Tag Archives: Animal Defenders International

Today is World Day for Laboratory Animals

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Today is World Day for Laboratory Animals (WDLA), founded over forty years ago by the National Anti-Vivisection Society/Animal Defenders International. Like other commemorative days, World Day for Laboratory Animals is a day we can bring public attention to the millions of animals that die in experiments, in secret, around the world – experiments producing results which can never be trusted. 

Over the years, we have marked WDLA in a variety of ways, from huge public demonstrations of tens of thousands marching through London, vigils at laboratories, publicity events, launching new undercover investigations from inside labs, and legislative work. This year, in the UK, we are briefing Members of Parliament on ending dog experiments, as well as pushing forward the UK government policy to replace use of animals with advanced, human-relevant methods. In the US, we are pushing members of Congress to push forward the FDA’s proposals to replace animal use with advanced, human-relevant technology and methods. ADI Colombia is staging a protest at the National Institute of Food and Drug Surveillance (INIMA).

WDLA is also a time to remember how, at the turn of the previous century, two brave women, Lind af-Hageby and Leisa Schartau, went undercover at London University to document the suffering of a small brown dog passed from one person to another during lectures for students, where dogs were cut open. The women took detailed notes and exposed the cruelty, which resulted in violence by the students who marched with the vile little chant, “Ha, ha, ha, he, he, he, Little Brown Dog, how we hate thee”, and our founder of the National Anti-Vivisection Society, Frances Power Cobbe was attacked in our office.  A statue was built to remember the little brown terrier but after being vandalised several times, the memorial was stolen and disappeared. We erected a new monument in1985.

More than a hundred years later, the suffering continues, but we have seen progress, thanks to our campaigns, funding of advanced, non-animal techniques, and the awareness created by the annual World Day for Laboratory Animals:

  • Ending cosmetics testing on animals in the UK, Europe, and other countries such as Colombia.
  • Preventing what would have been the biggest ever animal testing programme, proposed under the EU’s chemicals testing directive, REACH.
  • Ending the use of apes in experiments in the UK and EU.
  • Ending the wild capture of monkeys for UK and EU laboratories.
  • Ending the wild capture of owl monkeys in the Amazon forest for malaria experiments in Colombia.
  • Seeing various animal protocols in labs eliminated, such as the ascites method of antibody production.
  • Ending requirements for school dissections in many countries.
  • Developing advanced, non-animal technologies and methods for research and testing, e.g., one of our research projects developed the first standard non-animal test for dental fillings.

Right now, we may be standing on the brink of the biggest shift away from animal experiments the world has ever seen, but only if we seize it.  Now is the time we must dig in, press harder than ever before.

For the first time, we are seeing governments conceding that animal experiments are not only cruel, but bad science. This is the change of mindset we need. With the UK government and US Food & Drug Administration both announcing their ‘roadmaps’ to end the use of animals in laboratories, and Colombia working on a similar law to replace animal experiments, this is an important time in the campaign.

We have been assured by the UK Home Office that the 100+ year-old pyrogen test on rabbits is on track to be banned – a test we have exposed in the past, where rabbits are immobilized in stocks, injected with a test substance, and their temperature monitored. And the horrific forced swim test on rats is set to follow – if we keep pushing and work for it.

Critical to this progress is the increasing acceptance across science, regulators, and governments, that animal experiments are unreliable, unethical, and unnecessary.

Advanced computer models, organ-on-a-chip technology, and lab-grown human tissues and other techniques are not only humane, but they are also more accurate, offering insights directly relevant to human biology.

This has been a long hard road, but animals need your help more on this World Day for Laboratory Animals than ever before. Today we do not pause, we press ahead.

Send a message today to your Member of Parliament / Members of Congress urging them to accelerate progress on the ‘roadmap’ promises to end animal experiments.

Do not ever stop. Never be disheartened, never, ever, give up until we win.

Help needed for lion cub rescue

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Tim and I are flying to Israel as ADI steps in to save two illegally trafficked lion cubs after their hopes of a new life seemed to have been shattered.

The cubs had the worst possible start in life – sold by a wildlife trafficker as illegal pets, Ben-Tzur was tied to a tree (see picture below) in a yard and Ori confined in miserable conditions inside a house. Thankfully, still tiny babies, they were seized by Israel’s police and Nature & Parks Authority (NPA), during a crackdown on wildlife trafficking.

They were seized in March 2025 and after waiting for almost a year to head to a new life, the boys were destined to fly in late January to Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary in Western Cape, South Africa when it was suddenly devastated by a wildfire.

