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4000 Beagles Rescued (USA)


Powerlegs
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It's all over the news, but this is the official govt statement.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-surrender-over-4000-beagles-virginia-breeder-dogs-research

 

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Justice Department Secures the Surrender of Over 4,000 Beagles from Virginia Breeder of Dogs for Research

In a consent decree entered on July 15 by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, Envigo RMS, a company that breeds and sells animals for research, has agreed to a permanent prohibition on engaging in any activity at its facility in Cumberland, Virginia, that requires an Animal Welfare Act (AWA) license. Envigo RMS has also agreed to relinquish all remaining beagles at the Cumberland facility to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

In May, the United States filed suit against Envigo RMS, alleging that the company was failing to provide humane care and treatment to the thousands of beagles at the company’s Cumberland facility. Specifically, the complaint alleged that Envigo RMS was failing to meet the AWA’s minimum standards for handling, housing, feeding, watering, sanitation and adequate veterinary care, among other requirements. Based on past violations identified during inspections by the Department of Agriculture and evidence of extensive, ongoing AWA violations obtained during a multiday criminal search warrant executed at the Cumberland facility beginning on May 18, the Justice Department moved for a temporary restraining order that the federal court granted on May 21 to ensure the health and welfare of the beagles at the Cumberland facility.

The Justice Department worked with the HSUS to develop a plan to transfer the 4,000 remaining beagles from the Cumberland facility and make those beagles available for adoption. The transfer plan, which was jointly submitted by the Justice Department and Envigo RMS, was approved by the District Court on July 5. Under the transfer plan, the HSUS will coordinate the enormous effort to remove all of the beagles from the Cumberland facility over the course of 60 days.

“This settlement brings to an end the needless suffering caused by Envigo’s blatant violations of animal welfare laws at this facility,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We will continue to vigorously enforce animal welfare laws to ensure that animals are provided the humane care that they are legally owed and deserve.”

“Due to the efforts of Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, more than 4,000 animals have been rescued from dire circumstances, and we will continue to hold accountable those who are responsible,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh for the Western District of Virginia. “I am grateful to all those who assisted with this case, especially those who are ensuring that these animals receive the care they deserve.” 

This settlement is the result of prosecution by Senior Trial Attorney Mary Hollingsworth and Trial Attorney Shampa Panda of ENRD’s Wildlife and Marine Resources Section, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Giorno for the Western District of Virginia.

 

Edited by Powerlegs
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In another article about the case, there was the following statement...

 

“The settlement, which was mutually entered into by all parties involved and approved by the court on July 15, does not require that Envigo pay any fines or penalties to governmental agencies,” the press release said. “In addition, it is expressly stated that the settlement is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by Envigo with regard to its past operation of the Cumberland Facility.”

 

So, technically, they have gotten off pretty much scott free, and someone else is now tasked with removing and rehoming all of the dogs for them... not exactly a big "win" for the authorities...

 

10 hours ago, Powerlegs said:


I've avoided the tabloid articles on what happened but it sounds beyond imagining just reading the bland facts... :( Awful. 

 

Smart move @Powerlegs... I looked it up, and it doesn't sound even remotely ethical in any way, shape, or form... *sob*

 

T.

 

 

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11 hours ago, Little Gifts said:

I don't think I can deal with that either. So many beautiful dogs harmed. How does rescue handle that many dogs at one time?


Something to do with the HSUS.
Which I'm not quite following how they work but do partnership with other rescues. They have their critics from memory, likely comes from within the welfare sector per usual.  

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HSUS are the largest "rescue/rehoming" group in the US I think... but they are also very much similar in thinking to PETA when it comes to animal rights/protection activism. It would be interesting to see how many of the 4000 dogs actually end up being rehomed, and how many are euthanaised due to being unsuitable for rehoming... but I'm not holding my breath waiting for those stats...

 

T.

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13 hours ago, tdierikx said:

HSUS are the largest "rescue/rehoming" group in the US I think... but they are also very much similar in thinking to PETA when it comes to animal rights/protection activism. It would be interesting to see how many of the 4000 dogs actually end up being rehomed, and how many are euthanaised due to being unsuitable for rehoming... but I'm not holding my breath waiting for those stats...

 

T.

https://www.humanesociety.org/4000beagles#partners

 

looks like they are trying to farm them out to other rescues....and asking for support

 

HSUS isn't as bad as PITA. 

Edited by sandgrubber
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I was quite shocked and saddened to read this post but it has prompted me to do some more research into the use of animals for experimentation in Australia.

 

I feel almost very ignorant to have discovered that over a million animals, ranging from baboons to mice are used each year in Australia for all types of experimentation. 

 

I just googled "animals used for experiments in Australia" and the statistics are alarming

 

It really just makes me so very sad.

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5 hours ago, Luvapoo said:

I was quite shocked and saddened to read this post but it has prompted me to do some more research into the use of animals for experimentation in Australia.

