Are animals necessary in 2002? Reply to Dr Michael Festing's book review of Sacred Cows and Golden Geese: the Human Cost of Experiments on Animals.

We appreciate this opportunity to defend the concepts we expressed in 2000, in Sacred Cows and Golden Geese: The Human Cost of Experiments on Animals. Enthusiastic critiques such as Dr Michael Festing's are extremely valuable, if those within and without the field of science are finally to understand, choose among, and embrace viable research modalities that are meant to result in cures and treatments for human disease. Criticisms also help to clarify misunderstandings. We hope this essay will shed light on the debate.