Opinion: Why the Recent Cat Fight Over the USDA’s Feline Research Should Worry All of Us
Written by Paula Clifford
The eye-catching headlines were hard to miss: “Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Ban Research Kitten ‘Slaughter,’” “USDA Turning Lab Cats Into Cannibals.” And the news stories that followed sounded more like science fiction than science.
So when the Department of Agriculture recently ended its feline studies in the face of public pressure, it likely surprised no one. But looking back, did government researchers fail us? Or perhaps, did we fail them? Read more.
Published April 22, 2019 by Inside Sources
Published April 24, 2019 by Jacksonville Journal – Courier
Opinion: Transparency Is Critical to Defend Animal Research
Written by Cindy Buckmaster
Wasteful, outdated, and unnecessary.
These are three of the most common claims voiced by animal rights groups about the use of animals in research. Are they accurate? Not in the least. Countless published papers and medical advancements demonstrate how animal studies lead to medical progress. But despite this reality, public opinion is no longer solidly behind science. Read more.
Humane Society Successfully Campaigns to End Pesticide Test on Dogs
Written by Shawna Williams
On March 12, the Humane Society of the United States released a report based on an undercover investigation of a lab in Michigan contracted by Dow Agrosciences (now Corteva Agriscience) to conduct toxicity testing on dogs. Just days later, on March 18, Corteva announced it had ended a test of a fungicide on dogs and would attempt to rehome the animals. But what appeared to be a swift victory for the Humane Society was, in fact, the product of a months-long campaign on two continents. Read more.
Developing an Elevator Speech for Discussing Animal Research
Written by Jim Newman
Everyone involved in the health research process fully understands the important role that animals play in the development of new and improved treatments and therapies. We also recognize there are various kinds of research. Some studies are designed to test new medications. Others expand our scientific knowledge and highlight promising new pathways for fighting disease. Read more.
Animals treated well
Written by Paula Clifford
Animal rights activists are working hard to end studies at Washington State University and other research universities that benefit humans and animals alike. However, in doing so, their efforts have actually helped reveal the many layers of oversight that ensure research animals are well cared for. Read more.
Transparency in Animal Research
Written by Elizabeth Doughman
Research involving laboratory animals has contributed to scientific and medical breakthroughs that benefit both humans and animals. Despite this fact, many researchers involved in laboratory animal science are hesitant to talk about what they do because they fear attracting negative attention from animal rights groups. Read more.
Animal Rights Group: Review of V.A. Dog Research Long Overdue
Research on dogs by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is officially under review to determine whether the dogs are being treated humanely and if the program is necessary.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is conducting the review after the animal rights group White Coat Waste Project launched a massive media campaign in 2017. It used information from public records requests to spotlight what it called “the mistreatment of puppies in painful heart attack studies.” Read more.
Federal data shows nearly 3,000 rodents, cats and dogs are being used for research in SC
Written by Jerrel Floyd
In a small research room near the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, a tiny black mouse scurries across a glowing green miniature walkway as it tries to return to a nest of other mice. With each step, a bright green footprint follows.
The walkway, formally called the “CatWalk,” projects data onto a nearby computer screen where the mouse can be seen while its footprints are measured. The purpose of the experiment is to watch how the mouse applies pressure to each of its legs. Scientists hope to use this information to further fuel research into unique fractures commonly diagnosed among veterans. Read more.
In complex animal welfare matters, aim for the heart
Written by Austin Alonzo
Consumers in the developed world are setting the agenda for animal agriculture and extreme animal activist groups are playing a large role in influencing their opinion. In order to tell our side of the story, and defend our industry, we must aim for the heart.
I recently saw Dr. Cindy Buckmaster, director of the Center for Comparative Medicine and associate professor of molecular physiology and biophysics at the Baylor College of Medicine, speak about her experience fighting back against animal rights organizations looking to end the use of laboratory animals in medical research. Read more.
Dog research at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs gets formal review
Written by David Grimm
Dog research at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is going under the microscope. Yesterday, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) in Washington, D.C., began a formal review of studies involving nearly 100 canines at four VA facilities to determine whether the animals are being properly treated—and whether the work is necessary. Read more.