Activist Photographs Ex-Lab Rats And Mice Going Outside For The First Time, And It’s Beautiful

Posted on 2017/11/17
Tags: Animal Welfare, opinion

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No human wants to live their life in a cage. So why do we carelessly subject animals — such as rats and mice — to the same fate? With today’s technological advancements, there is no longer any reasons animals need to be experimented on. Fortunately, this attitude is becoming more common.

One individual who believes all animals should be free is Rachele Totaro. Last summer, she spent her time photographing ex-lab rats and mice who breathed fresh air for the first time ever. She wrote on Bored Panda: “My little models were test animals, just saved by La Collina dei Conigli, Italian charity based near Milan. Every year in Italy, hundreds of thousands of animals die in laboratories. Some are used for lethal tests, but most could be saved: many are used for experiments from which they could easily recover and restart normal life, others are not actually used in test, but are kept in laboratories as a surplus of safety or control, and once the experiment has ended they become “a useless expense” for labs.”

The activist wrote that Italian law allows experimental laboratories not to kill healthy and “salvable” animals, but to give them to individuals or charity. Associations deal directly with the laboratories to secure retirement plans for the rodents. Fortunately, a handful have been adopted by La Collina Dei Conigli.

Totaro wrote, “I have been supporting this charity for years now with my pictures as a volunteer photographer (I am also a proud member of HeArts Speak network, a nonprofit organization that’s uniting art and advocacy to increase the visibility of shelter animals).” Totaro feels kinship with the organization, as its motto is: “Creating a world where no shelter animal goes unseen”.

For the photographs, the activist drew inspiration from Alice in Wonderland, The Little Prince, and other fairytales. She loves merging fantastical scenes with the rescued rodents, because “even if there’s so much wrong around, sometimes, reality can become better than fiction.”

The beautiful photos show the rats and mice feeling the sun on their fur for the first time. The images also capture their curiosity for a brand new world, and how relaxed they are to finally not be in a cage. Totaro added, “Shy ones, little warriors, curious explorers, cuddle-lovers: everyone acted in a different way when taken outdoors, and they showed once again that they are not mere numbers, as they are considered in labs, but individuals with peculiar attitudes and personalities.”

Following are photos of ex-lab rats and mice going outside of the first time: