Animal Testing Weekly Updates



Meredith Veira and The Cheese Trap
Join Physicians Committee founder Dr. Neal Barnard on Thursday, April 13, for a party to celebrate his new book, The Cheese Trap. Guests will receive a copy of the book, enjoy vegan wine and cheese, and hear remarks from Dr. Barnard. Learn more and purchase tickets now.


Animals Are Routinely Tested On Without Painkillers

Keep Our Pets Safe


Random source Class B dealers earned their notorious reputation. They have made money by selling former pet dogs and cats from pounds and shelters to research facilities so the animals can be used in experiments. However, the Pet Safety and Protection Act (PSPA), which was introduced to Congress in February, aims to put these unscrupulous dealers out of business—for good!

"Class B dealers have racked up an atrocious record of illegal activity and cruelty to animals," said Representative Mike Doyle (D-PA), cosponsor of the bill. "This program has been an unmitigated disaster…. Congress should have shut it down years ago."

While their numbers have dwindled in recent years, there are still random source Class B dealers with active licenses that can sell dogs and cats to labs. These business practices are unethical and even those in the scientific community question their use. In fact, the National Institutes of Health, the largest funder of biomedical research in the world, will not fund research that uses animals acquired from random source dealers.

It's time to finally end the dirty business of random source animal dealers!

High-Tech Alternative for Students

Students at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans are benefiting from a generous gift from their school's alumnae: a high-tech, synthetic cadaver the students call Synthia. This life-like model can be used repeatedly, and gives students the opportunity to try many medical procedures, even surgery. One student who worked with Synthia said it was "an amazing experience…especially if you're interested in pursuing a medical career."

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Dr. Jim Yahr:
He served as director of the Alta Bates Burn Center, and as chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Herrick hospital in Berkeley, California.

He is also an animal advocate and he nor anyone I know wants to pay more taxes for animal experiments that aren't relevant to my work as a doctor and surgeon.

Check out his White Coat Waste Project. As a member of the Board of Advisors, he does know this is the only campaign unifying Republicans and Democrats to save dogs from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Just yesterday, an investigation exposed how a V.A. experimenter — who "botched" dog surgeries — is still operating on our veterans! Ss a surgeon, he was horrified. As an animal lover, he is said to be mortified. And as a taxpayer, he and his White Coat Waste Project is taking action.

They've developed a 3-point plan to audit, investigate, and de-fund the dog labs:

  • Innovative Legislation: they secured the first bill targeting government animal testing of 2017 and the first audit of federal spending on animal experiments ... ever!
  • New Investigations: they've educated millions of taxpayers in the New York Times, Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, and more.
  • More Advertising: they're preparing to run new ads to hold the V.A. accountable for its abuse.
But unlike the animal abusers, they're not funded by the government with $15 billion of tax handouts. If you can, join me with a tax-deductible contribution. Together we can stop taxpayer-funded animal experiments.
  • Congress is debating budget cuts right now. As a doctor, I know this is our best chance to save dogs from the V.A. 
  • Every dollar you contribute before midnight is tax-deductible and will be instantly doubled. 
Rescued Former Lab Chimp’s Somber Photo Shows Her Human Side. Foxie is 41-years-old, and she still plays with dolls. It isn’t uncommon for chimpanzees like Foxie to engage with dolls when they’re young, even out in the wild, but those tendencies typically fade as they grow older. For Foxie, however, the attachment isn’t just about fun and games. It has a much deeper psychological purpose for dealing with all the suffering and trauma she once endured.

For the first 29 years of her life, Foxie was held prisoner and used as a test subject in a lab for hepatitis vaccine research. In addition to being pricked and prodded and injected with numerous chemicals, she was forced to immediately give up the babies she gave birth to while at the lab. Foxie’s caretakers at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (CSNW), where this retired chimp now resides, safe from the harms of animal testing, believe she uses her dolls to cope with those losses.


Amid the freedom and joys she now has the wherewithal to enjoy, there are times when moments of seriousness and woe still pervade, as witnessed in this photo.

foxiechimp 

Image source: Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest/Instagram

We know that chimps grieve very much like humans, and chimpanzee mothers are extremely bonded to their offspring. But what this tells us is that Foxie is one smart cookie, as she has devised her own coping mechanism – one that has been found to be effective among human women who have suffered a miscarriage or the loss of a child, as well. A being with such sentience and intelligence should never have been kept and abused in a lab.


While the trauma associated with losing a child may never subside, Foxie is lucky to have been rescued and to have found safety and security in sanctuary. But there are still numerous chimps, who are just as bright and beautiful as Foxie, who continue to suffer in labs, and you can help them by: