Protests build against animal testing
Over 5,000 people from at least 25 countries have signed an online petition in protest against the proposed RM500 million animal testing facility in Alor Gajah, Malacca.
Over 5,000 people from at least 25 countries have signed an online petition in protest against the proposed RM500 million animal testing facility in Alor Gajah, Malacca.
The petition, posted on the care2petitionsite since May 5, attracted an outpouring of support from some 5,254 signatories as at 4.20pm today, from countries such as Austria, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Greece, South Africa, Belgium, Slovakia, Ireland, Switzerland, Mexico, Canada, Norway, USA, UK, Turkey, Russia, Australia, France, Italy, Bazil, India, Croatia, New Zealand and Malaysia.
Sponsored by SPCA Selangor, Friends of the Earth Malaysia, British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) and the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE), the petition demands that the government “act in all expediency to quash this proposal”.
The petition claims that the half-billion ringgit project should be scrapped “for ethical reasons and for the lack of scientific validity in extrapolating data obtained from animal testing to humans”.
Once 10,000 signatures have been collected, the petition will be sent to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam (left).
Protests started in late April after it was made known that state-owned Melaka Biotech entered a joint-venture with Indian biotechnology giant Vivo BioTech Ltd and local company Vanguard Creative Technologies Sdn Bhd to set up primate, small animals and canine testing laboratories in the state.
The project will be undertaken by joint-venture company Vivo Biotech Sdn Bhd, formed with all three companies as partners after the memorandum of understanding was inked in New Delhi last January by Mohd Ali and representatives from Vivo BioTech and Vanguard.
Mohd Ali fuelled opposition against the project after he brushed aside the protests, saying it is man’s “god-given right” to use animals for lab testing.
Progress on the project, however, remains unclear, as it was earlier reported that officials from Malaysia’s wildlife and veterinary departments were unaware of the proposal.
Melaka Biotech chief executive officer Zam Ab Karim also declined to comment when contacted, saying that discussions are still ongoing.
“We will leave it to the CM (Ali) to make an announcement,” she said.
