Don’t leave a legacy of suffering – new campaign tackles major source of vivisection funding

Shockingly, these torments were financially supported by two of Britain’s most high-profile medical research charities: Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation. They were able to fund such ‘research’ thanks to generous donations from the public, especially legacies left in wills. It is against this background that national campaign group Animal Aid this week launches its Don’t Leave a Legacy of Suffering initiative. The central message is: support only cruelty-free science.

A large majority of people have, when taking part in an opinion poll, made it clear they do not wish to support charities that fund animal experiments. Yet such charities receive vast sums from the public each year. To bridge this knowledge gap, and inform the public about the extent to which medical research charities are engaged in financially supporting animal experiments, Animal Aid is distributing – free of charge – a list of charities and their animal research policies.

In addition to being morally wrong, animal research is not reliably predictive of human outcomes. This is because of differences between humans and other species, and also because the artificial way disease is created in animals in laboratories is not how disease occurs in humans.

At the heart of the new campaign will be an engaging and atmospheric short film. Later this year, a national tour will take the message to the streets and the wider public. There will also be a strong on-line presence, where people are invited to sign up to one of two pledges. The first is for those who have changed their wills as a result of the Animal Aid campaign, and the second is for those who declare that they will never leave a legacy of suffering.

Says Jessamy Korotoga, Animal Aid’s Anti-Vivisection Campaign Manager:

‘When people make wills and are deciding to leave a legacy, it is vital that they know how their money may be used. A gift given in a spirit of altruism and generosity may, in the hands of certain charities, result in great pain and suffering for animals. Our message is simple – please don’t leave a legacy of suffering.’

Notes to editors

• More information about this campaign 
• Read further information on charity-supported animal research
• 76 per cent of those responding to a YouGov national opinion poll have said they would be unlikely to knowingly leave money in their will to charity that funds animal experiments.