I have a leopard gecko and 2 snakes (one corn and one brazilian rainbow boa). Because of this PETA hates me at some level. And every one who owns a dog. Or cat. Or a rescued hamster. I'm all for animal rights, and I'm all for using animals as a way to enrich human lives, be it through seeing eye dogs or for testing medication. However aside from it's grass roots campaigns PETA is a very scary organization...
Granted, the thoughts of monkeys being poisoned to create a designer eyeshadow does make me uneasy, however the gene work that scientists are doing with rats and even now geckos are amazing. If we can create a more eco friendly environment that can support a growing human population through animal research (and testing) well, I can't see a logical counter argument.