The Perfect Pair Dolphin Trilogy Book Series Authors' Blog

tHE PERFECT PAIR DOLPHIN TRILOGY CO-AUTHOR SPEAKS OUT AGAINST EXPERIMENTS ON ANIMALS

11/12/2020

This week, the first people were vaccinated against Covid-19, giving us all new hope for the future. For the past 10 months or more, we have been privileged to have scientists, doctors, nurses and so many other wonderful, selfless and compassionate people fighting to protect us and save our lives.

However, one thing I would ask: please spare a thought for the thousands of laboratory animals who have been subjected to painful, often invasive, experiments to develop these life-saving vaccines, then have either died or been killed afterwards. In much the same way, I hasten to add, as happened to those animals who suffered and died to develop the treatment that pushed back my multiple myeloma, giving me extra years with those I love.

The saddest thing is that here in the UK - and in other countries across the globe - the testing of drugs and medical procedures on animals is a legal requirement. It's also bad science - in more ways than one - which could be replaced with animal-free experiments that would offer more accurate results.

People could be forgiven for thinking that, after having undergone chemotherapy with superb results, I would condone experimentation using animals. But having experienced first-hand the sorts of treatments that will have been tested on animals, I am more determined than ever that vivisection should end.

Besides, I have seen the photos showing the fear and despair in the eyes of those non-human persons whose healthy bodies are poisoned, scarred and destroyed by researchers seeking to save the lives of those of us who are privileged enough to be deemed 'worth saving'. The same fear and despair that I recognised staring back at me in the mirror when I was diagnosed and preparing to undergo treatment.

The Covid-19 virus - like so many other viruses - arose as a result of humankind's abuse of animals. And the weapons to fight it have arisen in the same way.

We deserve better. Animals deserve better. So, let's get involved in ending ALL abuse - abuse of people AND animals. As for medical research, let's end the use of animals in labs in favour of the clean, compassionate and effective alternatives that deliver accurate results without inflicting fear, pain and death.

After all, we have been spared for a reason.

Tracy J Holroyd, Cert Ed, BA(Hons) Member of the Society of Authors
Co-author The Perfect Pair Dolphin Trilogy and Belinda Fellgate Novella Series

www.crueltyfreeinternational. org

6 Comments

Aubrey

14/12/2020 13:49:24

Vivisection must end ... it is not right to harm an animal sentient in order to save a human sentient ...

as you so rightly say there are so many alternatives now and at the end of the day the human is the ultimate guinea pig ...

We must end vivisection and stop our savagery towards animals on all fronts.

David and Tracy Holroyd link

15/12/2020 10:21:24

Thank you for taking time to comment, Aubrey. We could not agree with you more.

We have been fighting for animal rights virtually all our lives, and although a lot of progress has been made, some people still do not recognise that animals have a soul - a soul equally as valuable as their own.

Nor do they recognise that most of the killer viruses develop as a result of animal abuse. As important as we may think we are, Nature does not share our high opinion of ourselves.

Thank you again, Aubrey, for making comment.

Leen

15/12/2020 14:47:11

I often think about what you have written in these times. How many innocent animals have suffered terrible pain, crying inwardly that they could no longer bear it - used for investigations and dying miserable deaths?
If you claim to have a heart for animals, consider all animals, large or small, that disappear behind the Rainbow every minute of the day. A life that no animal envisioned when it was born, to serve as an unwilling guinea pig for its most formidable adversary: man.
And yet we keep on shooting – for fun - everything that breathes, moves and pops out of the sky for our festive Christmas meal (wildlife). Geese (Foie Gras) are brutally force-fed fat until they die.
If you read social media, scientific magazines and newspapers, there are warnings everywhere about the consequences and dangers of viruses that are given free rein in animal nurseries. Pigs, horses, cows, rabbits, chickens - everything that has legs - is treated in a beastly manner.
Glued together like we would glue a stack of newspapers, chickens have an A4 size living space. Living creatures that never see a ray of sunshine, never have the chance to enjoy a life - not to mention what happens behind closed doors.
Respect for all living beings is, without doubt, hard to find in this century.
Dolphins, killer whales and other animals are locked up for the amusement of an ignorant audience. And yes! I do mean an ignorant and stupid audience!
Many people have died in World Wars to protect our freedom. So, why do some think it’s entertaining to view another being in captivity? Is it because, as humans, they consider themselves superior and entitled to rule everything that breathes?
Somewhere it says: love your neighbour. This means not only your fellow man, but also the voiceless non-human beings with whom we share our planet. Tracy, although you haven’t been a trainer of dolphins, as a sister you also have endured the pain in David’s eyes long time ago when he came home after witnessing the terrible abuse of the Atlanteans. The love between David and his dolphins once must have been immense. Tracy, an ARA I would like to say thank you for everything you have done and will do in the future for animals.
Writing books doesn't happen overnight. There is a lot of work to do before books reach the general public. And also a lot of costs.
As a former-trainer, a greater guilt feeling doesn’t exist I think, giving away the newest book from Belinda Hellgate for free.
David, I think your beautiful Duchess and all other dolphins will be very proud of you when they notice what you are doing to help their specie. Your guilt feelings will be heard up above.
Leen

David and Tracy Holroyd link

15/12/2020 17:49:10

First off, thank you for such a well-written, insightful comment, Leen. You have clearly put your heart and soul into speaking out on behalf of those who have no voice.

