Animal advocacy group peta2 plans to bring their groundbreaking virtual reality experience, Abduction, to the University of California–Irvine. The goal is to raise awareness about the cruel treatment of animals in lab experiments. This immersive VR experience, which recently won Gold and Audience awards at the Shorty Awards, aims to foster empathy for animals and promote the use of more ethical research methods.
Abduction, filmed with the support of immersive content creation studio Prosper XR, offers a cutting-edge tool for animal advocacy. Participants find themselves in a mysterious truck equipped with a mobile virtual reality studio, only to get stranded in the desert and then abducted by aliens. Through a series of shocking events, they witness the terrible conditions animals endure in laboratories.
The experience includes witnessing friends being subjected to painful tests, knowing they will be next. This distressing encounter serves as a reminder of the cruelty animals face in the pursuit of scientific research. Moreover, studies show that 90% of basic research fails to produce treatments for humans, raising ethical concerns about using animals in experiments and the need for more relevant research methods.
UC-Irvine, the host of this event, has faced criticism in the past for its involvement in animal testing. The university has conducted experiments on rats, inducing anxiety and subjecting them to behavioral tests before euthanizing them. Pregnant guinea pigs have undergone gruesome procedures, such as incisions and removal of underdeveloped fetuses. Pigs at UC-Irvine have also been subjected to electrochemical lipolysis, where their skin is punctured and electrodes are inserted to damage fat cells. These horrifying experiments highlight the urgent need for increased awareness and advocacy for animal rights.
Abduction has already had a significant impact on nearly 50 college campuses, including prestigious institutions like Harvard University, MIT, UCLA, and the University of Texas at Austin. It has deeply influenced students, inspiring them to support non-animal research and urging universities to adopt more advanced, human-focused research methods.
The event at UC-Irvine will take place on Thursday, November 16, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Aldrich Park. This exceptional opportunity allows students and the public to personally experience the suffering of animals in laboratories, aiming to foster a deeper understanding and empathy.
Through Abduction, peta2 aims to challenge the perspective that prioritizes humans over other animals. By utilizing innovative technology like virtual reality, they hope to motivate students to take action and demand change in the treatment of animals for scientific progress.
To learn more about peta2’s efforts to end animal testing, please visit peta2.com or follow them on TikTok and Instagram. Together, we can work towards a future where animals are respected and protected, spared unnecessary suffering in laboratories.