Petition to stop animal testing facility in Malaysia - please sign & circulate

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Please support the international campaign to stop the construction of an

animal testing facility in Malaysia by signing the petition (go to the

weblink below) and circulating it widely.

 

For background information, please go to:

 

http://www.mmail.com.my/content/32184-animaltesting-centre-be-set-malaysia

 

http://www.mmail.com.my/content/34684-animal-groups-protest-over-planned-animal-\

test-lab

 

 

Thank you on behalf of

BUAV

ECEAE

Friends of the Earth Malaysia

SPCA Selangor

 

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http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/StopPlansForAnimalTestingMalaysia

 

Target:

To the Prime Minister of Malaysia and the Chief Minister of Malacca

 

Sponsored by:

SPCA Selangor, Friends of The Earth Malaysia, British Union For The

Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), European Coalition to End Animal

Experiments (ECEAE)

 

We, the undersigned, urgently request that you take the necessary steps

to halt the proposal to construct an animal testing facility in Malacca,

Malaysia by the Malaysian government-owned Melaka Biotech and Vivo

BioTech, an Indian contract testing company.

 

Malaysia currently has no specific legislation governing the use of

animals in research. This would be detrimental to the issue of animal

welfare as the proposed laboratory will be designed to house nonhuman

primates, dogs and small animals. Vivo Biotech's website lists it as a

company that carries out extensive animal research, including toxicity

testing, on a variety of species for a number of purposes, amongst which

is its controversial use for cosmetic products.

 

It has also been reported that primates could be sourced locally in

Malaysia. This move will be at direct variance to the Malaysian

government's stand in re-instating the ban on the export of primates for

research in 2008. Needless to say, the setting up of the animal

laboratory in Malacca can only result in immense suffering, misery and

death being inflicted on thousands of animals, aside from potentially

facilitating the trade in wild-caught primates within Malaysia.

 

Hence, we oppose the construction of this facility both for ethical

reasons and for the lack of scientific validity in extrapolating data

obtained from animal testing to humans. Instead, a progressive society

would explore the wide range of non-animal techniques that, as well as

being a more humane approach in gaining scientific knowledge, can also

prove to be cheaper, quicker and more effective.

 

We earnestly urge you to act in all expediency to quash this proposal as

allowing the facility to materialize will not only result in the

needless suffering and death of thousands of animals every year, but

will also undoubtedly have a negative and detrimental impact on

Malaysia's image worldwide.