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Amanda M. Wolcott
Florida
2/21/2014 |
I am appalled at the atrocities being committed in the name of
science. Vivisection has no history of providing significant
breakthroughs to aid the world, yet it is allowed to continue. The
movement against this form of animal cruelty is not limited to a small
group of radical individuals: A recent study has shown dramatic rises in
the number of U. S. adults opposed to animal experimentation since 2001. This increase is indicative of one thing:
As more people become educated
about these procedures, they realize the inherent truth that it is
wrong. I find it amazing that laboratories such as those in the
University of Florida justify their work by touting the similarities of
these animals to humans, yet ignore those similarities when deciding
which species deserve to be treated in such a cruel manner. No living
thing should ever have to endure these disgusting acts, and we as people
are obligated to be the voice of these animals. Thank you to all who share
the truth about these labs and, if you are reading this, I implore you to
add your voice to the public discussion and stand up for what is right! |
Emily L. Bush
Georgia
1/21/2014 |
After viewing
the pictures of University of Florida laboratory monkeys, I wish to protest the
use of any federal, state, or government funding for laboratories which
imprison, torture, or harm animals. I support the efforts
to halt this practice at the University of Florida and elsewhere.
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Kevin V. Storm
New Jersey
12/30/2013 |
To the University of Florida: I am the
12-year-old host of The Kevin Storm Show. I tell my
friends and fans about the horrible things you do. I'm planning to
go to college someday. But I will never attend a school that tortures
innocent victims and calls it "educational purposes" or any other lie.
This is not what I want on my résumé or in my life. Slavery of any kind
is horrible. Causing anyone's suffering with intent is
a crime. I hope that the schools that support this are held responsible for
allowing it to continue and that the criminals are locked up. |
Cary A. Friedman
New Jersey
12/11/2013 |
Not sure how a decent person could behave this way to any living
creature. "The
Lord is good to all; He has
compassion on all He has made" (Psalms 145:9), and so should we.
Someone who could do this to an animal lacks basic decency and
compassion and whatever is supposed to make us human beings. In
behaving this way, the researchers show themselves to be far less than
the creatures on whom they experiment. There are other ways to do the
research and get the information. And if we know such brutality exists
and we aren't outraged and we don't protest, what does that say about
us? |
Jane L. Elza
Georgia
12/6/2013 |
I can't bear
to look at any more images of the atrocities, but I support your efforts to end them. I
read somehwere that the chimps that we taught to read and sign were
terminated with the program. One of the handlers asked the chimp if he
wanted anything and the chimp made the sign for key-to be free. That is
bad enough but to torture them is worse, a betrayal of everything we
stand for. |
James Barbee
Georgia
12/2/2013 |
The pain and suffering endured by the animals
far outweighs any potential of scientific research. There are
alternative means of research that the University of Florida should look
into. I am unsure how a moral person can conduct these procedures and
not have a guilty conscience. |
Carl D. Cavalli
Georgia
11/21/2013 |
To the University of Florida and to every other animal-experimentation facility: There is no need to be long-winded about
this. There is simply no need to continue torturing and killing animals
in the name of research. As we recoil in horror at the thought of
such
things being done to humans, so we should recoil in horror at doing them to
animals. There is plenty of documentary evidence that we can pursue the
same medical and scientific research without resorting to these methods. Please stop now, and, additionally, provide proper care for those animals
currently in your possession. |
Wayne Lidbury
Capital Territory, Australia
11/18/2013 |
To the University of Florida: No civilized society needs to torture animals in the name of
science. You really need to look at yourself and your willingness
to
inflict pain on poor animals as a just and rightful thing to do in
the name of science. Shame on you. |
Debbie Dorman
Georgia
11/18/2013 |
As an animal owner,
animal lover, and dog and
horse rescue volunteer, I am sickened and horrified at the abominable
practices taking place at the University of Florida. Why? To what
purpose? Where is the humanity? These are rhetorical questions because
there is no reason that these poor creatures should have to endure the
torture to which they are subjected. How do the people who perform these
"experiments" sleep at night? I have contacts across the country and
plan on making certain that they all receive information along with the
video link. I will ask them to spread the word. I hope that this story winds
up on every news-media outlet and that all "funding" for these types of
funding disappears.
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Romina Chirre
Florida
11/14/2013 |
I am writing to urge that you
replace animals in research with humane, non-animal, alternative
methods. I don't want our tax
dollars used to underwrite animal experiments, and I urge you to stop
requiring cruel and obsolete animal tests.
