• Below are some example letters and some key points you can include if you want to write your own letter. 
• It's better to send a letter in your own words, but a form letter is better than no letter.
• If you live in Chandler, be sure to include that, the city has received a lot of letters from out of state, they need to know local people are concerned

Key Points

• Violations of the Animal Welfare Act
• Previous outbreaks of Ebola from imported primates
• Hazardous Waste disposal (animal waste, blood and carcasses)
• Pound Seizure - Class B-Dealers can sell random animals to large laboratories, this is legal in Arizona
• Covance tests cosmetic ingredients, pesticides, & additives (not just medicine, as they like to advertise)

[Date]

[Mayor or City Council Member Full Name]
Office of the Mayor & City Council
Mail Stop 603
P.O. Box 4008
Chandler, AZ 85244-4008

Re: Say NO to Covance

Dear [Salutation]:
Imagine the irony if Chandler's City Council approves Covance's proposal. A town founded by a veterinarian (Chandler was named for Dr. Alexander John Chandler who was the first appointed veterinary surgeon of the Arizona Territory) and that boasts three bark parks, the annual Ostrich Festival, and a plethora of pet-friendly apartment complexes and hotels is no place for the construction of a 400,000-square-foot animal experimentation laboratory.

Imagine the agony of the families of lost pets who discover their lost loved was subjected to painful and lethal tests and then incinerated in the facility's proposed pathological Waste Thermal Destruction Unit (an animal carcass incinerator). This would be a distinct possibility because in the proposed facility Covance employees would test drugs on monkeys, dogs, rabbits, cats and other animals, and, because Covance has a Class B Dealers License—a license that allows the company to acquire animals from a variety of sources and then sell them—no lost pet in the area would be safe.

Imagine, too, the dangers posed by testing pesticides and other chemicals. Since they engage in this sort of testing in their other facilities, there's no reason to think they won't do so here as well.
 

Sincerely,

[Name]
[Full Address]

[Date]

[Mayor or City Council Member Full Name]
Office of the Mayor & City Council
Mail Stop 603
P.O. Box 4008
Chandler, AZ 85244-4008

Re: Vote No To Covance
Dear [Salutation]:

I recently learned of the proposed Covance Test Facility. I am against allowing companies with questionable track records to relocate in Chandler. In general, past performance of any business is a good predictor of future performance. Chandler can afford to be selective as to which companies we allow because its a great place to live and work. Why would we settle for a company like Covance?
 

Please vote no.

Sincerely,

[Name]
[Full Address]

[Date]

[Mayor or City Council Member Full Name]
Office of the Mayor & City Council
Mail Stop 603
P.O. Box 4008
Chandler, AZ 85244-4008

Re: Oppose Covance facility construction

Dear [Salutation]:

I am writing to express my concern about Covance Inc.'s large animal experimentation laboratory planned for Chandler.

The potential dangers of this facility far outweigh the good that it will bring to our community. For example, the risk may be small, but if you allow Covance to locate in Chandler, the possibility of an outbreak will exist. It could start with something as small as a mistake from a well-intentioned employee or could result from a bio-terrorist attack. A business like this doesn't belong near homes, a dairy farm, and nearby businesses that employ thousands of people.

I understand that the proposed facility promises to bring jobs and revenue to our city, and I generally support economic development in the area. However, in the case of Covance, I cannot imagine allowing a company that

• tests pesticides and cosmetic ingredients and food additives,
• provides purpose-bred research animals, and
• has a Class B Dealers License—this license allows the company to acquire animals from a variety of sources (pounds, newspaper ads,) and then sell them

to operate in my community. Its controversial record of animal care and the reported suffering of animals in its experiments trouble me.

I also have serious concerns about the harm pharmaceutical testing on animals can cause to humans. Animal tests such as the ones that would be conducted at the proposed Covance facility have led to a string of public health disasters: Vioxx, Oraflex, and Zomax come to mind.

These concerns are not without warrant. In fact, Covance has been fined for its violations. Following an exposé by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and a nine month probe by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Covance Inc. agreed to pay an $8,720 fine for 16 violations of the Animal Welfare Act. This is not a positive record.

I would welcome many other businesses into Chandler. However, for all of us who want to protect animals from harm I ask you not to let
Covance set up shop in Chandler. Please say no to this grotesque experimentation facility and the risks of deadly toxic exposures.
Thank you.

Sincerely,

[Name]
[Full Address]

Use the letters now! E-mail our politicians and the media.

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