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Stop Animal
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Media Coverage Protesters urge care for rats UNC under investigation by NIH BY STEPHANIE NOVAK As many students headed to the bars for their own alcohol experiments
during Saturday�s football game against N.C. State University,
protesters outside the Franklin Street post office spoke out against the
University�s use of rodents in alcohol studies. Armed with images of rats post-laboratory use, Stop Animal
Exploitation Now! protested against researchers who use rats to conduct
alcohol studies. The protesters talked to passers-by and asked them to sign a petition
that will later be sent to Chancellor James Moeser. They had collected
145 signatures by Saturday night. The protest specifically targeted UNC�s Bowles Center for Alcohol
Studies, which receives federal funding from the National Institute on
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Missy Cooper, one of the activists for SAEN, questioned the
usefulness of the alcohol experiments undertaken by the center,
especially considering they are funded by taxpayers� dollars. �There�s millions of dollars � wasted on this research, and we feel
there are better things we can do,� Cooper said. Protesters also said they wanted to raise awareness that UNC has been
investigated for animal abuse that was caught on tape. The protesters suggested a number of alternative methods of
conducting alcohol studies that do not require testing on rats, such as
MRI and PET scans. �We�d like a win-win situation for everyone,� Cooper said. SAEN members said they want to have an open debate with researchers
at the center to discuss such alternatives. Cooper also said studies done on rats do not always match exactly
what happens in humans, citing Merck & Co. Inc.�s use of animal studies
with their drug, Vioxx. Vioxx was taken off the market after studies showed it doubled the
risk of heart attacks and strokes. Andi Morgan, assistant student record manager in the School of
Journalism and Mass Communication, brought two rats from Raleigh Rodent
Rescue to dispute rat stereotypes. With colorful personalities like dogs and cats, rats can be
domesticated, protesters said. Pictures the group displayed came from two undercover investigations
at the University that were led by People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals. The months-long investigations occurred at separate times
between October 2001 and November 2003. After the first investigation, Kate Turlington, then an undercover
investigator for PETA, reported to the National Institute of Health that
University lab researchers were mistreating their animals. Backed by video proof, she said researchers often were denying rats
and mice basic veterinary care. When animals were found to be in
critical condition, researchers did not euthanize them. After the reports, NIH led its own investigation of UNC, making
similar discoveries to PETA�s, protesters said. A year later another undercover investigator came in and discovered
the same practices. �It leaves me with very little faith that UNC is capable of doing the
right thing,� Turlington said. The University was still under examination by NIH as of July.
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