HU TINGDON DEATH SCIENCES CAMPAIGN Huntingdon Life Sciences who will now only be referred to as Huntingdon Death Sciences are one ofthe largest contract anllnal testing companies in the world. They have laboratories at Huntingdon Research Centre, Woolley Rd, Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambs PE18 6HS. Tel: 01480 890500 Eye Research Centre Oecoid, Eye, Suffolk IP23 7P:X.
Altringham Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire. Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
All ofthe labs are animal hell-holes, They are animal concentration camps. The razor wire, security fencing, cameras and guards are testament to the fact that Huntingdon Death Sciences are obsessed with secrecy. fu their company literature they boast to their muhinational chemical giant contractors ''your secrets are our secrets". No-one except the people who drive through the gates with their permission knows what goes on. fu April '97 an undercover documentary called 'Countryside Undercover' exposed wanton cruelty to the animals in their care. Two senior animal technicians (Andrew Mash and Robert Waters) were shown to hit some ofthe dogs in their care, and even simulate sex wlri1st trying to take blood samples. The Home Office pretended to take these abuses seriously by suspending Huntingdon's licence but decided to allow any current testing to continue. These individuals were prosecuted and found guilty but as usual the courts gave them a slap on the wrist of 60 hours community service order and costs ofÂŁ240. A month after the exposure in the UK an
undercover agent in America, from People for the Ethical Treatment ofAnimals (PETA) exposed cruel conditions in the New Jersey site ofHDS. HDS are now suing PETA and have issued a gaging order stopping them from campaigning against HDS. HDS allege that PETA's infiltrator copied confidential documents and made secret video-tapes. One ofthe things she found out was that thirty seven beagles were to have one oftheir leg bones sawn,
then snapped with a stainless steel wire all without anaesthetic. The experiments were to test a drug known as YM27 5 which it is believed help to mend broken bones. The tests were to take place at the New Jersey lab for a Japanese company called YamanouchiPharmaceuticals. Because ofthe adverse publicity the tests were cancelled and eventually the dogs were bought by famous actress Kim Basinger and are now living in happy new homes. When the 2nd exposure came outHDS's shares plummeted and were suspended on the stock exchange to stop them going any lower. They were later unsuspended but they carried on going down and were again suspended. In October the Home Office decided to renew HUn.tingdon's torture licence sealing the fate ofl,OOO dogs; 10 baboons; 200 marmosets; 450 macaques; 13,000 mice; 35,000 rats; 2,000 rabbits; 4,000 guinea pigs; 3,000 birds; 4,00 fish and smaller numbers of other spec1es.
Not content with the amount of suffering they are able to inflict Huntingdon have applied to build a beagle breeding unit at their Oecoid site in Suffolk. Within 3 days of:finding this out the council received over 80 letters of objection and have adjourned their decision until8/12/97. Letters objecting to application 902/97 should be sent to; S.G. Brooks, Head of development control, Mid-Suffolk district council, 131 High street, Needham Market, Ipswich. IP6 8DL.
We will beholding a demo on24/ll/97 at 9:30am outside the front gates ofHuntingdon Death Sciences, Barrack road, Oecoid, Suffolk. For more information about the demo or anything to do with Huntingdon Death Sciences, telephone 01902 71193 5 or phone the camp at Huntingdon on 0589 026435.