Events Latest happenings and events pertaining to pets and animal welfare |
06-10-2010, 04:50 PM
|
PetFinder Buddy
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: pj/tronoh/kch
Posts: 60
Rep Power: 14
|
|
Re: Animal testing Lab Set Up in Malacca
Thanks for the info, melmel =)
bet MOHD ALI's regretting his choice of words deeply now. Political fight via God-given-authority-talk failed miserably
|
06-17-2010, 01:35 PM
|
PetFinder Guru
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 302
Rep Power: 16
|
|
Re: Animal testing Lab Set Up in Malacca
Animal lab operating on the quiet for three years
Star June 2010
BUKIT MERTAJAM: While animal lovers are up in arms over the setting up of an animal testing laboratory in Malacca, a similar facility is believed to have been operating on the quiet here for the past three years.
According to the company’s website, it is an independent contract research organisation offering toxicology services to the worldwide pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agrochemical and industrial chemical industries.
It claims to conduct toxicology tests on a range of animals. It said some animals were used for regulatory pre-clinical toxicity testing of pharmaceuticals and certain chemicals, such as agrochemicals and biocides.
The RM52mil facility includes a state-of-the-art dog unit, purpose-built to provide the highest standards of animal care and advanced study procedures.
There were also 15 animal rooms, each designed to hold up to 40 dogs and enabling the housing of one study per room, the company said in its website.
The company also said its non-human primate building included eight animal rooms. It added that the primates would be supplied from the company’s own biosecure breeding facility.
The website stated that the company had a 3,200 sq m barriered rodent facility for short-term toxicity, carcinogenicity and reproductive toxicity studies.
The existence of such a laboratory comes as a surprise to the state Wildlife and National Parks Department, which wants to investigate the company operating at the Penang Science Park in Bukit Minyak.
Penang-based Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) is shocked that the company is operating in its own “backyard” without its knowledge. Department director Noor Alif Wira Othman said it had not issued any permit for primates to be bred for research purposes in the state.
“Breeding primates for research requires several permits such as for catching, keeping, breeding, selling or buying of the primates. We will conduct an inspection on this premises to find out if they have the necessary documentation,” he said.
SAM president S.M. Mohd Idris expressed shock and disappointment when informed about the facility.
“We have been actively fighting with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Selangor against the animal testing lab in Malacca.
“Little did we know there was a lab conducting similar activities here in Penang,” he said. A state official-cum-animal lover, who declined to be named, said he was disappointed with the previous administration for allowing the facility to be set up in Penang.
“I believe the company had once mentioned that it chose Penang to set up the facility because the laws on animal testing in European nations were more stringent,” he said.
Former state executive councillor Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan said: “The issue should not be over-politicised as I am sure proper procedures are observed to avoid causing unnecessary discomfort to the animals.”
British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection and the Dr Hadwen Trust for Humane Research said about 115 million animals were used in scientific research globally in 2005 based on official national figures and estimates from the number of scientific papers published involving animals. Only Liechtenstein and San Marino have banned animal testing.
A check by The Star yesterday showed that there were fewer than 15 cars parked in the compound and CCTV cameras installed around the two-storey building.
There were hardly any activity in the compound except for a few people believed to be suppliers and contractors going in and out of the premises.
When met at the entrance, a security guard claimed that the company had not started formal operations yet. He said his boss was busy and could not see any visitors. Although he took down the name and contact number of the reporter, and said his boss would telephone, no call came from the company.
|
06-17-2010, 01:47 PM
|
PetFinder Guru
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 302
Rep Power: 16
|
|
Re: Animal testing Lab Set Up in Malacca
Animal rights groups protest against Indian company's plan
People’s Daily On-line June 2010
A coalition of animal rights groups gathered outside the Indian High Commission in Malaysia here on Wednesday to protest against a plan by an Indian drug company to build an animal testing laboratory in Malaysia.
The protesters claimed that the 140 million-U.S.-dollar project meant for pre-clinical trials would cause thousands of animals to suffer and die as a result of the experiments.
They also handed a memorandum to the Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia Vijay Gokhale, hoping that the Indian government would look into the matter.
According to the animal rights activists, the Indian company has planned to conduct trials on Malaysian long-tailed macaques and beagles upon completion of the laboratory.
Over 80 protesters from at least four animal rights groups were present at the high commission.
|
06-17-2010, 01:53 PM
|
PetFinder Guru
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 302
Rep Power: 16
|
|
Re: Animal testing Lab Set Up in Malacca
Protest over animal testing facility- Freedom Malaysia
Jun 2010
VIDEO INSIDE KUALA LUMPUR : A group of animal rights activists gathered outside the Indian High Commission here to protest against a proposed Indian-based animal testing facility in Malacca.
Consisting of members from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Selangor, the group handed over a memorandum to Indian High Commissioner Vijay Gokhale.
Some of the concerns laid out in the memorandum highlighted the alleged mistreatment of animals in research laboratories, as well the lack of scientific validity involving animal testing. SPCA Selangor suggested alternatives such as studying post-mortem tissues.
Owned by Indian company Vivo Bio Tech Ltd, the RM500 million facility is expected to use Malaysian long-tailed macauques and Beagles for testing purposes upon completion.
“If the Indian people knew what was going on in Malaysia, they would be shocked,” said Rochelle Regodon, a spokesperson for PETA.
“The animals would be subject to mutilation, testing without anesthesia and other forms of painful mistreatment. Since these monkeys were not allowed to be exported, they were instead going to be used for experimentation,” she added.
Regodon also told FMT that the planned facility was part of a worrying trend in “weaker” countries such as Malaysia. According to the PETA spokesperson, corporations that were based in countries with more stringent laws tend to set up their operations in countries where there was no applicable animal rights law.
“Last year, a French company wanted to come to Johor to do the same thing. We then went to meet several EU ministers in the country, and this project was stalled,” she said.
Asked where most of the test animals came from, Regodon said that she did not know. Also present was DAP Senator S Ramakrishnan, who explained that while Pakatan Rakyat was not aware of animal testing as a whole, he was personally following the issue.
6,000 signatures gathered - Petition
In a statement to the media, Ramakrishnan said that tests on animals did not equate to successful usage on humans. He also said Malaysian laws should be amended so that it would be legal to test on humans, so long as they wanted to use the products in question.
SPCA Selangor's chair Christine Chin also said it had gathered over 6,000 signatures in an online petition.
It will be submitted to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak as soon as it reaches the 10,000-mark.
At the moment, PETA does not have a branch in Malaysia. Its nearest branch is located in the Philippines.
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is On
|
|
|
All times are GMT +8. The time now is 06:13 PM.
|
|
|