Urgent Petition: Please Help Free The Beagles At AstraZeneca plc. Pharmaceutical Company

Posting for & on behalf of my fellow animal warrior – Tony Zadel :-https://www.facebook.com/tony.zadel

VERY IMPORTANT

PLEASE SIGN & SHARE URGENTLY THE PETITION INSIDE THIS LINK !

 To FREE the BEAGLES at AstraZeneca . Thank you all!

ABOUT THIS PETITION:

AstraZeneca plc is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biologics company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s fifth-largest pharmaceutical company measured by 2009 prescription drug sales (after Pfizer, Novartis, Sanofi, and GlaxoSmithKline) and has operations in over 100 countries, including research facilities in Södertälje, Sweden.

Like every pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca conducts experiments on animals. According to AstraZeneca’s own website, in 2011 AstraZeneca has used approximately 398,000 animals, including those used by external contract research organisations on their behalf. Approximately 76% (302,480) were rodents, 22% (87,560) were fish and the remaining 2% (7,960) included chickens, dogs, rabbits, ferrets, primates, pigs, goats and sheep.In 2010, AstraZeneca “used” 429,000 animals and in 2009, 410,000 animals were “used” for the purpose of testings and experiments.

In February 2012, Swedish newspapers announced that Anglo-Swedish pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca is closing its research facilities in Södertälje, south of Stockholm, as part of a major restructuring, resulting in the loss of around 1,000 Swedish jobs. Over the past two years, the big pharmaceutical giant divested much of its operations in Sweden and this has also affected their laboratory facilities and experimental animal activities.

Since then, the future of the Beagles that are currently still being held in their kennels outside Örkelljunga, is uncertain given that the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has consistently refused to give the dogs a chance of a new life, by releasing them into the care of skilled and engaged people who have offered to adopt them.

For additional information concerning this petition, please visit:http://www.occupyforanimals.org/astrazeneca-please-set-the-beagles-free.html

By signing our petition, the message that you can read below, will instantly be sent to the decision makers at AstraZeneca.

Subject: Please set the Beagles free!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have learned from the Swedish organisation Animal Rights Alliance, through their campaign “Låt Astrahundarna leva!” that the future of the experimental dogs that are currently still being held in your kennel in Rååhöjdens, outside Örkelljunga, is uncertain, given that you have consistently refused to give the dogs a chance of a new life by releasing them into the care of skilled and engaged people who have offered to adopt them.

We have also learned that – after reconsideration – you have scrapped your plans to kill these unfortunate dogs who were born into a life of over stimulation, abuse and exploitation, and that you intend to sell them to painful animal experiments in the UK instead.

We beg you to give these dogs THE chance of their life. Please set them free and give them in the care of the good people who have offered to adopt them so that they can experience the joy of having a loving family – something they have been deprived of their entire life.

Although unwillingly, these poor unfortunate souls have served you loyally until now. Please have mercy on them and set them free. They have suffered enough in your laboratories at the hands of your scientists; please let them live out the rest of their lives in peace, surrounded by the love of the caring families that await them.

The world is watching and is following your company’s decision in this matter. Please make the humane choice and show the world that you are capable of compassion, too.

We thank very much you in advance and we wish you, your loved ones, and the entire staff at AstraZeneca a very happy New Year.

Yours sincerely,

[Your name]

Please SIGN at the link: https://www.change.org/petitions/astrazeneca-please-set-the-beagles-free#share

And please SHARE this petition and information with us many as you can. Please help to get these unfortunate dogs released into a better life – into the arms of the loving families that await them.

MORE ACTIONS that you can take to help the Beagles:
In addition to signing the petition, you can also send a personal, polite message to AstraZeneca, at the following addresses:

kontakt@astrazeneca.com, IR@astrazeneca.com

and/or call AstraZeneca, asking that the dogs be released and not sent to vivisection.

Phone numbers:

+46 8 553 260 00
+46 8 553 260 20

In any case: PLEASE BE POLITE!

Thank you!

A message from Anna, Yes: For all Swedes and you near Sweden: you can contact Djurrättsalliansen to see if you can help more!

