Saturday, August 14, 2010
UBC Animal Research Labs: THERE ARE NUTS IN THERE
A UBC spokesperson was evasive when interviewed by the Vancouver Sun about its animal testing ("UBC fears animal activists’ campaign," By JANET STEFFENHAGEN, Vancouver Sun August 12, 2010)

At UBC, more than 100,000 animals were subjected to "the highest level of invasiveness," involving "severe pain near, at, or above the pain tolerance threshold of unanaesthetized conscious animals” but the spokesperson did not want to admit to anything cruel, because "there are nuts out there" -- a conveniently meaningless remark.

No wonder UBC does not want the public to know what goes on behind closed laboratory doors - here is a partial list of procedures which labs can (voluntarily) report on to the Canadian Council on Animal Care:

>> injection, blood sampling/testing, blood removal (large volume), gavaging, physical restraint, infection induction, whole‑body radiation, physical euthanasia, food deprivation, water deprivation, special diet, altered environmental exposure, physical restraint (duration).

Agents:
>> Radioisotope administration, chemical exposure, infectious agents, immunogenic or inflammatory agents, Freund’s complete adjuvant.

Surgery:
>> major surgery, minor surgery, stereotaxic surgery, survival surgery, multiple surgeries, cannulation.

Food and water deprivation? whole-body radiation? exposure to chemical and infectious agents? Do most people find it acceptable to do this to cats, rabbits, monkeys ...? Does one have to be "nuts" to find this repugnant? Or, are the "nuts" those who turn off all compassion for fellow creatures in order to do these things? Apparently people can become desensitized enough to do them to other people as well -- in death camps, unregulated prison systems and the like. And what of the rest of us, who turn a blind eye, who don't want to know?

The group STOP UBC ANIMAL RESEARCH does want to know, and is having trouble getting the facts from the University and the CCAC. The latter monitors lab animal use in Canada, but institutions are not required by law to submit information to it, and it "is no longer requesting that names of researchers and teachers be included within the AUDF." Now why that would be, one wonders?

The CCAC protects not lab animals, but the institutions and individuals that exploit them. Here is its instruction on "crisis management" for research labs:
Break-in, vandalism, or unauthorized removal of animals:The institution should work with local police officials to plan for and address any potential threats or criminal activity targeting animal care and use personnel or animal facilities. It should also be aware of any animal rights groups operating in its area (this information can be obtained through Canadians for Health Research).

A sit-in or barricade action, a demonstration, a negative media event requiring an organized response: Institutions should work with local police officials in regard to possible, planned or actual demonstrations or sit-ins, in order to ensure the security of personnel, facilities and animals.

So, demonstrating or querying animal torture is a "negative media event" and may require "crisis management." Whatever happened to freedom of expression, and a free press?

And just who makes up the Council on Animal Care? See their website for the list: university medical and dental faculties, the Cancer Society, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, agri-business, Department of National Defence, and "Research-based Pharmaceutical Companies." Think about this the next time some of these send fundraisers to your door. And remember, when you well-meaningly donate to animal torture, that not one disease has been cured in all the decades of lab animal research - just lots of researchers got jobs out of grants. How they can sleep at night is the question.

Go to www.stopubcanimalresearch.org to find out how to help.

Posted by Barbara Julian at 12:59 PM
http://www.animalit.ca/2010/08/ubc-animal-research-labs-there-are-nuts.html