# Russian monument in honor of laboratory rodents.



## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

I found an article from earlier this year in the Russian news. I will link the article, but it's obviously in Russian and you will need a browser translator to read it properly.

Essentially, a monument was erected at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Siberia to honor the laboratory mice and rats that they use to create medicine for humans.

The statue is a mouse in bronze on a granite pedestal, knitting a strand of DNA. It's a very touching nod to the sacrifices that these lovely creatures have given and continue to give to help us.










http://www.kurer-sreda.ru/2013/07/01/104993

Hat's off to the Russians.


----------



## Dana A (May 13, 2013)

That's cute


----------



## Ltukey (May 28, 2013)

ive seen pictures of this.  thanks


----------



## mnesson (Jun 18, 2013)

From a psychology student who often reads studies completed with rodents (especially rats!), this is extremely thoughtful. If only everyone showed that amount of respect for every animal used in testing!


----------



## YourSoJelly (Apr 22, 2013)

That's a very touching story! It's really sweet to see people coming together and showing respect for the animals who lost their lives.


----------



## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

That is a great statue! It's very touching that they feel enough respect for their test subjects to create something like that. Go Russians!


----------



## RedFraggle (Jun 4, 2012)

A friend posted this on my facebook wall yesterday. I love it.


----------



## Mball77 (Jul 3, 2013)

I HATE the fact that tests are done on animals but I understand the need for medical reasons (though not so much anymore being that until the FDA in the USA no longer requires live animal testing, virtual drug testing programs are becoming very accurate). I am grateful for what they have done for us and and glad to see there is a show of gratitude in any form.


----------



## Minky (Apr 4, 2013)

That sculpture is brilliant in every way. Thanks for posting it.


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

I met an employee of a pharmaceutical testing laboratory once. I didn't so much ask, but got the impression he worked in maintenance or some other support function. He and his girlfriend were at the park where we often took Fuzzy Rat. Fuzzy Rat was hanging out with us and we were actually walking back to the car with her when we met the couple that seemed absolutely amazed. 

"Wow, remarked the fellow, I didn't know rats could be pets. I mean someone once said something about it, but no one at the lab really believed it."

"The lab?" I inquired.

"I work at a lab and we have thousands of rats but no one has actually ever seen a pet rat. And we have often debated whether it was really possible."

I recalled Fuzzy Rat and called her up on hand then up on shoulder. The couple seemed impressed.

"The guys back at the lab are never going to believe this, can I take a picture?" He asked.

I told him we could do way better than that, Fuzzy Rat would be happy to pose with him and he could show his friends a photo with him holding Fuzzy Rat. He seemed very apprehensive as he clearly had never had a good experience involving a rat before, but his girlfriend insisted and we were as reassuring as possible and the couple left with several cell phone photos of the man holding Fuzzy Rat in his hand and on his shoulders. The poor fellow actually did his best to smile to suppress what could be best described as mild terror. But in typical Fuzzy Rat fashion, she hammed it up for the picks doing her best to pose for the camera and even snuck in a few rattie kisses.

Can you even imagine the next day back at the lab surrounded by thousands of unsocialized caged rats when the fellow shows the picks of a true shoulder rat to his friends. These people have been debating whether rats can be pets, now they got irrefutable evidence that shoulder rats exist. It's unlikely that anything will change in any big way, but the seed of self doubt has been planted. 

Although I had some limited lab rat experience back in college, the realization that rats could be pets barely crossed my mind even though a friend had adopted her lab rat. And I recall my friend saying "When I come home my rat runs up to me and jumps up and is happy to see me." And me thinking it might just be a food thing, where the rat was happy to see dinner approaching. 

In any event, that single remark from back in 1981 came to mind when my daughter wanted a pet rat. And it didn't seem like a bad idea even if rats only liked people for bringing food. The seed was planted. Of course actually meeting Fuzzy Rat changed everything for me.

Once the seed is planted it grows and things change. Once people actually meet a rat their opinions change. Once opinions change the physical world changes.

Rats have a long history with humans, from witches' familiars to lab animals to main stream pets, rats have readily bonded to humans and put their fate in our hands. Long ago old lonely ladies that kept pet rats were burned at the stake. Now some folks still don't see the attraction, but things are slowly getting better.


----------