This is their FB-page: https://www.facebook.com/Djurrattsalliansen

U P D A T E:

Animal Rights Alliance (Djurrättsalliansen) has planned a demonstration to be held Saturday, January 5, 2013.
Location: Västrarp 108, 28691 Örkelljunga
Time: 14:00 – 16:00
FB-Event-page: https://www.facebook.com/events/441417629246155/

Swedish animal lovers and activists, please join the demonstration!

Posting for & on behalf of my fellow animal warrior –  Tony Zadel :-https://www.facebook.com/tony.zadel

Hundreds of monkeys being bred for laboratories in Europe are killed for growing too large, claims animal rights group

• WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES
• The disturbing images show discarded dead monkeys stacked in piles on the floor or dumped in rubbish bins
• Mutilated bodies can also be seen in a skip awaiting incineration, according to the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection

Animal rights activists have published shocking pictures and video of hundreds of monkeys they claim were killed because they were too big for testing in British laboratories.

The disturbing images show discarded dead monkeys stacked in piles on the floor or dumped in rubbish bins. 

Mutilated bodies can also be seen in a skip awaiting incineration, according to the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection.

The group claims the unwanted healthy primates were given lethal injections in the heart and then burned on a monkey-breeding farm on the holiday island of Mauritius.

British firms are said to pay £260 a time for the animals – but overseas labs are said to only be interested in those weighing less than 3.5kg.

BUAV claims pregnant monkeys and babies are also being slaughtered at the Noveprim breeding farm, a major exporter of as many as 10,000 moneys a year to the UK, Spain and the USA.

BUAV Director Sarah Kite last night called on the British government to order an immediate ban on the import of monkeys from the Indian Ocean island.

‘This is a cruel and senseless slaughter,’ she said. ‘It is unacceptable that monkeys who have been exploited for years are now simply discarded because they are of no further use to this company.

‘These monkeys should be released into the wild so that they can live out the rest of their lives freely. By importing monkeys from this company, the UK is perpetuating this appalling cruelty,’ she added.

Shocking: Animal rights activists have published pictures of hundreds of monkeys they claim were killed because they were too big for testing in British laboratories

Mauritius is the world’s second-largest exporter of long-tailed macaques for research.

Three-quarters of the monkeys are used for toxicology tests on new drugs. The others are tested in studies for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and Aids.

In 2011, 518 monkeys were exported to the UK from Mauritius. The previous year, the number was even higher at 1,059. Only America bought more.

BUAV said it believes the killings started at the beginning of October and will continue until the end of next month.

A Noveprim spokesman wasn’t available for comment last night.

News Link:-: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2225035/Hundreds-monkeys-bred-laboratories-Europe-killed-growing-large-claims-animal-rights-group.html#ixzz2An5E1ypo
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 

Earthlings – The Feature Length Documentary About The Suffering Of Animals For Human Gain

“I posted this, way back in February, but have just noticed the video’s were removed??…so here it is again!” 

“I’m certainly not trying to convert everyone to become vegetarian…but I do think people should watch this video… as difficult as it is to watch in parts…it is very informative. After viewing it, people are entitled to their own opinions regards the subject matter! I am not telling people what they should or should not eat, it’s a personal preference…I’m merely pointing out the journey, animals take, from field to plate! I will just point out that some things have changed regards animal welfare, since this video was made!”

” I chose to become vegetarian, several years ago, after watching something similar to this…I can’t call myself vegan because I just love egg butties from my friend’s pet chucks! Like I said, were all entitled to eat what we want…my daughter lives with me as my carer, she eats meat (particularly McDonald’s) I may not like it, but I don’t take offence at it & make her eat it in another room! When she does cook, she just substitutes the meat for Quorn, it makes a lovely spaghetti bolognese, which even she a meat eater, enjoy’s!

EARTHLINGS is an award-winning documentary film about the suffering of animals for food, fashion, pets, entertainment and medical research. Considered the most persuasive documentary ever made, EARTHLINGS is nicknamed the Vegan maker for its sensitive footage shot at animal shelters, pet stores, puppy mills, factory farms, slaughterhouses, the leather and fur trades, sporting events, circuses and research labs. The film is narrated by Academy Award® nominee Joaquin Phoenix and features music by platinum-selling recording artist Moby.

