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Scientists use gene engineering to create new antibiotics Scripps Howard (July 17, 1997 7:45 p.m. EDT) - Researchers looking for novel ways to fight drug-resistant bacteria have a new weapon, thanks to a bit of genetic subterfuge. Scientists at Stanford University report Friday in the journal Science that they have successfully used genetically engineered enzymes to produce new types of molecules that work as antibiotics, immuno-suppressants and anti-cancer drugs. Because bacteria can alter their own genes to resist antibiotics, the new line of drugs are built with a genetic mutation so early along the molecular assembly line that the bacteria can't catch up. Using strep cells, Stanford postdoctoral fellow John Jacobsen found a way to manipulate the first step in a lengthy chain reaction used to form more and more complex molecules, actually blocking the chain after the first step. That stalled the natural assembly line of the cell. Then the researchers add a synthetic compound and restart the process, eventually producing a variety of antibiotic molecules that are unlike anything in nature, and thus harder for bacteria to defeat. Chaitan Khosla, a Stanford associate professor of chemical engineering, had feared that the cells might not resume production with the artificial materials, but they seem to respond well. "We've been pleasantly surprised by how tolerant the entire system appears to be toward unnatural (building blocks). The overall process seems to work remarkably well," he said. Although the technique remains cumbersome, the ability to produce new antibiotic compounds in this shotgun fashion offers drug researchers the opportunity to create hundreds of potentially useful molecules for each one they have already created. While drugs based on the new technique may be a decade or more away from pharmacies, Khosla suggests that if chemists can assemble a library of thousands of synthetic molecules that can be inserted and grown in this fashion, they could offer a much larger array of drug candidates. By LEE BOWMAN, Scripps Howard News Service ================================================================= The unwise use of anti-biotics, a potent "weapon" in the war against pathogens led to the rise of drug-resistent strains. Will the newest "weapon" be more auspicious? Andy Date: Fri, 18 Jul 1997 19:25:51 -0400 From: allen schubert <alathome@clark.net> To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Fishing Ban Urged for Walden Pond Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970718192548.006e5c70@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Part of a PeTA campaign......... from AP Wire page: ----------------------------------- 07/18/1997 02:39 EST Fishing Ban Urged for Walden Pond By ROBIN ESTRIN Associated Press Writer CONCORD, Mass. (AP) -- The peaceful woods and clear waters lure Joseph Sevigny, with his fishing poles and 12-foot boat, to Walden Pond dozens of times a year. He tosses back the bass, but the trout often become dinner. It's a relaxing ritual enjoyed by countless others at the watering hole made famous by transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau, an angler himself. But a campaign is on to reel in the fishermen. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have petitioned the state to ban fishing at Walden as part of the group's new anti-fishing crusade. Even though Thoreau fished on the 60-acre pond, PETA folks say the animal lover would have supported the ban. ``I cannot fish without falling a little in self-respect,'' Thoreau wrote in ``Walden,'' published in 1854. For years, the international animal rights group has fought against fishing, arguing that fish feel pain and suffer greatly after being caught. ``Just imagine swimming through the water and all they see is the bait,'' said Dawn Carr, the coordinator of the campaign. ``By the time they see the hook, it's too late. They've already impaled themselves.'' The organization, which has 500,000 members worldwide and 16,000 in Massachusetts, plans to ask parks across America to ban fishing. But the campaign is being spawned here at Walden, where the conservation movement began with Thoreau nearly 150 years ago. ``I really think the PETA people are wacky,'' said Sevigny, 50, of Melrose. The pond, 16 miles northwest of Boston, and its surrounding woods were given to the state in 1922. Today, an estimated 500,000 people a year swim, fish, picnic and hike here. State environmental officials said they have no intention of banning fishing there. The deed to Walden Pond clearly spells out that fishing will be allowed, said Susan Hamilton, a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Management. PETA appealed last week to Gov. William F. Weld, himself an angler, asking him to step in and institute a ban. PETA insists that Thoreau would have wanted the pond he so loved to be a sanctuary for all wildlife. Thoreau did have a respect for all living creatures, said Tom Blanding, a Thoreau scholar and Concord resident. ``But for them to represent this as an absolute attitude on his part is to take things out of the literary context,'' Blanding said. ``To adopt him as an advocate for their position perhaps is out of proportion in a way.'' The very notion of a fishing ban was enough to make one Walden fisherman flounder for words to equal