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Uncaged Campaigns,
5th Floor,
Alliance House,
9 Leopold Street,
Sheffield,
S1 2GY, UK
+44 (0) 114 272 2220
info@uncaged.co.uk
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news release
 KICK
CRUELTY OUT OF CRUFTS
DEMONSTRATION AT CRUFTS, BIRMINGHAM NEC, SUNDAY 7TH MARCH, 8:30-14:00
Protesters will descend on the Birmingham National Exhibition
Centre (NEC) this weekend to demand that IAMS,
a pet food company that conducts harmful and lethal tests on animals,
be barred from the Crufts Dog Show.
The demonstration is organised by national anti-vivisection group Uncaged,
who accuse the Kennel Club of "greed and hypocrisy" over its
acceptance of sponsorship money from The IAMS Company.
There will be about 20 protesters, some in dog costumes, large banners,
posters and 2-3 tables containing information for 'dog-lovers' about IAMS'
cruel treatment of animals on the 'piazza' outside the main entrance to
the NEC halls.
The Kennel Club claims to be concerned for the welfare of dogs. Protestors
are therefore amazed and angry that it continues to allow an event dedicated
to the celebration of dogs to be used to promote a company that believes
it is acceptable to harm dogs and other animals.
Animals Harmed and Killed in IAMS' Experiments: Part 1
Research papers uncovered by Uncaged Campaigns formed the basis of the
Sunday Express front-page story "Pet
food cruelty exposed" in July 2001, and describe how IAMS-funded
animal experiments involved:
- dogs' kidneys surgically damaged - leading to organ failure, illness
and death
- leg bones of Great Danes removed and broken
- severe allergies inflicted on husky puppies, followed by the deliberate
administration of allergy-causing substances causing stomach inflammation,
severe diarrhoea and skin diseases
Animals Harmed and Killed in IAMS' Experiments: Part 2
In 2003 an undercover investigation by PETA
(People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) revealed deplorable conditions
at an IAMS contract laboratory. At least 27 dogs were killed, while others
died of illnesses that went untreated, despite assurances from IAMS that
no animal in any IAMS test would ever be deliberately killed. The undercover
investigator found the following:
- Terrified dogs and cats confined to small, barren cages, some for
up to six years
- Dogs' vocal cords surgically cut out so that they couldn't bark
- Dogs with untreated ear infections, rotten teeth, and injured paws
from having to balance on metal-slatted cages and lie on cold cement
- Workers' reports of a live kitten who was washed down a drain
- Kennels were stifling during summer months and near freezing in winter
- Dogs being force-fed vegetable oil through tubes inserted down their
throats
Furthermore, IAMS is a subsidiary of trans-national cosmetics and consumer
products giant Procter & Gamble (P&G).
P&G have been the target of a vigorous global
boycott campaign for eight years due to its animal testing practices,
including tests to develop cosmetics and toiletries which would be illegal
in the UK.
Max Newton, Campaigns Co-ordinator at Uncaged Campaigns
states:
"The Kennel Club's promotion of IAMS is a shocking betrayal
of dogs. It flies in the face of common sense for an organisation that
purports to be concerned for the welfare of dogs to be taking money
from and publicly supporting a company that systematically exploits
dogs in painful and deadly research.
"Organisations such as the RSPCA,
Battersea Dogs Home and the Dogs Trust (formerly NCDL) have terminated
their relationships with IAMS and its owners Procter & Gamble due
to their cruel animal testing practices. We're urging visitors to Crufts
to help us persuade the Kennel Club to reconsider its position and do
the right thing - dump IAMS."
For more information (e.g. copies of letters, documents, video
footage and stills of animals in IAMS' research) and interviews, please
contact Dan Lyons or Max Newton at the address below. See also our IAMS
pages and visit www.iamscruelty.com.
Uncaged Campaigns 04.03.04 |
