PETA Global 2019 Issue 1

T H E R E ’ S A P E R S O N I N T H E R E • T H E R E ’ S A P E R S O N I N T H E R E

Panic, Fear, Desperation, and Near-Drowning T he “forced swim test” is as horrible as it sounds. Experimenters put mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, or gerbils in escape-proof beakers PETA Takes on Notorious ‘Forced Swim Test’ Scientists would have a better chance of choosing the right drug with a coin toss.

Rat: © iStock.com/GlobalP • Card: © iStock.com/Oakozhan

PETA scientists have documented that international pharmaceutical giants Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, and Pfizer have subjected more than 5,000 mice, rats, and other animals to the forced swim test. After digging through published papers and patent applications from the past 30 years, PETA scientists identified dozens of compounds that these companies claimed showed promise as having antidepressant characteristics based on the cruel procedure, but not one of them is currently marketed to treat human depression. Following a meeting with PETA, AbbVie said it will no longer conduct them . These experiments terrify animals and delay the development of new, effective treatments that humans desperately need. Meet Tania Roth University of Delaware experimenter Tania Roth, who claims that she studies child abuse, has a long history of tormenting infant rats by forcing alcohol down their throats, exposing them to the odor of fox urine to make them believe they’re in danger, and electrically shocking them. Then she subjects the terrified animals to the forced swim test and other experiments in order to see how they fare. In one incident at the lab, a rat drowned when a worker wasn't paying close enough attention. (See PETA.org/Roth for more information about her cruel experiments.)

filled with water. The panicked animals attempt to climb up the sides of the containers or even dive underwater in search of an exit – but there is no way out. As their terror grows, they paddle furiously, desperate to keep their heads above water. Eventually, they start to float – no one knows for sure whether they do so from exhaustion or because they’re trying to rest before making another attempt to escape. Some drown “by mistake,” as when a worker goes off to get coffee and forgets to pull them out. Some form of this torturous test has been carried out since at least the 1950s, when notorious Johns Hopkins University experimenter Curt Richter forced rats to swim in cylinders of water until they drowned. Forty Years Down the Drain Experimenters can’t even agree on what the results mean. The test was popularized in the 1970s by experimenter Roger Porsolt, who found that rats who’d been given human antidepressant drugs would struggle and swim for longer than other rats before starting to float. While Porsolt concluded that animals who swam for less time were in a state of “despair,” other scientists argue that floating is actually an attempt to conserve energy so that they can keep their heads above water. Despite this controversy, forced swimming has been used for more than 40 years to test the effectiveness of new antidepressant medications – with stunningly poor results. The procedure yields positive results for compounds that aren’t prescribed as human antidepressants, such as caffeine, and negative results for ones that are. Scientists would have a better chance of choosing the right drug with a coin toss. Importantly, antidepressant compounds with the potential to help human patients may be abandoned if they don’t “pass” this useless test.

Mouse in beaker: Mouse: © iStock.com/JamesBrey • Beaker: © iStock.com/chromatos • Blue water: © iStock.com/krystiannawrocki • Water bubbles: © iStock.com/Gun2becontinued

1. 2. THERE'S SOMUCHMORE TOMICE AND RATS!

Mice and rats are fastidiously clean animals, grooming themselves several times a day.

They are so smart that they can recognize their names and respond when called.

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As their terror grows, they paddle furiously, desperate to keep their heads above water.

Female mice will vigorously defend their nests and babies.

When rats play or are tickled, they make chirping sounds similar to human laughter.

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Take Action Now Please visit PETA.org/Despair to send an e-mail to pharmaceutical companies

Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, and Pfizer telling them to stop conducting the cruel and worthless forced swim test. To donate to PETA’s efforts to save animals from other horrifying experiments, see PETA.org/HelpAnimals .

Mice and rats are highly social. They communicate with each other using high-frequency sounds that we can’t hear without special instruments.

While many male rats like to snuggle up for a cuddle in a human’s lap, female rats tend to be more adventurous and inquisitive.

Global 9

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DROWNING IN USELESS DATA