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WWAIL 2006 Recap

To add an update of your WWAIL event, please email photos and information to wwail@idausa.org

IDA's 20th annual World Week for Animals in Laboratories (WWAIL) was held from April 23rd to 30th this year with events taking place in dozens of states and countries, from San Francisco to South Africa. The events (including protests, demonstrations, speeches and press conferences) helped educate the public about the scientific, moral and economic realities of animal experimentation and the humane alternatives that exist. Here are just a few of the events held in recognition of WWAIL:

UCSF

Stanford University

Students at Stanford University planned a full week of activities for World Week for Animals in Laboratories. We had three protests, a talk on "Why Progressives should care about animal rights," and an animal liberation exhibit on campus.

Stanford students have just completed a successful World Week for Animals in Laboratories. Stanford’s campus-wide animal rights group, Animal Rights on the Farm, and the law school group, Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, planned a series of events and protests for World Week, an annual event to highlight the suffering of animals used in research and testing. The students demands were modest: accountability for animal welfare violations, transparency of the procedures and animals used, shifting funds toward alternative models of research, and stopping some of the most gruesome experiments, such as the cocaine addiction studies on juvenile monkeys. ARF and SALDF have a new petition, urging the administration to implement some of these reforms. Please consider signing it: http://www.petitiononline.com/arf123/petition.html 

From Monday, April 24 through Wednesday, April 26, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals had an animal liberation exhibit on campus, documenting the common oppression of humans and animals. Suffering is unique, but pain knows no species.

On Monday, April 24, there was a protest against Stanford Animal Experiments on campus, demanding transparency, accountability, and a commitment to developing and funding alternatives to animal research. On Thursday, April 27, there was a protest at the Research Animal Facility on Stanford’s campus. On Friday, April 28th, Professor Steven Best of the University of Texas, El Paso, gave a speech on Animal Rights and the Left. Dr. Best examined the issues around oppression and exploitation and explained why progressives should care about animal rights. World Week ended on Saturday, April 29, with a final protest at the Research Animal Facility. Approximately 25 people attended, plus 5 dogs. The students at Stanford are looking forward to planning World Week for next year.

Columbus, Ohio

Activists in Columbus, Ohio passed out over a thousand fliers describing Ohio State University's (OSU's) animal experiments. In one OSU experiment that has been going on since the 1980s, researcher George Billman runs dogs on a treadmill to induce a heart attack, sometimes giving the canines cocaine to determine whether this narcotic has a negative impact heart health. Dr. Billman received approval in March to use an additional 210 dogs over the next three years. The activists also made it easy for people to mail their protest about the killing of cats for educational tutorials by providing a form letter, which is available for printing at www.poetwill.org/intubation_holbrookeletter.pdf. You can learn more about the group's efforts at www.poetwill.org/WLALW2006.htm. 

Chandler, Arizona

Nearly 100 activists attended a "Covance Under Fire" demonstration in Chandler, Arizona on April 23rd. Covance Laboratories Inc., the largest animal testing company in the world, has been repeatedly fined for federal Animal Welfare Act violations, and is planning to open a 400,000 square foot animal testing research facility in Chandler. With the help of many dedicated animal advocates, Citizens Against Covance and Arizonans for Humane Farms were able to coordinate a very effective and exciting protest against the single largest importer of primates in the U.S. and the world's largest breeder of dogs used for research purposes. To learn more, visit www.stopcovance.com.

Harvard University

More than 50 activists held a three-hour vigil at the main gates of Harvard University, which conducts experiments on over 2,100 primates at their New England Primate Research Center in Southborough, Mass. Activists wore blood-splattered lab coats to emphasize the violence of vivisection and gain the attention of people in Harvard Square, who read their signs and banners and took about 2,000 fliers. Everyone responded calmly and intelligently when scientists came out to debate the issue. A photographer from the Boston Globe spent the better part of an hour taking photos of the protest.

Portland, Oregon

Volunteers from IDA and the Portland Community College (PCC) animal rights club assembled a visually stunning flag display that stood throughout the week at the Cascade Campus. Activists placed 1,150 small white flags on the lawn outside the science building (in rows resembling Arlington National Cemetery) with markers that described how each flag represented 20,000 animals of the 23 million used each year in research.

Denver, Colorado

Despite rainy weather and cool temperatures, about 55 people came to a protest at the University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center (UCDHSC), where the CU 34 monkeys are held. Activists wore two body screen TVs continuously showing IDA’s anti-vivisection PSA, which features Jane Goodall speaking over undercover footage taken by Matt Rossell at the Oregon Primate Center. Two people dressed in primate costumes and sat in cages on the street corner while others waved posters and banners. Matt Bear provided live music, performing a song he wrote especially for the CU 34.

Rochester, N.Y.

In Rochester, N.Y. a dozen animal activists with Animal Rights Advocates of Upstate New York stood outside the animal research building at the University of Rochester with signs facing the windows. They also held a candlelight vigil that included readings to commemorate the deaths of animals used in experiments. The group holds this vigil every year for the animals to recognize the suffering that they endure every day of their lives.

United Kingdom

In the U.K., Uncaged Campaigns set up anti-vivisection campaign stalls during WWAIL in the cities of Bishops Stortford, Weymouth, Barnstaple, Warrington, and Monmouth (Wales). Activists also organized a large demonstration at Oxford University to protest a proposed vivisection lab.