his contempt. ``Why don't they ban walking here?'' shouted the man, who wouldn't give his name but said he has been fishing on Walden for all of his 70 years. ``They might as well ban swimming.'' Date: Fri, 18 Jul 1997 19:36:56 -0400 From: allen schubert <alathome@clark.net> To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Swine Disease Still a Mystery Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970718193653.006f3af4@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" from AP Wire page: ------------------------------------ 07/18/1997 02:10 EST Swine Disease Still a Mystery By TOM SEERY Associated Press Writer DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- An outbreak of swine disease last year that began killing sows and causing them to abort their fetuses still puzzles scientists. ``I'm not sure we would have anything you would call definitive,'' said Larry White, senior staff veterinarian for the Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in Fort Collins, Colo., which is coordinating a nationwide study of the disease. Reports of the disease last December prompted quick action by government and pork industry officials. More than 40 experts met in January to map out the research effort. Researchers believe the sows were stricken with a form of ``porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome.'' But the sows had been vaccinated for the disease, and some of their symptoms appeared to be more severe than previously seen in that syndrome. Researchers say an ``acute PRRS'' virus could be causing the latest outbreak. The outbreak, although not widespread, has caused anxiety in the pork industry. As hog-raising shifts from small, family-run farms to large, factory-style operations where thousands of hogs are housed in confinement buildings, disease control has become increasingly important. Farmers are being advised to be patient while the investigation continues. ``We haven't been able to draw any conclusions about any changes they should make,'' White said. Veterinary laboratories in seven states are working with the USDA to find and study cases of the puzzling disease. When an outbreak is identified, researchers go to the farm, take samples from the animals and get information about vaccinations, genetic makeup of hogs and other factors. The researchers also try to identify nearby farms without the disease, and look for factors that might explain the isolated outbreak. The USDA is studying cases at laboratories in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Carolina and South Dakota. Officials hope to do an intensive study of 44 farms with the outbreak and nearby farms that do not have the disease. ``The original goal was to try to have some summary information available by this fall,'' said Kevin Petersburg, a USDA veterinarian working on the case in Iowa. ``It would be safe to say that the general consensus is that it appears to be PRRS,'' he said. ``It may be that we'll find out that there are some management factors that play a role in allowing some farms to have the acute PRRS outbreak.'' In Iowa, an outbreak occurred in about 10 herds in the southeast part of the state. Officials have not identified farms where the outbreak occurred, and say there is no evidence that the disease is spreading rapidly. ``It's my perception that things have kind of quieted down, based on the number of case reports we're getting,'' said Tom Burkgren, a Perry, Iowa, veterinarian who is executive director of the American Association of Swine Practitioners, a veterinary group working with researchers on the outbreak. Jim Koch, president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, said that although the ``acute PRRS'' outbreak appears to have stabilized in Iowa, common forms of PRRS continue to hit farms. ``It can go away and haunt you again,'' Koch said. ``It started out as a mystery swine disease and remains a mystery swine disease.'' Date: Fri, 18 Jul 1997 23:01:23 +0800 (SST) From: Vadivu Govind <kuma@cyberway.com.sg> To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (TW) Taiwan pork industry reels as Japan continues import ban Message-ID: <199707181501.XAA13093@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >CNA Daily English News Wire TAIWAN PORK INDUSTRY REELS AS JAPAN CONTINUES IMPORT BAN Taipei, July 17 (CNA) Taiwan stands to lose NT$300 million (US$10.79 million) in export sales owing to Japan's recent refusal to resume import of Taiwan processed pork, the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) said Thursday. Taiwan hog farmers had hoped that after the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) was brought under control, Taiwan pork exports to Japan would be allowed to resume. Before Taiwan was declared an FMD-affected area in March, Japan was the largest importer of Taiwan pork. But hog farmer's hopes were dashed by Japan's recent announcement that more time is needed to evaluate the situation before the sale of Taiwan pork can resume. Local hog farmers have charged Japan with discriminating against Taiwan pork, with many pointing to Japan's treatment of pork products from mainland China. Even though the mainland has also been declared an FMD-affected area, Japan still accepts pork from provinces with no reported cases of FMD. IDB officials said the FMD outbreak has taken a heavy toll on Taiwan's hog industry. Although the