| | | | | NEWS HIGHLIGHTS July 2020 |  Our Friends the Birds and the
Protection They Deserve We're still celebrating our legal win at the end of May that will force USDA to (finally) protect birds under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA)! It was a once-in-two-decades moment, so worth savoring, because it will provide legal, enforceable standards for birds in commerce. While it’s always nice to toot our own horn, it’s even better when others do it for us! Check out this piece from the San Francisco Bay area newspaper, the Marin Independent Journal, which neatly tells the story of the relentless journey that preceded this well-deserved victory for birds. It starts with USDA’s arbitrary decision to not cover birds back in the 1970s and points to the hundreds of birds who lost their lives due in part to USDA’s inaction and the millions more who suffer today and desperately need AWA protection. As the article points out, this story is not over yet. Before the summer is over, USDA has to start the process to develop regulations. Stay tuned! We’ll be sure notify all our supporters when your voice is needed. |
|  Scientists are using mini-organs of the human lung, liver, kidney, and gut to study how the coronavirus invades certain cells and the damage it causes at the cellular level. Similar research has already found that the virus can infect cells lining blood vessels, which facilitates the spread of the virus throughout the body. Non-animal methods using human-derived cells are ideal for quickly understanding the mechanisms of this disease, and will provide the keys to prevention and cure. This article allows you to dive into the topic, and is well worth the time. READ MORE » |  The European science education group Scientix invited AAVS affiliate Animalearn to write about humane science and virtual dissection alternatives for its blog. Animalearn highlighted its most popular alternative, Froguts, which can be downloaded from its website for free. This virtual alternative is fun, engaging, and saves animals from harmful dissection! READ MORE » | | | |
| | SANCTUARY MOMENT: Save the Chimps |  “Everyone has a gift for something, even if
it is the gift of being a good friend.”
–Marian Anderson As you can see from this tender moment between Spencer and Bart, companionship is a very important part of chimpanzee life. All the chimpanzees living at Save the Chimps have been retired from research and live in large family groups, something that they were not able to do when they were used in experiments. Save the Chimps cares for 230 chimpanzees and is a beneficiary of AAVS’s Sanctuary Fund. They do a great job on social media sharing updates and videos about the chimpanzees living there, so be sure to follow them! READ MORE » | | | | | | |
