Can you estimate the number of animals that are killed annually in the name of science? I heard one estimate at fifteen million. But that doesn't even cover nearly everything, since animals such as mice do not have to be counted under law. It is hard to imagine the untold millions imprisoned in laboratories around the world...

No. Some say that worldwide 22 animals die every second in labs. There are many estimates of tests done, typically estimates in only one country, or for only one reason. For example it is estimated that six million vertebrate animals are dissected yearly in US High Schools alone. There is a mountain of absolutely deplorable videos on the internet depicting slaughterhouses and breeding farms. Scenes of men beating or torturing animals before butchering them. Horrible conditions where animals like chickens don't even have space to move their cages are so small. Some are packed three or four a cage, tightly pressed against one another, their beaks cut off so they can't peck their cell-mates. Or animals so sick and weak they cannot walk up the ramp to be slaughtered, so humans with electrical rods shock them where they lay, or even drive forklifts into them. These examples are only the tip of the iceberg. Can you tell us about any images like this that have stuck in your mind?

After watching the movie "Earthlings", and having most of it burn into my mind, I no longer watch other videos to remind me of the cruelty of factory farms. Is there a country in this world that bans using animals for research? Which countries would you say are the friendliest to animals? And which are the least?

The UK banned using animals to test household products. I am uncertain how to rate "friendliest"? The poorest countries eat the least meat (but it is not a moral decision). India, especially Hindus, may have the most compassion for animals as beings. England may have the most animal rights activists. Italy passed laws giving companion animals some rights - a dog must be walked daily, etc. Germany was the first country to place animal rights into its constitution. New Zealand just banned exotic animals in circuses, Bolivia banned animals from travelling circuses, and Brazil banned animal circuses. Some European countries banned seal fur. Today there are animals rights activists in most countries, including China and Japan. As a result there is more awareness of animals as sentient beings, and consequently more laws to protect animals every month. One of the most despicable videos I've seen is one that takes place on the shores of Japan. Fisherman have herded 100's of dolphins into the shallows of a bay where they beach them and slaughter them. The whole bay is red with blood and the air filled with their screams. Dolphins are said to be one of the smartest mammals in the animal kingdom, they've even been known to rescue humans, defending them against shark attacks in some cases. Your thoughts on all of this?

You might enjoy the interview with The Cove's Richard O'Barry, here:

