Veterinarian surgical training on live pigs, One Voice says no !
One Voice leads a nonviolent fight to defend animal rights and respect all life forms. The organization operates independently and is thus free to speak and act freely.
In partnership with two medical companies, postgraduate training in digestive surgery on pigs is offered to practitioners in two veterinary schools. The pigs will undergo multiple operations of the stomach and intestine and will then be put down. We demand the immediate termination of such practices !
Pigs, beings with a strong personality
Gifted
with great intelligence, pigs like to learn, discover and play. They
are self-aware and able to develop sophisticated strategies. Pigs
have been seen helping humans in difficulty. And yet …
Cruel training
After
the stress of transportation and the conditions of their
accommodation, they come for these pigs, those for procedures under
anaesthetic. Veterinarians
under training will then perform various surgeries on their stomachs
and intestines. After these procedures, they will be killed without
exception. A distressing and obsolete process.
Moreover,
the certificate of Dr Pierre Gallego, a doctor in veterinary medicine
and a master’s degree in science, is clear on this point:
«It is my opinion as a veterinarian that the use of live animals that are subsequently sacrificed for surgeries for veterinary training purposes is an obsolete practice that should be completely replaced by alternatives that are already available and which is widely used in most modern veterinary medicine faculties around the world.»
Prioritize methods without living animals !
In
spite of the European directive asking to prioritize substitute
methods, these schools nevertheless decided to resort to this
practice on animals, which are as cruel as they are outdated. Last
year, we managed to stop the use of live rabbits for continuing
education in another school. We demand the same thing here.
The
sacrifice of live pigs is not necessary to become a good surgeon! On
the contrary, according to our experts, models and simulators;
virtual reality; computerized multimedia simulators or the use of
animal tissues and corpses from ethical sources are preferred.
For
Dr. André Ménache, a veterinarian specializing in animal welfare
science and a certified member of the European College of Animal
Welfare and Behavioural Medicine, to whom we have asked for an
analysis of this type of training:
«These surgical procedures on pigs are not intended to bring any benefit to pigs globally. These pigs are used as living material for postgraduate courses in digestive surgery.»
One
Voice wrote to demand the immediate cessation of this type of
training. If these courses continue, we will seize any competent body
to enforce the rights of these animals.
Get
involved with us for these pigs, by sending one of these two drawings
to the concerned organizations to ask them to use alternative methods
in the framework of this type of training.
Where to write ?
SAS
Medtronic France
Mme Laurence COMTE-ARASSUS
27/33 Quai Alphonse
Le Gallo
CS 30001
92513 Boulogne-Billancourt
Cedex
Vetoquinol
Vetoquinol
S.A.
Monsieur Etienne Frechin, Président de Vetoquinol SA
BP
189
70204 Lure
Cedex
FRANCE