Kategorie: Animals

As scientists around the world race to create COVID-19 therapeutics, the PETA International Science Consortium Ltd.—an organization dedicated to promoting human-relevant, non-animal testing strategies—has co-launched a free, publicly available six-part webinar series focusing on the applications and benefits of animal-free recombinant antibodies. Antibodies are molecules produced by an organism’s immune system in order to fight viruses, bacteria, or other foreign particles in the body.

The first presentation will air on July 23 and feature experts from the Technische Universität Braunschweig in Germany and the Toronto Recombinant Antibody Centre in Canada, who will share their work and successes in using animal-free antibodies to develop therapeutic treatments, including for the novel coronavirus. Other topics that will be addressed in the series include the scientific and economic benefits of animal-free antibodies, their applications, and their accessibility for academic research and testing. Find out more about the series and register for the first webinar here.

The series is co-organized by the Science Consortium, the National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods, and the European Union Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing.

“This webinar series will show viewers why animal-free antibodies are the future of antibody drug development and research,” says Science Consortium President Dr. Amy Clippinger. “Especially during a pandemic, the value of animal-free recombinant antibodies that are more human-relevant and faster to produce has never been clearer.”

Non-animal antibodies overcome numerous scientific issues associated with antibodies derived from animals, which are among the main drivers of the reproducibility crisis in research.

For more information about the webinar series and a full list of the scheduled presentations, please click here.

The post New Webinar Series Highlights Benefits of Animal-Free Antibodies for COVID-19, Other Non-Animal Research appeared first on PETA.

The post Why PETA Is Praising the World’s Third-Largest Clothing Retailer appeared first on PETA.

After hearing from PETA and our affiliates, Switzerland-based Barry Callebaut—“the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate & cocoa products”—adopted a compassionate new policy banning all experiments on animals unless they are explicitly required by law. Previously, the company had supplied ingredients for experiments that weren’t legally required, but it now joins dozens of other major food and beverage makers that no longer cut open, torment, or kill animals in such experiments following discussions with PETA.

The post PETA Sways Chocolate Giant Barry Callebaut to End Cruel Animal Tests appeared first on PETA.

The post Shop-Book Sale-Living-0720 appeared first on PETA.

Following recent reports that a dog had to be rescued after being left on a balcony in the heat in Brick Township, PETA is issuing an urgent warning about the importance of never leaving animals outdoors in extreme heat or in hot vehicles. Twenty-one animals have already died this year from heat-related causes, and because COVID-19 is prolonging store wait times and errands, PETA is concerned that this summer could see an unprecedented number of  hot weather–related animal deaths. 

On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to 100 degrees in just minutes, and on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 109 degrees in less than 10 minutes. Dogs, who don’t sweat and can cool themselves only by panting, can rapidly succumb to heatstroke, even if a vehicle is parked in the shade with the windows slightly open, which has little to no effect on lowering the temperature inside.

Anyone who leaves animals outside to suffer in severe weather may be prosecuted for cruelty.

The following tips will help keep animal companions safe in hot weather:

• Keep animals indoors, and leave them at home when it’s hot outside. Unlike humans, dogs can sweat only through their footpads and cool themselves by panting, so even brief sun exposure can have life-threatening consequences. Anyone who sees animals in distress and is unable to help should note their locations and alert authorities immediately.
• Never leave an animal inside a hot vehicle. Temperatures can quickly soar in parked cars, and a dog trapped inside can die from heatstroke within minutes—even if the car is in the shade with the windows slightly open, which has little to no effect on lowering the temperature inside the car. PETA offers an emergency window-breaking hammer for help with intervening in life-or-death situations.
• Avoid hot pavement. When outdoor temperatures reach the 80s, asphalt temperatures can climb to 140 degrees, causing pain, burns, and permanent damage to dogs’ paws after just a few minutes of contact. Walk dogs on grass whenever possible, and avoid walking in the middle of the day. Never run with dogs in hot weather—they’ll collapse before giving up, at which point, it may be too late to save them.

PETA has released a hot-car public service announcement featuring Mckenna Grace. For more information, visit PETA.org.

The post Urgent From PETA: Cruel—and Criminal—to Leave Dogs in the Heat appeared first on PETA.