PETA and IDA Protest Micrus over Killing of Dog in Sales Demo

San Jose Company Ignores Plea to Use High-Tech Alternative; Groups Demand an End to Use of Animals for Sales-Training Purposes

San Francisco—Holding signs that read, “Micrus: Stop Killing Dogs,” PETA and In Defense of Animals (IDA) members—accompanied by their canine companions—will confront San Jose-based Micrus Endovascular Corporation at the International Stroke Conference 2007, where the company is exhibiting. The protest follows the unauthorized killing of a dog during a sales-training demonstration for one of Micrus’ products at a Cleveland Clinic lab. The experiment has sparked outrage across the country:

Date: Wednesday, February 7
Time:: 12 noon-1 p.m.
Place: Moscone West Convention Center, 747 Howard St.

PETA and IDA are asking for written assurance from Micrus that it will cease using animals for sales-training purposes and use modern non-animal alternatives instead. When a neurosurgeon—bravely acting as a whistleblower—alerted PETA to the scheduled demonstration, PETA was quickly able to identify a high-tech silicone model to use instead of the dog and immediately contacted Micrus to insist that the company call off the dog experiment. PETA’s letters, e-mails, and calls were ignored. A federal law intended to reduce the use of animals in experiments in favor of non-animal alternatives was also ignored.

On January 10, Micrus’ sales force attended the unnecessary and unauthorized demonstration, where an experimenter induced a brain aneurysm in the dog and then, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection report, allowed several Micrus salespeople to participate in a hands-on exercise.

“This lab was purely set up because the company thought it would be fun …,” the whistleblower said. “This had nothing to do with helping people. ... There was no scientific, educational value to it.”

For more information, please visit PETA.org or IDAusa.org.