I mentioned before that my lab studies cancer. Surprisingly or not, depending on your experience in research, this involves using animals as fake humans. The idea is that some animals are close enough to humans anatomically that we can make assumptions about ourselves based on the results of animal experimentation. This is not always true. In fact, a lot of work in our lab is devoted to showing that current animal models don't accurately represent analogous situations in humans.

Sometimes we use animals as little factories, to manufacture useful items for us. Most of these items are inside the animal. Unfortunately, we need them outside. Taking things that are inside and bringing them outside does not bode well for the little beast. To be more specific, in order to harvest an antibody we've modified a rabbit to make, we have to bleed the little lady dry. Here is a quote from a producer of antibodies that made me sad:

*[Bunny #4] was **exsanguinated...because she was sick. She lost significant weight and stopped eating. We tried to give her treats, however, she did not eat them.

*I changed the name of the rabbit to protect its privacy.
**The Latin root of "sanguine" is blood, the root of "ex" is out.

It's the word "treats" that made me feel badly. You use the word treat when you're talking to a dog or a kid; or more specifically, a being simple enough to be excited by something as small as a special meal but smart enough to get more excited over some foods than others. It's that tiny bit of intelligence juxtaposed with the rabbit's astounding ignorance that pulls on my heart strings.

Deep down, I feel that animals should not be treated this way. However, I have a lot of belief momentum in the opposite direction as well as two relatives who may not be around had similar experiments not taken place. Also, I'd imagine that these rabbits go to heaven, so it's all good. This is what bunny heaven looks like. Sheep go there, too.