These disturbing photos we re-posted on our Instagram show the horrible conditions inside of a massive beagle breeding facility:
Protests outside of a facility called Marshall BioResearch (MBR) have been going on for the last year. But a recent news article containing graphic photos of conditions inside has amassed public interest in the facility… and a lot of anger.
MBR breeds beagles specifically for use in scientific and medical research. They are the largest beagle farm in the country, and thousands of beagle puppies leave the facility every year for use in painful and horrendous experimentation.
A permanent protest camp has been set up outside of the Cambridgeshire facility, but it wasn’t until these new photos surfaced that the protests gained momentum and caught the eye of the general public.
People are rightfully angered and disgusted by reports of these poor beagles being squeezed into small crates and shipped off to be experimented on. Some video footage reveals their panicked cries as they are forced into cages and loaded into vehicles for transport.
The fate of these beagles depends on where they end up. Most find themselves in laboratories, forced to ingest drugs or substances for 90 days or longer so that scientists and doctors can measure the side effects of these substances on a live body. Right now, the law mandates that medicine must be tested on at least two different kinds of live animals before human trials occur. Many times, beagles are the unwilling subjects.
Comedian Ricky Gervais has chosen to use his massive platform to challenge the need for animal testing, calling for a public forum where the necessity of animal experimentation can be discussed. He has also partnered with Peter Egan, another actor, to launch a campaign to end this practice.
The scientific community still largely supports animal testing, but there are studies that suggest it is not an effective way to determine the harmful side effects of medicinal drugs on humans.
At Karmagawa and SaveTheReef we want to do our part to help end this cruelty! We have posted a link to a petition to end animal testing. You can follow this link to sign the petition.
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What do you think about animal testing in the name of science? Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts!
(Cover image: Andrea Izzotti/Shutterstock)