A while ago I watched a similar study about putting snakes in the refrigerator. The purpose was to determine what effects it had on their heart tissue, which reacts differently than mammal tissue. If I remember correctly, the end result of the study was to isolate an enzyme that could be beneficial to humans and heart-transplant recipients.
I love snakes and reptiles, but I am of the opinion that no animal life is equal to a human being. We feed animals (some feed live animals) to our snakes. The same rodents are used in labs to help find cures to human disease. We may not eat them, but their lives are ended for our benefit just the same.
One experiment frequently cited by animal-rights groups was conducted on dogs in the 1940s by Russian Doctor Sergei S. Bryukhonenko. Basically, he cut off the heads of dogs and hooked the arteries up to a primitive autojektor (artificial heart and lung machine). This kept the heads alive for a while. He also grafted heads onto the bodies of other dogs, attaching the arteries in such a way that they remained alive. (Until the strain of supplying blood to 2 heads caused the dogs heart to give out.) You can see some of the video of his experiments on YouTube.
As I see it: several decades ago a few dozen dogs were experimented on. Today, hundreds of thousands of people are alive due to the organ transplant techniques pioneered by Dr. Bryukhonenko (many of which are still in use today!), and the early autojektor he created.
I doubt the people alive today, and their families, would place their lives under that of a dog. Or a dozen dogs. As much as it pains me to consider our beloved snakes being used in experiments that may ultimately save many more human lives, I see the potential for a greater good.
I feel that animal testing is necessary, but should be done in the most humane and direct way possible, and only when a beneficial discovery is concluded to be attainable. (IE: No testing lipstick on kittens...)
PS: Basically every medication that is approved by the FDA, and virtually every surgical technique, has to go through Animal Trials. Even aspirin!
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