Why kill animals for education?

The purpose of education is to acquire knowledge, develop sound mind and have respect for life. But in the process of imparting education, hundreds of thousands of animals are being killed every year to get students acquainted with the anatomy and physiology of animals. Both vertebrate and invertebrate animals are dissected at the different educational institutions. The most common vertebrates include frogs and cats.
In the US alone, more than 100,000 cats are dissected in classrooms across the country annually by the students of junior and senior high schools and colleges. Many international ethical bodies and animal protection groups have raised a question whether it is essential to kill such a huge number of cats to teach anatomy to the students. We can alternatively use anatomy models, charts, computer programs for delivering instructions on the same.
Professor M Zahidul Haque
Department of Agricultural Extension & Information System
SAU, Dhaka