Auckland stray dogs

Press, 13 April 1984, Page 20

Auckland stray dogs

Sir, — The amazing decision of the Auckland City Council to continue supplying stray dogs to Greenlane Hospital for vivisection, in spite of a petition of 20,000 signatures requesting it to stop, indicates a complete disregard of public opinion, and justice for the animals. To experiment on intelligent animals which serve New Zealand well in farming, police work, customs duties, guiding blind people and protecting properties and persons, must rank as a betrayal bordering on treachery. I believe that the Auckland council’s decision and the Greenlane Hospital vivisection are completely unacceptable to fairminded New Zealanders and should be revoked by the Government before nation-wide petitions embarrass the council and the hospital. — Yours, etc.,

J. SHARP. April 11, 1984.

Sir, — Cr Gordon Barnaby, of the Auckland City Council, has made clear his total ignorance of the suffering and ultimate death of stray dogs gathered for research into heart ailments at Greenlane Hospital. His platitudes are similar to the vivisectors’, that what they do is for the benefit of mankind. His statements do not relate to the injustice and unethical practice of using creatures as tools of research. He gives strength to the practitioners of this medieval pursuit in our country. While it is most unfortunate that Cr Barnaby is both uninformed and unaware of the triumphs which the vivisectors make known, it would be wiser if he made an unannounced visit to the vivisectors’ laboratory (if he can gain permission) to see what happens when dogs’ bodies, dissimilar to humans’, are cut open to discover heart ailments. — Yours, etc., NATALIE TAYLOR (Miss), Christchurch Co-ordinator N.Z. Anti-Vivisection Society. April 10, 1984.