More than 2.5 million live animal experiments were authorised in Great Britain in 2000. This number has halved since the 1970s
Around the world, animals are used to test products ranging from shampoo to new cancer drugs
British law requires that any new drug must be tested on at least two different species of live mammal. One must be a large non-rodent
UK regulations are considered some of the most rigorous in the world - the Animals Act of 1986 insists that no animal experiments be conducted if there is a realistic alternative
Almost every medical treatment you use has been tested on animals. Animals were also used to develop anesthetics to prevent human pain and suffering during surgery
Does animal testing work?
Animal testing has helped to develop vaccines against diseases like rabies, polio, measles, mumps, rubella and TB
Animal experiments can be misleading. An animal's response to a drug can be different to a human's
Antibiotics, HIV drugs, insulin and cancer treatments rely on animal tests. Other testing methods aren't advanced enough
Successful alternatives include test tube studies on human tissue cultures, statistics and computer models
Scientists claim there are no differences in lab animals and humans that cannot be factored into tests
The stress that animals endure in labs can affect experiments, making the results meaningless
Operations on animals helped to develop organ transplant and open-heart surgery techniques
Animals are still used to test items like cleaning products, which benefit mankind less than medicines or surgery
1997
After an undercover reporter films at Huntingdon Life Sciences, two employees are prosecuted under the Protection of Animals Act for treating dogs with "gross and unnecessary cruelty"
1996
First World Congress on Alternatives held in Netherlands
1992
European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods founded
1986
Animals Act revised to include an assessment of pain versus benefit before experiments begin
1959
Russell and Burch state the 'three Rs' of animal experimentation
1906
Animal rights riots in London follow the erection of a statue at University College, London, depicting a lecture on animal dissection
