Who are we?

The Anti Vivisection Coalition (CAV) is a group of activists with the common goal of ending animal testing. CAV is apolitical and secular.

Our only beliefs are that animal testing is cruel and also dangerous for humans. Non-consenting living beings shouldn’t be in a laboratory. Animals, even the smallest, feel pain, anxiety and distress. It is unnecessary to be an animal lover to feel empathy for them.

We are not against science, but for the use of modern scientific methods. It is imperative and urgent that science invests in cutting edge technology to replace animals, which have a different biological make-up to human beings. We are backed by researchers & doctors and closely follow the work of several scientific committees, which provide us with reference material.

There isn’t a typical CAV activist profile as we are from different social backgrounds, professions and age groups. The majority are vegetarians or vegan although this isn’t essential to participate in our cause.

The CAV is also an umbrella organisation that works with other organisations and is open to cooperation. It is a cause so any individuals or organisations with the same convictions are welcome to assist us in our campaigns and spreading our message.

We are all volunteers and there are no financial contributions for membership, although key members do make personal contributions to finance our activities so donations are extremely welcome! 

Our actions

We fight animal testing through various approaches that are all legal. We do demonstrations, meet politicians and journalists, hold info stalls to inform the public.

Meeting politicians

We have started meeting politicians in order to spread our message to those that make the laws.
Other organisations have been doing this for years but we believe that we will never too many. Also, we have different claims because of our abolitionist discourse.

Information stalls

We participate to various festivals and exhibitions but also hold information stalls in Paris. This is very important because we need to meet the public in order to inform them about the reality of animal testing.

Most people tend to think that animal testing is awful but necessary to save human lives.

Journalists never investigate on the real issues such as "why aren't the alternatives to animal testing being developed and used?". Instead of interviewing scientists against vivisection, they rather question those that earn money from animal suffering and talk about the direct actions led against them.

On the info stalls, we usually have petitions to sign and we give out free literature. We don't mind advertising for other organizations because the most important is informing people and creating a network. Who cares if someone gets involved with another animal rights group as long as they take action?
 

Media action

This can be a march in order to to interest the media and the local inhabitants. We organised several marches in Bray et Lu (95) and Vernon (27) to tell the population about a breeding farm that used to sell adult domestic cats to research labs, even though they don't breed any. Hundreds of domestic cats have disappeared in the surroundings...

We took the opportunity to tell the locals about the C.I.T, a toxicology centre nearby. They use monkeys, pigs, dogs, rodents, rabbits, etc. in their tests for the medical, the food and the chemical industries. Many people didn't know about the C.I.T.

Some media actions can put pressure on a government. From summer 2008 to autumn 2009, an international campaign took place to save Nepalese monkeys from being exported to American laboratories. The breeding centre in Lele, Lalitpur, had 400 rhesus monkeys and had planned to start exporting a first lot.

CAV activists went twice to the Nepalese Embassy in Paris to explain the situation to the Ambassador and his Counsellor. We also had peaceful demos near the Eiffel Tower. Tourists were surprised by the activists wearing monkey masks and chains. Many wanted to know more about the issue, took pictures and signed a petition promising never to go to Nepal if there was a monkey trade. Activists from 13 countries joined this campaign, leading to more than 50 demos across the world.

An international cyber-action also took place: Nepalese travel agents, tour operators and the ministry of tourism, were flooded with emails asking them to contact their government. All this, put together, led to victory with a ban on exporting primates.

Demonstrations

When held against laboratories or administrations, they usually take place during the week because of the opening hours. We like greeting the employees after work. Those who work in an office have to realize that they are as guilty as the vivisectors. Their salaries come from the torture and the slaughter of thousands of animals. When they get home from work, they take their dog for a walk but don't even have a thought for the laboratory animals that have never seen the sky.

When we tell them that they are guilty and that they could make things change, some are shameful, some tell us that they have no choice, others laugh nervously. We tell them that there are better ways to test their products and that they should get another job, but they are not brave enough to change their lives.