302 HUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS USED IN RESEARCH 
the several corridors are housed between 450 and 500 dogs. They stay in these 
cages, filed like library books on shelves for years as radiation effects are 
measured in terms of years. There is no exercise area. A dog’s opportunity to 
run is limited to the amount of time it take an attendant to clean his cage, when 
he is taken out of his cage and given the freedom of the corridor for these few 
moments. There is no sunlight in these corridors. Electric lights are turned off 
at 3 o’clock in the afternoon and the dogs are left in complete darkness until 8 
a.m. the next day. 
When entering the corridor and the lights are turned on, bedlam breaks loose 
at the excitement of visitors. As one goes down the corridor, some dogs paw 
at the wire on the front of the cages, some just bark vociferous greetings, and 
some demonstrating their fear of humans, in action and in their eyes, cringe 
close to the back walls of their cages. 
Why does this laboratory need to keep 450 to 500 dogs in “stock” ? How many 
dogs does it take to discover effects of radiation or any other effect with which 
this laboratory may be concerned? 
They are subjecting a few dogs and rabbits to radiation for a limited period 
each day for 5 years. What are they doing that takes such an enormous number 
of animals? The same space taken up with housing for 500 dogs would provide 
exercise areas for 100 dogs. Better still, outside quarters provided at a distance, 
which in this case would not have to be far, would provide experimental dogs 
with normal living conditions. Space on top of the low building is also available. 
Those being used by research scientists could be brought to the laboratory when 
needed. It is inconceivable that 500 dogs would all be needed at once. 
We understand that the Commission is ordering plastic and aluminum cages 
to replace the present ones. More cages ! This plan should be reviewed imme- 
diately. It is criminal to continue to put these lively animals in cages when 
apparently, the plan is to improve the situation. Improve it for whom? These 
new cages may be easier to clean but they will not give the animals normal 
exercise space. 
About 50 cats are kept. They are not kept long. Perhaps this accounts 
for the limited size of the cat cages with hardly enough room to turn around or 
enough height to stand up comfortably. They, of course, have the same lack of 
light. There are about 30 monkeys which I did not see. There are numerous 
rabbits also in the small cages, all too small. There are about 35,000 other ani- 
mals, rats, hamsters, pigeons. 
It is obvious that this and other laboratories should employ a statistician to 
provide the scientists with information as to the fewest number of examples 
needed to obtain validated results, rather than destroying, maiming, and mis- 
treating thousands of living sentient creatures, as is the habit at present. 
EXAMPLE 3. RESEARCH PROJECT FOR A DOCTOR’S DEGREE 
Ignorance and poor planning can be responsible for acquiring excessive num- 
bers of animals and for their unintentional bad treatment. Under his professor’s 
guidance a psychologist planned a research project for his doctor’s degree, at one 
of our State universities. He decided to study the development of cats by ob- 
serving kittens from the moment of birth. 
For animal quarters, he rented an unused garage, old and with many wide 
cracks in the wooden walls. He personally, and without much skill, made some 
cages of chicken wire. The location of the garage was at great distance from 
his home and necessitated travel between the two places. A friend who also 
lived far away, was to help with the cleaning and feeding of the cats. He adver- 
tised for pregnant cats with the promise that the mothers would be returned 
after the kittens were weaned. He got numerous cats but the cats did not 
cooperate. Several escaped from the slipshot cages and roamed the neighbor- 
hood, giving birth to their kittens in yards, under houses or cars, and upset the 
humane-minded neighbors greatly. The young man succeeded in finding some 
of the borrowed cats but not all. The kittens all came down with infectious 
gastroenteritis and died. The research project folded. This whole cruel and 
wasteful fiasco was unintentional and the result of lack of proper and mandatory 
controls on animal experimentation. 
