Researchers explain animal experiments

Florian Dehmelt is a neuroscientist and one of roughly 20 founders of "Pro-Test Deutschland". On SWR TV, he mentioned that in the current situation of fear and threats from opponents of animal testing, the members of the initiative wanted to lead by example: "Here I am, this is my name, this is what I look like and I am convinced of animal experiments".

For this purpose, the scientists are active on many web platforms: On Facebook as well as on Twitter , where quick responses can be reckoned with. A website with factual background information that provides detailed answers to questions on animal experiments with expert knowledge from scientists is also available online. The photographs of all the founding members can be seen on the website. "In order to promote an informed and fair debate on the entire society, pro-test Germany provides information, a platform and a contact person for those who want to learn more about the role of animals experiments in science," the scientists wrote on the website.

The name "Pro-Test" refers to an affiliated, larger group of mainly European researchers. Under this name, British scientists launched the first Association of its kind in 2006 and operated until 2011. This has significantly increased awareness for the importance of animal experiments in the UK, they say. In Italy, young researchers founded "Pro-Test Italia" in 2012 and with work in the media, but also in schools, they have since helped to contribute to more objectiveness in a very emotionally charged debate on animal experiments. The launch of the initiative in Germany, currently mainly formed by researchers from Tübingen, is also in response to the harassment of researchers at the Tübingen Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics by animal experiment opponents. This has culminated to the end of the research with the Primate model by the MPI's director Nikos Logothetis.