What is HLS?

Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) is one of the world’s largest animal-testing labs. It operates two facilities in England and one in East Millstone, NJ. Animals are forced to inhale and ingest excessive amounts of chemicals such as pesticides, coffee sweeteners, diet pills and genetically modified organisms (GMO’s), for weeks or months on end. Then they are killed and dissected. Products known to have been tested at HLS include Splenda, Viagra, Olestra, and Baycol. Every day an average of 500 animals – including dogs, cats, mice, primates and rabbits – die inside HLS

HLS has been exposed in five undercover investigations revealing vicious animal cruelty and sloppy, fraudulent science. Among other atrocities, workers were exposed punching 4-month-old beagle puppies in the face, dissecting a live monkey, falsifying scientific data, and violating Good Laboratory Practice laws over 600 times.

Watch video footage from inside of Huntingdon Life Sciences
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Don't we need animal testing?

Besides the fact that HLS tests frivolous products such as tanning lotion and weed killers, many M.D.s and scientists are speaking out against animal research as an outdated and dangerous form of pseudo-science (driven primarily by tradition and financial incentives). They argue that enormous physiological variations exist between species, making it impossible to extrapolate experimental results from one species (i.e. a rat or a monkey) to another (i.e. humans). They cite examples like Thalidomide, which was deemed “safe” in animal tests, but caused horrendous birth defects in humans.

Animal research wastes limited research funds, which could instead be directed towards more reliable forms of research such as cell cultures, non-invasive imaging, and epidemiological studies. Jonas Salk, inventor of the Polio vaccine, stated that his efforts were held up for 20 years due to misleading results in studies of non-human primates.

HLS researchers themselves have been caught by investigators stating that their research is “only reliable 5-25% of the time.” What about the other 75-95% of the time? When a worker was questioned as to whether an experimental procedure was done correctly he replied, “Nope. Not supposed to, never saw it, never did it, can’t prove it.” Vivisection in its truest form.

Resources

• InsideHLS - more information and photos on Huntingdon Life Science
• Americans for Medical Advancement - learn about the health implications of an animal based diet, and the dangers (for humans) of animal research
• Physicians Comittee for Responsible Medicine - doctors from around the world talk about animal research and animal vs plant based diets