June AFSA eNews
Animal-Free Science Advocacy
Advocating scientifically valid and animal-free methods of scientific research in Australia
It has been another busy month for Animal-Free Science Advocacy. Thank you for coming along with us on the journey. Please find below some hopeful news updates, along with an email action, tweets you can send, a supporter survey you can complete, plus a webinar and videos to watch and much more.?
Tell the Australian Government: Stop Funding Primate Research
Each year and with barely a ripple of acknowledgment in the Australian public's consciousness, 100's of primates including: baboons, macaques, marmosets and night monkeys are subjected to cruel experiments for Australian research. Most of?this research on primates is paid for with?your tax dollars. If you consider this to be abhorrent, make sure you sign our email action! You can?tell National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) that you strongly disagree with using primates in taxpayer funded research.? You can also?share the email action with one-click to Twitter!
Become a Corporate Diamond Sponsor?
Are you a running an ethical business?and pride yourself on?your stance of supporting cruelty-free causes??Then please consider becoming a corporate sponsor of our primate campaign. For the economical once-only cost of $1500 AUD you can sponsor a primate who is either currently or was formerly living in an Australian laboratory. Each primate's story is factual and based on information gleaned from Freedom of Information requests.? Aligning your business with us?as a partner is a huge opportunity to help us take the next bold steps in our campaign to end primate experiments in Australia. Joining us as a corporate partner is the opportunity to show leadership and courage in your own sector and a way to strongly stand against needless animal?cruelty. By?joining our Honour Me With A Name campaign,?you can provide?lasting dignity and public recognition to the story of a primate whose life may otherwise fade into obscurity.?Find out more about the corporate package and its inclusions.?Read their stories here. ?
Thank you to Banana Cabana and Sentient Professional Wellbeing?
We are pleased to welcome our first two corporate sponsors. We hope many other businesses large and small will join us in taking a strong public stance against primate research. Learn more about Banana Cabana and Sentient Professional Wellbeing.
Do You Have Ideas or Feedback to Help Us?
We want to hear your thoughts, ideas, feedback and?insights, we consider this to be?highly valuable and helpful to the growth of our organisation.?As a valued supporter of Animal-Free Science Advocacy?we invite you to participate in our 2024 supporter survey.? The survey will close on 12 July 2024.?
Foster or Adopt a Rat?
Liberty Foundation has a large group of young, healthy female rats coming out of a research facility in Sydney soon. They are looking for adopters for these girls in NSW, QLD, Victoria and ACT. They are also looking for sanctuaries who may be able to assist with the rehoming effort. If you're interested, please read Liberty's web page and fill out the expression of interest. There's no obligation in completing the online form. They’ll just give you a call or text to talk about your situation and whether they have rats that would be suitable for your home.
Rachel on the Panel at the Queensland Action for Animals Forum?
Rachel appeared on the panel for this event which was about Animals and Academia and?how people are helping animals at our universities. The panel lineup included a social marketing academic from Griffith University, our CEO Rachel,?a student organiser from the?UQ Vegan Society, and a not-for-profit initiative focused on changing campus food culture.
La Trobe University: No Active Projects?Using the Forced Swim Test?
Good news from La Trobe University! They have confirmed that their AEC has agreed to adopt the NHMRC guidance on the?forced swim test?to all research across La Trobe University. Furthermore, that no active projects are using the Forced Swim Test (FST). Previously, researchers had used rats to study anxiety-related behaviour in response to prolonged exercise, including the forced to swim test.? In addition to academic research, the FST continues to be used by some pharmaceutical companies and regulatory agencies have issued no technical guidance on the kinds of tests used to assess drug efficacy prior to human clinical trials. AFSA's CEO is a contributing author of a recently published paper which calls on the?International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) to take the following actions:?
Dr Natalie Anderson presents at a webinar on animal-free methods??
At the end of May, our Scientific Outreach Consultant Dr Natalie Anderson presented at a webinar entitled?‘Advances and Institutional Approaches in Alternatives to Animal Testing.’?Other webinar presenters included:
A lasting legacy for future generations of people?and?animals
I would urge all animal lovers to consider supporting Animal-Free Science Advocacy and to consider a gift in their Will so they are able to raise public awareness and continue to expand their inspiring work towards phasing out unnecessary and cruel experiments on animals.
– Grace, supporter Should you wish to write your Will online, Gathered Here, a leading Australian online Will-writing platform, has partnered with Animal-Free Science Advocacy to offer our valued supporters a free, legally binding Will, with free and unlimited updates for life – which would normally cost hundreds of dollars.?Start your Will here.
We've Joined International Organisations Dedicated to Animal-Free Methods:?ICAPPO and ICAPP
Animal-Free Science Advocacy is proud to be?accepted as a member of the International Council on Animal Protection in OECD Programmes (ICAPO) and the International Council on Animal Protection in Pharmaceutical Programs (ICAPPP).?? ICAPO are?a group of animal protection organisations which work to ensure that non-animal testing methods are included in the OECD's development of standardised chemical testing guidelines. ICAPPP?promotes ethical research in pharmaceuticals by advocating for reducing, refining, and replacing animal use, collaborating globally to influence policy and standards.?
Thank you for reading this month's e-news and look forward to hearing your comments or thoughts.
The AFSA Team.?
Primate Campaign Consultant for Animal-Free Science Advocacy Inc.
8 个月Dr Anderson's presentation and offer to assist researchers in seeking non animal methodologies, wherever possible, is such an excellent resource!