Biting back at animal activists

ﾩ JESS DIXON

In January, several Oxford University undergraduates formed a group, called Pro-Test to support the use of laboratory animals in biomedical research. They were inspired by a local 16-year-old high-school student, Laurie Pycroft, who had decided to challenge the hundreds of protestors regularly demonstrating against the university's plans to build an animal-testing facility on campus. Less than a year after its formation, Pro-Test is being credited by the UK media for turning the tide of public opinion in favor of animal testing. "There's been a real sea change," says Pro-Test spokesperson Iain Simpson, a 19-year-old second-year student in politics, philosophy, and economics at Oxford. "A year ago, not one medical research charity would make a public statement about animal research. Now more than 100 UK medical research charities have statements in support of animal research on their Web sites."

Simpson and Pycroft will share their experiences at the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) national meeting in Salt Lake City, Oct. 15-19. Founded in 1950, the AALAS promotes the humane care and use of animals in laboratory research and includes among its members veterinarians, educators, researchers, and other experts in laboratory animal science. This year, between 3,500 and 4,000 attendees are expected to attend the conference, which will feature more than 200 presentations, workshops, and roundtable discussions and about 230 exhibits covering all aspects of animals in research.

Because animal-rights activists in the United States and United Kingdom are increasingly resorting to intimidation and violence, scientists working with animals have become concerned over safety. This year, a half-dozen sessions will focus on responding to threats from animal-rights terrorists, beefing up lab security, and screening out infiltrators during the hiring process - in addition to balancing security and openness. "The interest in sessions on animal rights/activists/terrorists relates to a need to understand the tactics of those who oppose our work and to share the experiences of our members in addressing challenges," writes AALAS president Mark S. Suckow, director of the Freimann Life Science Center at Notre Dame, in an E-mail.

In a session likely to unnerve many attendees, a supervisory special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation will offer scientists advice on reducing the risks of violence they and their families face from extremists, and working with local police and FBI field offices in advance of any trouble. The FBI agent will also discuss how research institutions can "harden" their facilities to deter break-ins, animal theft, vandalism, and arson. In the past, the FBI has advised scientists to check under their cars for unusual devices before starting, varying driving routes to and from work, and reporting suspicious activities to authorities.

For the first time this year, the AALAS conference will offer a workshop on how companies and universities can screen out potential animal-rights infiltrators during the recruitment process. "We profiled all the high-profile infiltrations and identified red flags in the recruitment process," says Norman Mortell, who heads the security division of Agenda Resource Management, a UK-based pre-employment agency that specializes in dealing with animal-rights extremism. Mortell will lead a workshop on security screening and identify key factors to watch for during the recruitment process. A new technician who volunteers to work on weekends and holidays might be a welcome addition to the staff; but he or she might instead be an infiltrator planning to videotape labs, release animals, or cause damage when no one is around. "These red flags can also help you pick out the people who don't have the best interests of your organization at heart, not necessarily just animal rights," says Mortell.

Of course, not all animal rights activists employ or condone violence. B. Taylor Bennett, associate vice chancellor for research at the University of Illinois at Chicago, will explain how some activists are using the courts to win legal protections for animals. "There is a movement afoot to give legal standing to animals," says Bennett. "The activists are trying to equate racism, sexism, and speciesism." If they succeed in winning legal status for animals as "nonhumans" deserving of additional rights, Bennett says, scientists will be increasingly constrained from using animals in research. "The implications of their words have a lot of significance," he says. "'Animal rights' is not the same as animal welfare."