It’s often said that in a city, you’re never far from a rat. Today’s UK government figures for the numbers of laboratory animals used annually in England, Scotland and Wales reveals the extent to which researchers, too, are surrounded by rats and other rodents. In all of 2012, 4 million animals were used, a 9 per cent increase on 2011. Most of these – 3.3 million – were rodents.
The majority of the rodents – 1.77 million mice – were mutant, “knockout” mice: animals with a specific gene turned off, helping scientists to understand what that gene does.
And supplying these lab animals is a large and lucrative global industry.
Related on the SLP
Read the full article here: Inside the industry supplying millions of mutant mice
