הצטרפו אלינו
תרמו לנו!
פעילויות העמותה מתבססות על תרומות. כל משאבינו מוקדשים לעזרה לבעלי החיים. נודה לתרומה כפי יכולתכם.
לחצו על הכפתור על מנת לתרום:
Invasive brain research experiments are conducted on dozens of monkeys in Israel every year - at the Hebrew University, Bar Ilan University and at the Weizmann Institute. The monkeys endure extreme physical and psychological suffering during the course of these experiments, and most of the animals are killed at the end of the study.
All of the brain research experiments conducted on monkeys in Israel characterized as basic research, that, by definition, do not necessarily lead to any clinical application or benefit .
Ethical approval to conduct monkey experiments at designated institutions is provided by internal committees comprised of an absolute majority (ca. 90%) of animal researchers employed within the same institution, and lacking any external/public representative. Under these circumstances, the internal committees will automatically approve any application to experiment on monkeys, while falling short of its duty or desire to check the cost-benefit equation or the option of alternatives.
Brain research experiments involve extreme and prolonged suffering to the monkeys and when the experiments are completed the monkeys are usually killed.
Though monkeys are sensitive and intelligent animals that have a developed social life in their natural habitat, they are kept in small metal cages in the laboratory, some in solitary confinement, without environmental enrichment, for several years.
For the first few years in the laboratory the monkeys undergo training intended to make them perform certain tasks. The standard training methods are based on depriving the monkeys of water during week days, harnessing them in a special contraption called a “primate chair” for long hours and isolating them in a small, dark cubicle, in front of a computer screen, for the entire duration of the training regimen. When the monkeys manage to perform the required tasks they receive a small trickle of water through a tube inserted into their mouth as a reward.
The monkey Shuki, strapped in the “primate chair” during the training period. Weitzman Institute
After about two additional years, once the monkeys have learned to perform their tasks, the computerized data recording of brain activity during task performance will begin. This data recording lasts several months, during which daily water deprivation, twice weekly shaving of the head and being strapped into the primate chair several hours a day, will take place. Most of the monkeys are killed once the data recording has been completed and very few animals will be released in order to allow them to undergo rehabilitation, after the devices in their heads have been surgically removed.
The Monkey Malish after the operation to insert the device to his skull. Hebrew University
The Monkey Koko being shaved. Weizmann Institute
Photographs taken covertly at the Hebrew University in 2001 revealed an experiment conducted on the monkey "Malish" in addition to three other monkeys. The experiment lasted four years and its conclusions were that monkeys can recall three images in a sequence !
Photographs taken covertly at the Weizmann Institute in 2007 revealed two parallel experiments conducted on eight monkeys that lasted several years and their results were ... that such experiments should be continued…..
A follow up made by us of all the publications of experiments on monkeys in Israel in the past 30 years shows that when criteria of proportionality (cost-benefit) are applied to the experiments the cost is high and the benefit is negligible. Although some animal researchers contend that their studies have potential medical applications to humans, many experts in the field reject their claims outright
It is important to note that unlike the situation in the past, there currently exist advanced research methods, based on direct observations on the human brain and from research on human behavior, without compromising the subjects. These methods include, among others, fMRI, ERP, PET, MEG, EEG, TMS technologies, psychophysics and others. The number of experiments on monkeys can be significantly reduced by resorting to such non invasive methods, which are conducted in compliance with ethical norms and without suffering caused to anyone.
Over the course of the past two years several requests have been made to the The National Council for Animal Experiments to instruct the internal ethics committees of the Institutions that conduct brain research experiments on monkeys to cease issuing permits for such experiments, the reasons being: 1. proportionality (i.e. cost vs. benefit considerations), and 2. the existence and availability of proper alternatives that are non invasive and harmless to human beings (Israeli law stipulates that if there is a reasonable alternative for an experiment on an animal the experiment must not then be conducted in animals). The National Council for Animal Experiments consulted with brain researchers who experiment on monkeys in Israel and decided to reject the demand outright, without providing any convincing explanation.
We need your help to save the monkeys
We have reached an impasse and have no choice, but to resort to legal and constitutional court proceedings, in order to break out of the closed, vicious circle of the system of approval and supervision of experiments on animals in Israel.
To carry out legal proceedings, “Behind Closed Doors” Organization has enlisted the services of Michael Sfard, Adv. The ongoing legal preparations include: consolidation of opinion, of experts from all over the world who work in the field of brain research; collection and translation of legal information and data from Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Italy, where analogous legal proceedings are taking place these days. The expenses and fees of the legal preparations and representation reach tens of thousands of Shekels.
Concurrent with the legal proceedings we are also pushing a bill aimed at: improving the system that grants permits to conduct experiments on monkeys and which supervises the experiments; prohibiting water deprevation and denying food from the monkeys during the experiments; mandating by law transfer of the monkeys to rehabilitation at the end of the experiments. The bill was placed before the Knesset by MK Yoel Hasson (Kadima) in December 2009. Promoting the bill involves much work, including personal meetings with all MKs as well as engaging a professional lobbyist at a cost of thousands of shekels.
Since our Association is not equipped to cover such expenses, we are turning to you for help to assist us financially, as much as you can, to run this project to its completion and achieve this most important goal. Without your help, we will not be able to prevent the cruel and needless experiments in helpless monkeys.
Contributions can be made:
By check in the mail: to the order of “Behind Closed Doors” Mailing Address: "Behind Closed Doors", 11 Yehezkel Street, Tel - Aviv 62595
By credit card: contact Ronit Ziglboim 972-50-3222724, ronit@invitro.org.il