PETA Stages ‘Snarl-In’ In Dundee City Centre

Canine Chorus Part of International Campaign Against Iams’ Animal Tests


For Immediate Release:
15 October 2004


Contact:
Yvonne Taylor 020 7357 9229, ext 405
Dawn Carr 020 7357 9229, ext 224


Dundee – Joined by barking dogs and activists holding signs that read, “Iams: Stop Torturing Animals”, members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA UK) will hold a “snarl-in” in Dundee to persuade shoppers to leave Iams pet food on store shelves until the company stops conducting painful tests on animals living in bleak conditions in laboratories. The protest is part of PETA’s international campaign against Iams (owned by Procter & Gamble):


Date:  Saturday, 16 October 2004
Time:  12 noon-1 pm
Place: The Murraygate (beside Tesco)


A PETA US undercover investigation revealed deplorable conditions at an Iams contract laboratory in the US. At least 27 dogs were deliberately killed, while others died of illnesses that went untreated, despite assurances from Iams that no animal in any Iams test would ever be deliberately killed. PETA US’s investigator also found the following:


• Dogs and cats confined to small, barren cages, some for up to six years
• Dogs whose vocal cords had been surgically cut out so that they couldn’t bark
• Dogs with untreated ear infections, rotten teeth and injured paws from having to balance on metal-slatted cages and lie on cold cement
• Workers’ reports of a live kitten who was washed down a drain
• Terrified, unsocialised animals cowering in cages
• Extreme heat and humidity in kennels during summer and near-freezing temperatures in winter
• Dogs being force-fed vegetable oil through tubes inserted down their throats


Just last week, PETA’s campaign forced Iams to announce that it will stop using university and private contract laboratories for its pet-food tests and transfer tests to its own facility within two years. This is one important step forward but not nearly enough to meet PETA’s demands. The animals will continue to suffer in tests that are not required by law and the company’s plan to expand its own testing facility in the US shows that it has no intention of giving up all experiments on cats and dogs.


“We’re howling mad that Iams is hurting and killing dogs and cats while feeding their customers a load of fiction about caring”, says PETA UK Iams Campaign Coordinator Yvonne Taylor. “Dogs and cats shouldn’t be forced to suffer for Iams’ profits. New dog and cat foods should be tested in people’s loving homes, not on caged, lonely animals in secret laboratories.”


Broadcast-quality footage of animals in an Iams contract laboratory is available. For more information, please visit IamsCruelty.com.


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