Initially ignored by distributors, today EARTHLINGS is considered the definitive animal rights film by organizations around the world. “Of all the films I have ever made, this is the one that gets people talking the most,” said Phoenix. “For every one person who sees EARTHLINGS, they will tell three.”

In 1999, writer/producer/director Shaun Monson began work on a series of PSAs about spaying and neutering pets. The footage he shot at animal shelters around Los Angeles affected him so profoundly that the project soon evolved into EARTHLINGS. The film would take another six years to complete because of the difficulty in obtaining footage within these profitable industries. Though the film was initially ignored by distributors, who told Monson that the film would “never see the light of day and should be swept under the rug,” today EARTHLINGS is considered the definitive animal rights film by organizations around the world.

Nation Earth was established to produce documentary films on socially urgent issues. EARTHLINGS, released in 2005, was the company’s first feature film and is the first of a documentary trilogy. The company is currently at work on the second installment, UNITY, which will explore the unifying force of consciousness found in nature, animals and humankind. UNITY is scheduled to be completed in 2010. For more information please see http://www.unitythemovement.com.

EARTHLINGS DIRECTOR’S FEATURETTE2

Uploaded by earthlingsthemovie on 2 Oct 2008

Filmmaker Shaun Monson talks about submitting his animal rights documentary EARTHLINGS to film festivals, networks, the Academy, and the new Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act law. 

Earthlings is a feature length documentary about humanity’s absolute dependence on animals (for pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research). Earthlings illustrates human’s disrespect for “non-human providers”, it is narrated by Joaquin Phoenix and features music by Moby.

You can download the full version of Earthlings at http://www.earthlings.com. The film is available with subtitles in 10 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Hindi, Arabic and Portuguese

There are many farm animals, who endure their whole lives in stinking , horrific conditions, from birth to slaughter!  Don’t get me wrong, some owners treat their animals as if they were pets, but this is mainly on the smaller family run farms, where the owner probably has names for each pig or cow!!”

“However, it seems that small holdings are being driven out, as the big guns come in, wanting to build bigger factory farms, that can handle thousands of  animals a day!  They don’t care much about the well-being of the animals or the environment…just the profits they can make from them!

 As if that is not bad enough… there will always be farm workers who see fit to direct their anger at these sentient beings…there going to die anyway; so who cares if one is targeted & beaten? Well actually we all should, just because they are raised for human consumption, does not give anyone the right to abuse or harm them, in any way! I think all animal factories & slaughter houses, should have CCTV…where inspectors can call unannounced to view the tapes…If all areas are covered properly by cameras, hopefully it might stop a lot of abuse towards the animals, from the bullies…there is always one who thinks it’s funny to stub a cigarette out on a pigs face & roughly handle the babies…anyone who harms a defenceless animal is just a pathetic coward!!

 

R.I.P Pepper – NEAVS’ Sanctuary – The New England Anti-Vivisection Society

“I received this sad news from my dear friend & fellow animal warrior, Carol Crunkhorn. As this was a personal email to Carol, due to her dedication to the cause, I am posting as is. R.I.P Pepper “

PEPPER

We share with you the sad news of the death of our longtime friend Pepper, 42, who died last week of kidney failure at Fauna Foundation Sanctuary in Canada. Surrounded by her beloved family and friends, both human and chimpanzee, she comforted and was comforted by her loving community through her final hours.

In her 27 years in research, Pepper endured—in one lab alone—307 knockdowns, 36 punch liver biopsies, 1 open wedge liver biopsy, 6 cervical biopsies, 10 lymph node biopsies, and 4 bone marrow biopsies. Only after her rescue by Fauna Sanctuary was the anxiety that had become so much a part of her personality quelled with kindness and tempered by her natural sweetness, intelligence, loyalty, and strength.

Every day, Pepper would enjoy her hot tea time, taking her cup to an isolated place and quietly looking out over the open fields and forests. She loved to play with the hose and to sweep up little piles of trash very neatly into paper cups for the Fauna staff to throw out. Curious about how things are put together, she liked to take things apart—and then politely hand to staff the pieces of wood or screws that she’d removed.

