Bunnies Are Cute; Unnecessary Animal Testing Is Not

Don't you agree? The idea that they're stored in cages, covered in chemicals, with irritants sprayed in their eyes, and forced to ingest products.. to test consumer goods for our safety. It's sad, and for the most part, unnecessary.

Of course, it's not just bunnies. It's everything from mice, to farm animals, to beagles.

Yes, we don't often think of domesticated dogs as research animals, but it is done. If you want to help with that cause specifically, please check out the Beagle Freedom Project (a program from ARME).

Video of Beagle Freedom Project's second rescue.

Listen, the realist part of me understands the need.. possibly.. for some animal testing. And we can't undo what we've done. So, I don't begrudge anyone using the information we've already learned. But there should be an end-point. Sure, animal research has provided us with great insight in the medical field, animal behavior and genetic studies, and psychology. Our life expectancies have over quadrupled. We've found vaccines, cures, and treatments for countless diseases. I think it's enough. I would never say, "Yes, let's kill a thousand innocent animals to save one human."

But I get that not everyone feels that way. So, the issue we're focusing on right now isn't necessarily medical research; but all the testing done for cosmetics, cleaners, and household goods. There is NO good reason for this to be common practice. We know plenty of chemicals that are safe. We have thousands of natural compounds that can be used and are non-toxic. There's no need to harm and animal so we can have smoother foundation or brighter whites.

In reality, many results from animal testing prove to have no relevance to us. We are a different animal, so we obviously have different reactions to products/medicines. For testing on things like cosmetics, human testing is all that is needed; and poses no great risk to anyone doing the testing. The difference is, we humans can say, "Hey, this hurts." and decide to quit. These animals get no say. They have no 'safety' word to get things to stop.

So, if you feel this cause to go as cruelty-free as possible, is as important as I do.. I want to make you aware of an organization and logo that you might not be aware of. It's called Leaping Bunny.

See that little bunny logo? Train yourself to look for that on products.

Did you know that a lot of companies make themselves look better by saying they do no testing on animals; when in reality, they have their testing outsourced.. so they themselves aren't doing it. Or they use ingredients that have been tested on animals, but then just don't test the final product. But with Leaping Bunny, you don't have to worry about that.

For companies to carry the Leaping Bunny logo, they must make a voluntary pledge that their company will clear animal testing from all stages of product development. The company's ingredient suppliers make the same pledge and the result is a product guaranteed to be 100 percent free of new animal testing.

Some of my favorite companies that carry the Leaping Bunny logo are Burt's Bees, Modern Minerals (reviewed in previous blog), Tom's of Maine, Priti NYC, Seventh Generation.. just to name a few.

You can view the entire list of cruelty-free companies HERE.

Please use that link. The site even has a pocket-guide, so you can take it shopping with you.

And please, please beware other logos for 'cruelty-free.' They often use little bunny pictures as well. Remember that only the official Leaping Bunny logo promises no testing in ANY stage of development.