NORFOLK, Virginia––Seven years after National Institutes of Health director Francis S. Collins and his predecessor Elias Zerhouni heralded a turn away from animal testing, U.S. laboratories are using more animals than ever before, especially mice and rats, say People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals investigators Justin Goodman, Alka Chandna, and Katherine Roe. Goodman, Chandna, and […]
N.Y. judge starts habeas corpus procedure for two lab chimps
“Show cause” order issued on behalf of Hercules & Leo NEW YORK, N.Y.–– Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Barbara Jaffe late on April 20, 2015 ordered Stony Brook University to show cause why two chimpanzees, Hercules and Leo, should not be released under a writ of habeas corpus from confinement for biomedical research. “Under the law […]
CDC safety scandals & the legacy of former star scientist Charles Rupprecht
“Leadership commitment toward safety has been inconsistent and insufficient at multiple levels” ATLANTA––The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention during the third week of March 2015 quietly posted a highly critical report of itself by an outside panel of biosecurity and safety experts. The CDC at the same time issued a public statement accepting […]
Theo Colborn, 87, identified chemical effects on animal & human health
by Elizabeth Grossman Theo Colborn, 87, died on December 14, 2014. Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, Theodora Emily Decker Colborn was a life-long bird-watcher who began her fascination with the natural world early. I spent several days interviewing her in December 2013 at her home in Paonia, Colorado. As we talked on a sub-zero morning, with huge […]
NIH discontinues funding studies on “random source” dogs
Quit funding random source cat studies in 2012 WASHINGTON D.C.––The National Institutes of Health on October 1, 2014 discontinued funding experiments using dogs obtained from “random sources,” meaning pounds, other animal shelters, and bunchers commonly called “Class B dealers.” The NIH cessation of funding for research “is in response to a 2009 National Academy of […]
China drops animal testing rule for cosmetics, shampoos & perfumes
BEIJING––Effective on June 1, 2014 China will no longer require that cosmetics, shampoos, and perfumes be tested on animals, the China Food & Drug Administration announced on November 5, 2013. Instead of having to submit products to CFDA laboratories for testing, Chinese manufacturers will be allowed to submit the product safety data compiled to demonstrate […]
How Shelter Pets Are Brokered for Experimentation: Understanding Pound Seizure
by Allie Phillips Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc. (4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706), 2010. 220 pages, hardcover. $34.95. Reviewed by Merritt Clifton American Humane Association director of public policy Allie Phillips has in How Shelter Pets Are Brokered for Experimentation written by far the best researched report on pound seizure to appear between book covers […]