ANIMAL ACTION REPORT - National Anti-Vivisection Society · animal action report advancing science...

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ANIMAL ACTION REPORT ADVANCING SCIENCE WITHOUT HARMING ANIMALS A PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL ANTI-VIVISECTION SOCIETY WINTER 2008 www.navs.org From Dream to Reality Long-awaited CHIMP Act Amendment passes Congress! t long last, a “forever” re- tirement for chimpanzees in the federal sanctuary system is now a real- ity, made possible by the pas- sage of the Chimp Haven Is Home Act. An amendment to the CHIMP (Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance and Protection) Act, the Chimp Haven Is Home Act makes the retirement of chimpanzees under the Act permanent. It passed both the U.S. Senate and House without opposition on December 19, 2007, and was signed into law December 26 by President Bush. By providing a way to give chimpanzees no longer deemed necessary for research a safe place to go, the CHIMP Act has been an important step in our ultimate goal to end the use of chimpanzees in research. The passage of this amendment is another huge victory, since it has eliminated language U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery (R-LA) 202-225-2777 U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-LA) 202-225-4031 Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) 202-224-3154 Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) 202-224-5824 Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) 202-224-2152 Senator David Vitter (R-LA) 202-224-4623 that would have permitted chimpanzees who were retired to the federally- designated sanctuary to be returned to research, if it were deemed “neces- sary.” NAVS, which was instrumental in passing the original CHIMP Act, worked diligently towards making the retirement permanent. As another expression of our gratitude to those who have made a commit- ment to helping chimpanzees who have spent most of their lives in a laboratory cage, NAVS has recently made a $10,000 donation to Chimp Haven, a federally- supported sanctuary for chimpanzees formerly used in research located near Shreveport, LA. We are very grateful to Representatives McCrery and Melancon and Sena- tors Burr, Vitter, Landrieu and Durbin for sponsoring this important piece of legislation and giving chimpanzees used for research an opportunity to live out the rest of their lives in peace, with no fear of being returned to the laboratory. We hope you take a few moments to offer them your gratitude as well: After a lifetime in research—as so many of the chimpanzees now living at Chimp Haven have endured—one can only imagine the joy and wonder Susanna (left) and Derma must feel with the simple touch from one of their own. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHIMP HAVEN

Transcript of ANIMAL ACTION REPORT - National Anti-Vivisection Society · animal action report advancing science...

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ANIMAL ACTION REPORT

A D V A N C I N G S C I E N C E W I T H O U T H A R M I N G A N I M A L S

A P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E N A T I O N A L A N T I - V I V I S E C T I O N S O C I E T Y • W I N T E R 2 0 0 8

www.navs.org

From Dream to RealityLong-awaitedCHIMP Act Amendment passes Congress!

t long last, a “forever” re-tirement for chimpanzees

in the federal sanctuary system is now a real-

ity, made possible by the pas-sage of the Chimp Haven Is Home Act. An amendment to the CHIMP (Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance and Protection) Act, the Chimp Haven Is Home Act makes the retirement of chimpanzees under the Act permanent. It passed both the U.S. Senate and House without opposition on December 19, 2007, and was signed into law December 26 by President Bush.

By providing a way to give chimpanzees no longer deemed necessary for research a safe place to go, the CHIMP Act has been an important step in our ultimate goal to end the use of chimpanzees in research. The passage of this amendment is another huge victory, since it has eliminated language

U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery (R-LA) 202-225-2777

U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-LA) 202-225-4031

Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) 202-224-3154

Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) 202-224-5824

Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) 202-224-2152

Senator David Vitter (R-LA) 202-224-4623

that would have permitted chimpanzees who were retired to the federally-designated sanctuary to be returned to research, if it were deemed “neces-sary.” NAVS, which was instrumental in passing the original CHIMP Act, worked diligently towards making the retirement permanent.

As another expression of our gratitude to those who have made a commit-ment to helping chimpanzees who have spent most of their lives in a laboratory cage, NAVS has recently made a $10,000 donation to Chimp Haven, a federally-supported sanctuary for chimpanzees formerly used in research located near Shreveport, LA.

We are very grateful to Representatives McCrery and Melancon and Sena-tors Burr, Vitter, Landrieu and Durbin for sponsoring this important piece of legislation and giving chimpanzees used for research an opportunity to live out the rest of their lives in peace, with no fear of being returned to the laboratory. We hope you take a few moments to offer them your gratitude as well:

After a lifetime in research—as so many of the chimpanzees now living at Chimp Haven have endured—one can only imagine the joy and wonder Susanna (left) and Derma must feel with the simple touch from one of their own.

