Dr. Laird makes a strong case against the current relevancy of animal dissection in his book published by the prominent publisher Tate Publishing: Animal Dissection: Outdated and Unnecessary The school authorities and teachers justify this behavior of animal cruelty and injustice in the name of studies. Their view is that with these dissection experiments students learn about the parts of body of the vertebrate animals. The National Science Teacher's Association (NSTA) supports including live animals as part of instruction in the K-12 science classroom because observing and working with animals firsthand can spark students' interest in science as well as a general respect for life while reinforcing key concepts as outlined in the National Science Education Standards (NSES).To give them this knowledge thousands of small animals like frogs, cats, pigs etc. are slaughtered at the hand of little children of grade levels as low as grade 5. Instead of teaching children kindness towards the animals it gives them a lesson of cruelty towards animals. These small children do not have a level of maturity to gain much scientific knowledge from the experience except the body parts. But Kenneth Roy, chair of the Science Safety Advisory Board of the National Science Teachers Association, defends animal dissection, by saying that "I would use the example of driving a real car versus a driving simulation on a computer or in a game room machine. The real-time dissection provides awareness to all of the senses - touch especially - texture, form, etc" (Strauss, 2007). A 2002 poll by the Humane Society showed that a majority of biology teachers say they believe the real thing is a better educational experience than the virtual alternative. The National Association of Biology Teachers supports the practice of dissection when done for legitimate educational purposes, as does the National Science Teachers Association (Strauss, 2007). Others speak against dissection, emphasizing the negative memories and messages associated with the experience (Shapiro, 1992).