Here’s a roundup of this week’s biggest news stories related to animal research—all the recent media coverage you need to know right now to be the most effective activist for animals in labs.
Serious Monkey Business. The Animal Cruelty in Our Midst.
Robyn Kirby, 2/23/2024
“In 2022 a petition calling for a ban on primate experimentation with over 100,000 signatures was tabled in the Australian Senate.”
“It has been argued that primate research is essential to advance human health – a common assumption due to their close genetic relationship to humans. However, major anatomical, genetic, environmental, and immune differences make translation of results unreliable. Systematic reviews of primate research publications indicate that the perceived benefits to humans are overstated.”
“Those who advocate for animal-free science say it is time for the replacement of primate experiments with scientifically valid non-animal methods of research, and that the existing facility could and should be reverted to a primate sanctuary where the animals can live out their lives in peace.” 📰 Full Story →
Mysterious Island Used to Help Medical Research That is Off-Limits to the Public
Kit Roberts, 2/23/2024
“Morgan Island is located about 80 miles south of Charleston and has an area of approximately 4,489 acres. Members of the public are banned from setting foot on the island, with only licensed researchers being granted access.”
“The island is home to some 4,000 rhesus macaques . . . [who] were transported to Morgan Island in 1979 following an outbreak of herpes at a primate research centre [sic] in Puerto Rico.”
“ . . . as many as 600 monkeys are taken away each year to be used for biomedical research. While no testing is done on the island itself, the monkeys are taken to research facilities for vaccines and other medical treatments.” 📰 Full Story →
Moving Past Animal Experiments to Understand Human Neurological Disease
Richard J. Miller, 2/26/2024
“The science is clear: It’s time to challenge the prevailing use of animals for studying the brain and human neurological diseases.”
“Numerous fundamental differences exist between the brains of monkeys and humans . . . These disparities are critical when trying to answer questions about the causes of diseases that are exclusively human . . . scientists must attempt to artificially induce these disorders in animals to ‘model’ them for research purposes. Because the pathophysiology of these diseases is often poorly understood, generating such models in animals is basically impossible and inevitably produces few translatable results.”
“Human-relevant models of the brain, and not animals, are key for learning about neuropsychiatric diseases and potential treatments.” 📰 Full Story →
“Everyone” Must Include All Animals
Rise for Animals, 2/29/2024
This year’s Zero Discrimination Day theme seems to speak to all of us anti-vivisectionists wishing “[t]o protect everyone’s health, protect everyone’s rights”. This is, after all, what we are working to do every day, as we seek the liberation of animals from laboratories. Indeed, ceasing animal experimentation would serve to “protect everyone’s health”, including those with whom UNAIDS claims to be most concerned: those affected by AIDS. 📰 Full Story →
Wheelchair-Bound Activist and Companion Arrested in Bold Stand Against Animal Testing at Labcorp
Waqas Arain, 2/27/2024
“The duo’s method was direct and impactful: handcuffing themselves to the gates of Labcorp and painting slogans, they stood as living barriers to the day-to-day operations, accusing the laboratory of conducting torturous tests on animals for profit. Their actions, while leading to their arrest on charges including criminal damage and aggravated trespass, cast a spotlight on the contentious issue.”
“This event opens up a broader conversation about the ethics of animal experimentation, the lengths to which activists will go to make their voices heard, and the responses from institutions at the heart of the debate.” 📰 Full Story →
New Polling Shows Huge Public Opposition to Animal Experiments
Animal Aid, 2/27/24
“The latest figures from a survey conducted by OnePoll for Animal Aid has revealed that the vast majority of people want to see a ban on animal experiments, and funding diverted towards more reliable and humane science.”
“The polling figures come a week after the Westminster Hall debate of two petitions on animal experiments, which had, between them, more than 140,000 signatures. Both petitions called for a move away from animal experiments and an increase in the use of non-animal methods.” 📰 Full Story →
To the FDA, Sunscreen Is a Drug That Requires Animal Testing
Rise for Animals, 2/28/24
In a situation that has been unfolding for some time, the FDA is demanding that sunscreen ingredients already sold to and used by humans for nearly 50 years undergo new animal experimentation (i.e., animal experimentation additional to that undertaken on the same ingredients decades ago).
In truth, the FDA is serving its own interests as a leading player in the animal research industry, not the interests of the public. 📰 Full Story →