Animal Suffering
For the 60 rabbits in O’Hagan’s experiment, life in the laboratory means imprisonment, stress, pain, and death. The following are examples of what they endure (all quotations are taken from O’Hagan’s own experimental protocol):
- Rabbits are “familiarized with the treadmill” to “improv[e] behavioral compliance.” The most common way to train animals to run on a treadmill is through electric shock. In fact, most laboratory supply companies manufacture their animal treadmills complete with electric shock grids.
- “Rabbits are exercised to voluntary fatigue.” In other words, the rabbits are forced to run until they drop. The motorized treadmill continues to run until the rabbits reach double their normal heart rate—more than 400 beats per minute.
- Rabbits undergo serious surgery. First, “[t]he animal is intubated and placed on mechanical ventilation,” and then O’Hagan makes a large “abdominal incision” and implants “flowprobes” deep inside the rabbit’s body. She also cuts out part of the rabbit’s reproductive system.
- Rabbits have hardware left sticking out of their bodies. Wires are run through the rabbit’s flesh and under her skin, sticking out from between her shoulders. These wires are contained in a plastic box that is stapled to the rabbit’s back. All this hardware stays attached to each rabbit for at least 48 days—until she is killed.
- Rabbits undergo surgical procedures without the use of anesthetics. Each time a rabbit is placed on the treadmill, two catheters are surgically implanted in her ears—one in the central ear artery and one in the central ear vein. Rabbits’ ears are extremely sensitive and repeated piercings cause lasting pain. O’Hagan cannot anesthetize the rabbits because she needs them to run right after the surgery.
- Rabbits are drugged while running. Various drugs are injected into the rabbits’ ears during exercise. In pilot studies, the rabbits were so affected by the drugs that O’Hagan could not even force them to run.
- Rabbits are confined to cages. Between experiments, the rabbits are stored in the university’s animal facility, which means that they are caged for the vast majority of their short lives.
- Rabbits are killed before they give birth. On the 28th day of their 30-day pregnancies, the rabbits are killed and cut open. Pieces of their tissue are cut out, and their babies are taken from their dead bodies.
