Support Air Canada’s Decision to Stop Transporting Primates for Research | 21 February 2012 | Change.org

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Every year, thousands of primates are captured in the wild and then transported in the cargo holds of commercial airlines to laboratories and intensive breeding facilities. Many are seriously injured along the way, or don't survive at all.

Last year, more than 28,000 people called on airlines to adopt "No Cruel Cargo" policies -- and Air Canada listened. Air Canada now refuses to transport animals destined for testing, and explicitly said that "it was a decision taken both to align our policies with those of many other major international carriers and in response to widespread public concern."

But now the Canadian Transportation Authority (CTA) has suspended Air Canada’s new policy, saying it’s responding to a complaint. (No further information, about the nature of the complaint or who made it, has been disclosed.)

The British Union to Abolish Vivisection (BUAV) opposes animal testing and the global trade that supplies it. When the CTA announced it was freezing Air Canada’s "No Cruel Cargo" policy, BUAV immediately started a petition on Change.org to get the CTA to back off and they're delivering it this week. Will you sign BUAV's petition telling the Canadian Transportation Authority to stop blocking Air Canada from committing to not transport live primates for testing?

The CTA actually said back in August that Air Canada was completely within its rights to refuse to transport testing animals. But now, the CTA is ambiguous about exactly why it is suspending Air Canada's new policy. Thousands of people came together to make their voices heard and caused Air Canada to make a company-wide policy change. If the CTA hears from enough people who support Air Canada's "No Cruel Cargo" policy, it will have to take action, too.

Click here to tell the Canadian Transportation Authority to support Air Canada's decision not to transport primates for testing.