British Airways (BA) caved in to U.K. activists by agreeing not to transport animals used in medical or scientific research, says Colin Blakemore, chief executive of the U.K.'s Medical Research Council. "I worry that one company folding under pressure would very quickly scare off everyone in the same circle," hurting research, he says. After learning late last year that BA had extended a policy against carrying research animals to mice, Blakemore fired off a letter in February to the airline arguing that its policy would actually hurt animals by forcing them to use less direct routes that require more loading and unloading. The Research Defense Society, which represents U.K. medical researchers, shares Blakemore's concerns and is working to ensure researchers' access to animals.
The airline's change of policy, reported in The Guardian in May, has activists claiming success. The airline, for its part, says the move adheres to International Air Transport Association rules and that transporting the animals is not profitable.
