Tattoos have many adherents, and they make a good case for their side of the issue, one of the
more compelling arguments being that it is prohibited for any facility using animals in research to
have an animal with an ID tattoo.
It’s a good reason, even though it isn’t true.
It is a popularly
disseminated belief that any tattooed animal is against the law for a research facility to have on
premises, but that is manifestly untrue, as tattoos are one way research labs keep tabs on the
animals they use.
At one time, ear tattoos were fairly prevalent, but people (and I use that term
loosely) who stole animals to sell to research labs would cut off ears to remove the tell-tale ID
tattoo.Once this practice came to light, the preferred placement of the identifying mark moved
to the inner thigh or even the belly.
However, since thieves are often ignorant of the actual law
and believe the prohibition to be true, a visible ID tattoo makes your pet a much less desirable
target.
