Sunday December 14, 2008, 3:11 am
Noted...I saw the pictures and it looked like some horror movie. How can they do such sadistic things to animals? This MUST be STOPPED!

Sunday December 14, 2008, 3:40 am
NOTED AND FORWARDED! SORRY, I COULD NOT WATCH THE PICS. THANK YOU BRENDA!

Sunday December 14, 2008, 4:16 am
noted & passed it on.

What is wrong with people that they can do this???

Sunday December 14, 2008, 4:18 am
THANK YOU BRENDA!!
All of you who want to help stop animal experiments please join the group:
StopAnimalExperiments Action, petition and info centre
http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/SAE

Sunday December 14, 2008, 6:55 am
THIS SUBJECT AND PICTURES GIVE ME NIGHTMARES. IF WE ARE CIVILIZED NATION WHY ARE WE ALLOWING OUR GOVERNMENT TO FUND THESE STUPID USELESS EXPERIMENTS ON DEFENSELESS ANIMALS.
INTERESTING INFO ON USDA ON THE SAME WEBSITE:
Enforcement Inside Laboratories
In 1995 USDA/APHIS was audited by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the USDA. The investigation dealt with enforcement of the AWA in laboratories. The results were not favorable:

“APHIS does not have the authority, under current legislation, to effectively enforce the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act. For Instance, the agency cannot terminate or refuse to renew licenses or registrations in cases where serious or repeat violations occur (such as the use of animals in unnecessary experiments, or failure to treat diseases or wounds). In addition, APHIS cannot assess monetary penalties for violations unless the violator agrees to pay them, and penalties are often so low that violators merely regard them as part of the cost of doing business.”

Essentially, the OIG said that USDA/APHIS lacked sufficient authority to effectively enforce the AWA within laboratories, and that the USDA/APHIS didn’t effectively utilize the limited authority that it did have. Have things changed within the USDA since 1995? Apparently not. In fact, it appears that the USDA/APHIS hierarchy may have become openly hostile to effective enforcement of the AWA.

In 2000 Dr. Isis Johnson-Brown, a former USDA inspector issued the following statement at a news conference in Portland Oregon:

“The research institutions I visited, including the Oregon Primate Center, were not happy to see me coming once they realized that I was going to hold them to the law. This reaction I expected. What was surprising to me was my own supervisors were disappointed and unsupportive of my efforts to simply enforce the bare minimum standards in the Code of Federal Regulations. The USDA has a good ol’ boy relationship with the research industry and the laws are nothing more than smoke and mirrors. More than once, I was instructed by a supervisor to make a personal list of violations of the law, cut that list in half, and then cut that list in half again before writing up my inspection reports. My willingness to uphold the law during my site visits at the Primate Center led to me being “retrained” several times by higher-ups in the USDA.”

Sunday December 14, 2008, 6:57 am
Enforcement Inside Animal Dealers
In 1992 USDA/APHIS was audited by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the USDA with respect to enforcement of the AWA regarding animal dealers. The report was summarized:

“Our audit concluded that APHIS cannot ensure the humane care and treatment of animals at all dealer facilities as required by the act. APHIS did not inspect dealer facilities with a reliable frequency, and it did not enforce timely correction of violations during inspections.”

Essentially, with regard to dealers, USDA/APHIS was not enforcing the law. This situation is echoed by the words of Marshal Smith a former USDA inspector:

“My territory included 40 kennels in northwest Arkansas. I approached my new job conscientiously. Records of these pet producers were transferred to me from a retiring inspector who told me, "If you’re smart you'll do what I did, you’ll check everything is OK." I told him that I intended to abide by the law. Another assumption: I assumed he was a lazy good old boy, that he was not voicing the agency's mindset. The kennels I visited had seemingly never been inspected. I was overwhelmed by what I saw: the wretched looking animals, the mounds of fecal matter reaching in some cases to my knees, at very least to the wire caging of the rabbit hutches which most puppy millers used to house the dogs. In every instance that I recall, the filth and deprivation were shocking.”

Enforcement Inside Animal Exhibitors

In 1996 the OIG audited the USDA with respect to animal exhibitors. The findings were no more encouraging:

“Although APHIS Class “C” exhibitor licenses were intended solely for those who wish to exhibit animals to the public, our visits to 28 APHIS-licensed exhibitors in 3 states disclosed that 18 (64 percent) did not actually exhibit their animals, but instead maintained them as pets. Using the regulations broad definition of an exhibitor, individuals obtained exhibitor licenses in order to circumvent State or local laws intended to protect the public by restricting private ownership of wild or exotic animals such as bears or tigers.”

In this instance APHIS regulations and enforcement practices of the AWA actually allowed individuals to circumvent local laws and potentially endanger the public.

Similar information has come to light in the statement of current USDA Animal Care Specialist Richard Botelho. A five-year veteran of almost 1000 inspections inside Florida, Botelho has made some familiar-sounding statements about the USDA

“Failing to enforce the minimum standards and regulations of the AWA has harmful risks to the animals and to the public. Potentially dangerous animal are being allowed to be exhibited to the public without direct control of a handler(s), sufficient distance or barrier between the animals and the public.”

