Fellow Activists,
Over 70,000 primates (rhesus monkeys, baboons, squirrel monkeys,
chimpanzees, etc.) are experimented on every year in the United States.
Many thousands of primates are also imprisoned in labs for breeding and
conditioning. This brings the total number of primates held captive in
laboratories to almost 120,000.
Many primates
are caged in facilities owned by the federal government. Over 7500 are
imprisoned within the laboratories of the National Institutes of Health.
The Department of Defense incarcerates over 1600. Other federal agencies
also use primates in experimentation including NASA, USDA, FDA, and the
CDC. And animal dealers who sell primates to labs lock away 7000 -
10000. Over 20,000 primates are imported to the U.S. for experimentation
every year.
Many of these
primates experience horrible conditions. Recent government documentation
has revealed primates dying of dehydration, wasting diseases, hepatitis,
encephalitis, and many other severe illnesses.
The
experiments to which these intelligent animals are subjected are
extremely cruel. Many primates are confined to restraint chairs for many
hours. Others suffer through the throes of withdrawal from addictive
drugs. Devices are often literally bolted to the skulls of primates
using steel screws. Infants are ripped away from their mothers and
driven insane. This list of cruelties only scratches the surface.
These
intelligent social animals often suffer terribly from isolation.
Approximately 35% of the animals housed in labs undergo some level of
social isolation. Solitary housing has been shown to cause
psychologically aberrant behavior in primates within laboratories. In
fact, as many as 10% of isolated primates engage in self-injurious
behavior, biting and tearing at their own flesh though recent
information indicates that these numbers may be very low.
Duplication
within the system is rampant, with some experiments being funded dozens
of times simultaneously, wasting tens of millions in federal funding.
Though we
often speak about tens of thousands of animals, we must remember that we
are really speaking about individuals. These are intelligent animals
with needs, desires, and intelligence. However, our laboratories treat
them as though they were little more than furry test tubes. Please read
about the lives of individual animals on our website.
Life in a Box
describes the existence of rhesus monkeys at the University of Michigan.
The Pain of Animal Experimentation
discusses life for primates inside the laboratories of the University of
Minnesota. They Are Only Numbers reveals the violence that primates experience within the laboratories of
the University of California, Davis.
Glimpses
provides an insight into the everyday existence of primates within the
New Iberia lab in Louisiana.
It is crucial that all of us work together to educate the public
about the horrors of primate experimentation. There are several
important steps to be taken to prepare for events in your area.
First, look at the materials on our website (www.saenonline.org)
which will be useful for educating both activists and the public. We
have prepared fact sheets and in-depth reports about primate
experimentation. Please go to the National Primate Liberation Week
home page to get
access to SAEN materials.
Second, pick a target for your event. Primate laboratories are
located within many major cities across the U.S. including:
It is possible to locate
primate laboratories by using the
Facility Reports
and Information section of our website.
Pick the style of event you would like to organize. Protests, vigils,
news conferences, informational tabling, leafleting, etc. are all
worthwhile events. The type of event that you choose is limited only by
your own imagination. Utilize the informational resources on the SAEN
website to help in your planning.
Now go to our
website and fill in the participation
form so that we can support your efforts . We will provide you with
information, press releases, and other technical support that will make
your events more effective.
Remember
one thing: the primates who are suffering in laboratories as you
read this letter are depending on us to work together to fight for their
freedom. We must exercise our rights (free speech, freedom of assembly,
etc.) so that we can fight for the recognition of their rights. They
have no voice but ours. They have no protection, no hope, unless you
act. For every activist that does nothing, more primates suffer and die.
The decision
is yours. You have the choice to do nothing, but your decision has
consequences for the primates. Your inaction condemns primates to
suffering and death. Your hard work can bring their freedom closer.
Where will you be
October 17th – October 24th ?
With Respect for All Life,
Michael A. Budkie, A.H.T.,
Executive Director, SAEN (Stop
Animal Exploitation NOW!)
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