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Stop Animal Exploitation NOW!
S. A. E. N.
"Exposing the truth to wipe out animal experimentation"

Newsletters
The Defender
From the Summer 2007 Issue

The American Society of Primatologists -- Afraid of Dialogue with Activists

Early in 2007 SAEN staff decided to attempt to open lines of communication with representatives of research facilities on a regular basis.  After several unsuccessful tries to launch discussions with specific labs, we decided to reach out to a larger section of the “scientific” community by attending a professional conference.

The annual conference of the American Society of Primatologists (ASP) was a natural choice.  This conference would have put us in touch with the staff of the largest primate labs in the U.S., and many of  the presentations dealt with potentially useful topics regarding the psychological health of primates in laboratory settings.  Not too long after SAEN sent the forms off, we received a response by email, declining our registration. 

Despite the initial reaction of the ASP, Michael Budkie traveled to North Carolina to attempt in-person dialogue.  As Budkie walked into the convention center which housed the conference and attempted to simply talk to ASP officials, he was met by security.  Later tries at registration met with flat denials by the ASP President.

Although Michael Budkie’s attendance at the ASP conference was prevented by the organization’s hierarchy, we were able to utilize the situation to hold a news conference revealing the realities of primate experimentation to local news media.  The Winston-Salem Journal produced a news story which spread across the state of North Carolina educating millions of people about primate experimentation.

Go on to Wake Forest University and Duke University - NC Animal Abuse
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