Dr Hadwen Trust: MOD today pledges to stop hideous hyperbaric experiments on goats
A written statement by the Ministry of Defence has been laid down in the House of Commons [Feb 6th] announcing the immediate cessation of controversial goat experiments.
Live goats have been used for decades by the MoD at its Gosport facility as part of its hyperbaric research in into the Submarine Escape Rescue and Abandonment System (SMERAS). The animals are forced into hyperbaric pressure chambers to induce decompression sickness. The tests were suspended in March 2007, following years of animal rights protest. Events finally concluded in a committee of six experts being instructed to examine humane non-animal models such as computer-modeling and safe human trials to simulate the effects of decompression sickness, or ‘the bends’, which is caused when divers ascend too quickly.
Britain’s announcement follows a similar ‘ban’ by the French Navy which has already stopped using live animals in this research.
“This is a victory for commonsense and animal protection which sees an end to decades of animal suffering.” says Wendy Higgins of non-animal medical research charity the Dr Hadwen Trust, which specialises in humane alternatives to animal testing. “Goats have suffered brain damage and other hideous effects of these unnecessary experiments despite the fact that the military has for some considerable time known more than enough about the effects of the ‘bends’ on its military personnel. It is regrettable but inevitable that warfare causes human suffering, but it is totally unethical that we should add to this the unnecessary suffering of innocent animals.”
Animal protection campaigners have been calling for these goat experiments to be terminated for some time, and the issue has been championed by Mike Hancock MP for Portsmouth South since 2006 following concern by local Gosport campaigner Helen Nelson.
“I am absolutely delighted that the MoD has clearly responded to representations about this urgent issue,” says Mike Hancock “and that on examination it has found that there are alternative approaches to subjecting animals to these experiments. I hope that this will set an example to other government departments and private companies to also seek replacing animal experiments as a matter of urgency.”
In reviewing the tests, the MoD concluded that with current levels of knowledge, the goat experiments no longer contributed to improving the accuracy of the information relating to the likely probability and consequence of decompression illness following escape from a submerged submarine in varying depths and internal submarine pressures.
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