Angels Hand Out Poisoned Christmas Cookies

According to the statement, many passersby stopped in confusion—and in some cases, shock—but were then immediately informed about the background of this animal welfare campaign. The AG STG (Swiss Coalition Against Animal Testing) used its self-developed and implemented campaign, «Poisoned Christmas Cookies,» to demonstrate that the results of animal testing cannot be applied to humans.

Every year, more than 600,000 animals are used in animal testing in Switzerland. Many of these experiments are conducted to determine whether an active ingredient is toxic or not. 'Consumer safety is very important. However, animal testing does not ensure safety, because humans are not 70-kg rats. Humans and animals often react completely differently to various active ingredients and poisons,« says Andreas Item, managing director of AG STG, and immediately adds a few examples of well-known poisons: »For example, arsenic is well tolerated by sheep and other ruminants. The same applies to strychnine for monkeys, chickens, and guinea pigs, and likewise to cyanide for toads and koala bears.«

Thomas Hartung of the «Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing» demonstrates in an article published in the renowned scientific journal *Nature* that approximately 60 percent of the substances classified as toxic in animal testing—and therefore not investigated further—are non-toxic to humans. Conversely, up to 40 percent of substances that are toxic to humans are not detected in animal testing and are therefore declared non-toxic to humans. Depending on the animal species used, toxicity tests yield completely different results. Similarly, dog owners know that foods such as chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, and many others are dangerous or even deadly to their four-legged friends.

The Swiss Coalition Against Animal Testing has long called for the consistent promotion and use of safe, animal-free research methods.