Can we also thank you for your personal message at the end of your comment. Again, you have great sensitivity and insight, recognising how David suffered along with his Atlanteans - and still suffers today for the part he played in promoting the aqua circus.

As authors, we have tried so hard to convey the horrors of the aqua circus to a global public, and the ex-trainer, David Capello, has spent tens of thousands of pounds of his own money to enlighten readers as to what goes on behind closed doors.

And you are right when you say that writing books is a costly endeavour - in time, money and emotion. So, thank you again for this beautifully-written comment and your understanding.

Craig Nico

22/12/2020 13:34:14

For starters, not only is this a fabulous blog, but it’s also extremely insightful. I have just finished reading it and my eyes have been opened.

I have always known about the torture that "lab" animals suffer, but knowing isn't enough. There is so much more that we don't know, and – in this case – I cannot say “ignorance is no excuse”. This is a topic about which few people would have any idea unless they had been enlightened as to what goes on behind closed doors. Rightly or wrongly, this is my view.

As for my situation, my wife is a type one diabetic. She needs insulin to live. She takes Lantus and Humalog - and there is no way around that. She needs them! She also has grand mal seizures, for which she takes a very strong pill called phenobarbital. And last but not least, she takes Synthroid for her thyroid, which is pretty much dead in the water. So, reading your blog made me think about the hell and unspeakable torture that these poor lab animals go through in testing for all the meds my wife desperately needs.

So, Tracy, I completely agree with you about ending animal experiments, though what scares me is that such testing may never EVER end. I mean, let's face it, society has weighed and measured these animals and, unfortunately, they are deemed so low on the totem pole that the word "inconsequential" resonates more than any other word I can think of. And that is a monumental shame.

If only change could happen, and happen sooner rather than later. But, sadly, "change” is where everything gets complicated. The word "change" is a truly disturbing word if you’re not on board with its meaning.

So, I'm going to play devil’s advocate. Let's say that the backlash is so loud and clear that animal testing starts to be phased out, moving to other ways of testing - say, volunteer studies, computer models or even human tissue, to name but a few. Would the powers that be allow it long term if they were not satisfied with the new results? By powers, I’m talking about those who have a hand in controlling our governments, as well as the powerful food and drug administrations and the centers for disease control and prevention. Additionally, those who are so high up on the “food chain” that they can have whatever they demand and more. These are just some of the roadblocks that lab animals face.

Now, let me dial it down to the "regular" working class people who have no say in this topic. If we have some sort of unknown autoimmune illness, or somebody we know has one; or if someone has some debilitating disease or sickness, would we want everything to change with the premise that survival rates might be lower with non-animal testing?

These scary questions have the potential to yield some scary answers, ie how do you weigh the life of a human against the life of an animal? An animal who's an unwilling test recipient/subject of experiments that provide higher success rates? Would the sacrifice be acceptable? Are advocates so rare that ignorant individuals and people who just don't care are okay with the most egregious horrific testing which ultimately leads to mass slaughter? This is an intricate topic that raises profound questions - questions to which I don't have an answer. But I do know - without any doubt - that my personal opinion is … we must put an end to experimentation on animals!

Honestly speaking, I know how I feel towards all animals, and those who know me know how I feel, too. But this subject has always left me confused and sad, feelings I know I share with many others.

I know we live in a world that is so technologically advanced that we CAN find the medicines/cures required to keep us all alive and healthy without subjecting millions of innocent lab animals to unimaginable torture. That's my personal view.

Tracy J Holroyd link

22/12/2020 14:51:37

Thank you, Nico, for this well-written comment. You've clearly thought long and hard about this.

I don't know whether you visited Cruelty Free International, but they give a lot of info about the use of animals in testing - not just of medicines, but also household products and cosmetics.

Like you, I feel that there is no justification for animal experimentation in this day and age. If you're treating humans, the best "guinea pigs" are other humans.

When I was on my chemo, I spoke to one woman who said that they had to do these experiments to "save people like us". I told her that, after suffering so much, I had imagined that she would have more compassion for others. Another cancer patient replied saying, "No animal should have to suffer and die to save people." I guess some people are capable of a degree of compassion that others are not.

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tHE PERFECT PAIR DOLPHIN TRILOGY CO-AUTHOR SPEAKS OUT AGAINST EXPERIMENTS ON ANIMALS

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