2016 has been a busy year for the ADAV Society and its Stop UBC Animal Research campaign.

In January, we shone a spotlight on Langara University and its use of animals including cats and rabbits in at least one of its courses, Comparative Anatomy 2350. Our investigation led Langara to commit to ethical sourcing of animals, to support students wishing to opt out of dissection, and they appear to be halting the use of companion animals. But we won’t stop there: NO animals need be used in today’s education or research, given the highly sophisticated and costefficient options that are readily available.

February found us at Pet Lover’s Fair in Abbotsford, where we shared the message of compassion and respect for life in all its shapes and sizes!

In April, ADAV’s Executive Director Laura-Leah Shaw made a ground-breaking presentation to the UBC Senate – a full transcript of this can be seen here. 

Tabling at Lonsdale Quay, at Handswoth Secondary and at St. George’s School Sustainability Fair gave us more opportunity to spread the message of making Science make sense. Beautiful hand-made cards by fine artist Gayle Koyanagi and her team of dedicated crafters made our displays more than eye-catching: her “message in a test-tube” and “thank you” Valentines to vegan businesses were unique and wonderful – thank you to all who helped make our outreach materials beautiful as well as illuminating. 

This Fall, animal advocate and MP Don Davies NDP brought our petition to Canada’s Parliament, ensuring that animals in laboratories will not go unheard in proposed Criminal Code amendments.

In “Not to Count our Chickens” Department news, UBC’s latest statistics show a suspension of the most cruel and invasive procedures (Category of Invasiveness = E) in their research and training protocols – a measure long fought-for by our Stop UBC Animal Research campaign. We couldn’t have done it without our amazing supporters!

Be sure to check out our social media pages for exciting news on alternatives to animal use in science – good things are happening!

Please contribute what you can to help us make more progress for animals AND humans.