TESTS ON MONKEYS HAVE 'LITTLE MEDICAL BENEFIT'
Hundreds of scientific experiments are carried out on monkeys every
year with little or no direct medical benefit for humans, a review
has found.
The review leader Sir Patrick Bateson, president of the Zoological
Society of London, found that 9% resulted in no scientific or medical
benefit and that a majority of the 3000 experiments on monkeys from
1996 to 2006 did not have a significant medical impact.
Sir Patrick said:" Work on non-human primates should not continue
if no effort has been made to demonstrate plausibly the potential
medical and social benefits." Telegraph:
American Airlines Stops Transporting Monkeys For Research
July 15, 2011
American Airlines has joined the growing number of airlines that
will not ship a primate headed for a research lab.
The British Union
for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) announced that American
Airlines revised its policy regarding the transportation of monkeys
as a direct result of a discussion the organization had with them.
Michelle Thew, BUAV’s Chief Executive said in a press release,
“We welcome the action taken by American Airlines to clarify
its policy on this important issue. The shipment of monkeys for
research is a subject that raises strong public concern. We call
on remaining airlines to end their involvement in this cruel trade.”
The BUAV website says:
“Every year tens of thousands of primates are transported
by air around the world for the international research industry.
These monkeys originate from countries such as Mauritius, China,
Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Indonesia, Tanzania and
Barbados. Some are trapped in the wild while others are bred in
captivity usually in large-scale facilities. They are ripped from
their family groups, packed into small wooden crates and travel
as cargo, predominantly on passenger air flights, on extremely long
journeys to research laboratories around the world.”
Air & Business Travel News reported that American Airlines
joins a long list of major airlines that refuse to transport monkeys
for research including: British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin
Atlantic, Quantas Airways, Delta Airlines and China Airlines.
For a complete list of airlines that will not ship primates for
research, click
here.
American Airlines new policy regarding primates states:
“For shipments of primates, the shipper must provide, in writing
and on letterhead, that the animal was born in captivity on a special
farm or the primate is being shipped to or from a zoological garden,
sanctuary, preserve, rehabilitation center, medical agency or government
wildlife agency. Shipments of primates must stay online within American
Airlines system.”
Note: AA Cargo will not accept primates used for laboratory research,
experimentation, and exploitation purposes.”
BUAV asks all travellers to check with their airline about their
policy on shipping primates to research labs.
|