Editing Cuniculture (section)

===Laboratory rabbits===
[[Image:Experimentalrabbits.jpg|thumb|left|Rabbits in a research setting|310px]]
Rabbits have been and continue to be used in [[laboratory]] work such as production of [[antibodies]] for [[vaccine]]s and research of human [[male reproductive system]] [[toxicology]]. Experiments with rabbits date back to Louis Pasteur's work in France in the 1800s. In 1972, around 450,000 rabbits were used for experiments in the United States, decreasing to around 240,000 in 2006.<ref>{{cite journal|title=A review of trends in animal use in the United States (1972–2006)|last1=Kulpa-Eddy|first1=Jodie|last2=Snyder|first2=Margaret|last3=Stokes|first3=William|journal=AATEX|issue=14|pages=163–165|publisher=Proc. 6th World Congress on Alternatives & Animal Use in the Life Sciences|url=http://www.soc.nii.ac.jp/jsaae/zasshi/WC6_PC/paper163.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313093813/http://www.soc.nii.ac.jp/jsaae/zasshi/WC6_PC/paper163.pdf|archive-date=2012-03-13}}</ref> The Environmental Health Perspective, published by the [[National Institute of Health]], states, "The rabbit [is] an extremely valuable model for studying the effects of [[chemical]]s or other [[Stimulus (physiology)|stimuli]] on the male reproductive system."<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.2307/3430622|last=Morton|first=Daniel|date=April 1988|title=The use of rabbits in male reproductive toxicology|journal=[[Environmental Health Perspectives]]|volume=77|pages=5–9|publisher=[[National Institute of Health]]|pmc=1474531|jstor=3430622|pmid=3383822}}</ref> According to the [[Humane Society]] of the United States, rabbits are also used extensively in the study of [[asthma]], [[Stroke#Prevention|stroke prevention]] [[therapy|treatment]]s, [[cystic fibrosis]], [[diabetes]], and [[cancer]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Rabbit cultivation intersects with research in two ways: first, the keeping and raising of animals for testing of scientific principles. Some experiments require the keeping of several generations of animals treated with a particular drug, in order to fully appreciate the side effects of that drug. There is also the matter of breeding and raising animals for experiments. The [[New Zealand rabbit|New Zealand White]] is one of the most commonly used breeds for research and testing. Specific [[Strain (biology)|strains]] of the New Zealand White have been developed, with differing resistance to disease and cancers. Additionally, some experiments call for the use of 'specific pathogen free' animals, which require specific husbandry and intensive hygiene.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

[[Animal rights]] activists generally oppose [[animal experimentation]] for all purposes, and rabbits are no exception.{{Synthesis inline|date=July 2010}} The use of rabbits for the [[Draize test]],<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Draize Eye Test and in vitro alternatives; a left-handed marriage?|first=M. K.|last=Prinsen|journal=Toxicology in Vitro|volume=20|year=2006|doi=10.1016/j.tiv.2005.06.030|pages=78–81|pmid=16055303|issue=1|bibcode=2006ToxVi..20...78P }}</ref> which is used for, amongst other things, [[testing cosmetics on animals]], has been cited as an example of cruelty in animal research. Albino rabbits are typically used in the Draize tests because they have less tear flow than other animals and the lack of eye pigment make the effects easier to visualize.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} Rabbits in captivity are uniquely subject to [[rabbitpox]], a condition that has not been observed in the wild.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}