P H O T O S C O U R T E S Y O F C H I M P H A V E N

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N AT I O N A L H E A D Q U A R T E R S

53 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 1552Chicago, IL 60604Tel: 312-427-6065

800-888-NAVS(800-888-6287)

Fax: 312-427-6524E-mail: [email protected]

Visit us on the web: www.navs.org

The National Anti-Vivisection Society is a na-tional, not-for-profi t organization incorporated in the State of Illinois. A copy of NAVS’ annual fi nancial report is available upon request.

E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R

Peggy Cunniff

D I R E C T O R O F P R O G R A M S A N D C O M M U N I C AT I O N S

Clare Haggarty

D I R E C T O R O F L E G A L / L E G I S L AT I V E P R O G R A M S

Marcia Kramer

M A N A G E R O F F I N A N C I A L

O P E R AT I O N S

Elizabeth Zachara

S E N I O R P R O G R A M A S S O C I AT E

Laura Ell

P R O G R A M A S S O C I AT E

Jamie Aitchison

A D M I N I S T R AT I V E A S S I S TA N T

Michael Foley

S C I E N C E A D V I S O R S

June Bradlaw, Ph.DEugene Elmore, Ph.D

Ray Greek, MDBernard E. Rollin, Ph.D

Sherry Ward, Ph.D

W R I T I N G

Rita Vander Meulen

G R A P H I C D E S I G N

Stacy Sweat Designs

The NAVS Mission

The National Anti-Vivisection Society promotes greater compassion, respect and justice for animals through edu-cational programs based on respected ethical and scientifi c theory and sup-ported by extensive documentation of the cruelty and waste of vivisection. NAVS’ educational programs are directed at increasing public awareness about vivisection, identifying humane solu-tions to human problems, developing alternatives to the use of animals, and working with like-minded individuals to effect changes which help to end the suffering of innocent animals.

© 2008 The National Anti-Vivisection Society. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without prior written permission from the publisher.

The National Anti-Vivisection SocietyAdvancing science without

harming animals

2 N A V S • W I N T E R 2 0 0 8

A N I M A L A C T I O N R E P O R T

A new bill that would give stu-dents the ability to choose not

to participate in dissection without penalty in grades K-12 has just been introduced in Colorado. Vermont and Michigan also have similar leg-islation under consideration.

Student choice is a win-win situa-tion because it ends discrimination against students who don’t want to harm animals while exposing teach-ers to the many innovative alterna-tives to live animals that are available today. And with help from the NAVS’ BioLEAP program, schools, teachers and students can receive free loans of state-of-the-art alternatives, includ-ing models, computer programs, videotapes and DVDs.

What You Can DoThere are still no student choice laws in 41 states, so we need to keep the pressure on. ● Go to www.navs.org and click on the NAVS Advocacy Center to learn more. ● Let your state legislators know that you support student choice in your state. ● For a complete list of states that already have student choice laws or policies, go to www.navs.org and click on Animals in Education; Dis-section in the Classroom. ● If your state doesn’t have a law, go to www.AnimalLaw.com and click on Model Laws to find an example to present to your legislator.

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UP FRONTWITH NAVS

Color yourworld with…the new AnimalAction Report!

NAVS is proud to introduce our newly designed newsletter,

printed for the first time in full color! As a result of advancements in digital printing technology, we can now bring you a full-color edition of the Animal Action Report for a fraction of what it would have cost years ago. In fact, moving to full color from our previous format adds less than 2 cents per piece to the cost!

That’s an incredibly small price to pay for the benefits of creating a news-letter in full color. In a world saturated with images from magazines, TV and the Internet, color will really help us stand out from the clutter. What’s more, the sophisticated, contem-porary image this design conveys will also help us continue to attract a younger, more media-savvy gen-eration, while also communicating a professional, polished image to the scientific and legal community.

Your generous support helps us reach out with our message of com-passion in ways that get results and we thank you for your commitment to our mission to save animals.

No more cardio dog labs

Case Western Reserve School of Medicine has become the last

medical school to end the practice of operating on dogs to training students in cardiology, replacing live animals with technologically advanced meth-ods, such as echocardiograms. This decision now ends the use of dogs for this purpose in all 126 medical schools in the United States. NAVS applauds this long-overdue policy change.

N E W S I T E M S A B O U T A N I M A L A D V O C A C Y

Three states now consideringstudent choice legislation

A N I M A L S A N D E D U C AT I O N

Michigan Vermont Colorado

California

Florida

Illinois

New Jersey

New York

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Virginia

Student Choice Laws in place Student Choice Policies in place

Pending Student Choice Legislation

Maine Maryland Louisiana

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W I N T E R 2 0 0 8 • N A V S 3

A N I M A L A C T I O N R E P O R T

Do you havea Passion forCompassion? A Heart for Art?Express yourself! Enter the Art

for Animals Classic today.

Use your talents to express respect and compassion for animals by

entering the National Anti-Vivisec-tion Society’s 19th Annual Art for Animals Classic.

