In your articles on animal activism (http://www.nature.com/animalresearch), there was no mention of the many individuals and organizations who work peacefully and legally to educate the public and policy-makers about the ethical and scientific issues surrounding the use of animals in research.

At the American Anti-Vivisection Society, we seek to bring about meaningful, long-term change for animals in laboratories through the development and use of high-quality, non-animal-based teaching, testing and research.

Founded in 1883, the society brings a long-term perspective on opposing views and tactics. Biomedical research lobby groups in the United States have for decades opposed modest improvements to animal welfare laws and convinced researchers that there is too much red tape surrounding animal work. Yet the use of the most common lab animals — rats and mice — remains unregulated in the United States, and there is almost no accountability to the public, even regarding how many of these animals are used.

The same lobby groups attempt to sully the terms 'animal rights' and 'activists' by amplifying the illegal and offensive actions of individuals who do not represent any of us (see, for example, http://go.nature.com/bxabrm). The reality is that 'peaceful' activists often drive public policy on social issues. This has been true for animal issues for several decades and includes improvements to the US federal Animal Welfare Act.