Staff of the 'Faculty Of Veterinary Medicine Cairo University'
threw dogs off the third floor
after experimenting on them
The following video has been shared on Facebook with the following comment:
"I need the support of animal people of the world, we received a video taken by a student in Cairo Vet Faculty, they (members of the staff) do research on animals. As per the video and word of mouth by the student, dogs after experimenting were thrown out of the window from the 3rd floor, tied and dragged.
We are addressing Dean of Faculty of Vets Cairo University to stop immediately the practise, already Chairperson of Animal Welfare federation of Egypt addressed the Dean, who said he would start investigation immediately, we demand: stop experimenting on animals!
Please support our cause"
donkey-foal electrocuted to death
Contact information for the
'Faculty Of Veterinary Medicine Cairo University'
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History of facts
Communicated by Dina Zulfikar
Friday 27 April, 2012, 9.24pm
A student of Vet Faculty – Cairo University, wrote on FB group: ANIMAL RIGHTS WATCH IN EGYPT, that animal rights are violated in the Faculty of Vets, Cairo University, I (Dina Zulfikar) asked him for explanation, proof, evidence, he said: groups of dogs are taken for research and experiments, after being done with, the dogs are thrown from the 3rd floor, then tied, then grabbed, I asked for evidence, he said a video and some of the vet students, my colleagues, can testify, he then sent me the video.
I had private messages with the student, as I did not want to involve him so that he would not be harmed by the Professors and Doctors. The video was taken by another vet student (name removed) to protect the student.. All students who witnessed this are willing to testify with the workers of the coffeeshop in this area. The students told me that they tried to file a complaint against the Doctor in charge but failed, this is why they sent this to me.
Saturday 28 April 2012, I copied the link of youtube and shared it on facebook, I called Dr. Shehab Osman, Chairperson of EFAW, in the morning, I told him what happened and sent him the shared video, after 1 hour he called me back and said he talked to the Dean of the Faculty of Vets and investigation is ordered. He also wrote me on public on FB the same thing.
Cairo University - Vet faculty update – 29 April 2012 at 3:00pm
Shehab Eldin الزملاء الاعزاء قام الاستاذ الدكتور عميد الكلية بتشكيل لجنة تحقيق رسمية للامر وسيتم اتخاذ العقاب امناسب لمن تسبب فى ذلك وستم اخطار الجميع بنتائج التحقيق والجزاءات وطلب العميد نقل اعتذارة لمحبى الحيوان عما حدث وسيتم اتخاذ موقف من ذلك20 update and second reply received from Dr. Shehab Eldin Chairperson of the Egyptian Federation of Animal Welfare; stating that the Dean of the Faculty of Vets, Cairo University has formed a committee to investigate and that who ever did it would be punished, and all the outcome of the investigation would be published. The Dean of the Faculty of Vets Cairo University apologizes to all the people who care about animals for this tragic incident, and promises to take necessary action and publish it: http://www.facebook.com/FOVMCU/posts/429056290456811?notif_t=feed_comment_reply
Animal people who live in Egypt and care, will head to the office of the
Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University on
Saturday 5th, at 10am
- We demand adopting alternates to experimentation on animals, 2010 proposal was submitted to Veterinary Colleges to adopt alternates, Egypt has Professors like Dr. Fawzy El Nady in the anatomy department who made his PhD about plactination
- As per promise made by the Dean of the FOVMCU to EFAW (Egyptian Federation for Animal Welfare) the outcome of the investigation would be published.
- Witness protection program for the students who testified.
- Until such process of adopting alternate to experimenting takes place we demand accepted humane standard upon use of animals in the University.
- What means of euthanasia there is available to the Veterinarians it is known that importation of Pentobarbitone into Egypt is very difficult. It is the most important drug for use in humanely destroying animals and if it is not available, people - as demonstrated - will resort to inhumane ways of killing unwanted animals. There may be a need to start a lobbying and advocacy campaign to have the statutes prohibiting the importation of Pentobarbitone relaxed.
on 03/05/2012 the 'Egypt Independent' reported:
Students accuse veterinary school of animal cruelty
Two Cairo University veterinary students-turned-whistleblowers have made allegations of animal cruelty at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. It is the first time animal welfare activists have had hard evidence on which to pin their longstanding claims that the faculty mistreats the animals it uses for experiments and student training.
