FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/News Conference Advisory
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Contact: Michael Budkie, SAEN, 513-703-9865 or Julia 310-402-1431
www.saenonline.org
ATTN: Wednesday Daybook/Assignment Desk
Major UCLA protest against animal tests set Wednesday;
controversial ad runs
on CNN, Fox criticizing UCLA research
LOS ANGELES – Animal rights experts – including the maker of a
controversial commercial appearing on CNN criticizing UCLA
experiments, a
doctor and lawyer – will headline a major demonstration here
WEDNESDAY at
UCLA.
A march begins at 10:30 a.m. WEDNESDAY at LeConte and Westwood,
with a
rally at UCLA's Meyerhoff Park (Kerchoff Hall) at 12 Noon.
Speakers include Rich McLellen, M.D. and president of the
California
chapter of the League of Humane Voters; Shannon Keith, a lawyer and
legislative consultant to the LA Dept. of Animal Services and
Michael
Budkie, executive director of SAEN, a nonprofit research watchdog
organization in Ohio.
Budkie's group is airing a new, graphic television commercial on
cable,
including CNN and Fox News this week criticizing primate experiments
at
UCLA and UC campuses.
The paid television spot – to air prime time – is the latest
salvo fired by
animal rights activists as they try to persuade UCLA and other UC
campuses
to end cruel, wasteful practices inside their secret research
facilities.
SAEN will release internal documents detailing more than $100
million in
government waste in research laboratories like those at UCLA.
The spot shows monkeys trapped in research devices, with bolts in
their
skulls with text in the videos calling the procedures "not
science....(but)
torture."
For copies of the controversial spot and internal documents,
please contact
SAEN above.
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