[1]Multiple horseshoe crabs are lined up alive and constrained in a lab,
drained of their blue blood via IV into bottles, with personell observing
the process.
Photo credit: Ariane Müller
Hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs are being drained of their blood
every year, for its medical use – while they’re still *alive*!
There’s a synthetic alternative that’s already being used in Europe. But
to stop the massive decline of these prehistoric animals, the US drug
agency also needs to approve it asap!
Tell the FDA now: Stop the horseshoe crab torture!
[ [link removed] ] Sign the petition
John,
Horseshoe crabs are fascinating prehistoric creatures who have roamed our
oceans for more than 400 million years and survived all five mass
extinction events.
But now, their populations on the US East coast are collapsing – because
of their *bright blue* blood that has toxin-detecting properties, applied
to make sure drugs and medical devices like Covid tests are safe. Hundreds
of thousands of crabs are being drained alive at an industrial scale every
year – a dystopian horror show!
There is a synthetic alternative that Europe has approved years ago – but
a handful of mega horseshoe crab labs are stalling the approval in the US,
to keep on cashing in the profit. Let’s change that now! Sign the
petition:
[ [link removed] ]FDA: Stop the horseshoe crab torture – approve the synthetic
alternative!
In the past, mostly family-owned businesses used to catch and harvest
horseshoe crabs for their blood, often cooperating with local fishermen on
the US East coast while making sure it was sustainable.
But today, major biomedical companies are entertaining massive labs where
thousands of crabs are on the drip. In 2021 alone, just five US companies
harvested 700,000 horseshoe crabs! One of them, Charles River
Laboratories, has even been scrutinized for how its suppliers treat
animals before.
Regulations are weak, as horseshoe crabs are invertebrates and as such
don’t fall under the protection of common animal welfare laws. This makes
it a lucrative Wild West for these big pharmaceutical companies, who are
stalling the approval of the synthetic alternative.
And it’s not only the cruel practice itself: The mass-catching and
bleeding of the American horseshoe crab is already impacting coastal
ecosystems in the States, affecting the cycle of the mating and spawning
crabs and shorebirds who depend on them for feeding.
The chemical component in the bright blue horseshoe crab blood has saved
and protected millions of human lives. Now that there is a synthetic,
actually more cost-effective alternative, it’s our turn to make sure this
living fossil can continue to thrive:
[ [link removed] ]FDA: No more horseshoe crab torture – switch to the synthetic
alternative NOW!
The Ekō community has fought for the end of mass torture of living beings
many times, no matter how small: Right now, we are about to stop the first
octopus torture farm off Spain's coast – and we're putting pressure on
internet giant Amazon to stop selling gelatin made from brutally
slaughtered donkeys. Horseshoe crabs might not be cute, but they are the
oldest animal on earth that has weathered evolution and extinction events.
Let's make sure they survive!
[ [link removed] ] Sign the petition
Thanks for all that you do,
Rosa and the team at Ekō
More information:
[ [link removed] ]Coastal biomedical labs are bleeding more horseshoe crabs with little
accountability.
NPR. 30 June, 2023
[ [link removed] ]From rhino horn snuff to pangolin livestock feed: we analysed half a
century of patents to track the wildlife trade’s evolution.
The Conversation. 27 August, 2024
[ [link removed] ]New Synthetic Horseshoe Crab Blood Could Mean Pharma Won’t Bleed the
Species Dry.
Smithonian's, 13 October, 2023
[ [link removed] ]10 Incredible Horseshoe Crab Facts.
Smithonian's, 03 June, 2022
Ekō is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.
Please help keep Ekō strong by chipping in $3. [link removed]
