I am writing in response to the huge coverage in the media about the Robo Rat. This kind of animal research pushes vivisection into a new realm of tasteless absurdity. Implanting stimulating electrodes into rats' brains and controlling them like biological robots is both cruel and morally offensive.

Experiments like this are largely curiosity driven, no matter what the PR spin, and in reality "robo rats" are, thankfully, unlikely ever to become an acceptable option for search and rescue teams as suggested. This type of research has no practical purpose other than to see how far we can control and manipulate laboratory animals.

Justine Clayton

BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection)

London