WEBVTT 00:00:00.187 --> 00:00:03.680 Some people believe that all species are equal, 00:00:03.734 --> 00:00:06.167 but are you going to be as careful about avoiding 00:00:06.175 --> 00:00:09.327 stepping on an ant as you are when dealing with other people. 00:00:09.509 --> 00:00:11.733 You simply can't pretend that 00:00:11.773 --> 00:00:14.576 all animals are equal. 00:00:16.822 --> 00:00:20.500 "Pro-test" is a pro animal research organisation. 00:00:20.550 --> 00:00:25.430 It supports the need for scientists to use animals for medical research. 00:00:25.586 --> 00:00:28.991 I've had a few run-ins with animal rights activists 00:00:28.999 --> 00:00:31.957 who've decided to go and shout at me on the streets of Oxford. 00:00:31.982 --> 00:00:35.463 Because they've recognised me and my part in "Pro-test". 00:00:35.608 --> 00:00:39.887 I've also, being as I pick up a lot of emails of people going, 00:00:39.925 --> 00:00:43.025 "I really disagree and I think you're all evil". 00:00:47.348 --> 00:00:52.021 It doesn't appreciate how different humans appear to be from other animals. 00:00:52.062 --> 00:00:54.401 The fact that I can sit here and be filmed with a 00:00:54.432 --> 00:00:58.574 complex video camera about this issue and animal research, 00:00:58.624 --> 00:01:01.942 I can talk about it in a rational and philosophical way. 00:01:01.992 --> 00:01:08.797 These sapient capabilities are completely absent from near all animals. 00:01:13.894 --> 00:01:17.788 If an alternative exists that could replace that experiment, 00:01:17.838 --> 00:01:19.676 you must use it. 00:01:19.863 --> 00:01:25.339 In the UK you cannot test cosmetics on animals. 00:01:25.389 --> 00:01:28.263 There are a whole variety of techniques which are used, 00:01:28.313 --> 00:01:30.183 and animal research is only one of them. 00:01:30.183 --> 00:01:33.017 And thus, the animal and non-animal methods often go 00:01:33.017 --> 00:01:35.874 hand-in-hand in the overall process. 00:01:35.924 --> 00:01:38.132 We don't quite have the technology yet, 00:01:38.182 --> 00:01:40.860 to be able to remove animal research. 00:01:41.265 --> 00:01:43.476 Medically, over history, nearly every 00:01:43.494 --> 00:01:45.545 important medical development... 00:01:45.584 --> 00:01:50.219 Polio vaccine, insulin, to the new HIV treatments, 00:01:50.269 --> 00:01:53.935 all of these have depended on animal research. 00:01:55.740 --> 00:01:59.639 I occasionally get emails from people whose argument 00:01:59.659 --> 00:02:02.691 against animal research says, "maybe we shouldn't be 00:02:02.706 --> 00:02:04.890 curing disease, maybe we're all living too long 00:02:04.927 --> 00:02:07.185 and it's against the natural order." 00:02:07.234 --> 00:02:10.670 I just can't agree with a world where we decide 00:02:10.697 --> 00:02:14.329 that it's okay to let people die of curable diseases. 00:02:14.404 --> 00:02:18.849 When you see a parent, or an uncle, 00:02:18.899 --> 00:02:23.730 or even a grandparent suffering with Parkinsons or Alzheimers, 00:02:23.780 --> 00:02:28.014 you suddenly realise that actually humans are a lot more important, 00:02:28.046 --> 00:02:30.806 and that if it takes a few animals 00:02:30.856 --> 00:02:36.186 to treat these diseases that affect millions of people, 00:02:36.221 --> 00:02:40.413 around the world, then that's what we really have a duty to do. 00:02:40.521 --> 00:02:43.277 I think it's natural that some of the technicians who work 00:02:43.291 --> 00:02:45.719 in these labs do become attached to the animals. 00:02:45.792 --> 00:02:48.707 But all this serves to do is ensure that they give 00:02:48.734 --> 00:02:52.109 these animals the best treatment and care possible 00:02:52.138 --> 00:02:56.672 Very occasionally, the technicians do adopt the animals in the facilities, 00:02:56.687 --> 00:02:58.858 but most of the time because animals 00:02:58.908 --> 00:03:01.644 aren't used the outside world and the germs outside, 00:03:01.694 --> 00:03:04.123 their immune systems haven't developed a way 00:03:04.123 --> 00:03:07.607 of fighting against the very normal diseases outside. 00:03:07.630 --> 00:03:10.248 And sadly, a lot of them wouldn't survive.