During the summer, Pepper spent her days and early evenings outdoors, looking for things to pick from the chimps’ vegetable garden, discovering the edible treats that grow naturally, or sitting in the sun full face to feel its warmth or under the shade of a tree, delighting in the breeze. Many nights, she would take a pile of blankets to her favorite spot in the skywalk, make a beautiful and comfortable night nest and, serenaded by the frogs and crickets, sleep peacefully beneath the stars. She fully embraced the joy of her new life and cherished everyone with whom she shared it.

Now, Pepper will forever know peace. All of us at NEAVS offer our deepest condolences to our human and chimpanzee friends at Fauna on the loss of dear Pepper—a loss that stings us all. She has left us all richer for knowing her and for sharing in that far too short time she was given to be free to be no one other than Pepper.

Remembering the lab cage which she and others endured, brings shivers up your spine. That disturbing memory of what life had been like for Pepper brings renewed commitment to fulfill our promise. We will work until every chimpanzee still held captive in labs will, like her, have their turn to feel safe and free.

We send our love and gratitude to Fauna and to all sanctuary staff everywhere for the care they give. 

NEAVS is honored to have provided lifetime support for Pepper and we will continue that tradition in her memory. Pepper was the inspiration for NEAVS and Fauna to join efforts to establish a lifetime care fund for Pepper and all the other chimpanzees who endured and survived those lab cages. Members wishing to honor Pepper with a memorial gift can do so through NEAVS’ sanctuary fund and Fauna Foundation’s Lifetime Care Fund. Please mark your donation, In Memory of Pepper.

Link to sanctuary:-http://www.releasechimps.org/about/overview

Link to Fauna:-http://www.faunafoundation.org/index.html

Genetically engineered pigs killed after funding ends

Canada‘s only herd of genetically engineered pigs has been killed, putting in jeopardy a plan to turn the technology into the first GE animal approved for human consumption.

The University of Guelph, which holds the patent for the so-called Enviropigs, quietly killed the remaining animals last month after failing to find an industry partner to continue to fund the project that began in 1999 with an ambitious commercialization plan.

There were 10 remaining animals in the herd from the 10th generation of the pigs, which were first created with a snippet of mouse DNA introduced into their chromosomes and engineered to produce low-phosphorus feces and reduce waste at large factory farms.

The project’s future was put into doubt earlier this spring, when industry association Ontario Pork decided to end its financial support.

The genetic information is being preserved in long-term safe storage at the Canadian Agricultural Genetics Repository Program operated by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Saskatoon, university spokeswoman Lori Bona Hunt told Postmedia News Thursday.

Still, the depopulation of the herd could torpedo the university’s applications with Health Canada and the Food and Drug Administration in the United States for the Enviropig to become meat on kitchen tables.

In a statement, Bona Hunt said the applications “to assess the safety of Enviropigs for human food and animal feed are currently under review,” but raised the spectre of the university pulling the plug at some point, saying “they will remain active until a regulatory decision is made or until such time that the university no longer desires to obtain a final decision from the regulatory evaluators.”

Calling the deaths a “sad but necessary conclusion to an unwanted and unnecessary GE experiment,” Lucy Sharratt of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network said the regulatory review process should be aborted immediately because there is no longer the scientific capacity at the University of Guelph to answer any questions arising from Health Canada’s ongoing safety assessment of Enviropigs for human food and animal feed.

“The university has no business wasting public funds on a review for a technology that no one wants, that’s so commercially unviable,” said Sharratt, who also placed blame on the federal government.

“It’s unacceptable that Health Canada would continue spending time on this file when it’s obviously being packed away. There needs to be a clear process for shutting down review processes for GE products that are going nowhere.”

Health Canada has repeatedly said the government cannot comment on any applications to assess the safety of any GE animal for human food.

The pigs were euthanized on May 24.

It occurred just days after North America’s largest farm animal protection group launched a public campaign to save the lives of the swine. New York-based Farm Sanctuary offered to work with the university to find “loving homes for the Enviropigs” to “live out their unnatural lives as naturally as possible.”

Bona Hunt said that the university received “many generous and well-intentioned offers,” but there was “absolutely no opportunity for this to occur, as adoption, donation or transfer of the animals would represent a breach of protocols and Canadian policies.”

Added Bona Hunt: “Releasing the Enviropigs would also have violated Canadian regulations for the containment and use of transgenic animals, and possibly compromised consumer safety and market protection.”

