Animal Advocates Watchdog

ALERT! CALL-IN WEEK TO STOP UBC ANIMAL RESEARCH

PLEASE FORWARD AND POST WIDELY ON FACEBOOK, WEBSITES, BLOGS

ALERT: INTERNATIONAL CALL-IN WEEK TO THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (UBC), SEPTEMBER 7-14
Please urge UBC to disclose information about its animal research programs

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
*Call UBC officials, President Stephen Toope and Public Affairs Director Scott McRae, this week to urge them to release information about the university's research on animals. See background information and talking points below. IMPORTANT: Please be polite and professional in your communication with UBC.

To contact UBC President and Vice-Chancellor Stephen J. Toope:
Phone: 604-822-8300

To contact UBC Public Affairs Director Scott Macrae:
Phone: 604-764-7508

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Stop UBC Animal Research at stopubcanimalresearch@gmail.com

BACKGROUND:
Each year, UBC’s Animal Care Center (ACC) distributes some 100,000 animals, including cats, pigs, mice, rabbits, rats, non-human primates and others to dozens of UBC-affiliated research projects. According to the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) most recent data, the numbers of animals used in “science” in Canada have risen steadily, with nearly 2.3 million animals in 2008, up from less than 1.8 million in 1998. As the home of a rapidly expanding industry of animal experimentation, UBC is at the forefront of this trend. Many of the experiments UBC researchers conduct on animals are highly invasive and painful.

Despite its extensive animal research program, UBC, as well as the CCAC – the agency that oversees research on animals – has provided little information about its activities. In fact, the public is largely in the dark about UBC’s experiments on animals, even though much of the research is funded with public money. Though the CCAC assesses UBC’s research to determine if UBC has complied with CCAC voluntary guidelines, those assessments are confidential. UBC has not released critical data about its research nor details of procedures used on animals. In short, there is little transparency at UBC, giving the impression the university doesn’t want the public to know what is happening to animals behind closed doors.

POINTS/QUESTIONS YOU MAY WANT TO MAKE DURING YOUR CALL:
*Ask UBC officials how many animals and specifically what types of animals are being subjected to experimentation at UBC. Ask them if UBC continues to experiment on non-human primates. Cats? Pigs? Rabbits? Other animals?

*Ask UBC to post online the following information about its animal research programs:
1) Descriptions of methods used on animals in research
2) Animal Care Committee assessments of UBC's research
3) Veterinary and necropsy reports
4) Photos and video footage of research activities
5) Data on the numbers (by species) of animals at UBC facilities
6) All records of non-compliance or violations pertaining to UBC researchers or students

*Tell UBC officials the public has a right to know about its animal research activities. (If you are a Canadian citizen tell UBC officials you have a right to know what UBC is doing with your tax dollars. If you are a UBC student or alumnus, tell UBC you have a right to know what UBC is doing with your student fees or alumni gifts)

*UBC should hold a forum on campus to allow the public to ask questions about UBC's research on animals. The university should also agree to a debate with researchers who reject animal experimentation and with animal advocates.

*UBC should abandon its research on animals. Vivisection is morally at odds with many peoples' values of compassion. In addition, animal research is of questionable scientific merit. It is time UBC shifted to non-animal research alternatives.

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Stop UBC Animal Research is a community grassroots campaign that employs peaceful, legal, and compassionate approaches to educate the public about the grim realities of research on animals at the University of British Columbia and to ultimately bring about an end to research on animals at UBC. Please visit our website at: http://stopubcanimalresearch.org/

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