Think experiments on animals are funny? Thomas Clarkson, a veterinarian at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine who conducts invasive experiments on monkeys, seems to think so. At the National Institute on Aging (NIA), he used “humorous” stock primate photos in a PowerPoint presentation about invasive menopause experiments on monkeys. One of the photos in … Read more »
There’s great news from across the Atlantic, where the European Union has voted to ban the use of great apes in experiments. The new legislation also places significant restrictions on testing on other primates and requires that non-animal methods be used whenever possible. This is an exciting development—but it also raises a question: In light … Read more »
You think “coon on a log” is bad? Allow me to introduce you to the delightful sport of “fox penning,” in which dogs are set loose on a fox or coyote confined to a pen and allowed to tear the animal to shreds. The good news is that this despicable pastime is now banned in … Read more »
Horrifying photos that were apparently shot inside primate importer and torture-device manufacturer Primate Products, Inc., have recently surfaced. They show the dangerous consequences of taking scared, stressed monkeys—including some who have been torn from the wild—and forcing them to live in incompatible groups in tiny enclosures. Sometimes fights ensue and monkeys suffer serious injuries. Bite Back Magazine … Read more »
Ten-year-old Bobby Connell has spent the last six months plagued by nightmares after witnessing Tilikum the killer whale batter SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau to death right in front of his eyes. Bobby’s father, in a suit filed against SeaWorld, said his son “saw the look of horror and desperation on Dawn’s face as she … Read more »
Victory Update: Following a year of vigorous campaigning, PETA has learned that government officials have grounded plans for a cruel and ineffective radiation experiment on monkeys. Learn more about this victory for monkeys. Live and let die live: So goes Sir Paul McCartney’s new hit … against NASA’s pricey plan to bankroll the zapping of … Read more »
Gerardo L. Paez, a former postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) School of Veterinary Medicine, spent years using taxpayer money to breed puppies to have a gene that causes progressive retinal atrophy, a degenerative eye disease that culminates in blindness. During one study, 3-week-old beagle puppies were killed after they had their … Read more »
Victory Update: Following a year of vigorous campaigning, PETA has learned that government officials have grounded plans for a cruel and ineffective radiation experiment on monkeys. Learn more about this victory for monkeys. But here on Earth, people aren’t only listening, they’re following you—on Twitter. Check out the following tweet from Astro_Sandy, aka NASA astronaut … Read more »
After more than a decade of scientific research, negotiations, and lobbying by PETA, PETA U.K., and other groups, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has approved new, non-animal testing methods for measuring skin irritation. Now, across the world, rabbits will be spared as the standard way of testing for skin irritation is switched … Read more »
Rama / CC by 2.0 France The Onion—in a 2004 article that was recently re-posted on the front page of the gag mag’s website—says scientists torture mice just for laughs. This “report” is so cleverly written that when I sent it to Kathy Guillermo, PETA’s vice president of laboratory investigations, she had “palpitations,” as she … Read more »
Patrick Gijsbers / CC by 2.0 Victory Update: Following a year of vigorous campaigning, PETA has learned that government officials have grounded plans for a cruel and ineffective radiation experiment on monkeys. Learn more about this victory for monkeys. TiVo alert: April Evans, my nominee for Gutsiest Animal Defender of the Year, is scheduled to … Read more »
Animals across Japan are making a bid for freedom (hopefully, captive animals everywhere are taking notes). First, a dolphin who was being forced to perform stupid tricks for loud, obnoxious audiences day in and day out at Japan’s Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium decided that he’d had enough. During a performance, he leaped over the side of … Read more »
Life can be treacherous for everyone living in a war zone. Homeless dogs have been gunned down in Baghdad, and there are even rumors that the Taliban are training monkeys to use guns. (Hey, I said that it’s a rumor.) But thanks to a few big-hearted Marines, two lucky cats, now named Kiki and Keykey, … Read more »
The following posting originally appeared in The Sacramento Bee. If anyone out there is still wondering about the superiority of alternatives to animal tests, look no further than what is happening right now in the Gulf of Mexico. In its efforts to assist the devastated region, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is saving time, … Read more »
