The HSUS Expresses Concern to Pentagon About Painful Weapons Tests on Animals

WASHINGTON -- In letters to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the Office of Naval Research, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is urging that animals not be used in tests of pulsed energy projectiles (PEPs).

PEPs are designed to inflict non-lethal but excruciating pain and suffering on the individuals they target from as far as 2 kilometers away. Animal tests have been conducted and may still be underway at the University of Central Florida under a federal contract.

According to a March 5, 2005, article in New Scientist ("Maximum Pain is Aim of New US Weapon"), a 2003 review of non-lethal weapons by the U.S. Naval Studies Board shows that PEPs produced "pain and temporary paralysis" in tests on animals.  The article described federally funded experiments that have been or are being conducted on animals at UCF.

"We are concerned about the suffering and harm these weapons will cause not only to the animals used in the testing but to the people who will be the ultimate targets of PEPs," wrote David O. Wiebers, M.D. and Jennifer Leaning, M.D. Both physicians are on the board of directors of The HSUS, the nation's largest animal protection organization.  "We are also concerned about the scientific relevance and need for such testing," the letter continued.

Citing a recent poll conducted for The HSUS by an independent polling firm, the physicians indicated 75 percent of the American public opposes research that causes severe animal pain and/or distress even when it is health-related. "We suspect that public opposition would only increase when the research in question was weapons-related," they wrote.

The human welfare issues raised by the research are of major concern to Wiebers and Leaning as well.  "Already, pain researchers, psychologists and others have raised a variety of ethical concerns, such as the potential use of these weapons by the military for torture purposes and the long-term psychological impact on victims," they wrote. 

Furthermore, the physicians questioned the scientific relevance of tests that might not be applicable to humans.  "Data gathered from the use of animals for such testing does not adequately predict what will happen when the weapons are used on humans," they wrote. "As physicians, we have witnessed the difficulty of directly applying the results of animal research to humans and the negative consequences of relying on such animal tests."

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization with almost nine million members and constituents. The non-profit organization is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research and farm animals and sustainable agriculture. The HSUS protects all animals through litigation, investigation, education, legislation, advocacy and fieldwork. The group is based in Washington, DC and has numerous field representatives across the country. On the web at www.hsus.org.