ANIMAL WEEK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26274, 4 October 1946, Page 9

ANIMAL WEEK

Sir, —There are many humanitarian people in Dunedin caring for animals. May I put in a plea for those still more helpless creatures awaiting the vivisectors' knife? In 1876 in Great Britain an Act was passed allowing vivisection, but only under humane conditions. Since then, many amendments have been made, completely cancelling the provision of humaneness and allowing more and more cruelty to the animal. Here is one example—the original Act says: "An experiment calculated to give pain shall not be performed on any horse, ass or mule . . the amendment added recently is ” Except when the object ,of the experiment will be necessarily frustrated unless it is performed on a horse, ass or mule, and that no other animal is available for such experiment.” At present there are no laws governing vivisection in New Zealand. Soon a Bill will be brought before Parliament allowing vivisection in New Zealand, though for many years great cruelty has been enacted in our research laboratories with cats dogs, monkeys, rabbits, mice, guinea pigs and rats. The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection has an active branch in Auckland. Any animal lover wishing to prevent the spread of useless cruelty (for the experiments on animals have not advanced science by one iota), in this new country, should write immediately to headquarters.—l am, etc., A. V. Inglis, Dunedin representative B.U.A.V. 153 Musselburgh rise.