Alicia Silverstone recently teamed up with Farm Sanctuary in a campaign to “adopt” a turkey instead of eating one this Thanksgiving. Now, she’s calling for help to save chimps too.
In a blog posted on her website The Kind Life yesterday, the vegan actress and author asked for support in fighting the use of chimps in medical research. She wrote, “The issue of experimentation on chimps is one that breaks my heart. They are so close to us. And even if they weren’t, they are amazing beings. One way in which they are not similar to humans, however, is disease expression. Evidence has shown that when medications are tested on chimps, the results are not repeated in human subjects. For example, a drug that controlled HIV in chimps failed to do so in humans. So why are laboratories still performing cruel tests on these sensitive, emotional beings?”
Along with her concerns regarding the suffering of these animals, she also expressed concern with the use of money for these experiments. “Ethical considerations aside, it just doesn’t make sense for the medical community to continue spending huge amounts of money torturing chimps,” she wrote.
Silverstone went on to ask for support of an act that would end the use of chimps in research labs. “Support The Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act (H.R. 1513/S. 810) by writing to your representatives,” she blogged. The legislation would end the use of chimpanzees in both federal and private laboratories, release the 500 chimps federally owned and have them sent to live at sanctuaries, and end the breeding of chimps for the purpose of research.
Silverstone ended with a plea to her readers. “Let’s all promise to write a letter this month. Strength in numbers! Consider this kind act your holiday gift to all the great apes in captivity.”
About Jennifer Mishler
Jennifer is an animal advocate and activist. She is a volunteer coordinator with The Girls Gone Green, a nonprofit organization advocating for animals rights, veganism, and environmentalism. She is also an Onshore Volunteer with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and a volunteer with CJ Acres Animal Rescue Farm, a nonprofit that rescues and rehabilitates farm animals. Along with writing for Ecorazzi, she writes about veganism and animal rights on her blog, A Dog's Eye View. She lives in Jacksonville, FL with her husband and their three animal friends. Follow Jennifer on Twitter: @jennygoneveganView all posts by Jennifer Mishler →
