Partying PETA ‘Dinosaurs’ to Celebrate Fauci Departure Two Years Ahead of Schedule
For Immediate Release:
August 22, 2022
Contact:
Amanda Hays 202-483-7382
Today, Anthony Fauci announced his decision to step down from his position as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in December rather than when President Joe Biden’s first term ends—and PETA’s “dinosaurs” are throwing a farewell party in front of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), complete with party hats, sparklers, and signs proclaiming, “No More NIH Dinosaurs.”
When: Tuesday, August 23, 12 noon
Where: HHS headquarters, 200 Independence Ave. S.W., Washington
Fauci “won” the title of PETA’s “#1 dinosaur” after former National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins departed from the agency following costumed protests by PETA and criticism from scientists who specialize in far more sophisticated, non-animal research methods. Under Fauci’s direction, NIAID has harmed and killed millions of animals, including tens of thousands of monkeys in failed AIDS experiments—which haven’t produced a single vaccine to prevent HIV—and dogs who have been subjected to outrageously painful and pointless poisoning tests.
In PETA’s words, “Neither Fauci nor Collins has met an animal he wouldn’t experiment on,” and Fauci’s departure will hopefully make way for a forward-thinking NIH leader who will implement state-of-the-art, human-relevant research methods that don’t use animals, such as those described in PETA scientists’ groundbreaking Research Modernization Deal.
PETA recently revealed that in spite of NIH’s bloated budget of nearly $43 billion in 2021, the agency has repeatedly failed to comply with basic, minimum animal welfare standards stipulated by law. We uncovered a staggering 137 violations in the past four years. Animals died of starvation and thirst after workers failed to give them food and water. Experimenters failed to provide animals with adequate pain relief following invasive surgeries, went rogue and carried out unapproved procedures, drugged animals to death, and failed to comply with approved humane endpoints, meaning that animals experienced pain and distress beyond what was permitted.
“NIAID desperately needs a fresh thinker who will embrace cutting-edge research over antiquated experiments on animals, which fail to find cures and waste enormous amounts of tax funds,” says PETA Vice President Dr. Alka Chandna. “PETA is celebrating Fauci’s departure as an opportunity for NIH to bring U.S. science into the 21st century.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information about PETA, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
