[Image: Beaglepro, (2016), A Beagle being held in a cage]
[Image: One Green Planet, (2020), Beagle’s being tested for pesticides]
[Image: Beaglepro, (2016), A Beagle being held in a cage]
Beagle Trials: Pesticide Testing on Beagles
Pesticide testing on beagles has been a contentious issue in the United States for decades. While some say that the experiments are important to verify pesticide safety for humans and the environment, animal rights activists claim that they are immoral and cause unnecessary suffering to the dogs.
Typically, researchers force-feed or apply pesticides to the beagles' skins for a year or more while monitoring their health. Majority of the time, the results of animal testing do not always transfer well to people owing to physiological differences. They push for more contemporary, non-animal testing procedures.
The Environmental Protection Agency now requires pesticide testing on dogs and other animal species. As the ethical issue continues, an estimated thousands of beagles are used for pesticide testing in the United States each year.
Sources:
Fitzsimmons, Paula. “Why Beagles Are Used for Pharmaceutical Testing and What You Can Do about It!” One Green Planet, One Green Planet, 8 Feb. 2021, www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/why-beagles-are-used-forpharmaceutical-testing-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/.
Anonymous. “Beagle Testing | Naturewatch Foundation.” Naturewatch, naturewatch.org/campaigns/animal-experiments/beagle-testing/. Accessed 1 Feb. 2024.
Pohanish, Richard P. Sittig’s Handbook of Pesticides and Agricultural Chemicals. Elsevier Science Ltd, 2016.