The University of Guelph had previously filed an application with Environment Canada to permit the GE pig to be farmed commercially, and cleared an important hurdle in February 2010. At the time, the department determined the GE pig did not harm the environment under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and accepted the University of Guelph’s notice of significant new activity — meaning the GE pig could be farmed commercially.

News Link:-http://www.canada.com/technology/science/Genetically+engineered+pigs+killed+after+funding+ends/6819844/story.html

Number of animals used in University of Leeds testing revealed

Almost 17,000 animals were used in medical experiments conducted by the University of Leeds last year – and most of them were killed.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by the Yorkshire Evening Post revealed the university has carried out experiments on 55,235 mice and 5,155 rats over the past five years.

Other animals subjected to scientific tests between 2007 and 2011 were pigs, sheep, bats, gerbils, rabbits, guinea pigs, toads, frogs, and birds.

A university spokesperson said the “overwhelming majority” of laboratory animals were killed at the end of procedures so their tissues could be examined.

However, animals studied in the wild – such as birds – or those in farm settings, were usually returned “unharmed” to their environment.

Last year, the charity Animal Aid held a demonstration in Leeds city centre over the university’s lethal experiments on dogs. Its heart surgery research is thought to have claimed the lives of around 100 beagles.

However, no dogs have been used in medical research at the university for the past six years.

University veterinary officer Dr Khawar Abbas said: “In Leeds the last dog we used was in 2006. “We are not using dogs for medical research at the moment and we currently have no plans to do so.”

Although thousands of primates are killed in the name of research every year, Dr Abbas, who has worked at the university since 2001 as well between 1982 and 1990, said to his knowledge they had never been used in Leeds.

He defended the number of animals used in Leeds, saying it would be comparable to that used by similar universities. He added: “It all depends on the type of research they are doing.” And he said the animals’ welfare was taken very seriously, with vets on hand 24 hours.

All prescription medicines available today have involved the use of animals in their development.

British law states that any new drug used for medicine must be tested on at least two different types of live mammal.

Many award-winning scientists claim they couldn’t have made their discoveries without animal testing. Penicillin was tested on mice, as were vaccines for meningitis and polio.

A university spokesperson said its experiments on animals had led to better understanding of diseases and health problems including cancer, childhood leukaemia and heart failure, as well as obesity, drug addiction and pain management.

Alternatives include medical imaging, computer modelling, human volunteer studies and statistical studies. But Dr Abbas said if their objectives couldn’t be achieved using the alternatives they would apply to use living creatures.

Research using animals is regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act and carried out under licences granted by the Home Secretary, who is expected to balance the benefits of a project against likely cost to the animals’ wellbeing.

But in a move to integrate EU and UK laws, the Government plans to remove protection granted to stray domestic animals like cats and dogs.

Under the new rules, lost or abandoned pets could end up in a lab, being experimented on. In 2011, 97 per cent of the creatures the University of Leeds conducted experiments on were mice.

Scientists rely on mice for many reasons, including size, rapid reproduction and the fact their genetic and biological characteristics closely resemble those of humans.

The number of larger animals used has dropped due to increasing use of genetically-modified mice.

News Link:- http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/number-of-animals-used-in-university-of-leeds-testing-revealed-1-4685559

Ask Your Senator to Vote for Chimpanzees

For the last several years, PCRM has been working to end chimpanzee experimentation.

Finally, we have begun to see some positive momentum on Capitol Hill. The Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works held a hearing on the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act last month, and we are expecting them to vote the bill out of committee soon.

Let me be clear: We would never have gotten this far without your help. Your e-mails, letters, and phone calls keep Congress informed and let them know that their constituents care deeply about this issue.

We need to keep the pressure on. As the bill gets closer to passage, we have heard from congressional staff that laboratories profiting from chimpanzee experiments are ramping up their efforts to defeat the bill, and we need you to remind your senator of the facts.

Please send an e-mail and ask your senator to support this important bill in committee. I know you may have done this already, but now is the time to remind them of your support.

Together, we can make sanctuary a reality for all of the chimpanzees currently suffering in laboratories. Please ask your senator to support this historic bill.

Petition Link:-https://secure2.convio.net/pcrm/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=499&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=3ax38fe533.app209b

President of Ukraine: Close all vivarium and end outdated experiments conducted on animals!

