Shirley McGreal
British animal welfare activist (1934–2021)
Shirley McGreal
|
|
---|---|
Born |
Shirley Pollitt
( 1934-05-04 ) 4 May 1934
Mobberley, Cheshire
, England
|
Died |
20 November 2021
(2021-11-20)
(aged
87)
|
Alma mater |
Royal Holloway, University of London
University of Cincinnati (PhD) |
Occupation | Animal welfare activist |
Spouse |
John McGreal
(
m.
1960
)
|
Shirley McGreal OBE (born Shirley Pollitt ; 4 May 1934 – 20 November 2021) [1] was a British animal welfare activist and conservationist. She founded the International Primate Protection League . [2] [3] [4]
Early life and education
McGreal was born Shirley Pollitt in Mobberley, Cheshire , on 4 May 1934. Her parents were Kate (née Pearson) and Allan Pollitt, a bank manager. [2] She had an identical twin sister, Jean, with whom she developed an early interest in activism. [3]
She studied Latin and French at Royal Holloway, University of London . She graduated in 1955. She studied postgraduate French at the University of Illinois . [3] She received a PhD in education in 1971 from the University of Cincinnati . [2]
Animal welfare
McGreal's entry into the protection of animals was in 1971 when she was in Thailand. At the Bangkok Airport she saw crates with monkeys that were being shipped. [1] [3] She looked for an organization that could help her save such animals but found none. In 1973 she founded the International Primate Protection League. [5] She settled the headquarters of the organization in Summerville, South Carolina and initiated a sanctuary for gibbon monkeys. [6]
She achieved bans on the export of primates in India and Bangladesh, and protested the use of the animals at a University of California, Davis laboratory of the United States government and the US Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute . [2] She uncovered a smuggling operation where primates were being sent from other countries to Singapore for export. She exposed the operation in an article in the Bangkok Post , which resulted in action by the Singapore government. [3] She argued against euthanizing chimps that have been used in medical research, saying that they deserve "a decent retirement". [7]
Although she decried the use of animals in research, she conceded that the practice would continue and therefore advocated for better living conditions and quality of life for the animals. [8]
In 1983 she wrote a letter to the editor of the Journal of Medical Primatology criticizing the Austrian manufacturer Immuno AG , for its treatment of animals in its research. Immuno responded by charging McGreal with libel. [9] [10] Although it was argued that the letter was an opinion and therefore not libelous, McGreal settled due to the cost of continuing the suit. [2]
Personal life and death
She married John McGreal, an engineer, in 1960. They lived in India and Thailand , where he was working for the United Nations. [3] She died at her residence on the grounds of the sanctuary she founded in Summerville, South Carolina on 20 November 2021, at the age of 87. [2]
Awards and recognition
References
- 1 2 "Shirley McGreal obituary" . The Times . Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sandomir, Richard (11 January 2022). "Shirley McGreal, Champion of Primates Under Threat, Is Dead at 87" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on 29 January 2022 . Retrieved 15 January 2022 .
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Thrlway, Helen (23 December 2021). "Shirley McGreal obituary" . The Guardian . Archived from the original on 14 January 2022 . Retrieved 15 January 2022 .
- ↑ Johnson, Chloe. "Shirley McGreal, founder of Summerville gibbon sanctuary and primate protector, dies" . Post and Courier . Archived from the original on 14 January 2022 . Retrieved 14 January 2022 .
- ↑ Reed, Susan (2 November 1992). "Bad Monkey Business". People Magazine .
- ↑ Petersen, Bo (27 December 2018). "Beloved gibbon dies at Summerville sanctuary, leaves behind grieving mate and caregivers" . Post and Courier . Archived from the original on 14 January 2022 . Retrieved 14 January 2022 .
- ↑ Eckholm, Erik (19 November 1985). "Will There Be Enough Chimps for Research?" . New York Times . Archived from the original on 15 January 2022 . Retrieved 15 January 2022 .
- ↑ "Should animals be used for medical research?". Science World . 48 (13): 14. 3 April 1992.
- ↑ "Letter not Libelous". ABA Journal : 100–101. March 1990.
- ↑ "IMMUNO, A.G., APPELLANT, v. JAN MOOR-JANKOWSKI, RESPONDENT. 77 N.Y.2d 235, 567 N.E.2d 1270, 566 N.Y.S.2d 906 (1991)" . Legal Information Institute . Archived from the original on 14 January 2022 . Retrieved 14 January 2022 .