The students have posted a video on YouTube, filmed in March 2012, of stray dogs being unloaded from a pick-up truck on the faculty grounds. In the video, a man in a blue galebeya cursorily hauls a dog by its hindlegs and kneels on the ribcage of another, while the condemned animals snarl, yelp and whimper. The dogs are clearly highly distressed and students laugh in the background.
According to the prominent animal welfare activist Dina Zulfikar, the two students, who have asked to remain anonymous, have also seen live dogs thrown from a third floor faculty window.
The faculty is now facing an energized animal rights campaign.
The faculty dean has apologized and the university has formed a committee to investigate the videoed incident. It has also promised to publish the investigation and punish the wrongdoers.
Up to 30 animal welfare activists, loosely affiliated with the animal protection charity SPARE, say they are not satisfied and have vowed to prosecute the faculty under Article 357 of the Penal Code, which carries a 6 month jail term and a LE200 fine.
A group will also protest outside of the faculty on Saturday, 5 May to demand immunity for the student whistleblowers, the immediate results of the investigation, the adoption of alternatives to animal experimentation, and for the faculty to lobby the Egyptian government to ease import restrictions on the animal euthanasia drug Pentobarbitone-5.
The University’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is regarded as the premier veterinary school in Egypt.
“This wasn’t kids on the street,” says SPARE founder and president, Amina Tharwat Abaza. “It happened under the eyes of the professors, the students, the teachers. These people are the basis of every animal abuse. They will graduate and go to work in the slaughterhouses, in the zoos, in the veterinary clinics,” she added.
The chain of events began with a Facebook message, at 9:24 pm on Friday, 27 April. A student of the Veterinary Faculty wrote on the Facebook group “Animal Rights Watch in Egypt” that animal rights are violated in the faculty, Zulfikar says.
“I asked him for explanation, proof, and evidence. He said groups of dogs are taken for research and experiments, and after being done with, the dogs are thrown from the 3rd floor, then tied, then grabbed. I asked for evidence. He said he had a video and some of the veterinary students, his colleagues, can testify. He then sent me the video,” Zulfikar explains.
Zulfikar says that students and as well as workers in the nearby coffee shop are willing to testify to having seen live dogs thrown from the third floor window. She says the students contacted the Animal Rights Watch in Egypt Facebook page after an attempt to file a complaint against the doctor in charge failed.
Abaza says the prosecution’s case has dozens of witnesses.
After one of the students sent Zulfikar the video, she shared the YouTube link on the Facebook page. Events started to move quickly. Zulfikar phoned Dr. Shehab Osman, chairman of the Egyptian Federation of Animal Welfare. She forwarded him the video link.
“I immediately called the dean and he said he didn’t know anything about the video,” Dr. Osman told Egypt Independent. The next day, 29 April, the doctor posted on the Animal Rights Facebook page that the dean had apologized and ordered an investigation.
Two days later, an online petition of protest clocked 2,000 signatures in its first 24 hours. Abaza says she has received many emails from overseas animal rights activists. Overseas activists have been so fervent in their support, she says, they have been listing their passport numbers.
Meanwhile, Dr. Osman was interviewing the two culprits in the video. He says that one is a man who rounds up stray dogs from the street and sells them to the faculty. The second is an employee of the faculty, though not a professor.
The faculty employee is talking to his lawyer, and has been encouraged to post an account of his actions on the Facebook page, the doctor says. “He will tell me today or tomorrow what he is doing,” he says.
Dr. Osman’s next step is to arrange an animal treatment seminar for faculty professors. “We want to arrange that as soon as possible. I want one of the animal rights activists to do this lecture.”
But it will take more than the power of social media and a seminar for reconciliation between the faculty’s employees and the animal lovers outside the gates. The activists fear the mistreatment of animals at the country’s main veterinary school has propagated mistreatment through Egypt. They also believe the faculty’s problems are systemic and ingrained.
