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January 30, 2024
Say “No” to monkey breeding, EPA and alternatives, Extreme animal tests, Certifying sanctuaries
Local Communities Say NO
to Primate Breeding for Research
YOU CAN TOO!
The biomedical community has been trying to expand primate research and breeding in the U.S., claiming there is an international shortage of monkeys for use in experiments, despite increasing monkey numbers in labs (113,000 primates in 2021). New primate facilities have been proposed in rural areas of Texas and Georgia, but local citizens who say they were blindsided by the plans don’t want the monkey farms in their back yards.
Charles River Laboratories (CRL), which has been subpoenaed as part of an investigation into the illegal importation of primates from Cambodia, wants to house up to 43,000 monkeys on a 500-acre facility just south of Houston. In southwest Georgia, a company called Safer Human Medicine (SHM), which has ties to CRL, aims to build a $396 million complex capable of holding 30,000 long-tailed macaques. In a letter to local residents, SHM stated that it was formed with one purpose: “to help make sure that medical research in the United States is not slowed because scientists and researchers do not have access to non-human primates.”
The public is up against this powerful, profit-driven industry, but is not allowing itself to be pressured. Local communities have said NO to primate breeding, and your voice is needed too!
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) plans to renovate, expand, and build new infrastructure at its National Primate Research Centers. The federal government’s 2024 fiscal budget includes $30 million to expand primate breeding efforts and increase the use of primates in invasive research in the U.S. This expands and perpetuates a reliance on animal models that are unreliable and not applicable to human disease.
Congress should not bow to pressure from animal research lobbyists by expanding primate research and ignoring the ethical, scientific, and economic concerns surrounding this cruel and flawed science. Contact your Senators and urge them to remove any provision in the NIH federal budget that would increase primate research!
Other News
In a significant development, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced new, much-needed industry guidance to identify eye irritation and corrosion risks caused by new chemicals, placing emphasis on using human cells and tissues instead of live animals. These guidelines focus on the area of ocular toxicity, explicitly discouraging the use of rabbits, stating that such testing “lacks reproducibility, which questions the relevance of the…data to humans.”
READ MORE »
In another landmark decision, Australia’s leading medical research and funding body has called for the end of controversial “forced to swim” and nose-only smoke inhalation tests, stating that their use cannot be justified due to ethical, welfare, and scientific concerns. Both tests place animals in unescapable, extreme conditions to test the effects of drugs or chemicals, but there has long been a lack of confidence in their applicability to human health.
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Sanctuary Moment
Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries
An important part of AAVS’s mission to end the use of animals in science is our support of sanctuaries that care for the animals who have been released from laboratories. Sanctuaries provide the best opportunity to help animals heal from their past suffering and gain the confidence to live their best lives, in nurturing environments that foster their natural behaviors. But what is a ‘true’ sanctuary?
The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) works to differentiate true sanctuaries from other animal facilities through its certification programs, playing a vital role in the animal sanctuary community. GFAS helps animals by helping sanctuaries get and stay compliant with its high standards of humane animal care and best practice operations. A true sanctuary provides animals freedom from exploitation, freedom to express natural behaviors, and freedom to make their own choices. Freedom to just be!
Curious to know more about sanctuaries? GFAS is very active on social media and shares photos, videos, and interesting information from all types of sanctuaries that it has accredited. Be sure to check them out!