These Crabs Can Save Your Life, Demand They are Handled Ethically!

  • van: Care2 Team
  • ontvanger: Biomedical Companies Bleeding Crabs
Horseshoe crab blood is an invaluable medical tool. We use it to detect levels of dangerous bacteria like E. Coli in everything from insulin to IV's in hospitals and medical implants. It's wonderful that we have access to this amazing substance via these creatures, but with the biomedical industry bleeding out 500,000 crabs per years and throwing them back into the water, there are serious concerns about their welfare.

Biomedical companies pull these crabs out of the water in droves, transport them to a lab, bleed them and then toss them back in the water. These crabs have been around since the dinosaurs, and because of the way they are bled they are now considered a "vulnerable" species, just one step below "endangered." There are concerns about the amount of time they spend out of the water while in transit, and the extreme temperatures they are subjected to while sitting on a hot boat deck or in the back of a truck.

Sign this petition to demand the biomedical industry ensures these crabs are treated humanely, and investigates whether quotas on the number of crabs caught and bled each year should be implemented.

We are now learning that about 30% of those crabs don't survive the bleeding. And among the crabs who do survive, the females' ability to spawn is diminished and all the crabs are disoriented and debilitated. So not only is this a horrible way to treat these creatures, but if we continue to do it, we won't have access to them for this precious substance that saves so many human lives. 

During the bleeding process, crabs are out of the water for hours. This means they can't breathe for hours, they are subjected to unfavorable temperatures and they become disoriented because the tides are very important to them. When they're tossed back in the water, essentially anemic, they can't find their way, and many die.

Because the blue blood of the Horseshoe crab is the only FDA approved substance for this purpose, it is highly valuable. Some reports are that a quart of the blue blood can run $14,000. Which means that biomedical companies are profiting hugely from these animals, with zero regard to their wellbeing or longevity as a species.

Please sign this petition to ensure the longevity of the horseshoe crab!
Update #15 jaar geleden
Interesting developement: a new substance has been found that may end the need for horseshoe crab bleeding. This could be great news and must be considered by the biomedical companies.
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