Besides providing a great outlet for your artistic abilities, the NAVS Art for Animals Classic also helps animals. This is an opportunity to give a cre-ative and compelling voice to those who suffer silently in the name of science and send a message about your compassion for animals.

Your work of art may be chosen to illustrate a NAVS publication, poster, stationery, or other media to touch hearts. Of course, no competition would be complete without awards! NAVS recognizes 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in three age categories as well as Best in Show— all of whom are awarded cash prizes.

So if you’re an artist, photographer, painter, graphic artist, poet, musi-cian, filmmaker, or just want to show you care about animals, start creating with compassion! The deadline for submissions is May 2, 2008.

Entry forms are available on our website, www.navs.org or call us at 800-888-NAVS (800-888-6287).

And teachers, professors, instruc-tors, and store owners: the Art for Animals Classic makes a great class project!

Thank you for all you do on behalf of animals!

Go to www.navs.org to find out about companies and products that do not use animal testing. You can also order the book, Personal Care for People Who Care from the NAVS web site.

t fi d t b t i d d t th t d t

We’re powering up Personal CareNew enhancementsof our on-line version make it even more convenient to use

We’re pleased to announce that a new enhanced version of

the company/product lookup of our on-line version of Personal Care for People Who Care directory is now up and running. In addition to allow-ing you to search by company and product, a new search function lets

you look for products in a general product category.

Now you can find a whole list of cruelty-free products in a particular category with just a couple of mouse-clicks. For example, let’s say you’ve discovered that the shampoo you currently use is tested on animals, and you want to find a shampoo that is not. Simply go to www.navs.org and click on the Who Tests On Animals? icon. Then click on Search By Product Category, click on Hair Care and find a shampoo!

We know you’re going to love this new feature—it’s yet another way we’ve made cruelty-free shopping easier and more convenient.

A N I M A L S A N D P R O D U C T T E S T I N G

Your wish is our commandJust ask us to research a company—and we do the rest

Are you wondering if a particular company you’ve come across is a tester or cruelty-free? Let us find out for you—and your fellow animal

advocates who would also appreciate the information. Simply call, write or e-mail us (at [email protected]) with the name of the company, and we’ll send them a questionnaire. Go to the NAVS website and sign up to receive timely updates.

Right now, we have three updates for you: The Natural Dentist, does not animal-test but cannot confirm that their

suppliers do not.In response to requests for more information on Clientele and B. Kamins,

neither company responded after NAVS’ repeated attempts to contact them.

I L L U S T R A T I O N B Y R O S E J O H N S O N

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4 N A V S • W I N T E R 2 0 0 8

BY CHRISTOPHER GREEN It is obvious to anyone who has

felt the extraordinary bond we share with companion animals that their value extends far beyond the mere price we paid for them. Yet, while we have made many strides in gaining legal protection for our beloved pets, one area where the

law lags behind is in determining a value for their loss when they are seriously injured or killed.

Indeed, while 43 out of 50 states prosecute companion animal cruelty as a felony, with abusers facing fines of tens of thousands of dollars and prison sentences of up to ten years, those same states hold that even if your pet is deliberately killed, you only can recover the cost of replac-ing your pet with another animal. Ironically, while someone who in-tentionally killed your pet could be criminally prosecuted for cruelty and fined up to $50,000, as a victim you still would receive virtually nothing for your loss in a civil court of law.

Clearly, this is a case where the law is not reflecting current societal attitudes, as shown in a January 2008 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) report that in-dicated 97.9% of pet owners describe their animals as “family members” or “companions,” with only 2.1% considering them to be property. Similarly, a recent Pew study deter-mined that more people say they “feel close to” their dog than they do either parent—with cats com-ing in third behind moms. These findings underscore the reality that to many people, pets aren’t merely just like family—they are family.

The value of the emotional bond we share with companion animals is reflected in the enormous amounts we spend each day to maintain and prolong these relationships. In 2006,

consumers in this country spent $24.5 billion on veterinary care alone—generating more revenue than for the entire U.S. recording and film in-dustries combined! This substantial contribution to the national economy increases exponentially every year, with veterinary spending more than doubling in the last decade. In 2007, Americans were predicted to spend a total of $41 billion caring for their pets. That’s more money than the Gross Domestic Products of 2/3 of all other nations on earth.

Given that the emotional bond be-tween humans and companion ani-mals is woven tightly into the fabric of our society and is a powerful engine of our economy, one has to wonder why the law treats that bond as if it does not exist. The answer lies in the fact that our legal system is divided into two distinct realms—criminal law and civil law—each guided by different entities and processes.

