AAU and many scientific societies, research organizations, and universities submitted comments to the Department of Transportation in support of the National Alliance on Biomedical Research’s (NABR) legal complaint regarding airlines’ refusal to ship research animals.
The complaint argues that the airlines’ voluntary refusal, at the urging of animal rights groups, violates common carrier rules on discrimination of cargo considering airlines will transport similar animals as pets to zoos.
AAU requested that the DOT investigate the complaint filed by NABR and to require all airlines to eliminate policies that discriminate against research animal carriage.
The carriage of research animals should be based solely on the fact that the purpose of the transportation of these animals is for legal, legitimate, necessary, and essential life-saving biomedical research.