Woody Harrelson Helps Stop Texas Tech Kitten Torture With Heart-Felt Letter

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by Michael Parrish DuDell July 17, 2009
Categories: Animals, Causes
Tags: .

harrelson

Kitty Auschwitz (aka Texas Tech University) got some seriously bad publicity last year when PETA discovered that the school’s Health Sciences Center was buying homeless cats from local shelters and using them in medical training. According to PETA’s Action Center:

“The cats are forced to undergo painful intubation procedures in which hard plastic tubes are repeatedly forced down their wind pipes by course participants. This can result in bleeding, swelling, scarring of the animals’ throat tissue, collapsed lungs and even death.”

Recently, Texas-born actor Woody Harrelson got on board and wrote a letter expressing his thoughts to Texas Tech President John Baldwin. In the letter, Woody says:

“Harming and killing shelter animals for these exercises is unjustifiable, especially as realistic manikins that more accurately represent human anatomy and better prepare medical professionals to treat injured and sick children are readily available . . . I and countless others around the state are deeply discouraged to learn that Texas Tech is taking advantage of the tragic abundance of abandoned animals.”

We are too! Clean up your act, yo!

To read Woody’s entire letter, visit PETA.org!

[Update: Visit PETA's Action Center to tell Texas Tech that their kitty killing is a catastrophe!]

  • deena

    Thank you Woody! Jesus. Why do people have to do such wicked things to animals!!

    • katkiller?

      Heaven for bid we harm a homeless kitten in hopes to save the life of a human being. Give me a break, go Longhorns…

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  • Will Beckertine

    Readers should consider contacting “Kitty Auschwitz” (aka Texas Tech) with PETA’s online Action Alert http://www.peta.org/TexasTech

    Texas is hurting and killing cats for the sake of decades old training procedures. Medicine has advanced beyond these kind if inhumane practices.

  • Michael DuDell

    Will- I’ve added an update!

  • http://RawfoodsRetreat.com Erin Raw Foods

    Wish this had a facebook link. I have one or two thousand friends on facebook (whose counting ;) and wish I could share this eco link with them.

    I thought when I first read deena’s post that she was saying “Woody Jesus” which is pretty fitting. He is a Woody Jesus :)

    E

  • http://www.ecorazzi.com Michael d’Estries

    Erin,

    Oddly, it does have a Facebook link — but only on the homepage. But here’s a little secret: Ecorazzi 3.0 is nearing completion and Facebook Connect will be integrated into the comments. :)

    To share on FB: http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://www.ecorazzi.com/2009/07/17/woody-harrelson-helps-stop-texas-tech-kitten-torture-with-heart-felt-letter/&t=Woody%20Harrelson%20Helps%20Stop%20Texas%20Tech%20Kitten%20Torture%20With%20Heart-Felt%20Letter

  • danielle bycoskie

    Thanks be to woody Harrelson for standing up and speaking out for the animals. Hate to think of these poor animals and all the cruelty going on behind closed doors. When all along it never helps human beings in the end. They just keep these scientists employed!

  • David Sullivan

    It’s too bad that this is one of the “travesties” going on. Government (federal, especially) supports all kinds of outdated, especially cruel research. Government-Education complex? Kind of the like the Military-Industrial complex

  • http://RawfoodsRetreat.com Erin Raw Foods

    Michael thank you!

    That’s great to hear! Fortunately THE Juiceman (maker of the famous Juiceman and Juiceman Jr.) reposted it on his page from mine and added a message. That definitely helps get awareness out there about this issue (and awareness to Ecorazzi which always has good messages :)

    Peace and have a great weekend!

    :) Erin

  • Whoever…

    Yeah, yeah… blah, blah, yada, yada…

    All talk and no action.

    Nothing is going to change until someone bombs the s*** out of places like that!

    That is, after getting all the animals and people out of the facilities…

  • what?

    Texas Tech HSC uses Odessa animal shelter cats ALREADY SCHEDULED FOR EUTHANSIA to teach students lifesaving techniques, according to university officials.

    General anesthesia is used, so THE CATS ARE NOT IN PAIN OR DISTRESS, according to HSC officials.

    The training, targeted by PETA, allows first responders to practice techniques they’d use to save infants and small children, such as inserting breathing tubes, HSC officials have said.

    They said the school is in compliance with government regulations for the use of lab animals.

    do your research. thank you.

  • don miguelo

    RESPONSE TO what?^^

    Well I guess that since they are going to die anyway their lives are forfeit?! Oh and no pain, how quaint.
    And then, Bonus!–human kids benefit! YAY!

    Where is the problem again?

    Sanitizing the abuse of any animal is never ok in my book. I know it’s hard to not see that the ends justify the means, but that doesn’t make it right.
    To exaggerate, would the kids and parents that are potentially saved down the road abuse and kill 20 kittens to live? How about 100? 5,000? A million? How many do they want on their conscience?

    And that’s what this is really about. Surviving medically is one thing. How you live and at what expense is another.
    We can and must find alternatives to this practice. We can still save human lives–but this isn’t the right way.

    Good job on the Research point, we should all know what we are are talking about whichever way we see things.

    PS-My initial at the top sarcasm is just sort of a gut reaction, no offense intended…

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