Mar 05 2010
Let’s Talk About Whistleblowers
Yesterday HSUS ran a new print advertisement in at least seven newspapers. Over a photo of a forlorn-looking chimpanzee, HSUS's ad makes a plea for whistleblowers from animal research laboratories to come crawling out of the woodwork:
It's okay to tell someone ... because she can't
[Name of lab] in [location] conducts experiments using chimpanzees and other animals. If you have witnessed poor animal treatment there, please call XXX-XXX-XXXX to report it confidentially.
Don't delay. They can't speak for themselves.
Two can play at this game.
We just inked a deal to promote HumaneWatch with advertisements in two dozen public bus shelters around the Washington, DC area. A few of these locations are right around the corner from HSUS headquarters.
We think we've come up with the ad we should run. And—whaddya know?—it's perfectly sized for printing and sharing with a friend. Here's a side-by-side comparison:
Here's the text of our spoof (UPDATE: click here for a JPEG):
It’s ok to tell someone...because he won’t
The Humane Society of the United States in Washington, DC raises millions of dollars with heartbreaking images of dogs and cats, but in 2008 it shared less than one-half of one percent of its budget with hands-on pet shelters. HSUS executives put more than five times as much in their pension plans.
If you work inside HSUS and you’ve witnessed people diverting funds away from helpless pets, please write to info@humanewatch.org to report it confidentially. Don’t delay. Animals need that money more than HSUS’s lawyers.
To learn more information that the Humane Society of the United States keeps from its own employees, visit www.humanewatch.org
We're not going to get into the whole debate about the merits of biomedical research using animals. Not today anyway. But we should be clear about one thing, lest you get the wrong idea: No one with a brain is in favor of animal abuse. But that doesn't mean scientists should be prohibited from using laboratory animals when it makes sense to do so. We think that's HSUS's real agenda here.
And if you think it's silly for people to report embezzlement to a blogger, you're right. That's what police detectives are for. Just like no one should report the mistreatment of lab animals to HSUS. (They should contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture.)
Posted on 03/05/2010 at 12:33 PM by the HumaneWatch Team
The Best of HumaneWatch • Medical Research • (23) CommentsComments
Many thanks David and HumaneWatch for blowing all the right whistles on HSUS. Thanks too for letting your readers know that the proper authority to hear about lab animal treatment concerns is USDA, the federal agency responsible for Animal Welfare Act (AWA) enforcement and facility inspections. I don’t speak for the primate research centers targeted by HSUS in this sorry ad, but believe it’s safe to say they all would want to receive any complaints directly as well. I know firsthand that these institutions and their dedicated staff are committed to providing excellent animal care. Still, things may not always be perfect despite this conscious effort. Accidents do happen or problems can arise. The facilities themselves are in the best position to take immediate corrective action, if necessary. Actually, each of them is required by law to have an internal process by which employees can report possible problems, usually anonymously. According to the AWA, a committee must investigate any such reports and whistle blowers must be protected. Researchers do care about the wellbeing of their animals and there’s a strong federal system of research oversight—more facts that HSUS would prefer the public not to know.
Now that is funny. I check this site every day now. Keep pricking and this giant will soon fall.
On what basis is the HSUS claiming to have the authority to usurp this nation’s Justice system? How are they being allowed to insert themselves between the public and legitimate agencies such as the USDA, APHIS, state agricultural inspectors, various departments of law enforcement and/or animal control?
Further, how are they qualified to undertake the ‘training’ of shelter workers nationwide when they themselves don’t own/operate a single shelter? Provide training to law enforcement nationwide when they have no relevant expertise?
Why isn’t anyone noticing that they have, in effect, raised a privately-funded national militia which doesn’t answer to the citizens of this country? Anyone else think that goes beyond just plain creepy and crosses into the completely illegal?
David, I found an interesting quote. It shows a point counterpoint type of response that just says it all.
“HIV has been difficult to tackle because the virus fools the body’s immune system. It is true that we do not yet have an effective vaccine. Some leading researchers are now suggesting that more basic research should be done before trialling vaccines in patients – which does remain the ultimate goal of research.
However, animal studies were crucial in identifying the virus, for developing diagnostic tests, and for producing therapies such as antiretrovirals that have prolonged millions of lives. These medicines mean that HIV can be a manageable chronic condition rather than an automatic death sentence, as it was in the 1980s.”
What would we have done for the human crisis of AIDS if not for the sacrifice of the animals.
Good questions Barbara. But come to think of it, I think they did an article on the fact that they have BADGES.
As far as creepy, it would say more in the line
“of very scarey”.
This issue has already been addressed and employees are required to be informed who to contact if they believe animal welfare is an issue. Silly HSUS and over-stepping it’s bounds. I think they’re maybe looking for a bit story after animal agriculture has kicked them in the face recently.
http://omar.nih.gov/orspolicy/orsppm/animal.htm
This is very interesting since I literally just read that this is part of the plan of attack of the ALF on their self-named website. I also found this list of celebrities, etc. there:
http://www.animalliberationfront.com/Saints/StsAlive.htm
The picture on the ALF website actually looks like Pacelle with a hood on in my opinion. HSUS - ALF…hmmm.
I love your ad, I hope you run it just like it is!
On March 4th the Norwich(NY) Evening Sun printed an article by their ‘outdoor columnist’ Bob McNitt…......It was a wonderful expose of HSUS!!!!
I was told the next morning by the Editor of the newspaper that the’SUN’ was being threated with a law suit by HSUS..I told him not to worry - HSUS is in too much dodo to worry about the’SUN’. He was thrilled!
I also sent the link to the article out on several sites I post on…...........