Alternatives to animal tests are
effective, reliable, affordable, and humane.
Proponents of non-animal testing methods in the scientific
community have shown that these methods are quicker and cost-effective.
Unlike crude, archaic animal
tests, non-animal methods usually take less time to complete, cost only
a fraction of what the animal experiments they replace cost, and are not
plagued with species differences that make extrapolation difficult or
impossible.
The validation and regulatory
acceptance of non-animal alternative tests are critical to the adoption
of more humane scientific methodologies.
Forward-thinking companies are
exploring modern alternatives. For
example, Pharmagene Laboratories, based in Royston, England, is the
first company to use only human tissues and sophisticated computer
technologies in the process of drug development and testing.
With tools from molecular
biology, biochemistry, and analytical pharmacology, Pharmagene conducts
extensive studies of human genes and how drugs affect those genes or the
proteins they make. While some
companies have used animal tissues for this purpose, Pharmagene
scientists believe that the discovery process is much more efficient
with human tissues.
Other examples of these non-animal
methods range from computer and mathematical models to the use of human
volunteers. In vitro tests include ones that use cell or tissue
cultures, such as artificial test skin derived from human foreskin.
Chemical tests include the
Neutral Red Bioassay that uses a neutral red, water-soluble dye that is
added to normal skin cells in a tissue culture plate, and a computer
measurement of the level of uptake of the dye by the cells is used to
indicate the relative toxicity.
I urge you to you
replace animals in research with humane non-animal alternative methods.
Alternatives to animal tests are
effective, reliable, affordable, and humane. |
Sharon Cort
Tennessee
11/13/2013 |
There is never any reason for this terrible exploitation, inhumanity, and torture of
defenseless mammals except greed. There is money in this dirty business, and, until those funds are
cut off or legislation is enacted, it will continue.
I worked hard several years ago to fight for a statewide ban on animal experimentation
of this nature; all we could win was a rule to take away the ability to
take poor, impounded, homeless pets to laboratories. This needs to stop immediately. It is an utter
horror, and the fact that it is condoned at the university level is
appalling. It's no wonder that we
are the bloodiest, most murderous country in the world. |
Deborah Mitchell
Louisiana
11/12/2013 |
To the
University of Florida: I
beg of you to please stop the unnecessary, painful, cruel, and archaic
experimentation on innocent animals in your laboratories. I am totally
astonished as to how a human being can become so removed from the
suffering of another sentient being, that he can ignore the screams and
cries for help or for even a brief respite from the excruciating pain
being inflicted upon her. How can you possibly close your eyes and go
to sleep at night without seeing the carnage and hearing the screams of
pain and the pleading eyes begging you to please stop and free them from
the atrocious contraptions created to be used on these innocent animals.
Just putting my thoughts into words that I hope will move you to stop
this horrible gut-wrenching experimentation has moved me to tears.
How can you not also be moved by the plight of these innocent
animals who are doomed from the moment you take them into your custody?
We must be the voice of the voiceless, because
their cries for help have been ignored for far too long.
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Donna
Ulveling
Netherlands
11/12/2013
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I am appalled
that the horrible practice of vivisection is legal. Humans are the
most dangerous species; look at what harm we do to defenseless animals!
It breaks my heart to see the photos in your article about the horrible
mistreatment that these poor animals have to endure. We need to
stop vivisection everywhere immediately. This cruel practice is
immoral and should be a crime. I am willing to help in any way I
can to help end this. I pray for these little beautiful creatures. |
Karen Lyons Kalmenson
New York
11/12/2013 |
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I am the face of vivisection.
What do you see‑‑what do you see when you look at me?
The face of your genetic history.
Do you see the intelligence, the soul, the feelings
Of a primate that has suffered from man's cruel misdealings?
Or do you see a thing that belongs in a lab,
Alive or dead, lying on a cold slab?
Your vision is determined by your inner brain's eye.
My future depends. Please I do not
want to cry.
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Kass Luna
México
11/12/2013 |
To the University of Florida:
It is incredible that in the twenty-first century you are still
practicing terrible experiments with animals.
In this century of great
technological advances, there are efficient methods for testing, and
there is no need to utilize animals in your experiments.
Please end your cruelty to
animals. Animals like us feel
pain, are afraid, and feel anguish.
For several years now, I have bought no products whose
manufacturers conduct testing with animals.