government has provided NT$3.16 billion (US$113.26 million) in loans to help bail out six local firms that process frozen pork, the IDB believes the best solution to the industry's woes would be to resume exports. Taiwan exported NT$42 billion (US$1.51 billion) worth of frozen pork to Japan in 1996, which included NT$300 million (US$10.79 million) worth of processed pork. (By Lilian Wu) Date: Fri, 18 Jul 1997 12:17:55 -0400 (EDT) From: baerwolf@tiac.net (baerwolf) To: Veg-Boston@waste.org, ar-news@envirolink.org, veg-ne@empire.net Cc: kvc@OpenMarket.com, hturrisi@tiac.net, hrones@husc.harvard.edu, veggie@envirolink.org, mkbrodie@vgernet.net, MINOUADAMS@aol.com, Lucy_Tancredi@factset.com, Me1ani@aol.com Subject: Primates: July-August - Laboratory Awareness Actions Message-ID: <199707181617.MAA24728@mailrelay.tiac.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Please join the move to focus attention on the plight of primates in laboratories and the increasing public sentiment to "Let These Children Go." The culmanation of this public educational experience will be the 9 day peaceful demonstration Aug 2 to Aug 10 at the NERPC in Southboro,MA led by national activist Rick Bogle, and the promotion of the populace's demand for the upcoming ordinance in Cambridge, MA which shall recognize the right of primates to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. July 7 (Mon)- till Oct - Tabling to Educate about Primates Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA 6:00pm till --->. Air video tapes, hand out literature, educate the public to how we can end the torture of primates in laboratories. Help promote passage of an ordinance in Cambridge to recognize the right of primates to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Call Bill 617-625-1451 or Steve 508-393-5339 for meeting location and times. July 15, 16, 17 (Tue, Wed, Thur) - Write-a-thon for Primates >From your house, your office, create the following types of letters: 1) Sample letters for people to sign and send to the NIH, Southboro and other primate labs, 2) Newspaper Op-Ed pieces against primates in labs, and 3) Sample letters for people to sign/send to legislators, regarding public dissaproval of the injustices enacted upon primates in laboratories. Call Steve at 508-393-5339 for info & details, or email baerwolf@tiac.net July 19 (Sat)-July 29 (Tue) - Distribute "Primates in Labs" Flyers/Sample Letters in Malls , and other public places. Call Steve at 508-393-5339 for hand-outs and location coordination. July 23 & July 30 (Weds) - Vigil outside of Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School, Longwood Ave, Boston near the Brigham & Woman's Hospital. 3:00pm - 6:00pm For more info call Bill at 617-625-1451 or Steve at 617-478-7731 Aug 1 (Fri) - Informational Tabling for Primate Freedom Campaign In front of Au Bon Pain, Harvard Sq., Cambridge. 12pm - 5pm For more info call NEAVS at 617-523-6020 Aug 2 (Sat)-Aug 10 (Sun) - Informational Protest at New England Regional Primate Center, 1 Pine Hill Drive, Southboro, MA on the Marlboro line. About one mile south of Rte 20. Come for the day; come for the duration, as you please. Bring vegan food, water, necessities for non-stop demonstrators. Bring anti-vivisection posters, banners and flyers if you have any. Call Steve at 508-393-5339 or NEAVS at 617-523-6020 for info. Aug 2 (Sat)-Aug 10 (Sun) - Primate Center Demonstators' Potlucks Join vegetarian organizations in providing food and water for activists. Three square meals & fluids are needed during the 9 day demonstration. Vegan food preparation, and food pickup/delivery, and restaurant vegan donations requested. Call Steve at 508-393-5339 by July 27 (Sunday night) for food coordination. Aug 2 (Sat)-Aug 10 (Sun) - Informational Protests Against Primate Labs at Harvard University Call Bill at 617-625-1451 or Steve at 508-393-5339 or NEAVS at 617-523-6020 to determine exact location, day, time, and content of each day's demonstration. **Aug 8 (Fri) - Solidarity Vigil in front of New England Primate Research Center Southboro, MA. 6:00pm - 8:00pm. Join activist Rick Bogle in a silent remembrance for primates suffering at the research center. For more info, or if you can provide a ride, or if you need a ride call NEAVS at 617-523-6020 Aug 16(Sat)-Nov 4(Tue) - Neighborhood Campaigning in Cambridge for the Ordinance to Abolish Primate Exploitation and Slavery (Proposition A.P.E.S). call Bill at 617-625-1451 or Steve at 508-393-5339 for literature and coordination. .......... Further, We could use some stimulating personalities to speak up for primates in yet to be scheduled media (Newspaper, Radio and TV spots). Also do you know any media - savy people? Respond to Steve at 508-393-5339 or Chris at 617-787-3125 sbaer steven baer baerwolf@tiac.net Massachusetts HOW DEEP INTO SPACE MUST HUMANS GO BEFORE THEY REALIZE ALL THE NEIGHBORS THEY'VE TORTURED ON PLANET EARTH. Date: Fri, 18 Jul 1997 17:42:13 +0000 (GMT) From: Daniel Paulo Martins Ferreira <dmartins@student.dei.uc.pt> To: Patrick Nolan <pnolan@animalwelfare.com> Cc: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Correcting a correction... Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.95.970718173636.10330B-100000@student.dei.uc.pt> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Greetings. A few days ago I corrected the name and the adress of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal. Well, I made a confusion and gave you another wrong adress. I'm sending you the real, confirmed, adress. I'm sorry for all the trouble. Hon. Jaime Gama Minister for Foreign Affairs Palacio das Necessidades Largo do Rilvas 1350 Lisboa PORTUGAL Regards. Daniel Date: Fri, 18 Jul 1997 14:53:57 -0400 From: "D'Amico, AnnMarie" <DAMICOA@od1em1.od.nih.gov> To: "Veg-Boston@waste.org" <Veg-Boston@waste.org>, "ar-news@envirolink.org" <ar-news@envirolink.org>, "veg-ne@empire.net" <veg-ne@empire.net>, "baerwolf@tiac.net" <baerwolf@tiac.net> Cc: "Lucy_Tancredi@factset.com" <Lucy_Tancredi@factset.com>, "Me1ani@aol.com" <Me1ani@aol.com> Subject: RE: Primates: July-August - Laboratory Awareness Actions Message-ID: <c=US%a=_%p=NIH%l=NIHHUB/HUB/00235E5E@imc.nih.gov> To all... The postings on Primates in Canada and the US is extremely disturbing. I've seen other articles from the NYTimes and other papers around the country. Some have already been euthanized. One of the Scientist on the board wants to euthanize. What can we do to intervene? Need some answers quickly. This is going to be a horrific injustice. From what I've read the government isn't acting quickly enough (what else is new) and that ultimately they will die at the hands of opportunists. We need to do something now. Any suggestions? Please help. TKS -- AM ---------- From: baerwolf@tiac.net[SMTP:baerwolf@tiac.net] Sent: Friday, July 18, 1997 12:17 PM To: Veg-Boston@waste.org; ar-news@envirolink.org; veg-ne@empire.net Cc: kvc@OpenMarket.com; hturrisi@tiac.net; hrones@husc.harvard.edu; veggie@envirolink.org; mkbrodie@vgernet.net; MINOUADAMS@aol.com; Lucy_Tancredi@factset.com; Me1ani@aol.com Subject: Primates: July-August - Laboratory Awareness Actions Please join the move to focus attention on the plight of primates in laboratories and the increasing public sentiment to "Let These Children Go." The culmanation of this public educational experience will be the 9 day peaceful demonstration Aug 2 to Aug 10 at the NERPC in Southboro,MA led by national activist Rick Bogle, and the promotion of the populace's demand for the upcoming ordinance in Cambridge, MA which shall recognize the right of primates to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. July 7 (Mon)- till Oct - Tabling to Educate about Primates Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA 6:00pm till --->. Air video tapes, hand out literature, educate the public to how we can end the torture of primates in laboratories. Help promote passage of an ordinance in Cambridge to recognize the right of primates to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Call Bill 617-625-1451 or Steve 508-393-5339 for meeting location and times. July 15, 16, 17 (Tue, Wed, Thur) - Write-a-thon for Primates >From your house, your office, create the following types of letters: 1) Sample letters for people to sign and send to the NIH, Southboro and other primate labs, 2) Newspaper Op-Ed pieces against primates in labs, and 3) Sample letters for people to sign/send to legislators, regarding public dissaproval of the injustices enacted upon primates in laboratories. Call Steve at 508-393-5339 for info & details, or email baerwolf@tiac.net July 19 (Sat)-July 29 (Tue) - Distribute "Primates in Labs" Flyers/Sample Letters in Malls , and other public places. Call Steve at 508-393-5339 for hand-outs and location coordination. July 23 & July 30 (Weds) - Vigil outside of Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School, Longwood Ave, Boston near the Brigham & Woman's Hospital. 3:00pm - 6:00pm For more info call Bill at 617-625-1451 or Steve at 617-478-7731 Aug 1 (Fri) - Informational Tabling for Primate Freedom Campaign In front of Au Bon Pain, Harvard Sq., Cambridge. 12pm - 5pm For more info call NEAVS at 617-523-6020 Aug 2 (Sat)-Aug 10 (Sun) - Informational Protest at New England Regional Primate Center, 1 Pine Hill Drive, Southboro, MA on the Marlboro line. About one mile south of Rte 20. Come for the day; come for the duration, as you please. Bring vegan food, water, necessities for non-stop demonstrators. Bring anti-vivisection posters, banners and flyers if you have any. Call Steve at 508-393-5339 or NEAVS at 617-523-6020 for info. Aug 2 (Sat)-Aug 10 (Sun) - Primate Center Demonstators' Potlucks Join vegetarian organizations in providing food and water for activists. Three square meals & fluids are needed during the 9 day demonstration. Vegan food preparation, and food pickup/delivery, and restaurant vegan donations requested. Call Steve at 508-393-5339 by July 27 (Sunday night) for food coordination. Aug 2 (Sat)-Aug 10 (Sun) - Informational Protests Against Primate Labs at Harvard University Call Bill at 617-625-1451 or Steve at 508-393-5339 or NEAVS at 617-523-6020 to determine exact location, day, time, and content of each day's demonstration. **Aug 8 (Fri) - Solidarity Vigil in front of New England Primate Research Center Southboro, MA. 6:00pm - 8:00pm. Join activist Rick Bogle in a silent remembrance for primates suffering at the research center. For more info, or if you can provide a ride, or if you need a ride call NEAVS at 617-523-6020 Aug 16(Sat)-Nov 4(Tue) - Neighborhood Campaigning in Cambridge for the Ordinance to Abolish Primate Exploitation and Slavery (Proposition A.P.E.S). call Bill at 617-625-1451 or Steve at 508-393-5339 for literature and coordination. .......... Further, We could use some stimulating personalities to speak up for primates in yet to be scheduled media (Newspaper, Radio and TV spots). Also do you know any media - savy people? Respond to Steve at 508-393-5339 or Chris at 617-787-3125 sbaer steven baer baerwolf@tiac.net Massachusetts HOW DEEP INTO SPACE MUST HUMANS GO BEFORE THEY REALIZE ALL THE NEIGHBORS THEY'VE TORTURED ON PLANET EARTH. Date: Fri, 18 Jul 1997 16:00:53 -0700 From: Sean Thomas <sean.thomas1@sympatico.ca> To: ar-news@envirolink.com Subject: Monkey Business Message-ID: <33CFF5A5.15B1@sympatico.ca> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------3C421FCD530C" Sean Thomas, Co-Director Animal Action Ottawa Citizen Hit reload or refresh if you're not getting today's Online date. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Image] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Image] [Image] [Image] [Image] National Highlights [Image]National News [Image]Across Canada [Image]News in Depth FRONT PAGE | CITY | SPORTS | BUSINESS | NATIONAL | WORLD | EDITORIALS ENTERTAINMENT | YOUR MONEY | INTERNET | COLUMNISTS | CLASSIFIED [National - Ottawa Citizen Online] Friday 18 July 1997 Health Canada considers private monkey business Breeding mill would produce primates for profit Randy Boswell The Ottawa Citizen The creation of a private, profit-making monkey mill for government and industry research labs is among the options available to Health Canada as it considers what to do with its primate breeding colony of 750 long-tailed macaques. The idea, listed along with several other alternatives in a report completed last month that examined Health Canada's animal resources division, contrasts with a recommendation issued Wednesday by an expert panel of American scientists that has been considering the future of that country's population of 1,500 research chimpanzees. The U.S. National Research Council, in a study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, urged a five-year moratorium on chimpanzee breeding in the States because an "oversupply has created substantial management problems for the institutions that house them." The U.S. panel also urged the establishment of "sanctuaries" for chimps no longer needed for experiments, and rejected the idea of killing unwanted animals. The future of the Ottawa monkeys, which have been used since 1983 for research into environmental toxins and AIDS and to test polio vaccines, will be the focus of a study due in November from a panel of scientists and philosophers named this week by the Royal Society of Canada. Health Canada requested the analysis as it faced the fallout of massive federal budget cuts and changing trends in animal research. The department has concluded that, without some prospect of cost recovery, it can no longer justify spending $1 million a year for the care and maintenance of monkeys for which there is declining need within Health Canada itself. But one of the potential solutions to the predicament, according to the June report, is to privatize the colony through an employee takeover or direct sale to a private firm. Plans to "determine a market value for the monkey colony as a commercial operation" are listed in the department's recommendations. Over the years, some of the monkeys have been sold to outside agencies and universities, but on a modest scale. "Several members of the pharmaceutical and testing laboratory sectors felt that if they had access to animals from the HPB (Health Protection Branch) colony, more sophisticated (and lucrative) testing could be conducted in Canada," the report stated. It is the superior quality of the Health Canada monkey colony, for research purposes, that makes potential commercialization attractive -- even in an era when public campaigns against the use of laboratory primates have driven many researchers toward using rodents or high-tech alternatives to animals for their experiments. The Ottawa colony's "unique nature and irreplaceability," as the Health Canada report describes it, derives from the fact that the genetic history of the monkeys is known for two generations and that they are free of the herpes virus that infects much of the North American primate research stock. In 1991, a veterinarian at the Texas Primate Centre contracted a rare monkey herpes virus and died; a Health Canada scientist died in 1958 after he was bitten by an infected animal. The macaque or Cynomolgus monkey is also in greater demand than the widely available rhesus monkey because "cynos" are smaller and thus easier to house and control. "If made available to industry and universities on a larger scale than in the past, the HPB monkey colony could be an important element in the science and technology infrastructure of Canada," it noted. "Toxicological testing companies would have the ability to attract more lucrative contracts, and this in turn would contribute to the science base of the country with a concomitant positive impact on Canadian competitiveness." About 800 macaques are used annually for product testing in Canada, most purchased from primate suppliers in Texas. "The monkey colony in Ottawa is strategically located to the supply of these animals to industry and institutions located in Montreal and Toronto," says the report. "Several companies have expressed that the HPB colony would be their first choice supplier because of ease