Criminal law—which involves the state versus an animal abuser—is governed by statutes created by legislatures. Because legislatures are made up of people who need to get re-elected every few years,

A N I M A L S A N D T H E L A W

Putting the“Fair” in “FairMarket Value”

they tend to be more responsive to changes in societal attitudes and demands. This is one reason why in 1993 there were only seven states that prosecuted companion animal cruelty as a felony and 15 years later, there are only seven states that don’t.

Civil law—which involves a human victim versus an animal abuser—evolves primarily through the courts, which are guided by case law, also known as judicial precedent. This means that if an equal or higher court has already analyzed and decided upon a particular issue, the presump-tion is that the current judge should defer to that earlier decision. While this prevents judges from reinventing the wheel each time they hear a case, the problem is that sometimes the civil law can only catch up to prevail-ing social attitudes when individual judges are willing to go out on a limb and rule against existing precedent—which doesn’t happen very often.

In the case of the valuation of pets, what has happened is that one judge after another has deferred to earlier decisions that are often rooted in a bygone era whose val-ues, policies and scientific knowl-edge are outdated or irrelevant.

In fact, three state appellate courts recently relied on decisions from the late 1800s—more than 100 years ago—to deny compensation to pet owners beyond their deceased animals’ market value. When one considers that the late 1800s was a time when our country had only just outlawed keeping other human beings as slaves, and women would not be allowed to vote for several more decades, it seems absurd that we would be drawing on that era’s judicial wisdom to determine the value of current social relationships.

As with both slavery and women’s suffrage, though, whenever courts and precedent lag too far behind prevailing social standards, legisla-tures have the ability to step in and update the civil law that judges must apply. Yet whenever such legislative forays have been made regarding the value of companion animals beyond their economic worth, they have been met with vehement op-position by veterinarians and the veterinary lobby. This is because compensating consumers for the loss

Christopher Green is an attorney and author of The Future of Veterinary Malpractice Liability in the Care of Companion Animals (10 Animal L. 163 (2004)). Chris also serves as a Vice-Chair of the American Bar Association Animal Law Committee and is on the Board of Advisors for the National Center for Animal Law.

The time has come for the law to recognize companion animals beyond their replacement value

of pet owners describe their animals as “family

members” or “companions”

97.9%

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W I N T E R 2 0 0 8 • N A V S 5

of an animal’s companionship when someone kills a pet intentionally would lead to compensating them when a veterinarian causes the death of a pet by committing malpractice.

Given that U.S. pet owners make over 200,000,000 visits to the vet-erinarian each year, the AVMA has vowed to staunchly oppose all non-economic damages and keep its members from being held fully ac-countable for their mistakes, as are other medical professionals.

How ironic that the main group leading the charge against compen-sating pet owners for the loss of their animal is not only the one responsible for our pets’ well-being, but is also profiting handsomely from it—com-panion animal veterinarians’ annual salaries have doubled in the last 10 years to $107,071. Even more disturb-ing is the fact that the veterinary in-dustry itself clearly acknowledges that this huge hike in revenue is directly

driven by the non-economic emo-tional attachment between Ameri-cans and their companion animals.

An article in the January 2008 issue of the Journal of the AVMA carried the title: “Human-Animal Bond Boosts Spending on Veterinary Care.” A few months earlier, the magazine of the American Animal Hospital Association declared: “Ev-ery scientifically conducted survey of pet owners since 1995 confirms the vast majority of pet owners con-sider their pets as members of the family and they are willing to spend the money to keep them healthy.”

Realizing that this position of pub-licly lauding the economic value of the human-animal bond at the cash register and then trying to pretend it doesn’t exist in the courtroom appears duplicitous, the veterinary lobby has now begun to float the idea that expanding the definition of “market value” for pets “will lead

to worse care, not better care, for pets.” They assert that their mal-practice insurance rates would rise to the point that it would have a material impact on the price of veterinary care. This, they claim, would lead to “significantly limit-ing access to affordable pet health care,” and possibly even “driving out practitioners,” according to posi-tion papers on the AVMA’s website.

Yet nowhere does the AVMA offer any factual evidence to support these blank assertions. Instead, they resort to floating fear-based analogies to human malpractice liability (which aren’t relevant because AVMA has a self-insurance pool), or flatly in-sisting that “Common sense tells us that higher liability insurance rates and…what certainly will be a huge increase in lawsuits will re-sult in a significant increase in the cost of providing veterinary care.”

History, however, does not sup-port this conclusion. Florida and other states have allowed non-economic damages against veteri-narians for 44 years, and according to AVMA insurance representa-tives, these states have not seen any increase in either the proportion of lawsuits or in malpractice in-surance rates compared to states that do not allow such damages.

