April 29, 2022
Each April a group of people committed to ending all use of animals for any purpose, including medical and scientific research, orchestrate events for a week they designate World Week for Animals in Laboratories (WWAIL). Among the primary objectives of WWAIL is to generate media coverage via picketing and protests. The event often culminates in World Day for Animals in Laboratories (WDAIL). WWAIL also provides a timely opportunity for outreach and engagement by the research community. In 2015 we wrote about one example of how to do just that.
The website referenced in the banner shown in the photos here (animalresearch.wisc.edu) provides extensive information about animal research. The site provides facts, interviews, videos, photos, and links for those interested in learning more about why animal studies occur, the role that they play in scientific and medical progress that serve public interests, how research is conducted, its ethical consideration, and the practices, policies, regulation and oversight that govern animal care.
In 2015 the same banner appears in the photos WWAIL protestors posted. You can see those here.
Since that time other protesters have encountered the same banner and helped to share its message.
As we wrote in 2015, “if your university or facility is among those that attract attention during WWAIL, we ask that you join in the conversation by providing protestors, public, and media your own voice. Whether it is via banners, websites, or talking with reporters– speak up for science and for public interests in advancing scientific understanding and medical progress.
Although it may not matter to those committed to an absolutist agenda, it can matter to those who are interested in building a dialogue based in fact and serious consideration of the complex issues that surround public interests in the future of science, health, and medicine.”
Speaking of Research 