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από τη Suzanne Thorpe , 10 Σεπτεμβρίου 2009
http://www.gopetition.co.uk
Προς το Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινοβούλιο

Χιλιάδες σκύλοι ράτσας και κουταβάκια χρησιμοποιούνται κάθε χρόνο στα εργαστήρια πειραμάτων και δοκιμών στο Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο, αλλά και γενικότερα στην Ευρώπη, όπου συχνά δηλητηριάζονται, βασανίζονται, καίγονται, υποβάλλονται σε αέρια με δεμένα τα ποδαράκια τους, "κακοποιούνται" ενώ έχουν τις αισθήσεις τους και...

Διαβάστε επίσης (έρευνα στα αγγλικά) πώς τα διεθνή πανεπιστήμια και τα εργαστήρια πειραμάτων παίρνουν κατοικίδια από τα καταφύγια αδέσποτων , έτοιμα για ... υιοθεσίες, μέσω dealers.


φυσικά υποφέρουν και τρομοκρατούνται... Οργανισμοί, όπως π.χ. ο SHAC, έχουν στην κατοχή τους φωτογραφίες και ντικουμέντα αυτής της φρίκης... Υπάρχουν σκύλοι ράτσας , οι οποίοι εκτρέφονται μόνο και μόνο για να χρησιμοποιηθούν στις έρευνες. Ένα από αυτά τα μέρη είναι στο Leicestershire. Πωλούνται στα εργαστήρια ερευνών, ως "εφόδια" , που σημαίνει ότι 60 σκύλοι σκοτώνονται ημερησίως, στο όνομα της επιστήμης. Ακόμη και κουταβάκια πωλούνται σε πελάτες που σεχτίζονται με οιανδήποτε έρευνα. (BUAV website). Υπάρχουν πολλά αδέσποτα στην Ευρώπη, τα οποία πωλούν τα καταφύγια σε dealers, εξετάζονται στην υγεία τους και στη συνέχεια χρησιμοποιούνται σε πειράματα... Όλα αυτά μπορούν να καλυφθούν πίσω από αρχαίζουσες νομοθεσίες που το επιτρέπουν και ενίοτε γίνονται παράνομα.


Σκύλοι και γάτες καταφυγίων : πηγή ενημέρωσης και πειραμάτων για τα πανεπιστήμια
το γνωστό pound seizure

αποσπάσματα από τη μεγάλη έρευνα που δημοσιεύεται στην ηλεκτρονική διεύθυνση
http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/CAMPAIGNS/experiments/ALL/275/
Στις ΗΠΑ υπολογίζεται ότι 500.000 με 1 εκατομμύριο κατοικίδια επιπλέον θα γίνουν αδέσποτα και θα οδηγηθούν σε καταφύγια με την παρούσα οικονομική κρίση.



Class B random source dealers
Biological supply companies

Class A dealers Our investigation turned up disturbing findings about the “sources” where colleges and universities in our sample are obtaining dogs and cats used for teaching purposes. Animalearn examined the problems with obtaining animals from pounds and dealers and the laws in place governing pound seizure and animal dealers. As our investigation shows, many animal dealers consistently violate federal animal welfare laws. This includes providing or obtaining dogs and cats through questionable means and treating animals inhumanely, yet they continue to reap huge profits.

Alternatives, on the other hand, provide technologically sophisticated ethical, and economical solution to this problem . In addition, laws or policies prohibiting pound seizure and Class B animal dealers that obtain animals through random sources would help safeguard companion animals from being exploited in the name of higher education.
Pound Seizure
Pound seizure is the acquisition of animals from pounds and shelters for use in laboratory experiments and teaching projects.Pound seizure is the acquisition of animals from pounds and shelters for use in laboratory experiments and teaching projects. Based on our investigation, we identified several colleges and universities that have, over a three-year period, collectively obtained thousands of dogs and cats for teaching purposes directly from pounds and shelters. Taking pets from shelters for these purposes, however, raises numerous problems, both ethical and technical. Several states have historically mandated that shelters relinquish animals to research facilities, but many are now recognizing the problems with pound seizure and are increasingly banning the procedure.

1. Universities Acquiring Animals from Pounds and Shelters According to the results of our investigation, several universities are acquiring cats and dogs from pounds and shelters for use in education. Based on our survey, one of the most troubling examples of schools acquiring cats and dogs directly from shelters is Texas A&M University. Between January 2005 and July 2008, Texas A&M acquired 474 live dogs from local animal shelters, primarily Lehman Animal Shelter in Giddings, Texas. Records indicate that the dogs were euthanized at the university on the same day they were acquired from the shelter95. Between January 2006 and March 2008, Texas A&M acquired 86 dead cats from Lehman Animal Shelter.

Other schools97 obtaining cats and dogs directly from pounds and shelters include: Colorado State University98, University of Georgia99, Michigan State University100, Iowa State University101, and University of Minnesota102.

2. Problems with Pound Seizure103 Pound seizure should not be considered a solution to the cat and dog overpopulation problem. The release of companion animals from shelters and pounds to research and teaching labs erodes the very core of a shelter’s purpose, which is to provide a safe haven for lost, abandoned, or unwanted animals104. A shelter/pound that releases animals directly to research facilities will lose the public’s trust105,106. This could decrease the number of animals brought to the shelter/pound, and increase the number of abandoned animals. The National Animal Control Association has a policy against pound seizure laws mandating the sale or release of animals to research institutions for these very reasons107. Pound seizure is especially concerning during the current foreclosure crisis and economic downturn, as more families find themselves forced to relinquish their pets to shelters. Pound seizure runs contrary to a shelter’s purpose, which is to provide a safe haven for lost, abandoned, or unwanted animals and promote adoptions.It is estimated that between 500,000 and 1,000,000 additional pets are going to be relinquished to pounds and shelters or abandoned solely due to the foreclosure crisis108.

In addition, cats and dogs from pounds and shelters who are sold to dealers or university laboratories are likely to be animals who would be considered “adoptable” (i.e., healthy, non–aggressive); otherwise, they would not be desirable as experimental subjects109,110. Placing a dollar value on a live or dead animal for a “sure–sell” to a dealer can, under certain circumstances, corrupt the shelter system, bypassing its important role in promoting animal adoptions.

Furthermore, animals who were once pets are particularly ill-suited for the laboratory. Cats and dogs in need of temporary shelter, whether they are “strays” or relinquished, likely lived a varied life that was not as restricted as that in a laboratory setting111. Suddenly being placed in confined, socially–isolated, and in unfamiliar conditions can be psychologically traumatizing112. These cats and dogs also have unknown medical histories and potential exposure to diseases, which can confound results of certain experiments or infect other animals113,114. In addition, because the background of these animals is not known, in some situations even seemingly non-aggressive animals may prove to be unpredictable, posing a danger to people working with them115.

Another concern is that because it is considered inexpensive to purchase or otherwise obtain animals from shelters and pounds116,117, animals are likely to be used more expendably and in greater numbers. However, implementing the use of alternatives, such as high-tech animal models and Educational Memorial Programs (EMPs), through which clients can donate deceased cats or dogs for use in education, can also reduce costs (See Appendix B for information on creating an EMP). Furthermore, if animals are not cheaply available to colleges and universities, there may be an incentive for these schools to re-evaluate their animal use protocols and consider humane teaching methods that are being used successfully by other schools.

The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) is specifically opposed to the use of cats and dogs obtained through pound seizure or random source animal dealers, and it encourages the use of non-animal alternatives in teaching118.