Animal rights activists stretched a 60-foot banner across the Hawthorne Bridge {Saturday} morning targeting the Oregon National Primate Research Center at OHSU.
In support of National Primate Liberation Week, the Portland Animal Defense League hung a banner that read "OHSU: Stop Killing Monkeys Now!" for morning commuters to see.
...The sign -- removed by authorities shortly after it went up -- is the latest in an ongoing clash between activists and the Primate Research Center, which houses about 4,200 primates and is one of eight national primate research centers. In June, demonstrators blocked the entrance to the lab, and police arrested five activists for obstructing traffic.
Stop Animal Exploitation Now, an Ohio-based animal rights group, recently ranked the lab at Oregon Health & Science University as the nation's sixth worst animal lab out of 44 others. The group and Animal Defense League say 259 primates at the research center have been abused or deprived of food and clean cages, citing an annual report that the primate center files with the USDA.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Weekend Protest Against the Oregon National Primate Research Center
From Oregonlive...
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1 comment:
Disappointed that you only posted half of the story.
Here's the other side
Research center spokesman Jim Newman said the groups are referring to exemptions to the Animal Welfare Act in the report -- all of which were legally approved by the USDA. Report: http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/research/upload/ResearchFacilityReport.pdf
For example, he said, sometimes cages weren't cleaned because moving the animals would cause them too much stress, or monkeys weren't fed fruits and vegetable because they were receiving Vitamin C as part of a study.
In 2009, the USDA held the center responsible for two primate deaths, although issued no fine. The center's latest evaluation shows no violations.
"Our end goal is to shut it down," Boston said. "It's being funded by tax dollars. People should know where their money is going."
Newman said the public should think about what would happen if the primate center closed. "A lot of research would grind to a halt," he said. "I think the same thing should be posed to people with cancer or Parkinson's Disease."
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