Many years ago anti-vivisectionists used to collect names of vivisectors and descriptions of their experiments (often including photographs). It didn't take long before the files of anti-vivisectionists were overflowing. The next stage saw anti-vivisectionists collecting examples of drugs that had caused human damage and death despite being "safe" according to the animal tests. This has also had to be scaled down due to the enormity of the task today where one can turn on the radio to hear about the latest drug to cure baldness (which has a side-effect of impotency), open the newspaper to read about a treatment for impotency (which has carcinogenic side-effects) and then on the same day switch on the television to see the latest "miracle cure" for cancer (which if it is like previous "miracle cures" makes ones' hair fall out).

For the past few years anti-vivisectionists have been collecting the words of doctors and scientists who have given evidence as to the dangers and uselessness of vivisection. This too has turned into a task needing massive amounts of file space, and has grown so large that the doctors have formed their own anti-vivisection organisations (eg Doctors and Lawyers for Responsible Medicine) and books have been written containing pages and pages of their evidence (eg Hans Ruesch's 1000 Doctors (and many more) Against Vivisection. NZAVS has been collecting these too, and so to empty the filing cabinet into Mobilise!. Here is just a sample of some of the evidence that has been recently published:

A joint project between Otago University and AgResearch has been trying to extract moa DNA for several years. They wish to isolate the gene which made moas so large and clone it with emu or ostrich genes so that emu and ostrich breeders can attempt to make money (ostrich farms have notoriously been a failure overseas and New Zealand farmers have been similarly conned). The experiment is being opposed by Ngai Tahu as "playing with genes and trying to recreate some form of extinct species would be a very sensitive matter for Maori".
(Sunday Star-Times, 8 March 1998, front page)

Two diet drugs have been withdrawn worldwide after research suggested they could dangerously damage the heart when taken with a third drug. NZ health authorities do not know how many people may have been taking them. The two drugs are fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine (sold in NZ as Ponderax and Adifax respectively).
(Dominion, 17 September 1997, front page)

"The history of cancer research has been one of curing cancer in the mouse. We have cured mice of cancer for decades - and it simply hasn't worked in humans"
(Dr Richard Klausner, director of the US National Cancer Institute, The Press, 8 May 1998, page 5)

Anti-vivisectionists can now hope to start collecting reports of vivisectors fleeing the country:

Vivisector Derek Hart has fled to Australia, possibly taking many of his 20-strong, Christchurch based team with him. (The Press, 23 March 1998, page 3). He had been having difficulty getting his experiments funded. According to The Press, Professor Hart was involved with tests on dendritic cells on animals.

Report by Linda Anderson

The Cancer Society held their annual winter "Cancer Research" Ball at the Christchurch Convention Centre on June 6. The Cancer Society funds vivisection and is a co-publisher of the pamphlet 'Animal Research Saves Lives', which the NZAVS book Animal Research Takes Lives - Humans and Animals Both Suffer completely demolished.

NZAVS members noisily protested outside the ball and TV3's 6pm news covered our protest the following day. Afterwards there was a get together with appetising vegan food available. This was enjoyed by all. Videos of past NZAVS protests and footage of protests at the Hillgrove Cat Farm in the UK (where cats are bred for vivisection) were also shown.

Maybe next year you could consider joining us. There can never be too many people protesting against vivisection. It does not matter what age you are because we all know the truth and agree that vivisection should be abolished.

The protest was screened on TV3 6pm News the following evening.