Sanctuaries across South Africa scrambled to take in evacuated animals with an ADI Wildlife Sanctuary team flying down to bring white lionesses, Elsa and Lei-ah to safety, the drive back taking over 15 hours. They will be our VIP guests until Panthera Africa can be rebuilt.

But what would happen to Ben-Tzur and Ori with their new home in ashes?

We have stepped in to help, and for the past weeks I have been working with our lawyers to quickly secure new permits to bring the cubs to ADIWS. With a huge rebuilding operation needed and unknown timeline for Panthera Africa, we both agreed it was in the best interests of the cubs for ADIWS to provide them with their forever home.

Things have been moving fast, and we are grateful to the CITES authorities in Israel for expediting the export permits, and to South Africa CITES for quickly inspecting the proposed home and for the super-fast import permits. We have prepared travel crates at ADIWS in case these need to be shipped to Israel.

Tim and I are flying to Israel to meet Ori and Ben-Tzur, the NPA team who rescued the animals, and the zoo officials where they currently reside. We will review the options for travel crates, plan the route, and co-ordinate the logistics for the move. As we await potential flights and veterinary import permits, we are doing everything we can to move the boys to ADIWS this month.

This is a big rescue to undertake with short notice, and the youngsters will hopefully have more than 20 years ahead of them in our care. There will be transport costs, initial veterinary costs, the cost of a 2.5-acre habitat, food, care, and the veterinary costs for two decades – we really need your help to raise at least $75,000/ £55,000, if we are not to jeopardize our plans to help other animals.

I had to make a quick decision for these young lions whose dreams had just gone up in smoke, so I hope you will help us as you have done before.

Please consider donating: Donate US $, CA $ | Donate UK £, Euros, Rand

Lion Ark movie Contributor Credits Closed today

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Final credits are finished and score completed! Lion Ark is in the film festivals from October.

Early reviews are very exciting (see below) and see more news at: http://www.lionarkthemovie.com/

and on facebook at, https://www.facebook.com/LionArkTheMovie

http://theindependentcritic.com/lion_ark

http://www.current-movie-reviews.com/42728/lion-ark-review-you-will-never-look-at-a-circus-show-the-same-way-again/

http://www.examiner.com/review/lion-ark-roars

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/lion-ark-shares-story-of-daring-animal-rescue

http://www.globalanimal.org/2013/07/01/lion-ark-roars-for-circus-animals/101576/

Lion Ark is an action adventure style animal rescue where just a small group of people changed a continent – but the animals are the stars, you’ll root for the animals and love it when they win.  Photo is one of our stars, CSI actress Jorja Fox.Image

EFRA report on Wild Animals in Circuses Bill makes no sense

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The report of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee (EFRA) on the UK Government’s Wild Animals in Circuses Bill is so shallow that it makes no sense. Profoundly disappointing.

Flying in the face of overwhelming public opinion (94.5% favour a ban in a DEFRA survey); 63% of Members of Parliament favour a ban (Dods poll), and a 2011 vote of the Backbench Committee of Members of Parliament instructing the Government to introduce a ban – EFRA has decided that we only need to ban the species that we no longer have in UK circuses.

We were pleased that after twenty years of investigations, reports, studies and four criminal convictions secured through ADI investigations, the Government finally introduced a Bill to end use of wild animals in travelling circuses.

It is disturbing that now, without requesting or examining evidence of animal suffering, EFRA has recommended that only elephants (no longer in UK circuses), lions, tigers and other large cats (no longer in UK circuses) should be banned. They recommend the licensing scheme be extended indefinitely, despite that not a single prosecution nor any exposé of abuse, has been found by inspectors. On the contrary, we have filmed inspections during periods where animals have been abused or where their care is poor, and the problems were not identified. The veterinary visits and inspections of Anne the elephant at Bobby Roberts’ Super Circus did not prevent the abuse or her suffering from constant chaining, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

EFRA also claims that it is not necessary for a circus owner or worker to be banned from keeping animals under any new legislation, because the Animal Welfare Act 2006 can be used to prosecute and then ban if a conviction follows. This is far more problematic than EFRA suggests. Bobby Roberts was convicted for his failure to protect Anne under the Animal Welfare Act, however he did not receive a fine, nor did he receive a ban. If he had not given up Anne due to the media pressure, she would be with him now.

The suggestion that a list of proscribed species be added to the Bill, rather than an clear-cut end to the use of wild and exotic animals is illogical and impractical. A simple ban on non-domesticated species is clear for everyone to follow and has the support of public and parliament. A proscribed list of species invites European circuses to bring to Britain a whole range of species such as primates, rhino and even hippos – species that, currently, many of our local authorities have already banned. Over 200 local authorities in the UK do not allow animal circuses, or certain species, on their land. A list of species added to any Act would need to be regularly updated.

