Cut class, not rabbits

ALV (Animal Liberation Victoria) in Australia has been protesting against the unnecessary abuse and slaughter of bunnies in undergrad science courses. Seriously nasty. Here’s some details:

Monash University conducts completely unnecessary live experiments on rabbits as part of undergrad science classes, but you can make them stop.

Animal Liberation Victoria was contacted in early 2007 by distressed students from Monash University’s third year undergraduate science course.

Students were being instructed to perform experiments on live unconscious rabbits which included:

- Restraining the rabbits on a work table, with their paws and teeth tied to anchor points
- Cutting open the rabbits’ throats with unsterilised instruments and inserting a tube into their wind pipe
- Administering various chemicals into their blood stream to observe the effect on the rabbits’ heart rate
- At the end of the class, the rabbits were given a lethal overdose and discarded in a rubbish bin.

Undercover footage was then recorded from inside the classroom (click here to view the footage) using a hidden camera.

Complain with an email to these addresses, or go to this website for more info and a prewritten complaint (personalising it packs more punch!): www.monashkills.org

Further links:
+ In the news - The Age: “Breach of cruelty law?”
+ Facebook group
+ Monash Kills on Myspace

Disgusting? Yes. But it’s not uncommon. Most people condone these sorts of violent practices against animals daily through what they eat, what they purchase, the industries they support. This sort of brutality - live dissection, physical abuse, and slaughter - also happens daily in slaughterhouses and farms to cattle, dairy cows, calves, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, goats, egg-laying hens, fish - countless other species! - that are treated as commodities instead of as the living, feeling, breathing, intelligent lifeforms they are. Why don’t other species deserve as much attention as these cute little bunnies? They do. Cruelty is cruelty, no matter who the victim is. Hence the whole vegan thing. So. You don’t need to support food industries, laboratories, or universities that cause unnecessary violence. If you want violence against animals to stop, then say something, and, more importantly, DO something - like: go vegan! It’s better for animals and, as a bonus, it’s better for your health, too… and the environment, too - don’t forget that one!

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On a lighter note… For any Australian vegans out there, the 2008 aduki awards: celebrating Australia’s vegan community is open for voting. Vote for your favourite tasty foods and vegan businesses over here.