Protesters targeted six UCLA scientists, who conduct research on
primates and other animals, in this week’s events organized
by the UCLA Students for Animal Liberation.
The demonstrations, which were part of the annual World Week for
Animals in Laboratories, included protests on campus as well as at
the homes of the animal researchers.
Established in 1986, World Week for Animals in Laboratories was
designed to expose the plight of animals designated for laboratory
testing and to educate the public on the moral, scientific, and
economic objections to the practice.
The week commenced with a march through campus on Monday, where
demonstrators carried pictures of mutilated animals and distributed
flyers to students.
Demonstration participants cited moral as well as economic
reasons for opposition to animal research.
Slogans included “Why should innocent animals die,
vivisection is a lie,” and “Tax dollars down the drain,
UCLA is to blame.”
“As student fees go up and government funding for
education declines, these researchers are getting more and more
money,” said Erica Sutherland, a third-year sociology student
and member of Students for Animal Liberation.
Sutherland singled out one researcher, William Melega.
Melega studies the acute and long term effects of
methamphetamine abuse by injecting adult male vervet monkeys with
the drug. He also investigates possible restorative strategies for
neurodegenerative diseases through experiments on primates and
rodents.
According to Melega, both aspects of his research are applicable
to the advancement of human medical technology. However,
participants in this week’s demonstrations disagree.
“Why not study the millions of drug addicted humans in
this country?” Sutherland said.
On Tuesday night, protesters demonstrated outside the homes of
six UCLA animal researchers. Though none of the scientists reacted
to the protests, Sutherland believes the demonstrations were
effective.
“The animals in the cages don’t get to go home.
These people shouldn’t be allowed to hide from what they
do,” Sutherland said.
A main goal of the Students for Animal Liberation, and the aim
of all the week’s events, was to create a dialogue between
the practitioners and the critics of animal research.
“It’s our tuition and tax money that’s funding
this research, we deserve to know what is going on,”
Sutherland said.
Though the activists experienced some opposition during their
events, they feel that they have stimulated discourse about their
cause.
The last event of the week will take place today, as
demonstrators will protest against a client of the Huntington Lab,
one of the world’s largest centers for animal testing.