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Newsletters - January 2009

»	Ban Cosmetic Testing on Animals
»	Animal Welfare Fortnight 2009
»	Blue Cross News

Cosmetics Tested on Animals? Not a Pretty Picture

Did your toothpaste torture an animal? Have you ever gotten shampoo in your eyes? Did it sting? Imagine how much worse it would be if you couldn’t rinse it out, and someone was holding your eye open and pouring more and more shampoo into it? This may have happened with the very shampoo you use. In fact, everything from your toothpaste to your soap may have been tested on animals. Every day, animals in laboratories all over India are suffering as their eyes, skin and bodies are used for the sake of a new soap or lip gloss.

When cosmetics companies test their products on animals, they test ingredients on the eyes and the skin, and they test for the biggest amount of an ingredient that can be eaten before dying.

Something in your eye?

In the eye irritancy tests, laboratories use albino rabbits because their big, sensitive eyes make them good test subjects. Their eyelids are held open with clips while workers drip chemicals into the eyes of the rabbits. The rabbits are usually not given any painkillers or anesthetic – in fact, some rabbits break their backs as they struggle to escape the pain of the tests! After placing the chemical in the rabbits' eyes, the testers write down the damage it causes, which includes swelling, burning, bleeding, and blindness .

These tests are not only cruel but inaccurate. Rabbits’ eyes are not the same as human eyes - there are big differences. For example, rabbits do not have tear ducts in their eyes like we do - they don’t have tears to clear away the stinging solutions .

Burned bare: skin tests

Painful skin tests are conducted on rabbits, guinea pigs and other animals. This means that their fur is shaved off, and chemicals are put onto the bare skin and held on for days with a bandage. They burn right into the animals’ skin. The animals are held so tightly in restraining devices that they cannot struggle while laboratory workers apply the burning chemicals.

Fed up to death?

The “lethal dose” test is the worst by far: it means that testers force-feed everything from detergent to eye shadow to rats, mice, rabbits, guinea pigs and other animals, until some of them are poisoned. This test continues, forcing them to ingest more and more, until at least half of the group dies. The test goes on for weeks!

Experimenters observe the animals' reactions to the chemicals-everything from severe shaking and struggling to breathe to skin eruptions and bleeding from the eyes, nose and mouth. The animals become severely skinny. Like eye and skin irritancy tests, lethal dose tests are excruciating and unreliable.

Pointless Pain

The worst thing about animal testing is that the animal suffering does not have to happen at all! Better and cheaper ways to test cosmetics DO exist. Science has found many alternatives, including computers and cell cultures (just a tiny cell, not a whole animal) as well as other methods. Companies can also use ingredients or combinations of ingredients that have already been proven harmless. They can also use natural ingredients that are already known to be safe . Why should thousands of animals be abused so that a new shampoo can be made?

Testing in India: outsourcing cruelty

Companies from abroad often do their animal testing in countries like India, where it is less expensive and they think they will get less hassle. In fact, the five cosmetics companies that are the biggest users of animal testing all have test centres in India . This is not our best claim to fame!

You Can Help!

You can help by making sure that that the label on everything from your shampoo to your toothpaste proudly proclaims that it was NOT tested on animals. Feel free to write to the bosses at Lakme, Unilever, Proctor and Gamble, Reckitt & Colman, Colgate-Palmolive, and SmithKline Beecham to let them know what you think of their torturing India’s animals unnecessarily.

For more information visit Beauty Without Cruelty - India

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Animal Welfare Fortnight (January 15th 2009 to January 31st 2009)

Blue Cross of Hyderabad celebrates the National Animal Welfare Fortnight along with city Animal Welfare Groups, between January 15th and January 31st 2009. This year the theme for the fortnight is “Prevent Cruelty to Animals” with a special focus on calling for a Ban on “Cosmetics Testing” on Animals.

The European Union made the move in 2003 to ban testing on animals by cosmetic companies and further banned the marketing of those cosmetics tested on animals in the EU! It is high time the Indian Government took the step to end painful testing on animals that is completely un-necessary, yet millions of animals are put through this torture every year in labs around the country!

Inauguration: To motivate and sensitize people on Animal Rights and Citizen Initiatives, Blue Cross of Hyderabad will participate in an Animal Rights Rally organized by the District Animal Welfare Committee- Chaired by the Collector, Shri Naveen Mittal, on 17th January 2009 starting at 8:30 AM.

Rally Details are as follows:

Participants gather at 8.30 AM at Bhagya Nagar Gowshala.

• Inaugural address and Interaction of AWO’s with Collector and Director Animal Husbandry, Dr.L.Mohan.
• Rally Route is from Gowshala to Indira Park. Click here for directions to the Gowshala
• All Participants are requested to report to Bhagya Nagar Gowshala by 8.30 AM.
• Participants are requested to wear Blue Cross T-Shirts or carry Animal Welfare related placards / boards. Placards , T-Shirts will also be available at the venue.
• Please carry your own drinking water.
• You may bring you pet if it is well behaved and comfortable in large crowds.
• The Rally should be complete by 10 AM at Indira Park.

The march launches Blue Cross` Welfare Fortnight efforts, with a series of programmes, camps and other events every day till the 31st of January. The programme for the fortnight can be downloaded here.

The Fortnight is an opportunity for all of us to create awareness and support Animals! Join us in your best possible capacity during these events and support the cause of Animal Welfare!

For more information on how you can help and volunteer for events during the fortnight, please contact VVSM Krishna on 098480 56666.

The Blue Cross of Hyderabad also celebrates its 17th anniversary on the 23rd of January. Members are all requested to feed local strays and homeless animals. We also hope you will take this opportunity to re-commit yourself to the cause of Animal Welfare, lending a voice to the rights of these innocent beings!

For those who haven’t volunteered yet, why not take the opportunity to make this your resolution for 2009?

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Blue Cross News

1.	Flood Relief Efforts in Orissa: The flood situation at Orissa in October was reported to be very grim. As per the assessment carried out by the Animal Husbandry, Orissa 19 Districts were affected extending to 40 lakh human population. The animal population on record affected was numbered at 11.7 lakh. Of these 500 were cattle Blue Cross of Hyderabad, with a team of 5 members, made a trip to Orissa between Oct 11th and 15th 2008 carrying emergency medicines for 500 animals. Most animals had not eaten for 15 days and starvation was apparent. Fodder was distributed with much enthusiasm. Many herds of abandoned cattle whose owners may be dead, incapable of helping them or don't care about them were fed. The relief teams helping animals were a tremendous boost to humane awareness proving that people care about animals enough to help them! The team returned after working round the clock for 4 days. The general feeling was that of satisfaction though the accepted truth was that a much greater support in terms of preventing animal starvation should be perused for long term animal welfare.
2.	Beware! GHMC is Killing Sterilized Dogs: Blue Cross has evidence to believe GHMC is killing dogs that have been sterilized and vaccinated. If your sterilized street dogs have been picked up and not returned by GHMC vehicles please send us a signed letter stating when, where and how many dogs did this happen with. The evidence along with your statements will be sent to the Animal Welfare Board of India for strict action. Killing of docile street dogs is cruel, illegal and deter mental to community safety
3.	Change in Clinic Timings: The Evening Clinic timings at Blue Cross have been changed to 5PM to 7PM, between Monday and Saturday. The Evening Clinic will remain closed on Sundays.

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