March 25, 2008

LOS ANGELES –- In today’s world, extremism in protesting research on animals is increasingly commonplace. At least one scientist has left the field recently, fearing for the safety of his family. Still other scientists remain steadfast, committed to the work they perform.

In the 1980s and 1990s, scientific study organizations like the University of California, Los Angeles, began fortifying their research facilities to prevent activists from committing acts of sabotage.

In the past, activists had successfully gone so far as to steal test animals, and even burned facilities down.

For years, the “Fort Knox” tactic has worked but only spurred activists to find other ways to stop animal testing.

The emergence of the Internet has provided extremists the resources they need to take the fight to the next level –- and today they routinely go after the scientists themselves.

They do so by publicly posting home addresses so that others might mobilize and protest at the scientists’ homes. In some cases they threaten to burn down homes or commit acts of violence.

The latest case involves UCLA researchers and a group of protestors that allegedly belong to the Animal Liberation Front, the Animal Liberation Brigade and UCLA Primate Freedom.

Web sites for these groups allege that they are working against not only the scientific bodies that oversee animal testing, but the researchers –- vivisectionists as they are called by protestors –- whose job it is to study live animals. (Eds. note:dictionary.com defines vivisection as “the action of cutting into or dissecting a living body”).

Edythe London is one such scientist. She studies the effects of nicotine and methamphetamines on the brain at UCLA, using non-human primates to do so.

It turns out her father died from the effects of smoking.

In late 2007, her home was nearly destroyed when vandals belonging to the A.L.F. broke a window in her home, inserted a hose in the opening and flooded the residence. In all, damages totaled between $20,000 and $30,000.

In a rebuttal written for the UCLA Web site, she said, “It is through work like ours that the understanding of addiction expands and gives rise to hope that we can help people like my father live longer, healthier lives.”

That argument hasn’t convinced protestors to end their tactics.

In other cases, a Molotov cocktail-like device was left under one scientist’s car. Still others have been awakened in the middle of the night to masked protestors banging at their doors –- frightening children and parents alike.

After months of this treatment, one researcher gave up his research altogether, claiming he didn’t want to further put his family in danger.

In defense of their employees, the California Regents –- the body that oversees the state’s research facilities –- filed a lawsuit against five alleged extremists, the A.L.F., the A.L.B. and UCLA Primate Freedom.

In the short term, a restraining order was placed against the five, but as Animal Liberation Press Officer Dr. Jerry Vlasak said in a statement, the effect of that will be limited.

“UCLA accomplished absolutely nothing in court … ” he said. “And all but five picketers can continue their protests against the atrocities being committed by primate vivisectors on the UCLA campus.

“Even the five activists named … have been given such limited restrictions that they will barely notice the difference,” he said.

Vlasak, a former researcher himself, believes in the extreme measures groups like his use -– and even went so far as to tell the Washington Post that physically hurting those responsible wouldn’t be wrong.

"If killing them is the only way to stop them," he said, "then I said killing them would certainly be justified."

With such ardent beliefs behind the defense of animals, it seems unlikely that a lawsuit will stop activists. But the scientists involved remain undeterred, too.

“I have devoted my career to understanding how nicotine, methamphetamine and other drugs can hijack brain chemistry and leave the affected individual at the mercy of his or her addiction,” said London. “We must not allow these extremists to stop important research that advances the human condition.”

To learn more about this issue, visitnewsroom.ucla.edu oranimalliberationfront.com

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