There are some other revealing numbers. In 2008, the majority of companion animal veterinarians pay only $191 for their malpractice insurance. When one divides this insurance cost among the average number of clients per veterinarian, it becomes evident that each pet-owning household currently pays only 11¢ per year for their share of veterinary malpractice cover-age ($191 annual premium ÷ 1755 clients per veterinarian = 11¢ per client). Even the maximum amount of coverage costs only $246, which

still comes out to only 14¢ per client. Notably, this level of malpractice insurance costs only $4 more than it did in 1989; adjusted for infla-tion, veterinarians are actually pay-ing 39% less for these malpractice policies than they were 19 years ago!

Furthermore, in 2004, the Califor-nia Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and ABD Insurance, the nation’s second largest veterinary in-surer, conducted an actuarial study on non-economic damages and their potential costs. Their conclu-sions, published in DVM Magazine, demonstrated that allowing up to $25,000 in compensation for the intentional or negligent killing of a companion animal would result in pet veterinarians’ liability insurance roughly doubling to $400 per year—a meager 23¢ per pet-owning house-hold and an increase of only 12¢ per year over current household veteri-nary costs. These miniscule amounts severely undercut AVMA claims that loss of companionship damages will lead to worse care for pets or drive veterinarians out of practice.

Even if the CVMA and ABD’s actu-arial experts with all the relevant data are wrong, however, and veterinary malpractice insurance truly skyrock-eted to 100 times its current level, that total premium still would come out to an annual cost increase of only $14 per pet owning household—a mere 4% of the $356 dog owners pay on average at the vet each year. Thus, even in this worst-case scenario, which is not supported by actual cost estimates, there is no evidence that allowing non-economic dam-ages would have any appreciable impact on either the affordabil-ity or availability of veterinary care.

Increasing the valuation of pets will not only provide an additional deter-rent against abhorrent acts of cruelty, but also improve the quality of veteri-nary care by reducing the number of unnecessary abuses in the industry.

It is time for state legislatures to act on the conviction of the Ameri-can public that pets are a valuable part of our society and for the vet-erinary community to acknowl-edge that their profession thrives because of that value and accept the responsibility that goes with their success.

There isno evidence

that allowing non-economic damages would have any

appreciable impact on either the affordability or

availability of veterinary care.

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6 N A V S • W I N T E R 2 0 0 8

The 6th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences, held in Tokyo in August 2007, was especially

noteworthy for the extraordinarily high quality of the science presented there, reported attendee Dr. Eugene Elmore, Ph.D., and member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the International Foundation for Ethical Research (IFER).

Attended by over 1,000 scien-tists and regulators from numerous countries, the Congress focused on the recent progress in advancing the 3Rs: reduction, refinement and replacement of animal use in re-search. Dr. Elmore noted that many presentations used state-of-the-art human cell culture models, including tissue-like, 3D models for predicting organ-specific toxicity. In addition, cell culture models developed from non-embryonic human stem cells were shown to be useful in identifying agents that are toxic to the nervous system.

While it’s clear from the content of the World Congress that there

A N I M A L S A N D S C I E N C E

International meeting highlights progressas well as the challenges ahead

has been impressive progress in the development and validation of alter-native methods, Dr. Elmore cautions that additional scientific and regula-tory advancements will be necessary to see more dramatic reduction and replacement of animals in testing in the near future.

The recent progress that we have seen in the U.S. has been driven in part by the European regulatory mandates to replace animal testing on cosmetic products. Thanks in large part to strong financial support (which now exceeds 140 million

euros), the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) has validated 21 in vitro alternative methods, and ten of them have been accepted by the European regulatory agencies. Not unexpect-edly, the rapidly approaching date in which the mandates go into effect has fueled this substantial progress, as well as the willingness of regula-tory agencies to accept the validated systems.

Unfortunately, without a similar mandate, the U.S. is lagging behind—even though the Interagency Coordi-nating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) and the National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation

of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM) have made progress towards reducing the number of animals needed for acute toxicity testing, eye and skin irritation, and in identifying environmental estro-genic agents.

With the lives of millions of ani-mals at stake, the development and validation of alternative methods should be a top priority, not only because it would eliminate so much unnecessary suffering, but because it is better science. In fact, a recent report by the National Research Council entitled “Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy,” which outlines a new ap-proach that would rely less heavily on

We are pleased to announce that Rodger Curren, Ph.D, (left) president and co-founder of the Institute for In Vitro Sciences (Gaithersburg, MD) and Scientific Advisor to the International Foundation for Ethical Research (IFER), has won the prestigious 2007 Russell and Burch Award. The Award recognizes scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of alternative methods in the areas of biomedical research, testing or higher education.

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W I N T E R 2 0 0 8 • N A V S 7

Viva in vitro!

Why in vitro methods are key to eliminating animal use in the laboratory

In our continuing effort to end the use of animals in science, we talk a lot about the power of in vitro

biology. What do we mean by in vitro and why is it so important to our mission? Let’s take a look.