 

I feel almost very ignorant to have discovered that over a million animals, ranging from baboons to mice are used each year in Australia for all types of experimentation. 

 

I just googled "animals used for experiments in Australia" and the statistics are alarming

 

It really just makes me so very sad.

 

 

how on earth do you think CSIRO animal health became a world leader in what?   Animal health. the animals they use are to make sure drenches work, what will kill the emerging drench resistance strains. etc, etc, etc u name it

 

How do you think Dr Victor Chang perfected his heart lung surgery?  Long before his first world breaking success on people?    On the pigs at CSIRO McMaster Animal health?   I happen to know because my husband was the anesthetist for the pigs.

 

How do you think Bob and Darria Love learned the correct dosages for new born foals with pneumonia?

 

get a grip, ban all research and you wont be so thrilled with the consequences

 

for example before Bob and Darria's work 18,000 foals a year were dying on average because the dosage is different for a foal just for starters

 

What was the calibre of the scientists working for CSIRO Animal Health?, before our politicians gutted the place with ever decreasing funding?

 

https://engeneic.com/youtube/

 

this pair of friends, researching fleece rot in sheep, a billion dollar problem in our sheep flocks.

 

decided to leave and work on a promise made to a work college to find a cure for cancer.

 

they are curing non hodgsons lymphoma, brain cancer and even remission in the first patient in the world with mesothelioma

 

be careful what you wish for

 

 

this ABC documentary explains the very beginning. First screened in 2011.  how far Jenny and Himanshu have come is utterly amazing

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by asal
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14 hours ago, Luvapoo said:

I was quite shocked and saddened to read this post but it has prompted me to do some more research into the use of animals for experimentation in Australia.

 

I feel almost very ignorant to have discovered that over a million animals, ranging from baboons to mice are used each year in Australia for all types of experimentation. 

 

I just googled "animals used for experiments in Australia" and the statistics are alarming

 

It really just makes me so very sad.

 

You will probably have found the current NSW State government inquiry into the use of animals in research then, yes? And the Animal Justice Party's take on same?

 

Just yesterday, Emma Hurst (NSW state AJP senator) posted on her Facebook page her opinion/take on the rehoming of cats and dogs used in research in NSW. What she fails to include is the FACT that all rehomable cats and dogs used in research in NSW were actually rehomed after their use in same - as an audit report tendered to the inquiry quite clearly showed...

 

Emma Hurst also has a medical condition that, even though she had difficulty getting properly diagnosed (which is a whole different issue), is being treated with methods perfected via the use of animals in medical research... kind of ironic, don't you think?

 

As @asallists above, the use of animals in research can have wide-ranging benefits for many issues we face in today's world - for both animals and humans. Sure, there could be some much tighter oversight into some forms of experimentation, and more focus on the welfare of the animals used in such research, but simply banning the use of animals in research is not the answer... it is a necessary "evil" unfortunately.

 

T.

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12 hours ago, Powerlegs said:

But mascara and lipstick ingredients, seriously?! Why are we still doing this?!

 

I agree - stupid vanity product testing on animals should not be happening in this day and age. Surely they could get human volunteers for that sort of thing... at least humans can give consent.

 

Did you know that there is actually a service that rehomes ex lab rats? Obviously it's not as prolific as dog and cat rehoming, but still, a number of rats also do get rehomed.

 

Funnily enough, the animal rights mob have solely focused on the cats and dogs used in research... not the less popular animals like mice and rats. No mention of rabbits, guinea pigs, or monkeys either... although it is obvious that rehoming monkeys is a lot harder, it is not beyond the realms of possibility. Monkeys can have lifespans of up to 45 years in captivity... so it would be nice if any not too damaged from the research could find somewhere to live out their lives, don't you think? I don't see why some zoos couldn't take on baboons or macaques post research - think of the opportunities to educate the general public about our use of animals in this way...

 

T.

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12 hours ago, Powerlegs said:

Medical testing, I get it. It still breaks my heart knowing what happens. :( 

 

But mascara and lipstick ingredients, seriously?! Why are we still doing this?!

I still vividly remember going to an info session on laboratory testing on animals back in the late 70s as a teen. I don't know if all the things I saw were true (and I wont explain them here) but I was horrified at the blatant suffering, particularly in regards to cosmetics testing. I really thought we'd stepped away from some of it and found new ways. 4,000 beagles say obviously not.

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36 minutes ago, asal said:

any idea what the beagles were being used for?

 

 

All sorts of stuff.  I've read toxicology studies (herbicides,  pesticides) where they were used.  Beagles are standard as animal models.   Low maintenance, easy to keep a pack of them.  They'll eat anything.   Laboratory strains have been developed.

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40 minutes ago, asal said:

any idea what the beagles were being used for?

 

 


Maybe incorrectly but I am guessing with the setup of 4000 dogs, they would be a wholesaler for lab customers regardless of end use. 

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