Egypt has become one of the world’s largest markets for the banned trade in wild and endangered animals. Pet shops selling “exotic” animals, such as chimpanzees and lion cubs, are proliferating. In September 2001, untrained customs officials at Cairo airport opened a suitcase containing a young chimpanzee and a baby gorilla. They drowned them in a vat of chemicals.
Since 2008, Abaza has been the Egyptian Ambassador for World Animal Day, a London-based NGO. “Once you start to talk about animal welfare in Egypt, people think you’re crazy,” she says.
“They think if you are violent to an animal you won’t be violent to people.”
Abaza says she has witnessed donkeys starving inside the faculty grounds and mixed packs of male and female dogs kept in the same cages. When she asked to film inside the experimentation rooms for a news segment celebrating World Animal Day in 2010, she was refused access. The conditions of many dogs being kept inside under artificial light were “nightmarish,” she says.
But far worse, she says, was the callous attitude of students and professors alike. “The young students were coming and going hearing the screams of the dogs, and doing nothing.”
She alleges dogs are being experimented on without anesthetic and euthanized with electric shocks. The international standard drug for humane euthanasia, Pentobarbitone 5, is banned in Egypt. The preservative formaldehyde is used as an alternative, Abaza says.
Dr. Mohamed Nabawy, who graduated from the faculty five years ago and works at SPARE, said that while he was a student it was common practice for 40 students to train on one donkey. When students practiced injections, each would inject their syringe in the same spot of the animal’s neck. The neck swelled with a hematoma.
“We wanted to take a positive approach, but they’re not listening,” says activist Ahmed Diab, who supports the movement to prosecute.
“We have been trying to work with them. The standard excuse is they don’t have the resources to meet our requests. But it takes no extra resources to handle an animal humanely. We don’t want our vets to turn into animal abusers,” he concluded.
Source
Update on the meeting from Saturday 5th of May, 2012
Meeting lasted from 10:00am to 11:00am
Attended by:
University:
- Dean of Veterinary Medicine Faculty – Cairo University
- Dr. Fathi Farouk, Deputy, Dr. Mohamed Mosalamy
Animal Welfare:
- Egyptian Federation of Animal Welfare; Dr. Rabie Fayed
- Dina Zulfikar, Animal Protection Advocate
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The demands attached hereunder were submitted. The Dean of The Veterinary Medicine Faculty, Cairo University showed complete understanding, already a draft response to the public and the supporters of both petitions on change.org were prepared.
The Dean condemns such individual act – as he described. Precaution and strict measures will be applied immediately to avoid such horrific practice from re-occurring, even though the Faculty has standards set for experimenting or research, however, amendments have to be made. The Dean mentioned that by June complete amendments would be ready and the Cairo University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine would conduct a big conference in which all Faculties conducting research or experiments would be invited to attend to follow the procedures. In terms of alternates to experimenting on animals, a section can take place but this may not be applied to all experiments.
About Doctor Ahmed El Beheiry, who was conducting the research, I inquired what papers did he submit to carry this research in terms of describing the methods he would use for sedating or destroying the animals he experimented on, because obviously the dog as seen in the video was alive after experimentation, and this means that Dr. Beheiry did not give the right dose to euthanize the dog after experimenting. I was told this research does not belong to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Cairo University, and that Doctor Beheiry is outside Egypt to submit his research in one of the Faculties in USA. However, upon his return he would be interrogated by the committee.
Already it was found that 2 laborers of the Faculty, plus, 2 laborers of the supplier of animals used for research were interrogated and found guilty. Details and outcome of all the process of interrogation would be published to all.
A draft was already prepared by the Dean and Deputy directed to all animal people of Egypt and the world, explaining the condemnation of such act and appologies. The statement would be published in the fb group of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Change.org petitions sites.
