Richard
K. Chapman, VP for Capital Projects
Jan Arntz, Environmental Land Use
Compliance Officer
Capital Projects Office
Box 352205
Seattle, WA
98195-2205
206-543-5200
Sir,
I
have read about the plans of the University of Washington in Seattle : the
building of a new vivisection laboratory which will combine all the others,
including the baby monkey lab, into one building, underground, where they can
perform torture on twice as many animals in total secret. The
construction is expected to start in 2015 and be finished in 2017.
Costs :
$123.5 million
I'm
so horrified at this prospect. Words fail me.Nationwide, the
number of animals used in research has decreased significantly, Olson pointed
out. Earlier this year, Harvard Medical School announced plans to shut down its
troubled primate-research center.
“Students believe the UW should not
increase its animal census when the trend across the nation is to reduce
lab-animal numbers,” Sarah Olson said, presenting the board with a petition
signed by more than 4,500 people.
“UW has the chance to be a pioneer in the
science of animal-research alternatives.”
We
all know that the
U of W is notorious for having one of the top three worst primate labs in the
country.
You know that it is impossible to extrapolate experiments on
animals to humans, that "cures" do not come from torture, and that vivisection
is done because there are millions of dollars in grants at stake.
The
Board of Regents chooses to turn a blind eye to the facts because of their
greed.
Do you remember this ? USDA Probe cites UW for multiple
animal deaths & 10 month denial of pain relief to 30; SAEN Applauds USDA
Follow-up on Complaint SEATTLE, WA – A USDA investigation of the University of
Washington which resulted from an Official Complaint filed by Research Watchdog
Group SAEN (Stop Animal Exploitation NOW!) has led to multiple citations against
the UW for animal deaths and failure to provide pain relief to 30 animals for an
extended period, as well as additional animal deaths and infractions discovered
during the inspection.
The UW is the third lab
cited by the USDA following SAEN complaints in the last several months.
'Is this
the reason why you build the labs "UNDERGROUND" ,
so the public can not see how
you perform gruesome, unnecessary experiments on animals!?Animal testing is unethical, inhumane
and completely unnecessary. With so many alternatives available to us, how can
we justify the poisoning, burning, shocking and killing of more than 100 million
animals each year causing them unimaginable pain, fear and
loneliness?
Thousands of animals suffer and die every day in laboratories
around the world, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If we truly want to
improve our lives and the lives of others, we need to cut out the use of animals
altogether.
Why Animal Testing Doesn’t WorkMore and more
scientists are taking a hard look at the relevance of animal experiments for
human diseases and improving our lives. The evidence is showing that we can
actually get much better answers about human health and develop much more
effective therapies if we use human based tests instead. Some of the main
reasons animal testing is ineffective are:
Cruelty Free Alternatives to Animal
Testing
Nearly 100 alternatives to animal testing have been discovered, many
of which have proven highly effective, highlighting the fact that there is
absolutely no need to continue this barbaric and archaic practice. Here are just
some of the viable alternatives :
-
In-Vitro – The
National Academy of Sciences concluded
in 2007 that scientific progress was such that they would “transform toxicity
testing from a system based on whole-animal testing to one based primarily on
in-vitro methods.”
-
Organs-on-a-Chip – Instead of conducting toxicity
tests, drug tests and disease research on live animals,
Harvard’s Wyass Institute has devised an effective
organ-on-a-chip process in which human cells are used to create mini organ
simulations.
-
Human Brain Imaging – Advances in
brain scanning and imaging techniques mean that it’s
now possible to conduct a wealth of usable data and statistics which is far more
useful than the questionable data collected from cutting into the brains of
monkeys, cats and rats.
-
Human Blood Testing – Instead of killing hundreds of
thousands of rabbits each year in
“pyrogen” tests, scientists can now test for
fever-causing contaminants in medicines by using human blood samples.
-
Microdosing – When test patients are given a
microdose of a drug which is well
within safe limits, advanced imaging techniques can be used to detect the way
the body breaks down the substances.
Many people believe that
animals are here for humans to use, and even if we have to sacrifice 100,000
animals in the hope of benefiting one person, then it is worth it. But the truth
is that ethical human-based tests will better help our loved ones and save
millions of animals annually.
Vivisectors and pro animal testing advocates
are running out of excuses. There is a better, more kind way. Show your support
by choosing only to buy cruelty free products.
As
a concerned citizen, I urge you to do all that you can within your current
authority to replace animal tests with superior non-animal methods.
Source :
http://animals-against-vivisectors.over-blog.org/'The
strong commitment of American scientists to alternative testing methods is
illustrated by the National Academy of Sciences report, increased Environmental
Protection Agency funding for non-animal methods, and other recent
developments," says Erin Hill, Vice President of Program Development for IIVS.
"With several similar societies in Europe, Asia and South America, it is time
for North American scientists to meet on a regular basis to share developments
in the field.'
Sincerely,
