WDLA has been held annually since 1979. Forca Vegan talks to long term AR activist Mel Broughton about WDLA and AR activism in general.
WDLA IS ON THE HORIZON – HOW SIGNIFICANT IS THIS DAY FOR YOU, AND FOR THE MOVEMENT? World Day for Laboratory Animals Is hugely significant for me because the issue of animal experimentation was the gateway to my involvement in the animal rights movement. Concern about the use of animals as experimental subjects existed before we had an animal rights movement. And indeed I personally feel it was this issue that spurred concern into activism. World Day for Laboratory Animals became a rallying point for the emerging animal rights movement as activists came together to mount 114
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very large scale protests at labs to mark the day. In 1993 23,000 people marched in London on World Day for Lab Animals a massive mobilisation of animal rights activists who had become inspired to join a grass roots movement for animals. There’s no doubting that much of the inspiration for that was the effective use of direct action and the willingness of national organisations at the time to give the grass roots a platform. I also think that there is something fundamentally disturbing about using animals as research tools. The calculated intention to use a ‘weaker’ species to satisfy your own ends (whatever they may be) speaks to the very heart of injustice.
WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO TO GET INVOLVED? This year World Day for Animals in Laboratories is asking people to adopt their local lab. The aim is to have people outside as many facilities as possi-
ble to highlight where animals suffer in research. Almost all universities now have an animal research facility, contract testing labs likewise exist up and down the UK. Animals in labs suffer unseen and unheard the research centres themselves look anonymous the only giveaway being the signs of high security. If we can encourage people as a first step to highlight where animals are being used and to share that then perhaps we can begin to once again build an effective grass roots movement on behalf of laboratory animals. I think this World Day for Lab Animals has to mark a change. The secrecy and silence surrounding animal research has to be broken. We all have a vested interest in this whether it’s as activists or as those interested in the future of relevant medical research or as both. I would urge people to get involved in World Day for Laboratory Animals because without your active involvement these animals will remain unseen. More information about this year’s plans are available at: info@wdail.uk
