About 40 people marched through campus Friday to protest animal experimentation for research.
Members of animal rights organization Stop Animal Exploitation Now! and other groups held the demonstration to commemorate World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week and to protest animal research at UCLA.
Arguing that animal experimentation is inhumane, ineffective and unnecessary, the demonstrators held signs with phrases like “UCLA research gone mad” and “How many mice were tortured today?”
On Friday, they targeted the practice of vivisection, or performing operations on live animals.
“We do not believe (animal experimentation) works and we would like (researchers) to find other was of finding cures for diseases,” said Julia MacKenzie, who led the protest. “We don’t object to science, but we don’t believe animal experimentation works. We don’t have the right to torture animals for some obscure cure.”
MacKenzie said there are other ways of finding research results without using animals, such as growing organs on a chip or using computer technology.
In a statement, UCLA said university animal research is crucial for finding beneficial procedures and medicines for humans.
“There is overwhelming agreement among physicians and scientists worldwide that laboratory animals provide irreplaceable and invaluable models for human systems,” the statement read. “UCLA remains steadfast in its commitment to the legal use of laboratory animals in research for the benefit of society.”
The statement added that animal experimentation at UCLA is “heavily monitored” and held to strict regulations. UCLA said an independent committee of scientists, veterinarians and members of the public looks for alternative ways to minimize animal experimentation before approving requests to use animals in research.
Compiled by Kristen Taketa, Bruin senior staff.
That “independent committee” is almost certainly not independent. A national survey of those committees–one exists at every research university–found that 80% of committee members are animal experimenters themselves. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-04/pfte-sra040114.php
Whatever statements they make about “overwhelming agreement” (that’s simply untrue) — what’s really behind UCLA’s use of animals is the same thing driving animal experimentation everywhere: money. It’s a huge moneymaking scheme whereby animal researchers get federal taxpayers’ dollars to torture animals and perform research that doesn’t do anything to help people.
No @alexgatesbury:disqus what is behind scientific research is the desire to cure. The researchers care for each and every animal. This is not money driven… this is a desire to find answers. If you actually read the facts (and there are THOUSANDS of truth filled articles) you would see that what you are against might very well be something that will help you, or a member of your family. Researchers are dedicated to the animals — just as they are dedicated to us humans
If somebody were to do experiments involving animals to make a buck, that would be a very misguided and stupid person. Research at any University, especially a public University, is not the place to ‘make money’, period.
Before taking any of the claims made during this protest seriously, it’s useful to know who the people are that are engaged in events like this.Who are these people marching across our campus and speaking about the work going on in UCLA labs? Surely they have been in them? Maybe they are veterinarians or inspectors from the US Department of Agriculture? Or maybe they are scientists with expertise on finding cures for serious illnesses? Maybe they are people who have themselves developed alternatives for animals in research? Let’s be clear: they are none of these.
They are Carol Glasser and the membership of Progress for Science. These individuals regularly visit the homes of UCLA researchers where they lie, scream, threaten, harass and (more recently) try to ambush scientists. (Their activities are summarized here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZGnJLbQbCI). They claim they show up in these neighborhoods to “educate the neighbors”, but the reality is, they are nothing but obscene bigots (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW6z2M_ZlzI), with a side helping of hypocrites (http://unlikelyactivist.com/2014/03/05/animal-rights-activist-gallstones-hypocrite-in-chief/).
They include people like Tyler Lang – a Los Angeles activist who just got out of jail in Illinois after being stopped on a rural highway with “bolt cutters, wire cutters, muriatic acid, ski masks, and cammo (sic) clothing”… very possibly on his way to engage in animal rights-related criminal activities. http://unlikelyactivist.com/2013/09/04/blurring-the-lines/
They are a whole host of liars. http://unlikelyactivist.com/2012/11/08/there-are-lies-and-then-there-are-damned-lies/
Who aren’t they?
They aren’t people who know anything about alternatives to animal research. I know this because virtually every alternative to the use of animals in research was created by a scientist who wanted to do his or her work better. http://speakingofresearch.com/2011/10/12/all-in-a-days-work-scientists-promote-alternatives-to-live-animal-research/
They aren’t people that actually make the lives of animals in research better. I know this because that is accomplished by the animal care technicians and veterinarians in labs who help scientists to conduct their research in a humane and responsible fashion.
I urge the people marching on our campus to stop telling lies, stop aiding in violent and threatening actions and stop trying to claim that they know what is right when it comes to animal research at UCLA.
Animal research at UCLA is humane, it’s responsible, it’s state of the art, it leads to cures and it’s the right thing to do. Whenever a UCLA student walks into a lab and contributes to scientific progress, s/he is a hero who deserves better than the mistruths and rage exuded by the so-called activists.
One of the protesters is quoted as saying, ““We don’t object to science, but we don’t believe animal experimentation works.”
Make no mistake about it: if you don’t believe that studies of animals are crucial to our basic understanding of the biology of humans and animals and to the medical advances that come from biomedical research, then you do object to science itself. The overwhelming majority of physicists, chemists and biologists all recognize the crucial need for humane animal research. Disputing its value is disputing science itself. This puts one in good standing with creationists, those that deny climate change and anti-vaccination zealots.
http://speakingofresearch.com/2013/12/20/cancer-immunotherapy-a-breakthrough-made-through-animal-research/
Animal research is still crucial to medical progress, and studies in mice are no exception. An example is cancer immunotherapy (see link above), an emerging strategy for curing the disease which has already saved many lives. Animal studies – particularly in mice – were key to the development of cancer immunotherapy.
The protesters don’t protest in front of Children’s hospitals where thousands of children where children’s lives are saved because of animal studies and researchers. I understand how difficult for people to understand how scientists value ‘their’ animals and are grateful to them for allowing their precious work to continue. But the gain in medicine’s progress comes from scientific animal studies and we all benefit, thanks to their dedication.