Images: Ava at UBC Demo (bottom), Ava near UBC Picnic Tents (top left), Ava at Terry Fox Run (top right)

Ava, the Ambassador sent out by TAVA on a world wide tour of discovery and work to end experimentation on animals had a busy weekend here in Vancouver with ADAV on September 13 and 15th, 2024.

On September 13th, she took part in a demonstration at UBC in opposition to a planned visit by Michele Basso who, until recently, was with the Washington National Primate Research Center. Basso’s troubling experiments have involved invasive surgeries, including cutting holes in primates’
skulls to attach metal headposts, inserting electrodes into their brains, and implanting wire coils
in their eyes. She forced monkeys to face a computer screen for hours and limited their fluids,
keeping them thirsty to enforce their cooperation in pointless tests. Her record includes violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).

It seems we had an impact. Her talk was postponed!

After that, it was over to the UBC picnic tents for a bit of vegan food and meeting with a supportive student. Ava is an excellent networker!

Then, on September 15th, Ava was with us at the Terry Fox Run, reminding people of the cruel experimentation done to animals in the name of curing cancer. It has yet to lead us to a cure. Animal physiology is different from human physiology and more modern alternatives exist. It’s time cancer research focused on more human specific approaches. The Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods (CCAAM) and its subsidiary, the Canadian Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (CaCVAM) located at the University of Windsor are champions in this area!