NGO in Special
Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United
Nations
New Hope for Lab Animals in New Zealand
A campaign to require the re-homing of animals used in laboratories has been
launched this week. The "Out Of The Labs" campaign is a joint effort from
HUHA (Helping You Help Animals) and NZAVS (New Zealand Anti-Vivisection
Society). Currently the most common fate for thousands of non-livestock
animals is to be killed after they have been used. The groups aim to change
this.
Both organisations say they are opposed to the use of animals as testing and
research tools but until the day that is abolished it is essential to secure
the best possible outcomes for the animals. The campaign has a petition
asking for a law change to make rehoming research and breeding animals the
first option when they are disposed of.
Link to Petition
Direct approaches to over a hundred facilities using animals in New Zealand
have been made offering to rehome animals. To date, none has taken up the
offers extended even though the charities involved have said they'll pay all
expenses and make it as easy as possible.
HUHA founder, Carolyn Press-McKenzie, said "We would like to see research
facilities made more accountable for the lives in their charge. Currently
laboratories are ending an animal's life as a convenient disposal solution,
we consider this inhumane and it needs to stop. There is enough pain and
suffering to animals at the hands of science, if death can be avoided it
should be. No animal deserves to be treated as disposable"
HUHA have already rehomed beagles from a breeding facility that supplied
animals to an animal research centre. "We successfully rehomed all of the
beagles we managed to get in 2011 and were swamped with offers of homes for
them. We know we can help many more animals that will never see the outside
of a cage otherwise live out their lives in great homes" Ms Press-McKenzie
added.
NZAVS has a long history of working to stop vivisection as animals cannot
accurately model humans, "We are proud to support HUHA in this initiative.
It is something that there is a global push for and is already part of
Australia's code for lab animals. The killing and disposing of animals that
were used for vivisection happens behind closed doors every day in New
Zealand. This change is long overdue. The killing needs to end. The testing
needs to end." said NZAVS spokesperson Stephen Manson.
The organisers of the Out Of The Labs campaign invite people everywhere to
support the campaign. "Any decent person when asked if lab animals should be
rehomed with loving people, or killed and treated like a piece of disposable
equipment, will see there's only one acceptable option. We need a change to
let them live out of the labs. We can do this together" they said. More
information about the campaign is on the official website at
www.outofthelabs.org.nz.
