International Animal Rights Day, Dec. 10, Saturday, Noon

December 6, 2005

Dear Animal Activists, Companions, Guardians, Vigilers, Lovers and Liberators, Hope you can make it to what will likely be this year's last demonstration on behalf of animals (ab)used in experiments at UCSF. I was hoping to have a candlelight vigil, but it seems more persons can make it to a daytime demo - so: It will be happening at UCSF - 513 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco - on December 10, Saturday, from about noon to 1 or 1:30 PM. Though many animals have suffered and died over the past year at UCSF, we can be thankful that the research project (under Dr. Dae) involving German shepherds and their pups has finally ended;

thus there can be some closure in that regard. However, I am still waiting for some documents from UCSF - and have had to file a lawsuit against the university to get them - to confirm exactly how many German shepherds were used during the course of the project (beginning in 1999 and ending in 2004) - and whether they all died or if some were otherwise disposed. UCSF has agreed to give me the documents I've requested, yet to this date I have only received a small fraction of them. Still I hope to obtain the rest of the documents soon - probably before middle of the month. Sadly, Dr. Olgin's 2 projects, involving mongrel and other dogs - which we've also been protesting and trying to stop - are going forward. Yet Dr. Tahmassian, with UCSF, has stated that they will use less than 75 dogs - in dramatic contrast to the 750 dogs stated on the protocols

for these projects. These 2 projects are expected to last another two years, and already the university has acquired 64 dogs to harm and kill for the purposes of the projects. Still I really think that advocates for animals are having an impact on the (ab)use of animals at UCSF, though it will be a long time before we can see an end to it. I thank everyone again who has written letters, attended protests or otherwise participated in the struggle to stop UCSF's abuse of animals. As I've said before, we (or our philosophy, if we are not around) shall persevere - and some day prevail. Bob O'Brien PS: And don't forget Animal Switchboard's Animal People Party at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center, Building C, 2nd Floor, on December 11 (Sunday), 2 - 4 PM.

DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less