See our comments in The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/09/plan-ban-wild-animals-circuses-too-far

Sunday Express on British Government’s animal circus licensing failure

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Excellent piece in the Sunday Express today, about the failure of the Government’s “interim” inspection/licensing regime for circus animals. We looked at ADI’s photographs of these camels in 2009, 2012 and 2013. Their facilities are just the same. So is it just that the Defra team that has been so lauded by the circus industry for helping them, has set up a scheme to legitimise the use of wild animals in circuses? We think so. We are impressed that the Sunday Express decided to speak up for the poor camels, so often ignored in these debates. In our experience, they frequently suffer brutality and get a hard time because they are seen as slow to respond and stubborn. But they like to explore, stretch their legs, stand under the sun, feel the wind, just as all animals do. But they can’t in the circus. See the Sunday Express piece by the excellent James Fielding at:
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/384873/Circus-camels-are-still-facing-life-of-misery

UK wild animal circuses, Anne Trial and Lion Ark

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Catching up… It’s been a very busy time with the UK Government discussing the wild animal circus issue and the new legislation on animal experiments. We’ve had the Los Angeles circus animal ban under discussion, and our Hollywood Lion Ark Night event with Bob Barker, Jorja Fox and a host of celebrities for the private preview of our new movie, Lion Ark, http://www.lionarkthemovie.com/ , then back to London for the Roberts cruelty trial.

After many promises, many delays and time and money wasted on a flawed licensing regime, we may indeed see some progress from the UK Government on the wild animal circus ban.

In a move which appears to signal the beginning of the end for the remaining wild animals in circuses in Britain, ADI revealed on 4th February that Martin Lacey, owner of the Great British Circus, had shipped his tigers off to Ireland to perform with the Courtney Brothers Circus. http://bit.ly/WM8gzp

We told ‘The Observer’ http://bit.ly/WM8gzp, “There has been enough evidence, enough consultations, all the experts agree – putting large cats and other exotic animals in tiny cages that fit on a truck, with no environmental enrichment, and then beating them to perform tricks to entertain people is unacceptable in modern society. The day of the animal circus is over.”

Only two circuses have applied for a licence under the much-criticized new licensing scheme – Circus Mondao and Peter Jolly’s Circus – and there are only a handful of wild animal acts performing across Ireland. Clear evidence of their growing unpopularity with the public.

In February, we met with John Griffiths, Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development at the National Assembly for Wales to discuss the use of wild animals in circuses.  We were heartened by the minister’s support for a ban and hopeful that Wales will introduce legislation in parallel with the UK Government.

In response to an oral question in the Welsh Assembly by Jocelyn Davies on 16th  January, the Minister had responded “….the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is considering legislation that would ban the use of wild animals in circuses. I have been liaising with the UK Government to make it clear that were that legislation to proceed, the Welsh Government would be interested in being a part of it, perhaps through a legislative consent motion, for example.”

We have also met with the Northern Ireland Assembly minister, and will be following this up, see the update at http://bit.ly/14zy8UC

It has been almost two years since our investigation exposed the terrible suffering of Anne the elephant at the winter quarters of the Bobby Roberts’ Super Circus.  Following media pressure arising from release of the footage, Roberts allowed Anne to be removed from the circus. A criminal prosecution followed using the video evidence, at a week long trial last November. Roberts was convicted of cruelty to Anne but received a derisory ‘conditional discharge’ sentence, which means that unless he commits another offence, he escapes a proper punishment.

Roberts was convicted for keeping Anne chained to the ground by two legs for the whole of the time she was in the barn, and for his failure to protect Anne from harm. However, the sentence sends the wrong message to circus owners and workers about their obligations under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The Act cannot protect these animals. And no, the inspections of the Roberts barn did not identify any of the husbandry problems, nor cruelty to Anne.

Anne has remained at Longleat Safari Park and we understand plans for an ‘elephant sanctuary’ are progressing. It’s worrying that it has taken over a year to add a grass paddock to Anne’s enclosure, she is still controlled with the traditional ankus (bullhook) weapons, and she remains alone. We were also deeply saddened to hear Longleat staff defending Roberts in the media before the trial and in court during the trial. However, let’s hope these plans will mean better life for Anne in the long term, see http://bit.ly/X2mKi2

British Government’s report card – good and bad

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In response to a question from Mike Hancock, MP, the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has admitted to plans to spend £261,000 on developing the unwanted wild animal circus licensing scheme for the UK, despite calls for a ban from 95% of the public – and approaching 63% of Members of Parliament.