Now I’ve just got to make life a tad uncomfortable for the NYS legislators who choose to attend the HSUS Day March 24….....
Yours from the trenchs..Mary Verbeck Pomeroy
on March 24th HSUS is having a ‘Day in Albany’..Can I print up or would you send me some of the posters about HSUS to get out to legislators before the event…...
Thanks,
Mary Verbeck Pomeroy
Yes! Run that ad.
And I am so glad that you mentioned USDA. That and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is the place for whistleblowers to lodge complaints.
H$U$, you can do what you want, but the payback’s a bitch.. and the bitch just had puppies!
There are several dog organizations in NYS who are lobbying to keep unfair/nebulous/and definitely unneeded animal laws from happening.The horse people are becoming involved and many ‘hobby’ farmers as well.The legislators moving for unneeded laws will be coming up for re-election..and despite all the mess of NYS politics…several (I hope) will fail to be re-elected…especially if they stand with HSUS.
Mary
Brilliant!
You could also report animal abuse in a lab to the local IACUC office. It’s actually probably a more appropriate first step than going straight to USDA.
If PETA and HSUS were half of what they claim they would send ALF to infiltrate inner city gangs and stop (or at least have a huge mass media outcry) against how kids are initiated into some gangs by watching small animals being brutalized and torn apart….they sent me some sort of weak email in response that they oppose such things but cannot be everywhere.
But…didn’t they say they’re committed to fighting animal abuse wherever it occurs?
If they can’t be everywhere then they may want to stop making statements to the contrary. If this ends up causing anyone to find that the people who just knocked on their door are there to stop them from abusing their canaries by keeping them in cages (or some such nonsense) - sorry.
The reason HSUS and the ASPCA don’t want you to inform law enforcement of criminal activity, is that they WANT you to report it to HSUS and the ASPCA.
You see, both orgs have staff dedicated to doing nothing but tallying anonymous complaints. The complaints aren’t necessarily legitimate - they’re just tallied. So many complaints against such and such activity in the state of whatever.
No where is the citizen directed to the proper law enforcement authority or assisted in any way.
The intent here is not to help the animal, but to provide “data” which HSUS and the ASPCA will use to their advantage.
Because what HSUS and the ASPCA are after are law enforcement powers. They use the data they collect to convince legislators that the system isn’t working and therefore HSUS and ASPCA employees (and untrained, unsupervised volunteers) be given badges, arrest powers, and powers to investigate animal owners. livestock owners, sportsmen - pretty much EVERYONE.
More and more, HSUS and the ASPCA are positioning themselves to be a national animal police force. In many states, such powers have been horribly abused, and civil rights complaints are common. Unfortunately, private citizens do not have the power or money to fight animal rights groups who have abused them and taken their animals.
The abuses are rampant. Some citizens were able to fight back in the federal courts - but most people just cry over the dead bodies of their beloved pets - while HSUS and the ASPCA crow over their “victory” and count the money that rolls in.
After HSUS and the ASCPA leave a “raid” - they dump any animals on local shelters and volunteer groups to pay and care for - and again - take credit and walk away with all the money raised.
HSUS and ASPCA can threaten lawsuits all they want. They’re good at threatening, intimidating and suing. It’s all they do. They threaten people, reporters, newspapers, sportsmen, farmers, everyone who dares to question them.
Guess what - innocent people have had enough and we’re going to fight back.
I, for one, will not tolerate an animal rights activist showing up at my door with a badge and a nightstick.
they ran that ad around the same time there was a video from a lab.
here’s a quote from Dr Joe Abraham
“1) A sedated primate lying on a counter with several other “unsupervised” sedated primates, slips to the ground.
UL admits that this should not happen. They also point out that the person responsible for that animal, was the videographer herself. “
yep- the person taking the video claiming ABUSE is the person allowing it to happen!
here’s a link- http://www.ultoday.com/node/440
This is great but we really need some ad’s during prime time TV. If we want folks to know about him and all that’s going on, we need to have the folks that donate know about it. He advertises on the animal channels as well as regular TV. He tears the hearts out of children who in turn beg their parents to donate. He tears the hearts out of compassionate folks who turn their money over to him $19.00 at a time. Those are the people we need to target and on the 3 major channels. Please Humane Watch, think about it. We need to hit him where it hurts the most, in his wallet. If you can put these banners and posters up and ad’s in big newspapers, you can do this. I have faith in you. Please, don’t let me lose that. You’re all I have left.
I continue to read over and over again where H$U$ is continuing to act like they are indeed above the law, and in many cases mislead people into think they ARE the law. I think the HW posters should be printed & posted EVERYWHERE. I also think we should have another poster done where you use the same info the H$U$ has BUT put the CORRECT agencies to report to on it! Maybe if we do it that way it will make people REALLY think about why they would report to H$U$, PETA & ASPCA over things that should be going to other group entirely. Well done!
The IACUC and the USDA are the appropriate channels for reporting any suspected violations involving research animals. No argument there. HSUS has their own agenda. No argument there, either. However, reporting concerns to your IACUC is a great way to ruin your workplace environment, potentially your career. The USDA is severely understaffed, and like much of our government, not to be depended on.
There are folks who understand the need to use animals this way, who also know that there is an awful lot of crap going on. Just because an individual expresses concerns about animal welfare in research settings doesn’t mean they are an HSUS or PETA mole. Your poster, while vaguely clever, doesn’t address the issue.
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there is one thing I really like about this article: is that not only was a problem pointed out, the lab abuse but a proper solution for follow up: report to Dept of Ag.
Perfect! We are all so ready to jump on the “oh that’s awful” bandwagon—but seldom does anyone ever point in the proper “action” direction. Thank you.