of shipping, less traumatized animals ready for test much sooner, and the fact that animals are of a much higher quality." Monkeys sell for between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on their state of maturity, and monkeys in their reproductive prime are the most expensive. William Leiss, the Queen's University professor who convened the expert panel on behalf of the Royal Society, said Health Canada officials recognize "they could cover their costs" by stepping up sales of monkeys. But he says the department turned to the expert panel partly because it is searching for better alternatives. "They don't want to do it," he said, but acknowledged that the panel could conclude that increased revenues from marketing of the monkeys would benefit taxpayers and help Canada maintain a valuable research resource. Stephanie Brown, an animal rights activist with the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, warned that "trying to make a buck means producing a lot of animals" and risking the same kind of "glut" that appears to have developed in the U.S. market for chimpanzees. Ms. Brown, who recently sat on a Health Canada advisory committee examining the future of its animal resources division, slammed the notion of "approaching the future of the colony as an entrepreneur." Dr. Jim Wong, chief veterinarian with the Canadian Council on Animal Care and the man responsible for inspecting the living conditions of Health Canada's monkey colony, said the expert panelists -- and ultimately federal officials -- face an excruciating choice because of the financial pressures at the Health Protection Branch. "If I was doing a research project I'd want to eliminate as many variables as possible," he says, referring to the macaque colony's disease-free status and richly documented medical history. "That's why these animals would be highly desirable." But he says the animals are also expensive to maintain and "do you breed them for the sake of breeding them on the chance that there might be a buyer?" One of the leading U.S. authorities on lab animals, citing this week's recommendations on Amerian chimpanzees, says Canada should tread carefully before commercializing its primate colony -- for both economic and ethical reasons. "There's money to be made, but I doubt the market is that large," says Andrew Rowan, director of the Tufts University Centre for Animals and Public Policy. Mr. Rowan recently met with Health Canada officials, as they began to ponder the future of the colony, to provide advice on alternatives to animal research. He recalls that "there was a lot of tension in the room" because many of the scientists were concerned about losing their jobs should the monkey colony be disbanded. "My own preference is that we should look toward decreasing animals in research instead of looking for ways to promote it," he said. "The danger is that you can oversell one's need (for monkeys) in order to justify the maintenance of the population." FRONT PAGE | CITY | SPORTS | BUSINESS | NATIONAL | WORLD | EDITORIALS ENTERTAINMENT | YOUR MONEY | INTERNET | COLUMNISTS | CLASSIFIED Praise or criticism? Give us your FEEDBACK Copyright 1997 The Ottawa Citizen Ottawa Citizen Hit reload or refresh if you're not getting today's Online date. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Image] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Image] [Image] [Image] [Image] National Highlights [Image]National News [Image]Across Canada [Image]News in Depth FRONT PAGE | CITY | SPORTS | BUSINESS | NATIONAL | WORLD | EDITORIALS ENTERTAINMENT | YOUR MONEY | INTERNET | COLUMNISTS | CLASSIFIED [National - Ottawa Citizen Online] Thursday 17 July 1997 Animal research: part of the price of good health Even scientists dedicated to ending animal testing admit facilities like Ottawa's primate colony will be needed for a long time, writes Sharon Kirkey Sharon Kirkey The Ottawa Citizen Skin substitutes and brain cells that can grow in Petri dishes are just some of the alternatives scientists are aggressively pursuing to reduce the need for using animals in research. But even the director of an organization dedicated to ending testing on animals doubts medical science will overcome the need for facilities such as Health Canada's colony of research monkeys -- at least in the foreseeable future. "I have to have as my goal that at some point in the future we won't be doing animal research," says Gilly Griffin, executive director of the Ottawa-based Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animals in Research. "But I have to take a pragmatic view too. We still have big, big problems to solve. We haven't solved AIDS, we haven't solved neurodegenerative diseases, we haven't solved cancer," Ms. Griffin said. "We can do a lot of (research) in cellular systems, but at the end of the day you're still going to have to do a bit of animal research as well." A colony of 750 long-tailed macaque monkeys is poised to become the latest victim of federal government restructuring and downsizing. A Royal Society panel of scientists and philosophers has been appointed to determine, among other key considerations, whether the colony is "unique, valuable and necessary" to protect the health of Canadians. The monkeys cost the government about $1 million a year to maintain. That money comes from Health Canada emergency funds. The monkeys have been