I question your use of the photograph of a rabbit to illustrate a News story about the European Chemicals Agency (Nature 463, 142–143; 2010). Rats, not rabbits, are mainly used in the reproductive-toxicity tests currently required over two generations of animals.

Safety assessments by REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) that are limited to a single generation could save millions of animals, making this an emotive issue. That could have been indirectly compounded by your caption, which alludes to the movie Watership Down, particularly as rabbits are seen as more endearing than rats. For the same reason, they may be more persuasive in selling the story. But it is irresponsible for a scientific journal to make the discussion on animal testing even more emotional than it already is.