• Question: Is your research dangerous to any animal life

    Asked by alberteinstien1996 to Niamh, Mark, Kat, Jodie, Jamie on 14 Mar 2011 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Niamh Nic Daeid

      Niamh Nic Daeid answered on 11 Mar 2011:

      Nope… none of the research I do is dangerous to animals or animal life. We sometimes use chemicals which can cause harm to the environment but there are safe ways of disposing of them. Also some of the research my gang do is looking a finding ways of identifying rubbish and chemical waste that people who make illegal drugs or explosives might throw into rivers and streams and which can cause environmental damage so that we can provide evidence for prosecutions. N

    • Photo: Katherine Davies

      Katherine Davies answered on 11 Mar 2011:

      Hi Albert Einstein (Fab name by the way 🙂 )

      Surprisingly, no. I only work with flies, and I breed these in house, so very few are taken from the wild, so minimal upset to food webs occurs.

      Also, flies cannot sense pain, so dissections (if done alive – rarely) do not hurt. If we kill the maggots or pupae, we boil them so they die instantly, with no suffering.

      I would hate to ‘hurt’ the pretty little things!

    • Photo: Jamie Pringle

      Jamie Pringle answered on 11 Mar 2011:

      No, because I take pigs from the abattoir; if I didnt bury them they would be sausages instead!

      I should also say that all academic research is governed by strict health & safety and ethical considerations, so any proposed research needs to pass the respective committees before you start to do any research. Animal experimentation is, mostly, frowned upon, although there are some cases in which it is necessary.

    • Photo: Mark Hill

      Mark Hill answered on 12 Mar 2011:

      Hello Albie,

      In my daily work, apart to myself when I am doing a skid test, no.
      My project research uses well practiced social research methods, observations and interviews, so, no is the answer.

      Thanks,

      Mark.

    • Photo: Jodie Dunnett

      Jodie Dunnett answered on 14 Mar 2011:

      No, as long as the chemicals I use are used responsibly and disposed off correctly then I pose no risk to any animals, not even the little ones!

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