In vitro means literally “in glass” and it is the science of studying cells maintained outside of the whole body in a medium, or “culture.” This culture provides the cells with all the requirements for growth.

The study of cell cultures enables scientists to address many scientific and medical questions without the complication of the whole organism, whether it is animal, insect or plant. For example, the changes in the cell can be measured directly. Addition-ally, large numbers of replicate cul-tures can be produced from a single tissue so that many experiments can be performed. Cell and tissue cultures also enable scientists to study human cells directly.

Tissue culture methods reduce the reliance on whole animals in research and testing in many ways. For example, in the process of manu-facturing medical devices (blood bags, syringes, catheters, etc.), each lot of product must be tested for its potential to irritate tissue. In the past, rabbit muscle was used. But in the 1980s, cell culture tests were developed and are now the standard test, resulting in rabbit lives being saved—and far better protection

for the public. Here’s another example. The Na-

tional Cancer Institute has developed a tissue culture-based screening program for anti-cancer agents using 60 human tumor cell types. This program allows new agents to be tested directly against human tumors, sparing untold numbers of animals. In vitro methods have also been used to replace the Draize eye and skin irritancy tests.

Because of the power and poten-tial of in vitro methods to advance science while saving animal lives, NAVS and the International Founda-tion for Ethical Research (IFER) are proud to be strong supporters of the Society for In Vitro Biology (SIVB) and its annual scientific meeting. Our support—made possible by the generosity of our members and donors—enables SIVB to bring the latest advances to its membership. SIVB scientific meetings are also an effective way to introduce newly minted scientists (graduate and undergraduate students) to this methodology and help them seek out mentoring opportunities with more senior scientists. And finally, SIVB has an educational outreach program to attract teachers who want to understand and use tissue culture techniques in their classrooms.

Dr. John Harbell, chairman of the SIVB annual meeting, stated in a report to NAVS: “…for the SIVB, cell, tissue and organ culture methods are not seen as a compromise (in place of whole animals) but rather the method of choice to address the science.”

animal studies, declared that:Toxicity testing is poised to take

advantage of the revolutions in biol-ogy and biotechnology. Advances in toxicogenomics, bioinformatics, systems biology, epigenetics and computational toxicology could trans-form toxicity testing from a system based on whole-animal testing to one founded primarily on in vitro methods that evaluate changes in biologic processes using cells, cell lines, or cellular components, preferably of human origin.

With such tremendous progress on the technological side, we at NAVS

agree with Tom Hartung, Ph.D, and head of ECVAM, when he presented a strong case for international coop-eration in the establishment of an international validation program with participation from many coun-tries. This would eliminate the need to validate each test for individual countries.

There is an urgent need for us all to work together on a global level to push for better science, better coordi-nation in the international scientific community, and ultimately, a better life for all the animals who should be spared from suffering.

ILL

US

TR

AT

ION

BY

ST

AC

Y S

WE

AT

Photo of melanoma cells courtesy of Dr. Eugene Elmore.

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A N I M A L A C T I O N R E P O R T

8 N A V S • W I N T E R 2 0 0 8

• S

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NC T U A R Y F U

ND

From Horrorto HopeMore animals rescued because of you!

A hearty “paws up” to our generous donors

for making it possible for us to award five

more NAVS Sanctuary Fund grants since our last

issue of the Animal Action Report. We hope these

heartwarming stories inspire you to make a do-

nation to the NAVS Sanctuary Fund. We receive

so many applications that it’s hard to keep up

with the demand. With your help, we will con-

tinue to provide immediate financial assistance

to rescue animals in distress due to natural or

human-made disasters.

To donate to the NAVS Sanctuary Fund:

● Return the form on page 11

● Visit www.navs.org

● Call 800-888-NAVS (800-888-6287)

100% of your donationgoes directly into the Fund!

No More Horsing AroundA NAVS Sanctuary Fund grant has enabled Equine Advocates in Chatham, NY to purchase a three-horse mobile barn to house abused animals that they recently rescued. Once these horses are ready for adoption, the mo-bile barn will be used to house rescued mares from the PMU (Pregnant Mares’ Urine) industry. Equine Advocates rescues, protects and prevents the abuse of horses through education, investigation, rescue operations, and the dissemination of information to the public.

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W I N T E R 2 0 0 8 • N A V S 9

A N I M A L A C T I O N R E P O R T

• S

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NC T U A R Y F U

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The Purr-fect MedicineCedarhill Animal Sanctuary in Caledonia, MS, which rescues, reha-bilitates and provides a home for abused exotic and domestic cats and other creatures, recently received two NAVS Sanctuary fund grants. The first one provided funds to assist with the medical care of horses that had been rescued from an extremely abusive situation. Then, two days after Christmas, a fire destroyed the building that housed medical supplies and senior domestic cats (sadly, 48 perished). Another grant helped Cedarhill replace medication and begin construction on a new shelter for the surviving cats.

