THE number of attacks by animal rights activists has escalated dramatically over the past decade, according to a report released by the Foundation for Biomedical Research (FBR) in Washington DC on Friday.
The FBR compiled information from more than two decades on harassment, intimidation, arson, vandalism, bombing, beatings, theft and even body snatching. It concluded that 鈥渢he number, severity and scope of attacks鈥� are growing. There were 88 such incidents in the 1980s, 132 in the 1990s, and 363 cases in the first five years of this century.
Instead of targeting increasingly better-secured labs or furriers, activists have switched to 鈥渢ertiary targeting鈥� 鈥� attacking companies that do business with the labs or furriers in a bid to force them to end their cooperation.
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鈥�88 animal rights attacks in the 1980s 鈥� and 363 in the first five years of this decade鈥�
In the case of animal-testing lab Huntingdon Life Sciences, for instance, the international Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) campaign has targeted equipment suppliers, share market makers, insurers, auditors, banks and couriers.
The FBR hopes new legislation may reduce attacks. In the first trial of its kind since US law was amended to outlaw 鈥渁nimal enterprise terrorism鈥�, jury selection was due to begin this week in the trial of six SHAC members in Trenton, New Jersey, who face charges of conspiracy, stalking and harassment against employees of Huntingdon.
