We stand at the end of AR2011.  WE have heard dozens of panels and speeches.  And now, I have been asked to speak about new directions in the fight against animal experimentation.  But first we must all see where we stand. 

I have no comfort to offer you, little in the way of good news.  Animal experimentation is increasing.  Some estimates put the annual total for the U.S. only at 100 million animals per year.  The use of non-human primates has reached an all time high, over 124,000 imprisoned and abused, and every indication that we see makes me believe that this death toll will continue to increase.

Are conditions any more humane in the labs, as if prisons designed with the purpose of taking animals lives could ever be humane? 

University of Louisiana - three decomposed primates

Princeton cited for depriving primates of water

University of Rochester researcher cited for depriving primates of food, purposely starving them because they wouldn’t cooperate.

Exemplar Genetics – 39 pigs die in overheated truck

Santa Cruz Biotech – goat develops tumor size of a baseball & pages of violations of the AWA  at one point 62 sick animals

Southern Research left two ferrets to die of heat stroke and a primate died with his head stuck in a cage

Over 76,000 used in painful experiments without anesthesia

Lovelace killed one primate by negligently allowing him to suffocate, later killed one dog by bleeding to death and another in an illegal surgery and is now exterminating 300 primates, to be followed by an entire beagle colony, simply because they didn’t want to pay for food and water.

Our inhumanity to other species continues to expand at a rate that shocks even the most experienced activists.

So, where do we go?  What do we do about this non-stop symphony of misery?  How do we fight this avalanche of agony?  How do we stop a tidal wave of pain?  We must shout it down.  Scream the pain of the animals from the very rooftops.  Use the news media, the internet and every resource at our disposal to take the horrifying truth public.

The first thing that we must do is to make certain that the public knows that these horrors take place.  We cannot allow the truth to remain hidden on some government database.  For every vivisector who deprives animals of food or water, for every one who uses electric shock, for every primate researcher that uses restraint chairs, we must say to them, you will not be allowed to hide.  The facts of what you do will no longer remain hidden inside the laboratory walls.  Whatever these researchers do, they had better be comfortable with the entire world knowing about it because they will no longer be allowed to hide.  I will personally guarantee you that if animals are abused inside laboratories we will be there to expose it.  And to you researchers, I have only one thing to say – YOU CANNOT HIDE!

We must reveal the whole truth to the public, for then animal experimentation will be seen for what it really is: An exercise in greed.  There are no scientists here, only a herd of money grubbing imbeciles preying on the American taxpayer.  Where do we see science?  Are individuals who can’t make sure monkeys are fed capable of doing science?  Are researchers who can’t even follow the protocols that they have themselves written capable of gaining knowledge?  Would you trust a drug tested in a lab that didn’t realize three primates were missing until their decomposed bodies had been found?  Would you place your health in the hands of a lab that allows a goat to develop a tumor the size of a baseball?  If these places of “higher learning” can’t even make sure that the animals are fed, watered, and haven’t been misplaced, why should we believe that they are capable of anything that even roughly resembles science?  

We must take the truth to the public as we have never done before. Take the evil, maligned being that is animal research, grab it by the hair, and hold it up so that the people of this nation are forced to see the horrible truth, to know what they are paying for, to understand the agony that they support.  Show every man, woman, and child the ugly face of vivisection until the see, with you and I, that there is only one choice, there is only one option, VIVISECTION MUST END!

We must establish a network of activists across the United States to allow us to instantly mobilize whenever and where ever we find abuses inside the labs.  For every single violation of federal law that occurs, research facilities must, MUST be FORCED to pay in the court of public opinion.  We must demonstrate in no uncertain terms, that the true terrorists work INSIDE the labs. 

WE have proven that this is possible.  In the last year we have put the cruelty and negligence of the animal research issue on over hundreds of thousands of internet news websites.  Whether you were in New  Jersey, New York or Utah, or Tennessee, or Alabama, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Louisiana, Michigan, Iowa, California, Florida or Massachusetts, you read about a lab in your state that broke the law.  And it wasn’t the USDA that revealed the truth.  It was activists in this room today.

The status quo has changed, the labs are no longer primarily afraid of slaps on the wrist from the USDA.  Instead they fear our press releases, our protests, and our news conferences which expose their infamy – for when we come armed with the truth, we cannot be stopped.  And lo and behold, now that we are pressuring the labs and the USDA, this recalcitrant government agency may be starting to do their job.  More official warnings are issued.  Meaningful fines are being levied.  All of this takes place because they know that you & I are looking over their shoulder.

And we will not stop.  We will not be silenced.  If they shut down one protest, we will plan 5 more.  If they arrest two activists 20 will take their places.  We will not be stifled.  We will not be silenced.  We will not go away.  WE are a fact of life.  Get used to it.  We aren’t leaving until all the labs are closed.

I would like to close with a small message for those of you in the audience that are here from the medical research establishment. 

Every time you make a mistake, we will be there.

Every incident of negligence, we WILL be there.

For every single animal that you drive insane, for every dog, cat, monkey, rabbit, rat, mouse or hamster that you cause to suffer, WE WILL BE THERE!

You can stop worrying about the USDA, no more concerns for AAALAC, NOW, NOW!!!!! you have US to deal with!

We welcome your comments and questions