Dear Readers,

I need to ask your help in an urgent matter. We may be able to shut down a California facility that has been using hundreds of live animals to produce antibodies for experiments and has been breaking the federal Animal Welfare Act for years. Let me tell you about it, and I’ll show you how you can help. But I need to caution you that the facility—California-based Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.—is betting that the public will turn a blind eye about the animals, because many are "unpopular" animals—such as goats and rabbits.

Here's what is going on behind closed doors. At the Santa Cruz laboratory, live animals are injected with an antigen, given booster injections (usually weekly), and used essentially as "antibody factories." Experimenters then perform "test bleeds" periodically before regular "production bleeds" are conducted. Their lives consist of being bled over and over so that experimenters can use their antibodies in experiments. Blood is taken every week or two, but Santa Cruz has been cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for collecting blood too often, without regard for animal welfare. After months of this, the animals are bled out and killed.

Animals are sick and suffering. According to federal inspectors, veterinary care is lacking. In addition, it recently came to light that Santa Cruz had deliberately denied the existence of an entire site housing 841 animals.

Last year, the USDA filed a formal complaint against the company for its repeated violations. And yet the company continues to operate. On Feb. 20 of this year, USDA once again cited Santa Cruz's failure to provide adequate veterinary care. But USDA has failed to shut the facility down.

Please take a minute to tell the USDA that it should revoke Santa Cruz's license to deal animals.The federal agency needs to know that the public won’t stand for such egregious cruelty.

Thank you for your help.

Very truly,

Neal Barnard, M.D.
President