From Ingrid Newkirk -
[email protected]
April 18, 2002 - We are breaking a six-month undercover
investigation today in North Carolina. For more information, please
check out peta.org.
PETA EXPOSES HIDDEN WORLD OF CRUELTY TO "LESSER" LAB
ANIMALS IN JESSE HELMS' HOME STATE
PETA Asks Congress to Vote Against N.C. Senator's Bid to
Exclude Billions From Federal Protection, Based on Findings of UNC-Chapel
Hill Investigation
Raleigh - At a news conference today, People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will reveal the shocking findings of
a six-month undercover investigation into the animal laboratories at the
University of North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill. This week, the U.S.
Congress is set to vote on an amendment to the Farm Bill that, if
passed, would forever exclude birds, mice, and rats from the protection
of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and the oversight of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA). The "back door" amendment was
introduced as a favor to medical research trade groups by North Carolina
Sen. Jesse Helms. Today, every congressional conference committee member
received investigative footage and documentation of egregious animal
suffering, courtesy of PETA.
Date: Thursday, April 18 Time: 11 a.m. Place: Clarion
Hotel State Capital, 320 Hillsborough St., Raleigh
PETA's investigator documented cruel practices that
would be illegal under the AWA if inflicted on any other animals in
labs. Documentation of the following practices, which also violate the
NIH guide for lab animal use, will be presented to NIH by PETA next
week:
* no veterinary care for sick and dying animals
* experimenters lying to conceal sick and dying animals
* cruel, inept, and insufficient killing methods
* live animals who had their necks broken or who were improperly gassed
and thrown out with the dead
* surgeries and other procedures conducted without the required
oversight of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
* severely overcrowded cages, in violation of NIH recommendations
* an ineffectual and uninformed IACUC
PETA's investigator was hired on October 15, 2001, as an
animal care technician in the Thurston Bowles Building at UNC. She
stayed until yesterday, April 17, documenting animal care violations and
the failure of the IACUC to address the problems that she had brought to
their attention in February, March, and April.
"The animals at UNC are treated hideously cruelly, and
in trying to gloss over and perpetuate their suffering, Jesse Helms is
out of line with a nation that is increasingly conscious of humane
issues," said PETA's Director of Research and Investigations Mary Beth
Sweetland. "Rats and mice may not be as attractive as cats and dogs, but
they suffer every bit as much when they have their heads cut off with a
pair of scissors.
The USDA agrees that it must oversee rats, mice, and
birds, and Helms needs to step out of the way and let the federal agency
do just that. "Video footage of the investigation is available and can
be seen at PETA.org.
Go on to
Return to 21 April 2002 Issue
Return to Newsletters
** Fair Use Notice**
This document may contain copyrighted material, use of which has not been
specifically authorized by the copyright owners. I believe that this
not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes a fair use of the
copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law). If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your
own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright
owner.