Some good news

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1. Harvard to Close Primate Facility after Pressure | Source PCRM

Following two years of pressure from PCRM and other groups, Harvard University announced today that it will close its primate experimentation facility where numerous monkeys have died and been seriously injured in recent years. This move is a step in the right direction—away from cruel and scientifically misguided research—and PCRM’s members played a big role by sending Harvard more than 30,000 e-mails last summer. With your help, we did it!

The closure will affect the 2,000 monkeys currently at the New England Primate Research Center in Southborough, Mass. PCRM will call on Harvard and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to retire those animals to sanctuaries rather than send them to other research facilities.

In September 2011, PCRM issued its report Animal Welfare Act Violations at Ivy League Universities, which detailed how a primate (later revealed to be a highly endangered cotton-top tamarin) was found dead in a cage at the Harvard facility after going through a machine that uses near-boiling water and caustic chemicals to wash cages.

Following PCRM’s report, other accounts of animal deaths and mistreatment continued to surface, including:

• A marmoset was found to have died after escaping, being captured, and then undergoing an imaging procedure. PCRM’s sources from within the primate center claimed that the marmoset was traumatized during his capture and that he was hyperventilating and distressed when he was forced into the constricting imaging tube.
• A cotton-top tamarin died of dehydration as a result of not having a water bottle in his cage.
• A primate died after being overdosed with anesthetics.

PCRM took this evidence of animal cruelty to the United States Department of Agriculture and NIH’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare and called on the agencies to investigate Harvard.

PCRM also charged Harvard with violating the federal Endangered Species Act by negligently harming and killing cotton-top tamarins in a complaint filed with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in July 2012. Harvard responded by claiming that it would relocate its nearly 170 tamarins—critically endangered monkeys native to Colombia—to “other institutions, such as wildlife preserves or sanctuaries.” The complaint is still pending.

PCRM is still urging Harvard to retire its tamarins, and now we are pushing the school and NIH to do the same with all 2,000 primates. As we move forward, you will hear more from us.

Thank you for your continued support.

2. Israel: a bill to ban the imports of fatty goose and duck liver | Source AR News

A bill to ban the import and sale of fatty gooe and duck liver (“foie-gras”) was introduced yesterday (April 22nd, 2013) in the Israeli Knesset. The bill was introduced by 23 Knesset members (fifth of the 120 members), from almost all parties, led by Knesset Member.

The bill, if enacted, will be a complementary step to the decision of the Israeli Supreme Court 10 years ago to ban on the force-feeding of geese and ducks in Israel. In the 1990’s, when the Israeli campaign against force-feeding of geese and ducks started, Israel was one of the world’s leading producers of fatty liver. The precedential Court Decision led to the closing of the industry and still underpins campaigns against other common cruel practices. In drafting and promoting the current bill, Anonymous for Animal Right and Let the Animals Live hope to stop the imports of fatty liver to Israel and to set the principle that cruelty is unacceptable – whether done locally or abroad, by oneself or by one’s money.

“Foie gras” is the pathologically-greasy and swollen liver of geese and ducks. To bring the liver to this diseased state, the industry force-feeds the bird with growing quantities of high-calorie gruel – up to one third of the bird’s weight per day. The gruel is forced down the bird’s esophagus using a tube, which is connected to an air-pressure-operated machine, or a similar technique. The sick ducks have difficulty breathing and walking. Their slaughter time is chosen so that not too many of them would die before being taken to the slaughterhouse.

Force-feeding of geese and ducks is already banned also in Italy, the UK, Poland, The Czech Republic, Luxemburg, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Australia, Argentine and California.

California also bans the sale of the fatty liver which is the objective of this form of animal-abuse.

Please thank MK Rabbi Dov Lipman on his initiative:

Email: dlipman@knesset.gov.il

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dov.lipman?fref=ts

Mailing address: MK Dov Lipman, the Knesset, Jerusalem , Israel

3. The Norwegian Labour Party adds fur ban to the party manifesto | Source Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance

Victory! The Norwegian Labour Party adds fur ban to the party manifesto

The Labour Party Congress has today (21st April 2013) voted to add a ban on fur farming to the party manifesto.

This addition to the manifesto follows the resolution to put an end to fur farming, as decided at the 2011 Party Congress.

While this stance is not new for the party, the inclusion of a fur ban into the manifesto commits the party to this work for the next four years.

This inclusion in the manifesto is an important signal in Norwegian politics, in particular to the right-wing partys like the Conservative Party.

The Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance has been working towards this point for the past 10 years. Through intense lobbying including letters, flyers and phone calls targeting many hundreds of local politicians the active work of the Labour Party towards a Norwegian ban on fur farming has today been secured.

The Norwegian Labour Party are currently in Goverment, together with the Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party. The Labour and Socialist Left Parties wish to ban fur farming, however the Centre Party wish to keep fur farming in Norway. This strong signal from the Party Congress this weekend should provide incentive for negotiations regarding this issue between the Government parties.

This is an important milestone, and it is wonderful news for animal welfare in Norway. Our work will now focus on the Conservative Party in the future, however this will require a very different campaigning strategy, says information manager to the Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance, Live Kleveland.


4. Vietnam Airlines to stops shipping primates | Source PETA

As you know, for more than two years, PETA has been asking Vietnam Airlines to stop shipping primates to misery and death in laboratories. Monkeys shipped to laboratories are crammed into small wooden crates, then stuffed into the cargo holds of airplanes, often under the feet of unsuspecting passengers. Some of these monkeys are ripped from their homes in the wild, others are bred on squalid monkey factory farms. When they reach their final destination, they are confined to tiny cages and tormented in cruel experiments.

Now, after hearing from more than 100,000 compassionate supporters like you, Vietnam Airlines has informed PETA that, starting today, it will no longer ship primates to laboratories.

But our work is not over. PETA will continue to strengthen our efforts against the remaining few airlines engaged in this cruel practice so that fewer primates will suffer and die in laboratories and more monkeys will be left where they belong: in the wild.

We need your help. Please take a moment to urge Philippine Airlines to join Vietnam Airlines and nearly every other major airline in the world by refusing to transport primates to laboratories.

sometimes we want to turn away,
we cannot do this another day,
and then we hear that little voice,
that reminds us that when
something good happens,
we all rejoice.
so do not worry,
being discouraged is okay,
but we keep on going,
anyway ☺♥☻

Karen Lyons Kalmenson