Open brief aan de Ministers van Dierenwelzijn en van Innovatie
Neem contact op met de schrijver van de petitie
Oprichting 'Infopunt Proefdieronderzoek'
2017-05-20 05:06:54Beste wetenschappers en sympathisanten,
U ontvangt deze mail omdat u een tijd gelden de open brief over proefdieronderzoek, gericht aan de Ministers van Dierenwelzijn en van Innovatie, geschreven door professor Bart De Strooper mee ondertekende. Hierbij willen we u graag warm maken voor een nieuw initatief van enkele jonge onderzoekers: Infopunt Proefdieronderzoek.
Wat?
Infopunt Proefdieronderzoek is een communicatie platform dat via een website, blog en sociale media het brede publiek wil informeren over onderzoek met proefdieren.
Wie?
Een groep jonge onderzoekers van verschillende Vlaamse universiteiten en bedrijven heeft de handen in elkaar geslagen om dit initiatief uit de grond te stampen. Heb je zin om mee te werken? Laat ons zeker iets weten!
Waarom?
Er wordt heel wat gezegd en geschreven over proefdieren, maar wat is nu feit en wat is nu fictie? Helaas blijven wetenschappers te vaak stil in dit debat. Via Infopunt Proefdieronderzoek willen we onderzoekers een stem geven en de verspreiding van verkeerde informatie tegengaan.
Neem een kijkje op onze website. Heb je vragen over proefdieronderzoek of ben je een wetenschapper en aarzel je om te communiceren over jouw onderzoek? Neem contact met ons op!
www.infopuntproefdieronderzoek.be
contact@infopuntproefdieronderzoek.be
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Schrijf je in op onze Nieuwsbrief
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Dear scientists and supporters,
You received this email as some time ago, you signed a petition letter written by professor Bart De Strooper, about the future of animal research in Flanders. We'd like to announce a new initiative of several young researchers: 'Infopunt Proefdieronderzoek' (IPPO)
What?
IPPO uses a variety of communication platforms (website, blog and social media) to inform the public about research involving animals.
Who?
A group of young researchers from various Flemish universities and companies have come together to do get this initiative off the ground. Would you like to help support our mission? Let us know!
Why?
A lot is said and written about animal research, but what is fact and what is fiction? Unfortunately, scientists often choose to remain silent in this debate. Through IPPO, we want to give researchers a voice and combat misinformation.
Take a look at our website. Have questions about animal testing or our initiative? Get in touch!
www.infopuntproefdieronderzoek.be
contact@infopuntproefdieronderzoek.be
Follow us on Facebook & Twitter
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Infopunt Proefdieronderzoek
Motion for solidarity for neuroscientist Nikos Logothetis
2015-05-06 14:59:02Dear Friends,
Over the last months I have used the petition and other arguments trying to convince responsible people to give an appropriate response to the antivivisection pepition. The actions go on. However now I would like to ask your help to support a petition that is launched by our colleagues in Germany to support Dr. Nikos Logothetis. He has under pressure of the activism stopped his world class research on primates.
I paste below the letter that he wrote about this decision, but I would like to ask you in the first place to read and sign the petition http://www.cin.uni-tuebingen.de/sign-open-letter.php. Please also forward this to friends, colleagues and so on.
Kind regards
Below the letter of Dr. Logothetis:
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing today to let all of you know that I am officially stopping primate research in my laboratory at the MPI for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen. On April 22, 2015 I contacted the local authorities overseeing animal experiments and animal protection (Regierungspräsidium Tübingen) and discussed in detail the termination procedure so that we can conclude things as quickly as possible, while still complying with the existing animal-protection regulations, including the correct use of existing animals with implants, etc. My future research will concentrate on rodent neural networks, targeting the further development of multimodal methodologies as well as investigations into the self-organization processes of neural networks studied simultaneously at different spatiotemporal scales, by means of our concurrent physiology and imaging methods.
I would like to clearly state here that I consider the Max Planck Society (MPS) to be one of the best scientific organizations worldwide, and as many of you know I have always deeply appreciated and acknowledged their generous support of my department over the last 19 years. The development of our multimodal technology would have been impossible without this support. Unfortunately, however, constructive communication with the current MPS administration, specifically as it relates to animal protection issues, has proven impossible.
