IF YOU were trying to persuade the public that animal testing should end, which species would you pick to make your point 鈥� the clever ape, the cuddly mink or the friendly dog? Animal rights extremists in California apparently chose none of these.
Last Saturday morning, a Molotov cocktail ignited the porch at the home of neuroscientist of the University of California, Santa Cruz, while his family slept inside. Nearby, another researcher鈥檚 car was burned. Police suspect that the scientists, who study brain development, were the target of animal rights activists, although the animals the researchers use are limited to mice and fruit flies.
This makes the crimes unusual, says , president of the Foundation for Bioethical Research in Washington DC. 鈥淚鈥檓 99 per cent sure that the public doesn鈥檛 care about the well-being of fruit flies,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 more public sympathy for monkeys.鈥� Since 2006, activists have carried out a series of attacks against researchers in California, mainly targeting primatologists.
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Unlike in the UK, where such attacks are declining, in the US, violence against scientists seems to be on the rise.
