Sir, Like many Oxford alumni, I have been sent promotional material by the £1.25 billion campaign for the University of Oxford. This includes the statement that “for learning and progress in the world, and Britain’s place in it, there can be no greater investment than in the University of Oxford”.

I find this hard to reconcile with the university’s far from progressive insistence on experiments which cause physical and mental harm to animals, including non-human primates; especially as the university could do so much more to develop, implement and promote non-animal alternatives. There is growing sensitivity on this issue. It would be good to have a rational debate, concentrating on alternatives; and even better for the university to end up on what many regard as the ethical side.

Perhaps, as an interim measure, the university might like to devise ways in which individuals could give donations, without supporting its current policy and practice on vivisection.

Sir David Madden

Oxford

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