shearing team. Some of this sheep's wool is completely removed, leaving her with patches of bare skin. The process stresses the sheep, who may suffer cuts and wounds from fast shearing, rough handling, and further torment from flies attracted to their injuries. Cadca, Cadca District, Zilina Region, Slovakia, 2023. Zuzana Mit / We Animals
By shopping for plant-based alternatives like hemp, bamboo, organic cotton, and the various types of plant-based leather now emerging—including exciting developments such as leathers made of leaves, apple skins, pineapple husks, and cacti—we can spare the death and suffering of many sentient beings and align our consumer choices with our Buddhist practice of compassion.
Newly rescued lambs at Farm Sanctuary. Watkins Glen, New York, USA, 2015. Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals
What You Can Do
Avoid Leather, Fur, Silk, and Wool: Attractive and affordable ethical alternatives exist to all these products. Organic cotton, hemp, or recycled and second-hand wool are alternatives to new wool. Traditional silk involves the killing of silkworms, so opt for alternatives like bamboo, Tencel, or recycled polyester. Alternatives to animal leather include Piñatex (pineapple leather) and MuSkin (mushroom leather) and Desserto (cactus leather), as well as some very durable polyurethane leathers or “pleathers”.
Choose Vegan and Cruelty-Free Brands: Select brands that exclusively use animal-free materials and ethical production practices.
Choose Second-Hand and Vintage Clothing: Buying second-hand or vintage items reduces demand for new, animal-derived materials. Thrift stores, online marketplaces, and clothing swaps provide plenty of options.
Buy High-Quality, Long-Lasting Pieces: Avoid fast fashion and invest in durable, high-quality clothing that lasts longer, reducing consumption and waste.
Entertainment
The exploitation of animals for entertainment, even at its best, involves confinement and unnatural living conditions that cause some level of psychological stress.
At its worst, it involves physically abusive training methods, extreme confinement, stressful and unsanitary living conditions, and poor diets that lead to disease and premature death.
Zoo animals are frequently kept in restrictive, understimulating environments in climates very different from those to which their bodies are adapted. Animals who are trained to perform for humans—such as circus animals, dolphins and orcas, and race horses—can suffer injury or early death due to their confinement and the unnatural and sometimes dangerous behavior they are trained to engage in. Fish are subjected to particularly cramped and stressful living conditions, with mortality rates in aquariums often very high.
Click the eye to reveal
Hamadryas baboon reaches through bars of enclosure at a zoo in Lithuania. Lithuania, 2016. Jo-Anne McArthur / Born Free Foundation / We Animals
Conditions for animals kept for entertainment are, unfortunately, often particularly unpleasant in developing countries where animal protection laws may be minimal or not enforced.
Western tourists contribute to this, sometimes unknowingly, when they pay to take part in activities such as elephant rides, tiger petting, and performances with bears and monkeys.
Click the eye to reveal
A trainer riding a lion at a circus. France, 2017. Jo-Anne McArthur / One Voice / We Animals
Ethical trade-offs and compromises
Zoo animals in the West do not generally suffer from conditions as cruel as those routinely endured by farmed animals. Many people who work at zoos and aquariums do so primarily because they are interested in animals and enjoy being near them, and the more progressive zoos arguably do play a role in conservation, for example through breeding and reintroduction programs for endangered species. Well-designed zoos also promote conservation indirectly by raising public awareness of the need for conservation. All this can give the impression of a win-win arrangement in which both animals and humans benefit.
Yet many of us still have misgivings. From a Buddhist perspective it is more skilful to shine the light of mindfulness on these doubts rather than to ignore them. We can choose to mindfully investigate our motives for wanting to visit a zoo, and question ourselves with an open heart: How well do I really understand the trade-offs that make the zoo’s conservation work possible? Can the goal of conservation be achieved through alternative means that do not require animals to be confined in unnatural environments and climates? Might there be another way for me to learn about and connect with animals that is emotionally fulfilling while avoiding ethical compromises?
Click the eye to reveal
An Asian elephant performs tricks at a circus and zoo in Germany. Germany, 2016. Jo-Anne McArthur / Born Free Foundation / We Animals
What You Can Do
Support sanctuaries instead of zoos and shows: Support wildlife sanctuaries and conservation-focused reserves instead of zoos, aquariums, and dolphin or whale shows that exploit animals. Research policies to ensure ethical standards and natural habitats, and choose marine sanctuaries dedicated to rescue and rehabilitation.
Choose circuses that do not use animals: Refrain from attending circuses or shows that use animals like elephants, tigers, or other wild species for performances or tricks. Instead, support animal-free circuses and performances, such as Cirque du Soleil, which focus on human acrobatics and artistry.
Boycott animal races and bloodsports: Avoid events like horse races or greyhound racing, which exploit animals for gambling and profit. Choose entertainment that does not involve animal exploitation.
Choose Ethical Tourism: When traveling, opt for eco-friendly tours that focus on wildlife conservation, such as safaris or nature tours, where animals are observed in their natural habitats without disturbance. Avoid activities like elephant rides and tiger petting, which often involve cruelty and exploitation.
Visitors enjoying time with rescued animals at Farm Sanctuary's annual summer festival. Watkins Glen, New York, USA, 2018. Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals
