Subject: ARAN Uncovers Deadly Irish Animal Experiments In New Scientific Critique

To: "ARAN"

Date: Thursday, May 8, 2008, 3:22 PM

Dear ARAN Members & Supporters; If you thought animal suffering did not exist in Irish laboratories and university hospitals think again! Bringing to light the increasing abuse of animals in Irish laboratories, Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN)-Ireland' s national organization dedicated to furthering the rights of animals-has compiled a list of the five worst offenders. Experiments were chosen based on the extent of pain and suffering experienced by animals and the irrelevance of the experiments to human health.

 * Experimenters at Queens University in Belfast deliberately blinded newborn kittens by placing the animals in a chamber containing three times more oxygen than normal air. After 32 days, the kittens were killed and damage to the animals' eyes was observed. Expert critics point out that due to significant differences in the anatomic and functional organization of the visual system of cats and humans, these experiments have no relevance to people.

 * Researchers at University College Dublin caused deliberate brain damage in rats by cutting open the animals' skulls and delivering a blow to the exposed brain. The purpose of this invasive and deadly experiment? To see how brain trauma affects the intestine.

 * Using 18-month-old Labrador dogs, experimenters at Cork University Hospital and University College Cork injected a toxic chemical into the animals, in order to cause deliberate kidney failure. The dogs were killed at the end of the experiment.

 * Researchers at University College Cork cut long incisions into the abdomens of pigs and tied several exposed arteries. After using a shunt to connect an artery and a vein, the experimenters measured the impact of their manipulations on blood flow.

 * Experimenters at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin tied heavy rubber bands to the hind legs of rats to obstruct the flow of blood. Some rats had been given the chemical glutamine prior to the procedure but all of the rats were killed at the end of the experiment and their organs were examined. The experimenters concluded that glutamine has protective properties, but this "result" had already been determined in humans. The experiments identified in ARAN's list underscore the fact that laws governing animal experimentation fail to provide meaningful protection for animals - nothing is prohibited no matter how pointless, redundant or cruel. "Animal experimentation is a losing proposition for animals, for taxpayers, and for human health," says veterinary surgeon consultant for ARAN Andre Menache, "We're calling on Irish vivisectors to put away their scalpels, their restraint chairs, and their guillotines and embrace modern, non-animal technologies to advance real medical research." Animal Rights Action Network would like to thank Veterinary Surgeon Consultant for ARAN Andre Menache MRCVS, John J Pippin of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) http://www.pcrm.org  and Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D Medical Research Modernization Committee co-chair. Thank You, Animal Rights Action Network http://www.aran.ie  'Fighting Animal Abuse Across Ireland'