South Africa

Two WWAIL protests took place in South Africa this year. About 20 activists showed up in Johannesburg outside the University of the Witwatersrand in freezing weather to hold posters reading "Animal Experiments are Cruel and Must be Stopped" and "Hoot If You Agree." These posters elicited an encouraging amount of hooting from motorists and pedestrians, so activists did the Wave whenever someone hooted, which both drew the attention of passerby and kept protesters warm. About 25 demonstrators came out to Adderley Street in Cape Town to hand out pamphlets explaining the inherent cruelty of animal experimentation. They engaged many people in conversation and took the opportunity to educate the public about the ugly realities of vivisection.

France and Switzerland

In France and Switzerland, activists organized 26 events – from street theater to concerts to booths in busy shopping areas, bringing the message of the horrors of vivisection and the many viable humane alternatives to thousands. Click http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/content/category/2/5/16 to read reports and see photos of "Semaine Mondiale pour la Liberation des 'Animaux de Laboratoire'" in French.

Visit www.wwail.org/list_event.html to see the full list of events held around the globe for WWAIL. If you held a WWAIL event, please email photos and information to Kristie@idausa.org so we can update our members on your success. 

Semaine Mondiale pour la Libération des Animaux de Laboratoire (SMAL) (ie. World Week For Animal In Laboratories - 2006 Edition - in French-speaking countries

Throughout France, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxemburg, from Saturday the 22d to Sunday the 30th of April 2006 for WWAIL 2006, over 30 local AR groups carried out around 50 information and protest actions against vivisection in the following various cities and towns: 

Avignon, Albertville, Angers, Annecy, Arras, Bayonne, Biarritz, Brest, Chambéry, Clermont-Ferrand, Genève, Grenoble, La Rochelle, Liège, Lille, Limoges, Luxembourg, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, Neuchâtel, Nîmes, Noyelles-Godault, Orléans, Paris, Perpignan, Quimper, Rennes, Strasbourg, Toulon, Toulouse, Valdahon, et Vire.

Over 10,000 leaflets on vivisection, on alternative methods, vivisection explained to the youth, cruelty-free cosmetics and household brands guides, etc.) were handed to the public during WWAIL 2006 in France. 

Most information stalls displayed pictures of animal in hellhole laboratories and offered cruely-free product samples for the passer-bys. During this week, over 10,000 people signed the various petitions among which which the new SHAC petition in French and the Greystoke former AR direct action group support petition. Hundreds of people signs these 2 and lots of people also signed the International Campaign ongoing nationwide petition asking for the wide availability of cruelty-free care and household products in supermarkets.

In some cities several actions were carried out during WWAIL 2006 SMAL, e.g. Paris, Toulouse, Lyon and Montpellier.

In addition to the traditional information stalls all over France some of which were covered by local media (http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/component/option,com_datsogallery/Itemid,19/func,viewcategory/catid,1/), other actions have been done such as:

- A protest action covered by the media at the Toulouse Blagnac airport (South of France) to protest against French national Air France air company flying animals to labs wordwide (HLS, Covance, etc.). Activists with animal masks locked and chained their arms in the airport corridors to stop the passengers until they were granted an interview with a head of the airport who was asked to hand a protest letter to the Air France president. Action report here: http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/content/view/21/16/. (short but illegally captured video at your disposal if you want and find a safe server where to upload it)

- An animal rights Hard Core gig with tree bands in support of WWAIL 2006 in Toulouse on the 22d of April. See pics here: http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/component/option,com_datsogallery/Itemid,19/func,viewcategory/catid,7/

- A street demo on the same 22d of April in Toulouse streets to protest against the worldwide vivisection business. 
Video here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDcvRaUziYE&search=smal2006. 

- In Paris, 3 public screenings on a large screen during four hours each showing recent undercover investigation videos in labs such as IAMS and Covance. In the same time, AR activists dressed as giant rabbits and vivisectors ran repeated short “scenes” to make the public aware of the brutal and callous behaviour of vivisectors. See one pic here for instance : http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/component/option,com_datsogallery/Itemid,19/func,detail/id,197/

The 2006 Edition of Semaine Mondiale pour la Libération des Animaux de Laboratoire (WWAL) is encourageing since more and more French-speaking local groups are joining this international campaign and more and more local actions are carried out to make the underinformed public more aware of what is going for the animals on in labs.

We look forward to reporting even more local actions for WWAIL 2007 but in the meantime we will strike with another antivivisection cruelty-free cosmetics campaign which will last all summer long: Bronzez Sans Cruauté (“Tan Without Cruelty” - http://www.international-campaigns.org/bsc/bronzez_sans_cruaute.htm) which will start mid-june till end of August.

SMAL (WWAIL) website:
http://www.semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/

WWAIL 2006 action reports: 
http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/content/category/2/5/16/

WWAIL 2006 Photo Albums: http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/component/option,com_datsogallery/Itemid,19/func,viewcategory/catid,4/

WWAIL 2006 Videos:
http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,23/

WWAIL 2006 Media coverage:
http://semaine-mondiale-animaux-laboratoire.org/component/option,com_datsogallery/Itemid,19/func,viewcategory/catid,1/

What You Can Do:

- Visit www.wwail.org for ideas that can raise public awareness about animals in laboratories.

- Click www.wwail.org/recap2006.html to read about more WWAIL protests covered by the media:

Links:

Animal rights activists protest at pharmaceutical facility 

Group rallies against Covance in Chandler  

PETA organizes protest in White Plaza to raise awareness  

Mystery Surrounding Ad That Slams the Big Board 

Articles in French:

La voix de proanima  

Animaux 

Pro animal sur la place publique  

Libération des animaux de laboratoire  

Pour une science avec conscience  

La semaine des "rats de laboratoire"