If enough people act like me, it
will make a difference and we can avoid the suffering of many helpless,
defenseless animals. They cannot
speak; we are their voice.
We say loudly and clearly:
No
more experiments with animals.
To all animal activists I say: Let
us all work together to bring about a change.
Let us strive to get just one
person per month to join us in our quest to end animal cruelty.
If we all did that and they in
turn also did it, then in no time we could achieve our goals.
All life is precious. We should
not do to an animal what we would not do to a human being.
Animals
have rights, too! Let us
protect those rights. Let us be
the voice for those rights. |
Lucy Guerra
California
11/11/2013 |
To the University of Florida:
I am writing this to
you to let you know that I am appalled by your research projects and the
barbaric acts being done in the name of science. I will expose your
actions far and wide for all to see. I pray that someday you will be
held accountable for such heinous crimes against other living,
breathing creatures. This is not research‑‑it is torture!! I retired
from a large university, and this behavior continuing to take place in
this day and age makes me ashamed of the medical and scientific
community! There is no reason to carry on this barbaric behavior, and
you can hide behind your degree and "in the name of science," but you and
your colleagues have been outed and the world shall know what you do! I
can't help but believe that you and your colleagues who perform these
barbaric "studies" get some kind of cheap thrill out of torturing a
helpless creature! You are all very poor examples of mankind! |
María Eugenia González Castellanos
México
11/11/2013 |
Vivisection is a horrific fraud, by which ineffective and dangerous
drugs are marketed, and toxic agents are introduced in the environment,
in the food, and in our lives. Testing these toxic agents on innocent
animals by torturing them to death, with official certifications of
efficacy and safety which, in fact, have no scientific value, is
unacceptable and so immoral. Those of us who fight vivisection do
not reject medicine, but we reject and despise vivisectors and
vivisection. Every year millions of innocent animals are tortured
to death. The pictures of these horrors will haunt decent human
beings forever. |
Stephanie Nash
Australia
11/11/2013 |
The unbelievable cruelty
inflicted on our animals, which are in need of our compassion and
empathy, is so hard to accept in this time in human history. This world can be so damned evil.
I really have a hard time
understanding why more people don't stand up and demand humane conduct.
We need to do more protests;
people power works. I share,
share, share and sometimes there are days I have to stay away from the
PC because I feel so damned helpless and I cannot stop crying.
But because I am so vocal and I
do not back down easily, I know I am getting through to people.
Torturing animals‑‑and humans, for that
matter‑‑has been happening since the beginning of time.
Yet now more and more people are
becoming aware of the suffering and most will not stand for it.
I post things on my Facebook
pages that can be upsetting and people have asked me not to.
However, I believe that unless
things like this are shoved right under someone’s nose many will
continue to choose to believe that the world is not really that evil and
things like this are few and far between.
We now have a powerful weapon at our disposal,
social media. I tell people who
do not want to see it that I shall not stop sharing what
needs to be seen and they can
also remove me as a friend. I
will not stop fighting for animal rights.
I live in Australia and not so long ago I found out that our
country still does vivisection and tests products on animals.
I was appalled; in this day and
age we do not need to do this.
In the case of the companies that do this, I
no longer buy the products they sell and I write or email them or, if
they have a Facebook page, I tell them that I will no longer buy their
products until they stops testing on animals.
When one person is brave enough
to do that‑‑especially via a company's Facebook page‑‑it gives the
strength to another person to do the same.
It may be only a trickle at
first, but in time it becomes a torrent.
Never let anyone tell you that you can not change anything,
because you can, even if it is one person at a time.
So many products and experiments tested on
animals are not useful as we do have different metabolisms than do most
other animals. The drugs they
test work differently as well. Pain
killers for us will kill animals. Makeup
we wear contains ingredients that cause an opposite reaction in animals,
so how could they possibly be useful? Why
is it necessary to use animals to teach when there are alternatives?
Anyone who has pets knows absolutely that they
feel emotions and pain just as we do. I
have had animals in my life since I was 3 years old.
I have treated many of my animals
over the years for broken bones, ulcers, abscesses, etc.
We have similar nerve structures,
muscles and bones, so how anyone could state that animals do not feel
the pain that we do in the same area is beyond me.
You only have to see their eyes
and hear their screams to know beyond a doubt that animals have emotions
and feel pain as we do.
My people say that they need a live animal to
teach anatomy, but really they do not. A
deceased animal has the same anatomy as a live one, and sadly there are
so many animals that are put down in pounds that you can have an endless
supply of them for anatomy-teaching purposes.
