We wished that we never had to write these words and it is with a tremendous sadness we now have to announce that the six labradors Venus, Milia, Mimosa, Luna, Lotus, and Zuri, who was used in an animal experiment at the University of Gothenburg, have been killed.
Despite the protests against the experiment around the world and thousands of people’s commitment to saving the dogs’ lives, the University of Gothenburg has now done what we have been fighting against. The University of Gothenburg held these six individuals in a laboratory to expose them to experiments in the name of the research. The dogs never got the life every dog deserves, the right to their own lives and to be a beloved family member. The university had a choice in their hands – to let the dogs live or die – and they chose to take away their entire existence.
It was in the middle of January this year that the Animal Rights Alliance drew attention to the dog experiment at the University of Gothenburg. Since then, we have done everything in our power and worked intensively to save the lives of the dogs. Our revealing of the experiment spread rapidly and has brought tremendous and incredible engagement to people all over the world. The Animal Rights Alliance asked the university to interrupt the experiment and let the dogs live, and we have always been ready to relocate and rehabilitate the dogs in loving homes. We have repeatedly tried to get a meeting with the University of Gothenburg, but the university has only shown reluctance to meet us and engage in dialogue about the dogs. They have also refused to participate in a public debate on the experiment from a scientific perspective. In just a week after our disclosure of the dog experiment, 84,222 people signed our petition to save the dogs. These were handed over to representatives from the university at a protest outside of the building at the university where the dogs were held. Even after the university informed us that they do not intend to cancel the trial, we have continued to urge the university to rethink and do the right thing – to let the dogs live. The experiment has been reported to the police and county administrative board in the hope of saving the dogs that way. The dogs’ situation has been recognized and debated in the media worldwide. Below you can read more about what has been done in an attempt to save the lives of the six labradors.
The image depicts dogs who have used and killed in the same experiment at Gothenburg University. PHOTO: Matilda Andersson Nwachukwu/Spionen
The awareness of the dog experiment at the University of Gothenburg has spread not only throughout Sweden but all over the world. We are thousands of people worldwide who have struggled to save the lives of the dogs. All commitment and all attention to the experiment has also led to animal experiments being discussed from an ethical perspective – which everything is primarily about. What right do we have to expose other thinking and sentient individuals to animal testing? It has to be a change of law and investments in animal-free methods so that no animals are seen as test objects, and the enormous attention the dog experiment has received is an essential step in this direction. Using other individuals in animal experiments against their will, treating them as objects and not recognizing and valuing them as individuals and deliberately exposing them to suffering is unjustifiable.
It is with a heavy heart we have to write that we did not succeed to save these six dog’s lives. We all feel grief now; however, we can not lose hope or forget about the power we all have together. We are fighting for another world – a world where animals are not seen as objects – and the change that must be made is going on here and now. We are many who knows about what is happening to animals at the University of Gothenburg now and together we have to ensure that it never happens again. It is essential to show that we never forget. This type of experiment on dogs has been going on at the University of Gothenburg since 1996, and at least 206 dogs have now been used and killed. Venus, Milia, Mimosa, Luna, Lotus and Zuri and all the other dogs who were killed during this experiment can never get back their lives. Our focus now is to stop this experiment from ever happening again.
WHAT DJURRÄTTSALLIANSEN HAVE DONE:
🐾 Investigated, revealed and brought attention to the dog experiment at the University of Gothenburg.
🐾 Spread information about the dogs’ situation.
🐾 Invited the University of Gothenburg to cancel the trial and offered to take over the responsibility for the dogs and relocate and rehabilitate them in loving homes. Repeatedly tried to arrange a meeting for dialogue.
🐾 Brought attention to the issue in the media, including Aftonbladet, TV4, SVT, Dagens Nyheter, GT / Expressen, Syre and others.
🐾 Got international media attention in the UK, Norway and the Netherlands. Celebrities such as British comedian Ricky Gervais and actor Peter Egan have backed up the Danish Alliance’s campaign for the six labradors.
🐾 Encouraged people to contact the University of Gothenburg and protest.
🐾 Offered to organize a public debate on animal experiments from an ethical and scientific point of view.
🐾 Collected 84,232 signatures which we submitted to representatives from GU.
🐾 Arranged protests at EBM in Gothenburg where the dogs are held.
🐾 Reported the license holder at GU to the Police.
🐾 Reported GU to the County Administrative Board.
🐾 Contacted the ethics committee and raised several problems and faults with the application.
🐾 Reviled who is likely to finance the experiment.
🐾Brought attention to the cats Bullen and Grollen and got GU to announce that they were going to be rehomed.
🐾 Asked people to send pictures of animals with the sign ”Save the GU dogs.”
🐾 Encouraged children to send in drawings for dogs.