The question of whether or not lab animals should be transported in passenger aircraft is making headlines again thanks to British anti-vivisection activists who leaked information to the media about Air Canada’s continuing involvement in transporting primates for use in experiments.
British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) alerted the media after receiving a tip from a Toronto airport employee that Air Canada had recently transported 48 monkeys as cargo from a breeding facility in China. The monkeys are scheduled for use in experiments at LAB Research, a Laval, Quebec based diabetes and cardiovascular disease research laboratory.
“I think most people would be alarmed to know that monkeys could be traveling alongside their luggage in a cargo hold,” explained Sarah Kite, BUAV director of communications in a Star interview. “We urge Air Canada to join the growing list of airlines that have stopped their involvement in the cruel trade in primates.”
Unfortunately, Air Canada is currently obligated to accept lab animals as cargo due to a previous Canadian Transportation Agency ruling.
Numerous airlines refuse to ship animals destined for use in experiments including British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Northwest Airlines, Qantas Airways, South African Airways, Delta Airlines, and China Airlines.
Visit: http://www.buav.org
Via The Star & New Scientist
The Canadian government mandates cargo regulations for airlines. Air Canada does not have the right to refuse cargo other than for safety or specially defined reasons.
written by Flytdeck , February 08, 2011
written by Aisha arechaga , February 09, 2011
Flytdeck, the fact that "Numerous airlines refuse to ship animals destined for use in experiments including British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Northwest Airlines, Qantas Airways, South African Airways, Delta Airlines, and China Airlines" only shows that Air Canada CAN refuse;"pet friendly"?
written by Layla Amer , January 19, 2012
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written by Ayala Bar , February 07, 2011