MEDIA RELEASE

PROTESTS PLANNED FOR VIVISECTION CONFERENCE

Monday 25th June 2001. Animal rights activists are converging on Hamilton this week to protest against a vivisection conference

The Australia and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART) is having its annual conference in Hamilton this week. Protesters say ANZCCART is a industry front group set up to promote animal experiments.

The protest is outside the Novotel Tainui in Alma Street (Off Victoria St) at 12 noon on Thursday 28th June

The Coalition against ANZCCART says many animal rights activists from all over the country are expected to attend this weeks protests.

Spokesperson Michael Wise said "Vivisection is big business. 250,000 animals suffer and die in laboratories in this country every year. Species used in tests include birds, cats, dogs, guinea pigs mice, pigs, rabbits, rats and sheep".

"The sole purpose of ANZCCART is to justify the use of animals in experiments. They are funded by chemical and pharmaceutical companies, universities, the Ministry of Agriculture and every other major animal research organisation in New Zealand" said Mr Wise.

"Torturing animals in useless experiments is not science. Many doctors and scientists oppose vivisection on the grounds that animal test are misleading and inaccurate. But vivisection continues because animal tests can be used to 'prove' almost everything."

Hamilton is the home of the biggest vivisection laboratory in Australasia, the Ruakura AgResearch labs. Mark Eden from the NZ Anti Vivisection Society, says his group has applied under the Official Information Act for details about taxpayer funded animal experiments at Ruakura, but AgResearch has falied to provide any information at all.

"I have laid an official complaint with the Ombudsmans office, who are investigating Agresearch's animal experiments. I think its disgusting that our taxes pay for animal experiments at Ruakura, but we the public are not allowed to know what is going on inside the labs" said Mr Eden.

contact info Michael Wise 021 120 3347 (Coalition Against ANZCCART) Mark Eden 021 158 6554 (NZ Anti Vivisection Society)

Novotel Tainui Hotel Alma St, Hamilton (07) 838 1366

The Executive Officer, ANZCCART, C/- The Royal Society of NZ, PO Box 598, Wellington, New Zealand. ph +64-4-4727421 fax +64-4-4731841 email: anzccart@rsnz.govt.nz

Coalition Against ANZCCART Coalition_against_anzccart@hotmail.com 025-265-7111

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