Follow up would be made with the Dean and the Deputy.
signed: Dina Zulfikar - Cairo May 5, 2012
The Dean condemns such individual act – as he described. Precaution and strict measures will be applied immediately to avoid such horrific practice from re-occurring, even though the Faculty has standards set for experimenting or research, however, amendments have to be made. The Dean mentioned that by June complete amendments would be ready and the Cairo University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine would conduct a big conference in which all Faculties conducting research or experiments would be invited to attend to follow the procedures. In terms of alternates to experimenting on animals, a section can take place but this may not be applied to all experiments.
About Doctor Ahmed El Beheiry, who was conducting the research, I inquired what papers did he submit to carry this research in terms of describing the methods he would use for sedating or destroying the animals he experimented on, because obviously the dog as seen in the video was alive after experimentation, and this means that Dr. Beheiry did not give the right dose to euthanize the dog after experimenting. I was told this research does not belong to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Cairo University, and that Doctor Beheiry is outside Egypt to submit his research in one of the Faculties in USA. However, upon his return he would be interrogated by the committee.
Already it was found that 2 laborers of the Faculty, plus, 2 laborers of the supplier of animals used for research were interrogated and found guilty. Details and outcome of all the process of interrogation would be published to all.
A draft was already prepared by the Dean and Deputy directed to all animal people of Egypt and the world, explaining the condemnation of such act and appologies. The statement would be published in the fb group of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Change.org petitions sites.
Follow up would be made with the Dean and the Deputy.
signed: Dina Zulfikar - Cairo May 5, 2012
DEMANDS
for the kind attention of:
Dean of Veterinary Medicine Faculty – Cairo University, Dr. Fathi Farouk
1. We demand adopting alternates to experimentation on animals, 2010 proposal was submitted to Veterinary Colleges to adopt alternates, Egypt has Professors like Dr. Fawzy El Nady in the anatomy department who made his PhD about plastination
2. As per promise made by the Dean of the FOVMCU to EFAW (Egyptian Federation for Animal Welfare) the outcome of the investigation would be published.
3. Witness protection program for the students who testified.
4. Until such process of adopting alternate to experimenting takes place we demand accepted humane standard upon use of animals in the University.
5. what means of euthanasia there is available to the Veterinarians it is known that importation of Pentobarbitone into Egypt is very difficult. It is the most important drug for use in humanely destroying animals and if it is not available, people as demonstrated will resort to inhumane ways of killing unwanted animals. There may be a need to start a lobbying and advocacy campaign to have the statutes prohibiting the importation of pentobarbitone relaxed.. Alternates like syocontal sodkum, tsixty one are they used?
6. Upon conducting any research, researcher must specify conditions on which he kept the animal until destroying it,,, did Dr. Ahmed El Beheiry state how oy the animal?
Sincerely,
Dina Zulfikar
On behalf of various groups and societies of Animal People
On behalf of the Egyptian Federation of Animal Welfare
2. As per promise made by the Dean of the FOVMCU to EFAW (Egyptian Federation for Animal Welfare) the outcome of the investigation would be published.
3. Witness protection program for the students who testified.
4. Until such process of adopting alternate to experimenting takes place we demand accepted humane standard upon use of animals in the University.
5. what means of euthanasia there is available to the Veterinarians it is known that importation of Pentobarbitone into Egypt is very difficult. It is the most important drug for use in humanely destroying animals and if it is not available, people as demonstrated will resort to inhumane ways of killing unwanted animals. There may be a need to start a lobbying and advocacy campaign to have the statutes prohibiting the importation of pentobarbitone relaxed.. Alternates like syocontal sodkum, tsixty one are they used?
6. Upon conducting any research, researcher must specify conditions on which he kept the animal until destroying it,,, did Dr. Ahmed El Beheiry state how oy the animal?
Sincerely,
Dina Zulfikar
On behalf of various groups and societies of Animal People
On behalf of the Egyptian Federation of Animal Welfare
Statement by
ESAF Page (The Egyptian Society of Animal Friends)
ESAF is aware that there was a meeting this morning between Dina Zulfikar, along with other animal activists, and the Dean of Cairo Veterinary Medicine College to discuss the recent exposure of the cruel practices shown on the video taken by one of the students, also verbal evidences supplied by other students.
