Rabbits remain widely used in biomedical research and product safety testing, including the Draize eye test — with significant welfare concerns across their use in laboratory settings.
Rabbits are prey animals with specific stress responses that make laboratory confinement particularly harmful. Inability to flee, exposure to unfamiliar handlers, and use in irritancy testing cause significant suffering. The Draize test causes eye irritation and pain for assessment periods. Welfare improvements require broader adoption of validated alternative methods and higher housing standards for rabbits in research.