Donetsk Medical University, Ukraine

Appalling living conditions and barbaric experiments conducted on dogs and other animals.

In July 2011, Alexei Sokolov informed the media about the appaling living conditions and the barbaric experiments conducted on dogs and other animals at the Medical University of Donetsk.

According to reports, the students of the Medical University at Donetsk have performed limb-amputations and educational surgeries on the internal organs of the animals WITHOUT prior anesthesia.

Alexei Sokolov, the head of this vivarium couldn’t watch the suffering of these innocent animals any longer and informed the media. He showed the vivarium to the journalists – articles have been published, HERE and HERE and these dogs have, since then, been given in the care of the Ukrainian animal activists. 

Online translations of the above links HERE and  HERE.

Each dog had to endure several surgeries before finally being discarded. Until death, these poor animals languished in horrible conditions suffering from distress and starvation

An unknown number of dogs and other animals are kept in similar vivarium and conditions in universities throughout the country and Ukraine’s president, Viktor Ianoukovytch, ignores the petitions and pleas from his citizens and Ukrainian animal welfare organizations urging him to put an end to this outdated, barbaric experiments.

The animal activists in Ukraine are desperate!

Please help them by sharing these pictures and videos with as many as you can, including the international media.

Please sign this petition:–http://www.change.org/petitions/president-of-ukraine-close-all-vivarium-and-end-outdated-experiments-conducted-on-animals

 

Uploaded by UnionTB on 1 Jul 2011

In the Donetsk Medical University vivarium with nothing to feed pets. In an institution contains almost 500 animals for experiments. Among these rats, dogs and guinea pigs. Friends of the man 16. Many people suffered more than one operation. Inside the vivarium planning to carry out repairs, but what will happen to the dogs, the leaders do not speak. Head heard that they want to euthanize animals. What is actually the fate of four-footed, journalists learned “Panorama.”

 

PCRM 2 more colleges ended the use of animals in medical student training.

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) and the University of Virginia (UVA) informed PCRM last week that they have ended the use of animals in medical student training.

MCW was the only medical school that used small animals (rabbits, frogs, and rats) in physiology courses. UVA previously included medical students in a graduate level microsurgery course that used and killed 120 rats per year. 

These changes are the result of PCRM’s efforts, the support of our members, and the willingness of MCW and UVA to review and change their practices.

PCRM’s efforts to end the use of animals in MCW’s medical student curriculum began six years ago when we became aware of the use of dogs in the first year physiology course. PCRM teamed up with the Wisconsin Humane Society to stop this practice, but instead of taking a step forward to modern human-based medical simulation, MCW replaced the use of dogs with pigs. After continued efforts by PCRM, MCW ended the use of pigs as well.

Despite that change, MCW continued to use rabbits, frogs, and rats in small animal labs. PCRM campaigned against this needless use of animals, and last week we were informed that the physiology course will not include animals in the 2012-2013 curriculum. MCW has retained the option to reinstitute these labs in later years. PCRM will monitor this, but in our experience terminated animal labs have never been resumed.

Unfortunately, while MCW and UVA have decided to make this necessary change, the University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga (UTCOMC) continues to use pigs in medical student surgery training. Please contact UTCOM executive dean Steve Schwab, M.D., and UTCOM Chattanooga dean David Seaberg, M.D., C.P.E., F.A.C.E.P., and ask them to replace the use of pigs with human-based medical simulation.

Read the whole post:-http://www.pcrm.org/email/mcw_uva_2012.html

5 California research monkeys retiring to Oklahoma

LOS ANGELES

Five rhesus monkeys from a California research lab are being retired to anOklahoma sanctuary because of a $200,000 donation from animal activist Bob Barker.

The unidentified research lab, the Mindy’s Memory sanctuary in Newcastle, Okla., and the animal advocacy group Stop Animal Exploitation Now worked out details that will allow the animals to spend the rest of their lives at the primate sanctuary.

The organizations said Tuesday that the monkeys will be moved after the lab staff socializes the animals.

Mindy’s Memory, founded in 1992, is already home to about 100 retired research monkeys, as well as several potbellied pigs and a few dogs, cats and other animals.

News Link:http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/12/4556448/5-california-research-monkeys.html