To put it briefly, I am no longer willing or able to accept the never-ending stream of abuse from animal activists toward myself and my co-workers while seeing them encouraged to increase their aggressive activities by the tolerance and very slow reactions of scientific organizations. There is a clear lack of consequences for illegal actions such as infiltration, violation of privacy, theft of documents, and even intentionally caused distress to animals in order to film supposed animal torture or abnormal behavior. It is distressing to see that I can be vilified with impunity while the Society finds itself unable to pursue the prosecution illegal activities. The activists are allowed to continue to publish unfounded and outrageous accusations on the internet and in newspapers without being challenged. The BUAV/SOKO has contacted several international funding organizations and even the president of Manchester University, to which I have an adjunct affiliation, requesting that they remove me from the faculty because I am a criminal and animal torturer.
I am fully aware of the fact that the MPG’s strategy is not unique or even unusual. In contrast - and very unfortunately – it is very similar to the attitude of major scientific organizations worldwide. In effect, we are told to be quiet and do our work; that it will all blow over; that the organization will explain to people that science is important, …” But promises of action followed by silence are hollow.
Even closer to home, over the last 7 months there has been no moral or practical support from anyone in the entire Tübingen campus of three Max Planck Institutes. In fact, the neighboring MPI for Developmental Biology posted the following disclaimer on their website: “Due to the current circumstances we like to point out that the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology does not carry out tests with monkeys and does not keep monkeys at all. More background information and a specific statement can be found on the website of the Max Planck Society. Thank you!” Tübingen’s Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, with colleagues conducting translational neuroscience, refused to issue a declaration of support, as did local clinicians that have been keen on conducting research in collaboration with our department. It would take a book to describe my unique experiences in this unforgettable period. I am afraid I cannot accept this mentality. Proactive behavior, while not sufficient in and of itself, is necessary and should have started decades ago. Strong reactions from all science organization and a re-discussion of laws and regulations are essential if basic science in biology is thought to be important or even indispensable.
I have no power to enforce anything whatsoever, but Max Planck Institutes are autonomous, and I do have the right to decide on the future of my own research. I shall simply continue my work at MPI-BC with the same dedication, but using rodents as experimental animals. Obviously, I continue to welcome potential plans of the Max Planck Society to extend the NHP research at the Tübingen Max Planck Institutes with as many as 3 departments working on primates – as suggested by colleagues to our administration.
At this point I am simply exhausted, if not to say devastated, but it’s time to move on. I thank you sincerely for your support and with all my heart I wish you good luck with your own research and that you never have to experience yourself the antagonism of animal activists and the money-raising machinery behind them.
Sincerely yours,
Nikos
Professor Nikos K. Logothetis
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics (MPI-BC)
Director of Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes Germany
Bart De Strooper
Open brief aan de Ministers van Dierenwelzijn en van Innovatie - Open letter to the Ministers of Animal Welfare and Innovation
2014-11-19 10:00:27Please find an English version below
Geachte ondertekenaars,
Vooreerst wil ik jullie hartelijk danken voor jullie steun en deelname aan deze petitie.
Vandaag zal deze open brief overhandigd worden aan onze Vlaamse Ministers van Dierenwelzijn en van Innovatie, Minister Ben Weyts en Minister Philippe Muyters, samen met alle handtekeningen.
We hopen hiermee aandacht te vragen voor de implicaties die het implementeren van de nieuwe Europese wetgeving met zich mee brengt.
Ondertussen worden ook stappen ondernomen om op Europees vlak een petitie te starten om dit nog grootschaliger onder de aandacht te brengen. We gaan hiervoor in gesprek met Europese wetenschappelijke instituten en bedrijven die dezelfde bedenkingen maken bij deze wetgeving.
We hopen jullie hier binnenkort meer over te kunnen informeren en we hopen van harte opnieuw op uw steun te kunnen rekenen.
Met vriendelijke groet,
Prof. Bart De Strooper
Dear signatories,
First, I would like to thank you for your support and contribution to this petition.
This open letter, together with all the signatures, will be handed over today to the Flemish Ministers of Animal Welfare and Innovation, Minister Ben Weyts and Minister Philippe Muyters.
We hope to draw their attention to the implications that the implementation of this new European legislation would entail.
In the meantime, steps have been taken to start a similar petition on an European level, to highlight the issue on a larger scale. We continue this dialogue with European scientific institutes and companies that have the same reservations about this legislation.
We hope to inform you more on this soon and we sincerely hope to count on your support again in the future.
With my best regards,
Prof. Bart De Strooper
Bart De Strooper