Tagged: 3Rs

Featured image: Are 300 animals a day really tortured for scientific research in New Zealand? Part 1.

Are 300 animals a day really tortured for scientific research in New Zealand? Part 1. - Infectious Thoughts

Siouxsie Wiles • Feb 23, 2016 •

“300 animals a day tortured to death.” is pretty much how Paul Henry recently reported the figures on the use of animals for scientific research, teaching and testing in New Zealand. A statement like that calls for some definite debunking! This month the Ministry for Primary Industries released the 2014 figures on the animals used for research, teaching and … Read More

Meet the anti-vivisectionist - Infectious Thoughts

Siouxsie Wiles • Feb 16, 2014 •

“Vivisection is scientific fraud” screeched the placard placed next to three elderly ladies sat on deck chairs. Attached to the fence beside them were pictures of caged monkeys and what appeared to be a dead dog. This was the scene that greeted passersby and staff and visitors to Auckland Hospital and the Medical School on Friday morning. I find protesters … Read More

Fonterra saga rumbles on – and just how common is C. sporogenes in cans of baby formula? - Infectious Thoughts

Siouxsie Wiles • Sep 09, 2013 •

The Fonterra ‘not botulism’ story continues to rumble on with Crown Research Institute AgResearch releasing a statement saying they didn’t confirm botulism in the Fonterra samples they ran through the mouse bioassay, merely flagged the need for further testing. Then came the revelation that it was the death of one mouse out of five … Read More

More party pills… - Infectious Thoughts

Siouxsie Wiles • Dec 10, 2012 •

A leading New Zealand microbiologist says there is no reason why party pills have to be tested on animals. I was quite surprised to find out that the “leading” microbiologist they are referring to is me! I say surprised because that wasn’t what I actually said. The article, originally for the Sunday Star Times, was a follow … Read More

Emotive hysteria trumps opportunity to educate (now there’s a surprise!) - Infectious Thoughts

Siouxsie Wiles • Mar 05, 2012 •

University’s death toll – 25,000 animals in two years So screams the front page of the print version of the March 5th edition of the New Zealand Herald (online here). The story was originally written by Matthew Haggart for the Otago Daily Times and concerns the statistics on animal use for research and teaching at the University of … Read More