Progress! PETA Applauds Government for Forced Swim Test Decision
The Home Office is one step closer to banning the forced swim test. Lord Sharpe of Epsom, parliamentary under secretary of state for the Home Office, has accepted the Animals in Science Committee’s advice to ban the use of this cruel and scientifically flawed test as a model of human depression or for studies of anxiety and its treatment and further restrict other uses of the test.
We applaud the government for finally throwing a life raft to mice and rats suffering in water tanks in pseudo-drowning experiments that cause panic and purport to gauge depression when the animals supposedly “give up” all hope of survival.
These callous and worthless tests do nothing to help humans who desperately need treatments, and we mustn’t waste more valuable time forcing animals to swim for their lives.
The news follows years of relentless campaigning by PETA, including a petition to the Home Office signed by over 40,000 supporters. Thank you to everyone who joined this campaign!
What’s Next?
This experiment must be banned in the UK for all purposes. Join us in keeping the pressure on the University of Bristol. No reputable institution should continue using this archaic test:
