Victory Celebration in NYC
Join the Physicians Committee in New York to
celebrate a monumental victory for animals and the future of medical research!
David Cabrera and Alexander Gray will host a victory party in their contemporary
Chelsea art gallery, and you won't want to miss this festive night of fun, art,
and amazing vegan nibbles. Kick off your holiday season by joining Neal Barnard,
M.D., in New York for this very special celebration!
Alexander Gray Associates art gallery
510 West 26 St.
New York
510 West 26 St.
New York
Every animals’ life is important and deserves the
best legal defense and protection available. Thanks to your generous support the
Animal Legal Defense Fund has been able to continue to fight for countless
animals in courtrooms across the country.
The size of the case doesn’t matter. From changing
state laws, which have a sweeping effect—to lawsuits that aid one animal, our
victories are your victories—and victories for all animals.
Recent ALDF victories:
- Ricky the Bear Freed
After 15 years of living in a
small concrete and chain link cage at an ice cream shop, ALDF’s lawsuit lead to
Ricky’s move to Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado, where she now has 15 acres of
rolling hills to call home and other bears to socialize with.
- Idaho “Ag-Gag” Law Ruled Unconstitutional
ALDF led a broad-based
coalition of public interest organizations in a victory against an Idaho law
designed to make documenting animal abuse on factory farms illegal. As a result
of our lawsuit the U.S. District Court ruled that state’s law violated the First
and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. ALDF has also taken the
state of Utah to court for its Ag-Gag law.
- Squashing Seaworld Expansion
The California Coastal
Commission adopted restrictions, lobbied for by ALDF, on SeaWorld San Diego’s
expansion plans. As a result, the marine park may not breed or otherwise add any
additional orcas to its facility!
These are just a few examples of the kind of work
ALDF does everyday, protecting the lives of animals through the legal
system.
The law is society’s most powerful tool for
creating real change for animals on a large and small scale. We will continue to
fight for stronger laws and their vigorous enforcement throughout our nation’s
courts and legislatures.
Thank you for standing with ALDF, for
supporting our work, and helping us expand our efforts to protect and defend
more animals in the coming year.
Victory! 50 Remaining Research Chimps Living in U.S. Lab Will Be Released to Sanctuaries.
There is no doubt that chimpanzees – despite their close relation to our own species – have suffered horrendously at the hands of humans. In spite of their great intelligence and sensitivity, these animals have long been the subject of invasive scientific experiments, and prone to being incarcerated in zoos, with little consideration for their well-being. In recent times, however, the tide is turning for this species.
In 2013, President Obama signed the Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance and Protection Act into law, which helped facilitate the transfer of many research chimps to new sanctuary homes. Earlier this year, chimps were granted “endangered” status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), meaning that anyone who wishes to use a member of this cognitively sophisticated species for research or entertainment purposes must obtain a permit to demonstrate how such an action would enhance the species’ conservation. To date, no lab has applied for such a permit … perhaps because they know they cannot prove that carrying out experiments on a chimp will be in any way beneficial to the species as a whole. Meanwhile, groups such as The Nonhuman Rights Project are arguing that chimps should be considered nonhuman “persons,” with fundamental rights to bodily liberty.
And now, in an amazing piece of good news, the National Institutes of Health (NHI) has announced its intention to end research experiments on chimps for good. This is amazing news considering that NIH was previously one of the largest facilities holding chimps for testing in the U.S. They had originally announced plans to retire the majority of its research chimps to sanctuaries back in 2013 but added that they would maintain a colony of 50 chimps in an “ethologically appropriate” environment, in case they would be required for research purposes in the future. Now, however, they have decided to release these chimps too!
Wayne Pacelle, director of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), welcomed NIH’s decision in a blog post, saying: “Moving these chimpanzees to sanctuary is not only the right thing to do, but it will also save taxpayer dollars due to the lower cost of care. We applaud NIH director Francis Collins for his foresight in taking this action.”
However, Pacelle cautioned that the fight is far from over: “Approximately 700 chimpanzees remain in laboratories with around 300 owned by the federal government. But we are working on travel plans for every one of them, starting with the group at Texas Biomedical. The HSUS stands ready to work with stakeholders, including the government, Chimp Haven and other sanctuaries, laboratories, the public, and other animal protection groups, to ensure all chimpanzees are retired to high-quality sanctuaries. It will take our collective action and resources to push this issue over the finish line, but it is the least these chimpanzees deserve after all they have been through. It’s rare to close out a category of animal use so emphatically. That’s exactly what’s happening here, and it’s thrilling.”