What you can do to help:

1. Read, copy, and distribute this fact sheet.

2. Contact the Chairs of the House & Senate Agriculture Committees to demand that they immediately convene investigative hearings to examine how USDA/APHIS enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act.

Bob Goodlatte
2240 Rayburn House Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-5431
202-225-9681 (fax)

Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
416 Russell Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3521
202-224-0103 (fax)

3. Contact the Office of the Inspector General to demand that the current OIG audit of USDA APHIS deal with the agency’s enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act.

United States Department of Agriculture
Office of the Inspector General
Room 41-W Jamie Whitten Bldg
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20250
202-720-5677

4. Contact the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture to demand both stricter enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act and an internal investigation of the allegations made by the present and former USDA staff quoted in this fact sheet.

Mike Johanns
Secretary of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave SW Room 200A
Washington, DC 20250

Sunday December 14, 2008, 7:15 am
why is this not demanding the use of aimals to be stopped not just better treatment of animals? I cannot find a petition that is up to date to sign about this.

Sunday December 14, 2008, 11:14 am
How inhumane why don't they test themselves darn it!!! and leave these innocent animals alone. A robin hooh indeed is needed there and so kindly deserved. Thanks Brenda

Sunday December 14, 2008, 11:32 am
NOTED LETTER SENT THANK-YOU

Sunday December 14, 2008, 1:38 pm
I really hope that all the USA citizens here at Care2 will write these letters. I'm from South Africa - but my heart and thoughts are with these animals. We face the same thing here in my country. This is a shameful thing - shame on us humans, and shame on the authorities. Vivisection means big bucks for research centres, and another useless scientific paper - just to get noted as a 'researcher'. Psychopaths all of them.

Sunday December 14, 2008, 2:05 pm
How Sad I become when I see these pictures and how upset it makes me to know the Government is allowing it to happen..these Majestic animals have total FEAR when this is going on they have Souls and this will be STOPPED ASAP Every single Petition and Letter will be submitted to over throw this insanity out..If we do not STOP this and START projecting POSITIVE AFFECTS on these animals it will be too late.

Sunday December 14, 2008, 3:52 pm
Sent one letter and will send more. Noted with thanks Brenda.

Sunday December 14, 2008, 4:27 pm
for further information about how you can help these poor animals, please visit ~

www.pcrm.org (physician's committee for responsible medicine)
www.navs.org (national antivivisection society)

Sunday December 14, 2008, 7:46 pm
As long as they are getting government grants to further their experiments they will keep doing this to the animals! The way to stop this is to cut their money off! How to stop government funding for such atrocities..I will have to do some research on it..but I am going to do it!

Sunday December 14, 2008, 8:03 pm
YOU ARE RIGHT WHITE WOLF AND "OUR" TAX MONEY FUND THESE GRANTS--ANOTHER HORRIFIC WAY OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT--AND "WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE MATTER"!!!

Monday December 15, 2008, 1:40 am
I have noted signed petition and will forward. Thanks. Brenda.

Monday December 15, 2008, 8:20 am
Pathetic. I think in some way the human race has failed. How can people have the job of harming these poor animals. Our gov't sucks!

Monday December 15, 2008, 12:08 pm
some how some way this has got to stop.

Tuesday December 16, 2008, 5:27 am
awareness is key here, we have to be diligent in telling friends and family why vivisection does not work, we need to recruit more support for the groups that are trying to make our countries aware. PCRM is a fabulous example, what better recommendation can we get other than doctors telling the world that chopping animals to death will never benefit man? and join SAE, they are working day and night on fighting centers that exploit the animals we love, Joanna left the url above, 4th comment down, everyone is needed there!
ty Brenda

Wednesday December 17, 2008, 9:57 am
Noted.this must stop.thanks Branda.

Saturday December 27, 2008, 4:03 am
am opposed to experimentation of animals , it is sad this cause is so slow , because of all your reasons above & so on.
it effects others , us in many ways because the experiments set up controls on diseases & medicines that people buy , i.e. if I get sick , now soemone can control whether or not I will heal & how much I spend , what I buy .
Already i am suffering from abuse, harassment , spying , set-ups from evn natural health shops in cape twon & so on !!!!!!
suzanne

Friday January 23, 2009, 8:30 pm
This angers me very much and makes me sad at the same time. How could a human do this to any animal of God. Evil and Cruel people walk the earth and they must be stopped. Don't let the blood of these poor animals be on your hands. STOP THIS NOW!

Wednesday January 28, 2009, 8:25 pm
I have visited this site before now, I can not look at the pictures. I watched a couple videos a long time ago. I was shocked when I found out the billions of dollars that goes to funding these cruel experiments. They have found several "new" diseases, but no cures. They are too busy infecting the poor animals with everything bad under the sun.