Abstract
The torture of caged dogs by repeated, painful electric shocks typifies cruel and unethical experimentation involving animals in the mid-1970s. Although these experiments uncovered useful information that could help people who suffer extreme abuse, scientists could have obtained the data by other means, such as interviewing abused people. Is it ever right to experiment on animals? As an organism ecologist, called to represent God in the care of His creation, I continually wrestle with this question.