ESAF knows that the Dean was fully aware of the horrific practices since several years and he has done nothing. ESAF intends to take a serious positive action regarding this issue.
These practices have to be stopped immediately , and all animals advocates should unite in this matter, not as individuals.
ESAF supports Dina Zulfikar's efforts and we are ready to offer any assistance required in this cause.
Source
Update May 8, 2012
in follow up with the Dean of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
below the statement as he promised
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University condemns the outrageous, shameful, disgraceful act who was done by non-employed workers (belong to the animal supplier) and 2 employed workers.
I ordered an investigation to this despicable behavior. None of our students or faculty staff was involved in this terrible act.
We teach our under graduate students a course called 'Animal Behavior and Welfare'. Also, for our post graduate students we teach a course called 'Ethics for Using Animals in Experiments'. Moreover, in our faculty, there is an animal welfare and rights committee who's sole job is insuring that we are guardians and not abusers to animals. However, individual acts may happen.
I assure everybody that the faculty will do its very best to punish those responsible for this terrible act according the law and will do our best also that this kind of acts will never happen again.
Regards,
Fathy Farouk
I ordered an investigation to this despicable behavior. None of our students or faculty staff was involved in this terrible act.
We teach our under graduate students a course called 'Animal Behavior and Welfare'. Also, for our post graduate students we teach a course called 'Ethics for Using Animals in Experiments'. Moreover, in our faculty, there is an animal welfare and rights committee who's sole job is insuring that we are guardians and not abusers to animals. However, individual acts may happen.
I assure everybody that the faculty will do its very best to punish those responsible for this terrible act according the law and will do our best also that this kind of acts will never happen again.
Regards,
Fathy Farouk
Update May 16, 2012
A committee for ETHICS FOR USING ANIMALS IN RESEARCH has been formed
1) The committee has already been done with visiting, inspecting, and discussing standard of keeping research animals in the 7 of 21 old departments of the FVMCU. The remaining 14 new sections would be inspected consecutively.
The aim of this committee is to reach a code of ethics based on current status and information gathered. On the 28th of May, a workshop would be held inside the FVMCU about ETHICS FOR USING ANIMALS IN RESEARCH.
About the investigation conducted by Legal Committee of the FVMCU; legal committee has not finished investigation yet. As per promise made by the Dean of FVMCU investigation results would be published.
2) The Deputy of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Cairo University, stated that already THE DONNKEY SANCTUARY, Egypt, has worked with the committee of ethics to provide means of euthanasia which are humanely used in destroying animals which are experimented on.
Dr. Hwaida El Hadary, Manager of THE DONKEY SANCTUARY - Egypt, said that the DS cares to mitigate the suffering of animals, and that DS has been following and various meetings have been held with the staff of FVMCU, workshops have been made to apply humane means. Dr. El Hadary added that from 19 - 26 May, 2012 workshops would be held with all departments of the University. Many issues need to be addressed in the methodes used for experimenting on animals in Universitites, we are trying to help, stated Dr. El Hadary.
Update May 29, 2012
As per promise of the Dean, some steps have been taken to reach code of ethics to then be applied. 29 May 2012 - workshop have been held in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine to all departments about code of ethics by Dr. Rabie Fayed
Click on the picture to see comments
How to take action:
1) Please sign and share the following two petitions (you can also sign using the widgets at the bottom of the page):
Veterinary University of Cairo: STOP ANIMAL ABUSE IN THE VETERINARY UNIVERSITY OF CAIRO
Faculty Of Veterinary Medicine Cairo University, Egypt: Stop experimenting on animals! Stop abusing animals!
Faculty Of Veterinary Medicine Cairo University, Egypt: Stop experimenting on animals! Stop abusing animals!
2) Please write a complaint on the Faculty's Facebook-page
3) Write a polite e-mail expressing your concern to the Dean: Prof. Dr. Fathy Farouk (ffmohamed@cu.edu.eg)
4) Join the group to be kept informed