With this latest announcement by NIH, as well as the enforcement of stricter regulations around the use of chimps in all research laboratories, we have good reason to believe that the end is in sight for experiments on these incredibly smart, perceptive animals. Let’s hope that the momentum behind this decision will build, and ultimately lead to the end of cruel experiments against all animals.
Historic Milestone: NIH to End Chimpanzee Experiments and Retire All Chimpanzees
I am writing with historic news. On Nov. 16, the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that the agency will end the last vestiges of federally supported chimpanzee experimentation. This decision comes after years of work by the Physicians Committee and others, and it couldn't have happened without your help.
I remember back in May 2010, when we were strategizing on how to save 202 chimpanzees. Those chimpanzees at the Alamogordo Primate Facility in New Mexico had been unofficially retired from invasive experimentation for nearly a decade. But to save money, the National Institutes of Health was going to start moving them to an active research facility in San Antonio.
In fact, the NIH did move some animals to Texas. Working with other organizations, we stalled the move of the remaining animals to the research facility. We worked with then-New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and actor Gene Hackman, a New Mexico resident, to generate massive media coverage. And eventually a small group of U.S. senators heard the message and called on NIH to convene a study.
When a committee was formed at the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2011 to examine the scientific necessity of chimpanzee research, we felt that the makeup of the group was biased. We urged IOM to make a change, and it did, replacing the chair of the committee and other members.
I was honored to be one of only three non-NIH experts to testify before the committee at its initial public meeting, and I believe our words hit home. Ultimately, the IOM committee announced that it could find no area of biomedical research for which chimpanzees were necessary.
Following the IOM report, NIH announced in June 2013—after 18 months of deliberations and thousands of public comments submitted by us and our allies—that it would retire more than 300 of its chimpanzees, but would leave 50 as a "reserve" colony for possible future experiments. We, of course, called for all the chimpanzees to be freed.
In June 2015, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced that it would finally classify all chimpanzees, including those in laboratories, as endangered. This would make it very difficult to use the animals in invasive experiments. We had submitted comments to the Fish & Wildlife Service to encourage this decision.
Then came this week's announcement by Dr. Collins and NIH that eliminates all federally funded experimentation on chimpanzees and sends them all to retirement. This is a major milestone in our mission to promote ethical and scientifically sound research.
This is a wonderful time for these long-suffering animals, and it paves the way for progress for those who are still left behind in research laboratories. Thank you for everything you've done to make this victory possible.
Success: Fence Built to Protect Endangered Panthers
Goal: Thank Florida Transportation Department for building fence that will better ensure panthers will remain safe while walking near traffic.
Florida panthers will soon be protected from being run over by cars thanks to animal rights activists who convinced government officials to build a 10-foot high fence along Alligator Alley–a road that runs along the Florida Everglades. We need to thank the transportation department for making this responsible decision so they will continue to do whatever necessary to protect Florida wildlife.
The fence will cover at least 9 miles and will be along the portion of the road where the animals get hit by cars the most. In the two areas where panthers are forced to walk underneath bridges, riprack or large amounts of rocks piled up will be placed along the edges to better ensure the panthers will be able to safely walk through to the other side.
Fourteen panthers have been run over in the area since 2004. In fact, more panthers in the region have died from being hit by cars than they have by any other means.
Sign this petition to thank the Florida Transportation Department and activists such as those at the ForceChange community for doing whatever possible to ensure this fence is built. With fewer Florida panthers being run over by cars, these animals may finally have a fighting chance.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary Boxold,
It has come to my attention that the transportation department is planning to build a 10-foot high fence along Alligator Alley that will serve to better protect Florida panthers and other wildlife. Thank you so much for making this decision, as it is important to do whatever possible to help save this endangered species.
It is extremely sad that several of these beautiful animals have been run over within the last few years. However, building a fence that covers at least 9 miles worth of area where these incidences have occurred will hopefully help to ensure the panthers are better protected in the future.
I am also excited to learn that rocks will be piled high along the sides underneath the two bridges that the panthers have to walk through in order to get back to their natural habitat. Taking this extra measure is a great idea and will likely help to make it so the results of the project are successful.
