There is a very good case for the use of animals in research [PDF], but the so called animal-rights activists are unable to have a rational conversation on the topic, so they rather focus on sabotaging research:
Activists occupied an animal facility at the University of Milan, Italy, at the weekend, releasing mice and rabbits and mixing up cage labels to confuse experimental protocols. Researchers at the university say that it will take years to recover their work.
Many of the animals at the facility are genetic models for psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.
Five activists entered laboratories in the university’s pharmacology department on Saturday morning. The lack of signs of a break-in suggests that the activists may have used an illegally acquired electronic card, says pharmacologist Francesca Guidobono-Cavalchini, who works there. They prised open the reinforced doors of the facility on the fourth floor, and two of them chained themselves by the neck to the main double doors such that any attempt to open the doors could have endangered their lives.
Paola Viani, deputy director of the pharmacology department, worked with police to negotiate with the activists. By evening they had reached a compromise whereby the activists left with fewer than 100 animals, with the understanding that they could return for the rest later; negotiations about whether they may do so are still continuing, according Bolognesi.
Some of the mice they removed were delicate mutants and immunosuppressed ‘nude’ mice, which die very quickly outside controlled environments.
In addition to mixing up animals and cage labels to ensure that ongoing experiments would be ruined, the activists also took the names of the experimenters from the cage labels, some of which they later published on their Facebook page.
So they value life so much, they endangered themselves, endangered the released animals and endangered the researchers! It must suck to fail so epically at loving life!