used in research into AIDS and herpes, to screen polio vaccines and to measure the effects of ingesting chemicals ranging from PCBs to caffeine. But just how much Canada -- and medical science researchers -- still need a monkey breeding colony has emerged as a key issue in the controversy. "What I'm hoping is that the Royal Society will have a good look at what kind of research is really necessary at this point using primates in Canada," said Ms. Griffin, who is also an information officer for the Council on Animal Care, which ensures animals used in research are properly care for. "I think that we should be looking less and less to using primates," Ms. Griffin said. "There is not much use for them in testing procedures any more, and in terms of research, who knows?" Researchers are moving away from using animals in experiments, not only because of pressure from animal-welfare activists but cost. Today, researchers are investigating alternatives that can stop compounds from ever reaching animals for testing, Ms. Griffin said. For example, researchers are using jelly-like substances for eye and skin toxicity tests. One such substance, called corristex, is being used to test materials for corrosiveness. Until now, these chemicals would have been tested on rabbit skin. Researchers are using a bacteria test to determine whether a chemical can produce a mutation that may lead to cancer. Previously, scientists had to test for those DNA mutations in animals. And scientists are working on different cell cultures to try to get brain cells, or neurons, to grow in Petri dishes the same way they would grow in animals. But while alternatives to animal testing like these are becoming part of mainstream science, researchers probably will never be able to completely simulate the human body "with a lab dish or computer, at least not in my lifetime or your lifetime," said a senior Health Canada research scientist, who asked not to be identified. "The proof in the pudding, as far as I'm concerned, is that you have to put the chemical back into the whole animal to see if it does react the way that things seem to be going on in the test tube." Thalidomide, the anti-morning-sickness drug that was banned worldwide in 1962 after causing severe birth defects in more than 12,000 babies, was never thoroughly tested in animals. "When it comes down to putting something into humans, whether it's a food additive or drug or an environmental pollutant, you have to go to an animal system to do some of your testing," the Health Canada scientist said. And no one knows what diseases or viruses lurk around the corner. The main reason monkeys are used in research is because they are so close to humans on the evolutionary ladder. The similarity of monkey AIDS to human AIDS has allowed the disease in monkeys to serve as a model for the human disease. If Health Canada were to close the monkey colony, "we would have to look at importing those animals again," Ms. Griffin said. Only about one of every 10 primates that are trapped and then transported for research survives -- one of the reasons the federal colony was put in place. "I don't want to see us going through getting (monkeys) from the wild again," Ms. Griffin said. "What I would like to see, and I hope this is what the Royal Society is going to do, is really give a good objective look at what research is actually being done, and what research is really necessary using primates in Canada." FRONT PAGE | CITY | SPORTS | BUSINESS | NATIONAL | WORLD | EDITORIALS ENTERTAINMENT | YOUR MONEY | INTERNET | COLUMNISTS | CLASSIFIED Praise or criticism? Give us your FEEDBACK Copyright 1997 The Ottawa Citizen Date: Fri, 18 Jul 1997 16:06:52 -0700 From: Sean Thomas <sean.thomas1@sympatico.ca> To: ar-news@envirolink.com Subject: Monkey Business Message-ID: <33CFF70C.2F48@sympatico.ca> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------74DE1F3A367" Sean Thomas, Co-Director Animal Action Ottawa Citizen Hit reload or refresh if you're not getting today's Online date. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Image] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Image] [Image] [Image] [Image] National Highlights [Image]National News [Image]Across Canada [Image]News in Depth FRONT PAGE | CITY | SPORTS | BUSINESS | NATIONAL | WORLD | EDITORIALS ENTERTAINMENT | YOUR MONEY | INTERNET | COLUMNISTS | CLASSIFIED [National - Ottawa Citizen Online] Thursday 17 July 1997 Monkey business Panelists deciding fate of a $1M-a-year monkey colony will try to detach themselves from their evolutionary cousins, writes Charles Enman. Charles Enman. Ottawa Citizen A Royal Society panel will consider whether Health Canada still needs the colony of monkeys that it keeps at Tunney's Pasture. It costs $1 million per year to keep the 750 long-tailed macaque monkeys in captivity -- so the panelists will have to look, in part, at economic and bottom-line considerations, especially in a time of shrinking departmental budgets. Of course, these aren't goldfish or white rats -- they're monkeys, our furry evolutionary cousins. And some people think they therefore come with ties that bind. But do the five panelists think so? The Citizen spoke to three of them yesterday. Each said they care about monkeys but would not allow their feelings to savage the dispassion they must bring to the issue at hand. So you see, their feelings are