It almost defies belief that in this grim economic climate, the Government is prepared to spend so much money on their unpopular policy. This issue is an ethical and political matter – a ban can be passed on a vote of Parliament. Yet the savage beatings and extreme environmental and social deprivation suffered by these animals is ignored while Defra dithers about – probably hoping that we will all go away.

Meanwhile the UK Home Office gets a slightly better report, having confirmed that the British ban on the use of stray cats and dogs for experiments will remain in place when the new law is introduced next yet.  However, exceptions will be made where it is claimed that the use of feral domestic species might be essential for “essential studies relating to either the health or welfare of the animals or a serious threat to the environment or to human or animal health and where the purpose can only be achieved by using feral animals”. Something to watch very closely and insist that there is full public consultations whenever use of ferals is proposed.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles our battle continues to persuade the City Council to ban the use of wild animals in traveling circuses – Ringlings is attempting to use economic muscle to push the City around, but we hope that the City’s residents will not stand for this kind of interference.

The Bogota office are still pressing authorities in Argentina and Paraguay to move on the seizure of the circus lions and tigers that were stopped at the border and don’t appear to have correct paperwork. There’s a surprise.  The cats are currently being cared for in the local zoo. Let’s hope officials in these two countries will stand up for what is right and protect these vulnerable cats.

Don’t forget to join us for Lion Ark Night on October 13 in the Hollywood Hills! Meet Bob Barker, Jorja Fox, Tonya Kaye and other celebrity supporters to help us save animals.  Private preview of Lion Ark, the movie – the story of the Bolivian circus ban and how we emptied the country of circus animals.  See http://www.adievents.com/

New claim about Great British Circus

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Following the announcement of his retirement and closure of the circus in Horse and Hound, Great British Circus owner Martin Lacey, has quickly corrected the story to say that he plans to continue with the circus, but without animals. Ahh. Let’s wait and see whether this is all about publicity.

Great British Circus sees the writing on the wall

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Finally, Great British Circus owner Martin Lacey has seen the writing on the wall – people don’t want to see archaic shows where miserable animals plod around being beaten, poked and prodded.

Rather than turn his show into one of the successful human-only shows, Lacey announces the sale of his animals in Horse & Hound magazine, saying that he is to retire.

No retirement for his poor tigers though, which one of his workers told an ADI investigator are to be sold to another circus, maybe in Italy.

We have exposed GBC several times now, most recently in 2009, when three elephants from Germany were beaten mercilessly by their handler and trainer; water was put out of reach behind an electric tape fence; a claimed “six” welfare inspections by local authorities, police and RSPCA, did not discover the abuse. But the UK Government still claims that inspections can protect these animals.

Good news to hear that circus impresario Gerry Cottle – who moved to human-only circus shows some years ago – has recently announced his belief that the presence of animals gives circuses a bad name. Quite right.

However, will the UK Government see the light? The public and parliamentary support for an end to the use of wild animals in travelling circuses has never been higher. Will they bow to the nation’s wishes, and bring in a ban before the next election? Now is the time!

Meanwhile – the ADI Peru team has been in meetings with government officials on implementation of the ban there.

Mark Pritchard MP is not fooled by Defra’s cynical tactics on animal circuses

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See the article by Mark Pritchard, MP, on Politics Home:
http://www.politicshome.com/uk/story/25082/circus_escape_animals_ban.html

All credit to the MPs who have worked so hard on this issue, for not being fooled by such a cynical ploy – deferring a ban until 2015 (after the General Election, making it a potential manifesto pledge), and an “interim” inspection and licensing regime that can be declared “success” at a later stage.

Mr Pritchard commented: “If the government ignore the will of Parliament they will be moving towards a constitutional crisis as well as once again confirming their reputation as being against animal welfare legislation”

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary: 
 
”Last year Parliament voted unanimously for a ban on wild animals in circuses with the backing of 95% of the public. Defra Ministers showed how out of touch with the public they are and hid behind spurious threats of legal challenges in the EU as an excuse for doing nothing.

“Today, Ministers announce a licensing regime until a ban comes in 2015, saying there is no room on the parliamentary timetable for new legislation. Yet only yesterday they introduced a water bill into the house, which will be passed in 2 days. There is nothing to stop them doing the same thing for circus animals, but it’s clear that animal welfare is way down the list of this Government’s priorities.”

This aside, it is clear that Defra plans to keep their inspections secret. ADI requested sight of the circus inspection reports from 2008 and 2009. This was refused, and we now have a Freedom of Information appeal lodged. So it was doubly interesting when Chris Baltrop, ringmaster and occasional spokesperson for the Association of Circus Proprietors, said during media interviews yesterday, that Defra vets had recently inspected the circuses and given them a “clean bill of health”.  Secret inspections, secret reports and a licensing regime forced on an unwilling public and Parliament.