Thank you again for building this fence to help save the lives of many animals and especially Florida panthers. Doing so will hopefully be a huge step in helping these majestic creatures to bounce back from extinction.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Moe Epsilon
Success: Kikkoman Stops Testing on Animals.
Target: Noriaki Horikiri, President and CEO of Kikkoman
Goal: Applaud Kikkoman for putting an end to its animal tests.
Following a storm of public protest, soy sauce company Kikkoman has put an end to its previously widespread practice of testing its products on animals. A previous petition on ForceChange called on Kikkoman to end its cruel animal testing policy and thankfully the company announced yesterday that it has.
An investigation led by animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), revealed the nature of the unnecessary and inhumane experiments Kikkoman was subjecting innocent animals too. Mice were force fed soy products through tubes, rabbits were given high-cholesterol diets to induce heart disease and these animals were then blasted with radiation, cut open and decapitated for their stomachs and brains to be studied.
An increasingly large number of scientists have agreed that testing on animals is not only cruel and outdated, but also often misleading since the effects of many products on rodents and other animals vary widely as compared to effects on humans. They are also unnecessary, as other more suitable and sometimes cheaper alternatives exist. Unfortunately, since rodents are not included under the Animal Welfare Act, countless mice and rats are routinely abused in food safety tests across the country.
Kikkoman joins a gradually growing number of companies that have recently put an end to their long-standing animal experimentation practice, such as PepsiCo, Lipton and Ocean Spray, amongst others. Hopefully this list will continue to lengthen.
Kikkoman has taken a big step to end its widespread animal tests. Their statement reads “Now, Kikkoman is committed to non-animal approaches to test the safety of our products when we use biological methods. Kikkoman is introducing and developing non-animal testing methods, and conducts no animal testing across any of its product lines. Nonetheless, this is followed by a small caveat: “However, on rare occasions, we must do so to be accountable for public safety and to comply with the demands of government authorities in several countries.” While Kikkoman should be applauded for ending the majority of its tests, the company should also be urged to extend this new policy to all their testing practices.
Thank the company for moving away from animal tests and help ensure these new non-animal testing methods stretch across all of the company’s product safety testing.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr. Horikiri,
I would like to thank you for listening to the public and putting an end to Kikkoman’s policy of testing on animals. The tests performed by your company were cruel and inhumane. Rodents and rabbits were subjected to force-feeding, radiation and decapitation when suitable humane alternatives exist. Several companies are now realizing this and have ended their animal testing practices. Thank you for joining them.
While this is a big step in the right direction, your statement’s mention that on “rare occasions” animal testing will still be performed in order “to be accountable for public safety and to comply with the demands of government authorities in several countries” seems to condone animal testing. With the knowledge that animals are sentient beings who feel fear and pain and that suitable alternatives now exist — sometimes far more effective than animal testing — it is time for Kikkoman to put a definitive end to its animal testing practices.
Several companies have ended all animal testing for good. I urge you to extend the laudable step Kikkoman has taken in stopping the majority of its tests and do the same.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Barn Images via Flickr
Maximum Punishment for Charlotte the Dog's Alleged Abuser.
Updates
- 1 year ago200,000 supporters
Ms. Ivanchencko, in a statement to police, showing no remorse, simply (allegedly) stated "Just give me my misdemeanor so I can get out of here, it's just a dog", and then proceeded to purchase a new dog.
We, the petitioners, are asking for your help in changing the animal abuse laws. We are asking for the maximum penalty of two years in the case of Ms. Ivanchenko (Case number: 00204-2014)
We, collectively feel that stronger animal abuse laws need to be in place. Animals are defenseless, and we need to be their voice. Animal abuse is cruel and evil, and should not be tolerated. A mere slap on the wrist will not prevent these heinous acts from occurring. Research has shown a correlation between animal abuse, family violence, and other forms of societal and community violence. Animal protection professionals have noted that abuse of animals is connected in a self-perpetuating cycle of violence.
We are the voice of helpless animals, and we will continue to be. We need to protect animals, and send the message that cruelty and abuse will NOT be tolerated in this society.
We hope you take this matter seriously. We need to see Justice for Charlotte, and justice for all that do not have a voice.
We want to see the maximum penalty of two years incarceration be handed to Ms. Ivanchenko. We want to be certain that animal abusers attain the maximum penalty for their crimes.