avuncular, but there's not a monkey's uncle among them. The chair of the panel, Conrad Brunk, is a philosophy professor at the University of Waterloo. From childhood, monkeys have had some place in his imaginary universe. "As a small child, I had a fantasy of owning a monkey," he recalls. "I loved to think about the organ grinder's monkey. And I loved to be read stories about monkeys." Did he feel an affinity for monkeys? "Obviously I did, and I think that's natural for humans. The behaviour of monkeys is so close to our own -- and especially close to the behaviour of children. "I think a child, seeing a monkey, will say, 'Here's a being that's very close to my own experience of the world.'" Mr. Brunk says the very closeness of primate consciousness and sensibility to the human "makes the whole issue of animal welfare and animal rights especially sensitive. Monkeys and other primates have a broader range of potential injuries and emotional reactions than lower animals. "Is the monkey feeling bored? Feeling confined? Maybe feeling deprived of certain kinds of activity natural to the species? These questions will have more impact on a monkey's consciousness than they would on a fish or chicken or rat." The very resemblance of monkeys and other primates to human beings means "we owe them the kind of treatment and respect that is very similar to what we owe ourselves," Mr. Brunk said. The same treatment we give to children, say? "No, I wouldn't go that far. But there is a possibility that they could suffer in a way that, considering their evolvement, is simply unacceptable." Mr. Brunk said the committee will have to seek a consensus that represents not only the member's views but those of the Canadian public at large. For that reason, the public will be invited to submit its views on whether the government should maintain the primate colony at Tunney's Pasture. For Michael McDonald, director of the Centre for Applied Ethics at the University of British Columbia, the resemblance of monkey to man is incontestable. "Even as a child, seeing monkeys at zoos and circuses, I was fascinated to see how much they are like us -- they're so social, they need lots of contact with their own kind. "Of course, they're our genetic kin, and many people would say they're in some ways our spiritual brothers. They have a more developed mental and emotional space that does recall the human being." Ethicists even see the beginnings of moral behaviour among monkeys, Mr. McDonald says. "They seem to develop something that looks like morality among themselves," he says. "There seems something altruistic in the way parent monkeys care for their offspring. And sometimes you see behaviour that looks like sacrifice for the sake of the group." An example of the latter could be the struggle a dominant monkey will engage in with intruders. "Is this really altruism?" Mr. McDonald asks. "Perhaps it's just something to preserve the dominance of the alpha male. But a great deal of primate behaviour seems to demonstrate that ethics may simply be an evolutionary adaptation to living with creatures of your own kind." Andrew G. Hendrickx, director of the California Regional Primate Centre at the University of California at Davis, has worked with monkeys for 35 years. Growing up on a farm in Minnesota, he never saw a monkey. But after completing university, he started working with them and was immediately fascinated. "And I'm still fascinated," he says. "Their intelligence and their emotional similarity to us has got to spark some degree of emotional connection. He says, however, that his "scientific objectivity is never clouded." The lab monkey's life is no dog's life, he's quick to point out. Lab directors now insist on "environmental enrichment opportunities" for their primate charges. Captive monkeys typically enjoy what Mr. Hendrickx compares to the jungle gyms that city parks provide for children. Monkeys used to be housed singly, but are now kept in groups to reduce loneliness. Mirrors are put up in cages so the monkeys can keep tabs on what their cohorts are doing. Captive monkeys also get excellent nutrition and medical care. "With the nutrition and the medical care and the enrichment, I would say the monkey in the lab is better off and probably happier than the monkey in the jungle," Mr. Hendrickx says. Mr. McDonald says the committee will consider many options. Perhaps the colony should be maintained. Perhaps it should be sold piecemeal to other research groups. Perhaps the monkeys should be kept from reproducing and simply allowed to die out. Or perhaps the animals should be put down, though he doesn't like this last possibility. But Pierre Thibert, chief of the animal resources division at Health Canada, says no monkey is in peril. If it is decided to sell the monkey colony, a nucleus group might be sold intact to a research group in the United States or Canada. The others would be sold to other interested research institutions. "I'm quite sure there is no way we will be killing the animals," Mr. Thibert says. Monkeys sell for between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on their age. The most valuable are of reproductive age. FRONT PAGE | CITY | SPORTS | BUSINESS | NATIONAL | WORLD | EDITORIALS ENTERTAINMENT | YOUR MONEY | INTERNET | COLUMNISTS | CLASSIFIED Praise or criticism? 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