Things Are Really Hopping NowWild Rescue, Inc. serves the North Texas community through both do-mestic rabbit and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. The organization also maintains Rabbit’s Rest Sanctuary, which houses rabbits awaiting adoption or needing a permanent safe place to live. When flooding damaged the grounds, food and shelters, a NAVS Sanctuary Fund grant enabled Wild Rescue to replace a welded wire chain link fence to protect the rabbits from the elements and marauding wild animals.

The Heat Is OnWest Hancock Canine Rescue is an all-volunteer organization located on the banks of the Mississippi River in the small community of Hamilton, IL. The local shelter from which West Hancock volunteers transport stray and surrendered animals to homes and rescue groups in large metropolitan areas is rather dilapidated. A NAVS Sanctuary Fund grant was used for the winterization of the shelter, so that the animals could be warm and comfortable while waiting for their new home.

This Monkey Business We LikeJungle Friends Primate Sanctuary, located in Gainesville, FL, rescues and offers a permanent, safe haven for monkeys who have been abused, confiscated by authorities, retired from research, or who are ex-pets. A NAVS Sanctuary Fund grant helped Jungle Friends build a shelter for nine monkeys retired from research who were originally scheduled to arrive in spring but were sent earlier than expected.

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10 N A V S • W I N T E R 2 0 0 8

A N I M A L A C T I O N R E P O R T

STATE C

HA

RITA

BLE R

EGISTR

ATIO

NS: Th

e add

ress and

teleph

on

e nu

mb

er of th

e Natio

nal A

nti-V

ivisection

Society m

ay be

fou

nd

on

pag

e 2. You

may o

btain

a cop

y of N

AV

S’ ann

ual fi n

ancial rep

ort b

y writin

g to

us. In

add

ition

, residen

ts of th

e

follo

win

g states can

receive cop

ies as follo

ws. In

Arizo

na: A

cop

y of th

e offi cial reg

istration

may b

e ob

tained

from

the Secretary

of State, State o

f Arizo

na, State C

apito

l, 1700 West W

ashin

gto

n 7th

Floo

r, Pho

enix, A

Z 85007-2808 or b

y calling

toll-free

800-458-5842. In C

aliforn

ia: A co

py o

f the o

ffi cial fi nan

cial statemen

t may b

e ob

tained

from

the A

ttorn

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of C

haritab

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epartm

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f Justice, P.O

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x 903447, Sacramen

to, C

A 94203-4470 o

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Los

An

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form

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card o

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ith Lo

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ission

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TOLLFR

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IN TH

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Kan

sas: Kan

sas registratio

n n

um

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fi nan

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fi le with

the K

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d resid

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the Secretary o

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Offi ce, State H

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nap

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the ch

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Mich

igan

: The ch

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registratio

n n

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is available u

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New

Jersey: INFO

RM

ATIO

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WITH

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In N

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on

requ

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nu

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from

the ch

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a self-add

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dress o

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f Ch

arities Reg

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, Dep

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12231. In N

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nsylvan

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n an

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from

the Pen

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ox 1163, R

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VA

23209 or b

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804-786-1343. In W

ashin

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n: Fin

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form

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is available fro

m th

e Secretary of State, State o

f

Wash

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, Olym

pia, W

A 98504-9000. In

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irgin

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ay ob

tain a su

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n an

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do

cum

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apito

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25305. In W

iscon

sin A

cop

y of th

e charity’s fi n

ancial

statemen

t disclo

sing

assets, liabilities, fu

nd

balan

ces, revenu

e, and

expen

ses for th

e preced

ing

fi scal year will b

e pro

vided

up

on

requ

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riting

to th

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EGISTR

ATIO

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PLY EN

DO

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PPRO

VA

L, OR

REC

OM

MEN

DA

TION

BY

THE STA

TE.

For more information about NAVS membership, call us at

800.888.NAVS (800.888.6287) or visit us at www.navs.org

All donations are tax deductible.

LifePartner

$1,000

LifeBenefactor

$500

LifeSponsor

$100

IndividualMembership

$40

SeniorMembership

$15

StudentMembership

$15

Get in on the actionJoin NAVS and become a more effective and well-informed animal advocate! There’s more than one way to get in on

the action for animals—besides reading the Animal Action Report, that is. When you join the National Anti-Vivisection Society, you’ll be helping to support our educational and

advocacy programs that spare animals from suffering. Plus, you’ll enjoy valuable membership benefi ts, including:

● A FREE copy ($15.00 value) of Personal Care for People Who Care, our 200-page book that shows you how to shop

cruelty free through listings of cosmetics, householdand companion animal products that are and

are not tested on animals.

