In Defense of Animals Unveils New Humane Initiative in Observance of World Week for Animals in Laboratories

In commemoration of World Week for Animals in Laboratories (WWAIL), April 22 – 28, 2007, In Defense of Animals (IDA), an international animal protection organization, will unveil its Reallocation Initiative to advocate for the reapportioning of resources currently used for animal experimentation toward the increased use and development of humane non-animal research alternatives.

Recognizing that the numbers of animals used in testing and experimentation continue to rise each year despite expanding new technologies enabling research without animal use, IDA has identified an urgent need to address the obstacles and inertia that contribute to the perpetuation of animal research. The organization is therefore spearheading a groundbreaking campaign that could drastically reduce the numbers of animals used for experimentation.

IDA’s Reallocation Initiative (www.Reallocation.org) proposes that all institutions which sustain and promote scientific research implement a dedicated plan for rededicating at least five percent of their annual funding and resources away from projects involving animals and apply them to non-animal methods. Research institutions are being asked to critically evaluate their current animal use protocols and redirect some of their medical and scientific efforts each year to non-animal methods. For a full listing of ways in which institutions can implement the Reallocation Initiative, visit www.reallocation.org/implementation.html.

Of the Initiative, Dr. Elliot Katz, a veterinarian who founded IDA 24 years ago, states, “By making a concerted effort to reallocate a fraction of the resources currently devoted to animal experiments, we can begin to address the practical and ethical problems inherent to animal research while encouraging the growth of innovative, humane technologies.”

Dr. Katz continues, “The Reallocation Initiative calls upon institutions to implement measures as simple as hiring researchers who don’t use animals when faculty leave or retire. It offers a reasonable and prudent way to depart from over-reliance on animal experiments without hindering current research in the slightest–in fact, doing so will increase the reliability of results and their applicability to human health concerns. No one should find this difficult or impossible to do.”

Cutting-edge technology has forged exciting new frontiers in science, prompting a revolution in biomedical research and rendering reliance on animals outdated. Today, DNA microarrays allow scientists to examine the activities of thousands of genes, aiding drug development and helping medical researchers learn more about heart disease and cancer. Chemically engineered versions of skin and eye tissue exist that enable experiments to be carried out without causing animals to suffer.

Exciting new biotech companies like The Hurel Corporation (www.hurelcorp.com), and Asterand (www.asterand.com) offer breakthrough technologies that are one hundred percent relevant to human medicine and unhampered by the problems that beset animal experiments.

Scientists have only just begun to tap the potential of these new technologies. Their full capabilities cannot be realized while dependence on animal experiments persists. IDA’s Reallocation Initiative has the potential to reduce suffering for millions of animals while promoting greater progress for human medicine.

IDA is introducing the Reallocation Initiative as part of WWAIL, an annual week of worldwide events held to educate the public about the scientific, moral, and economic failings of animal experimentation. For more information on WWAIL, please visit www.wwail.org.