We do not use live humans to
teach; we use donated bodies. Many
surgical situations can now be simulated.
I have even read that you can use electricity to stimulate dead
flesh to behave in much the same way it would if the flesh were alive.
When you need to use a live animal to see how
it reacts, then why not send students to watch the spay/neutering of
live pets? Why not allow people
who cannot afford to go to a vet to instead take their pet to a
veterinary school? The students
learn by watching and they can assist under a qualified vet.
If this were allowed, then they
would see so many live cases of cancer treatment, and treatment of the
various other aliments and surgical procedures.
People should be aware and have explained to
them that there would be risks in losing their pets; however, the pet
most likely would have died or would have to be euthanized anyway
because they could not afford the treatment.
I know that I would be prepared
to take my pet to a vet school. I
know that I would be happy to help someone learn and, in the meantime,
she gets to see not only the emotions expressed by grateful owners but
also the emotions expressed by the pets that have been saved and the sad
moments when nothing could be done to save an animal. |
Sandra Sheehy
Ireland
11/11/2013 |
A Chara [i.e., Dear Correspondent], I would like
to lend my voice to those innocent animals who are tortured in labs
every day, in the name of science. This is just an outdated mode
of testing. Alternatives with machines are available and should be
used. Sometimes these same tests are done over and over again and
repeated because of goverment requirements. Time for people to
lobby for change and speak out on behalf of these poor tortured souls. |
Gabriella Taylor
New York
11/11/2013 |
Vivisection is
a fraud.
Vivisection is
not, was not, and never will be "science."
Vivisection is
nothing other than the sanctioned sadism
of psychopaths, wrapped in the
Flag of "Medical Research."
Vivisectionists
are lazy rejects, having failed to qualify in the legitimate medical
professions.
If one is so
morally corrupt that he must torture helpless innocents physically,
psychologically, and emotionally in order to make a living, how could
his "findings" possibly be taken seriously or trusted by
any sane human being?
The University of
Florida‑‑a heinous animal torturer‑‑is obviously lacking in essential
courses on ethics, since its
academicians and administrators don't even know so much as the meaning
of the word. |
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Laura Kerimova
California
11/11/2013
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I am appalled that the horrible practice of
vivisection is legal. Humans are the most dangerous species; look
at what harm we do to defenseless animals. It breaks my heart to
see the photos in your article about the horrible mistreatment that
these poor animals have to endure. We need to stop vivisection
everywhere immediately. This cruel practice is immoral and should
be a crime. I am willing to help in any way I can to help end
this. I pray for these little beautiful creatures.
|
Karen Kline
Michigan
11/11/2013 |
Proven Facts on Vivisection
1. Less than 2% of human illnesses (1.16%) are ever seen in animals.
Over 98% never affect animals.
2. Thousands of safe products cause birth defects in lab
animals‑‑including water, several vitamins, vegetable oils, oxygen, and
drinking waters. Of more than 1000 substances dangerous in lab
animals, over 97% are safe in humans.
3. Aspirin fails animal tests, as do digitalis (heart drug), cancer
drugs, insulin (which causes animal birth defects), penicillin and other
safe medicines. They would be banned if vivisection were believed.
So why do we continue to torture and murder countless animals of every
species that laboratory scientists can possibly get their hands on? Is it the billions of our tax-funded dollars continuously doled
out by the NIH? Another
opinion is about crimes being committed against defenseless animals, not
dissimilar to those of Dr. Josef Mengele, and other war criminals during
the Holocaust! The only
difference is that one experiments on humans, the other on animals!
Both live, bleed, feel, cry, suffer, and die just the same, and it is time we
end this senseless, cruel and inhumane torture! This must end and all be held accountable for their crimes! Use your voice now and speak loudly for the Voiceless! |
Barry D. Friedman
Georgia
11/8/2013 |
To the University of Florida: No
decent human being can justify what you are doing to monkeys and other
animals in your laboratories. I have seen photographs that depict
the horror to which you are subjecting these innocent living beings, and
they cause me more distress than I can describe. Please stop this
abuse now, and send the animals somewhere
where they can obtain veterinary care and can be processed to be
returned to a native, or at least a safe, habitat. The
discontinuation of your methods of torture may disrupt the way in which
you make money, but I am confident that you can find some humane way to
make a living. Then, you and I will all be able to sleep more
soundly at night. |