October 27, 2000

Animal-Rights Groups Gain Ground With Subtler Approaches, Worrying Researchers

By RON SOUTHWICK

Animal-protection advocates are often associated with outrageous, sometimes even violent efforts to prevent laboratory research involving dogs, mice, and other creatures. Some animal-rights groups, however, are gaining clout with approaches that are not so in-your-face, including lobbying and litigation -- to the increasing dismay of scientific researchers.

Four months ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed new reporting standards for "pain and distress" in animals used for