Laboratory rabbit. A caged laboratory rabbit awaits experimentation. Animal experiments are performed mainly in research and safety testing. Specially bred rats and mice are the most extensively used animals. However rabbits, cats, dogs and farm animals (amongst others) have also been used. Animals may be used to test the safety of non- medical substances such as pesticides and cosmetics, or to test the effect of new medical products. The suffering caused by animal experimentation, particularly in non- medical research, has lead to calls for legislative control. Photographed at the Negri Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Italy.