Animal research plight in spotlight after baboon escape
A motion to end the use of animals for research purposes will be moved in the Senate, after the high-profile escape of three baboons being transported to an animal research facility.
QLD News
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THREE baboons that escaped in Sydney yesterday will receive well wishes from the Senate if a Greens motion proposed for tomorrow is successful.
NSW Greens Senator Mahreen Faruqui is planning to move a motion noting yesterday’s high profile escape of three baboons from a truck transporting them to an animal research facility at a hospital.
The motion calls on the senate to “wish the baboons well” after their “bid for freedom” while also pushing to end the use of animals for research purposes.
It will call on the Government to increase transparency and accountability in animal research and boost investment in “methods and technology” to end the practice.
“The episode has highlighted the community’s concern for the welfare of animals used in experimentation and research,” the motion says.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard told The Daily Telegraph a male baboon was due to have a vasectomy at the hospital and was being accompanied by his two wives to “keep him comfortable”.
“After the operation him and the two wives will return to the colony where he can stay forever with them but he will no longer be having babies,” Mr Hazzard said.
Baboons were used in medical research ranging from kidney disease to pregnancy issues, he said.
Authorities blamed a faulty lock on the truck holding the baboons for aiding their escape and allowing them to run loose through a carpark near Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney’s inner west.
Originally published as Animal research plight in spotlight after baboon escape