● A FREE year’s subscription to the Animal Action Report, the offi cial newsletter of NAVS. Each issue keeps you

informed about what NAVS is doing to save animals from pain and suffering… and what you can do to help.

● A FREE copy of A New Perspective, our specialpublication that discusses how the law relates to the

treatment of animals in our society today…and how it can be used to gain justice for animals.

● Periodic Legislative Alerts to let you know about urgent situations and what you can do to help relieve

animal suffering.

You can save animals throughout your life…and beyond

Create yourown legacyof compassion throughplannedgiving

Have you reached a point in your life, as we all do, when you’ve started think-

ing about how you will be remembered through the generations? Then you’ll

want to explore the personal rewards of planned charitable giving, through

which you can support those organizations, like NAVS, that are uniquely

qualified to carry on your own life’s mission even after you’re gone.

If you think planned giving may be for you, we recommend discussing the

matter with an estate planning professional. In the meantime, our brochure,

“The Legacy of Compassion,” offers an easy-to-read introduction to the topic.

Simply call us today at 800-888-NAVS (800-888-6287) for your free copy or

download it from our website.

Join NAVS today!

P H O T O G R A P H Y C R E D I T S : C E D A R H I L L A N I M A L S A N C T U A R Y , C H I M P H A V E N ,

E Q U I N E A D V O C A T E S , W L D R E S C U E I N C . J U N G L E F R I E N D S P R I M A T E S S A N C T U A R Y ,

W E S T H A N C O C K C A N I N E R E S C U E , I S T O C K P H O T O . C O M , D R E A M S T I M E . C O M ,

B I G S T O C K P H O T O . C O M

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W I N T E R 2 0 0 8 • N A V S 11

A N I M A L A C T I O N R E P O R T

Check one:

Here is my gift in support of the NAVS

Sanctuary Fund.Enclosed is

$

I want to help NAVS spread the message of compassion through

advertising. Please accept my donation to Project Reach Out

for Animals. Enclosed is

$

Please send me copies of Personal Care for

People Who Carefor $15.00 each.

Please support our work to save more animals

Here is my gift to sponsor NAVS’ educational and

advocacy programs.Enclosed is

$

SUPPORTNAVS PROGRAMS

SUPPORT NAVSSANCTUARY FUND

HELP US ADVERTISE BUY THECONSUMER BOOK

● Name

● Address

● City, State, Zip

● Phone

● E-mail ● Kindly make check

payable to NAVS and return

it in the envelope provided.

● Or mail to: NAVS

3071 Paysphere Circle

Chicago, IL 60674-0030

● Charge to Credit card #

● Type of payment Check Credit Card

Master Card VISA AmEx Discover Card Exp. Date(CIRCLE ONE)

NAPRANAS10NAD10 NAP13

Why wait for your postal carrier to deliver your next issue of the

Animal Action Report when you can read it on-line as soon as it’s

available? It’s faster, more convenient and helps us cut down on mail-

ing and printing costs too, which leaves more money for our other

vital programs.

Simply check the box on the donor form above and provide your

e-mail address, so that we can send you an “e-blast” notifying you

that the next issue of the Animal Action Report is available. You can

also give us your e-mail address by registering on our website, www.

navs.org.

So go ahead and bail out on snail mail. Register on our website to-

day, or if you’re already registered, simply update your profile. You’ll

be helping animals, the environment, NAVS and our programs and

yourself—all at the same time!

Go on-line for the Animal Action Report and de-clutter your mailbox!

I want the online newsletter only. Please stop sending the print version.

Want to go paperless?

Use this form for your donation or visit www.navs.org

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Non-profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDNational

Anti-VivisectionSociety

12 N A V S • W I N T E R 2 0 0 8

National Anti-Vivisection Society53 W. Jackson Blvd. Suite 1552Chicago, IL 60604

HERE IS YOUR NEWLY DESIGNED, FULL-COLOR ISSUE OF THE ANIMAL ACTION REPORT

Help us spread the message of compassion through Project Reach Out for Animals.

We can create ads in many sizes and formats

If you like the ads (shown right) that we’ve already created, you can help

us make sure that more people see them through Project Reach Out for Animals. Through this unique program, we “pool” together your donations so that we can purchase advertising space.

Because positive, lasting change for animals will come directly on the heels of awareness, we need to put the message about the cruelty and waste of animal experimentation in front of as many people as we can, as many times as we can. Your support of Project Reach Out for Animals will help us do it.

If you’d like to earmark funds for Project Reach Out for Animals, simply return the enclosed form or visit www.navs.org. If you’d like to work directly with our advertising specialist to sponsor an ad in your local newspaper or magazine, please call us at 800-888-NAVS (800-888-6287).

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