Media Release: AAHR Formally Renamed Humane Research Australia Inc

At its Annual General Meeting on 29 October 2009, AAHR (Australian Association for Humane Research) Inc. formally changed its name to Humane Research Australia Inc.

Read full media release (32KB PDF)

Government Spends Over $1mil Dollars in Eye Experiments On Kittens

Over one million dollars of Australian taxpayer’s money has been spent funding NHMRC grants given to the University of Sydney for an experiment which uses kittens. AAHR argues that to simply pour more money and resources into this animal model for human disease is not only wasteful, it is unscientific (to base this research on animals).

Find out more information and what you can do

Xenotransplantation - Trading in Spare Parts

Xenotranplantation is the term used to describe the transplantation of organs, tissue or cells from one species to another. It would cause extreme cruelty to countless animals, expose entire communities to the risk of a potential zoonotic epidemic and appears to hold little promise of resolving the problem of a shortage of human organs and tissues

Find out more information and what you can do

Pound Dogs Used for Veterinary Practice at Queensland University

A number of Australian councils have been identified that provide dogs to Queensland University for research purposes.

Find out more information and what you can do

Download Petition to ban the provision of pound animals for research & teaching (32KB PDF)

Animal Experimentation – a Necessary Evil?

This booklet provides an overview of the types of research conducted in Australia, statistics, legislation and protection, species differences, examples of where animal research has caused delays and disasters, why it continues and the alternatives. The booklet provides a general overview of the issue so that readers are provided with a basic understanding of animal research. Download in PDF format (974KB)

Calling on Doctors, Nurses, Veterinarians and all Health Care Professionals!

We are seeking the support of doctors, nurses, veterinarians and all health care professionals to show the public that our concerns are credible, scientific, and ethical and backed by scientific experts. [Find out more]

Beyond the cage - Is animal experimentation necessary?

Introduced by Suzie Wilks, this 15 minute DVD introduces the ethical and scientific arguments against the use of animals in research and forms an ideal basis for discussion on this highly controversial issue.

The DVD is available to download free from WasabiTV

To purchase a copy ($10), please contact the Australian Association for Humane Research by phoning (03) 9832 0752 or download an order form here (58KB PDF)

New Film

'Safer Medicines' is an excellent new film which has just been released by Europeans for Medical Progress. You can view it free on-line (length about 30 minutes).

A Message from our Patron

"I start from the principle that if I intend to perform some act upon another being, an unpleasant act to which the other being has not signified full, informed, and willing consent, an act which is not intended for the ultimate benefit of this being, and if I intend furthermore to perform the act in private, away from the public gaze, then the intended act is prima facie, on the face of it, an atrocity, to be resisted and denounced; furthermore, that this principle should hold whether the other being in question, my intended victim, is a man or a mouse."
-JM Coetzee

Professor John Coetzee won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2003. He is also the first author to win the prestigious Booker Prize twice. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, and being of both Boer and English descent, Professor Coetzee's novels cover a wide variety of issues with no two books following the same pattern. A fundamental theme, however, involves the abuse of power including the values and conduct resulting from the apartheid system in South Africa. He is a strong opponent of animal exploitation and has spoken out against it on many occasions.

The Australian Association for Humane Research Inc. is honored to have Professor Coetzee as our Patron.