Although they comprise 95% of all animals used in
medical research, birds, mice and rats have been excluded from the
protections provided by the federal Animal Welfare Act. Last year, animal
protection groups finally made strides in correcting this gross oversight,
when the USDA agreed to an out of court settlement in which it would begin
regulating the treatment of birds, mice, and rats in labs.
However, the
National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR) is leading a major
campaign to get Congress to permanently exclude birds, mice and rats from
AWA protections. Already, NABR succeeded in persuading the Chair of the
Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee to act to block the USDA
from implementing the terms of its settlement for one year!
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please act now and contact your U.S. Representative and
your two U.S. Senators and urge them NOT to weaken the Animal Welfare Act
or stand in the way of protections for birds, mice, and rats! Call the
U.S. Congressional switchboard at (202) 225-3121 and ask to be connected
to your legislators’ offices, or call us at (202) 955-3666 if you need
help identifying them.
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