Environment

Millions of animals are taken from their habitats annually for dissection. The World Conservation Union’s 2004 report found that a third of all amphibians worldwide are threatened with extinction. While the causes for this decline are varied, at least six million frogs alone are captured in the wild and killed for dissection each year in the U.S. As the most commonly dissected animal, frogs are especially sensitive to even subtle adverse changes in the environment; the large-scale removal of them from the wild exacerbates their already fragile populations.

As biological supply companies deplete frog and other amphibian populations, insect populations rise. This can lead to increased use of pesticides by farmers who once relied on frogs to help control insects naturally.

Other endangered species are also affected by dissection. The Ethical Science & Education Coalition reports that the Connecticut bog turtle has been proposed as a candidate for the endangered species list, and the red-eared slider turtle, a commonly used classroom specimen, has been proposed for inclusion in the International Wildlife Coalition’s endangered species list.

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