Calling for the end of animal experimentation, protesters
marched from Westwood Village to the UCLA Neuroscience and Genetics
Research Center on July 11.
The 60 activists hoped to spread the message that animals are
being mistreated in UCLA research facilities and that medical
research conducted on animals does not benefit humans. The
university strongly refutes these statements.
Michael Budkie and Chris DeRose, the organizers of the protest,
said animal experimentation is merely a business venture designed
to profit research organizations.
“These animals are suffering for no reason except to keep
people at UCLA paid,” said Budkie, executive director of the
Ohio-based Stop Animal Exploitation Now.
Budkie stressed that brain-mapping research in particular is a
commonly duplicated procedure that should be halted, since findings
are redundant.
Amanda Banks, president of the California Biomedical Research
Association, disagrees. Banks said that when researchers are
looking to begin a research protocol involving animals, they must
prove to the federal government that their approach to the
experiment is original and that animals are required.
“You can’t just do it because it strikes your
fancy,” Banks said.
She added that animal experimentation is very expensive.
“Researchers, if concerned more about profits than the
greater good, would not use animal research,” Banks said.
“Fiscally, it’s not profitable.”
Protesters also said findings from animal research do not apply
to humans, either because of the difference in genetics or problems
with the research environment.
“Animals have a whole different physiology than humans, so
usually it’s just fraud,” said Diana Wells, who joined
the protest with classmates from Soka University in Orange
County.
Budkie said animal research subjects are often so stressed or
diseased that they are not representative of their own species, let
alone human beings.
“When primates are socially isolated, they begin to
exhibit self-injurious behavior,” Budkie added.
“Basically, the primate has gone insane.”
Banks said that research animals are genetically very similar to
humans ““ even mice share 95 percent of humans’ DNA
““ and animal tests have been very helpful in curing human
diseases.
“Mouse models of breast cancer have helped us bring breast
cancer survival rates to an all-time high,” she said.
Banks said it would not be in researchers’ best interest
to use unhealthy animals in their experiments.
“Researchers don’t want animals polluting their data
pool that are not representative. It’s not good
research,” she said.
UCLA spokeswoman Judy Lin said the university has many
mechanisms in place to prevent animal abuse, including a
whistle-blower program in which lab and facilities workers are
asked to report any concerns they might have.
“The university has a very large concern that research
animals be humanely cared for. We’re in compliance with all
the regulations ““ federal and otherwise ““ for animal
research,” Lin said.