Distressed and desperate dogs destined for a fate of cruel experiments in labs were found at an airport in Denmark.
The dogs were lined up in cages on the tarmac before they were flown to their abysmal fate in labs in the UK.
More than 1,000 beagles bred in the US have been imported to the UK via Copenhagen in the past two years.
The dogs are flown from the US despite a large breeding facility existing in the UK already, furthering their suffering needlessly.
The facility breeds 2,000 beagles a year for experiments, and although it’s located in the English village of Wyton, Cambs, it is owned by US firm Marshall BioRescources.
Robert Cogswell, of the Beagle Freedom Project UK said: “Not only are beagles forced to endure painful experiments inside UK labs, their misery begins at the point of birth.
“They are born into what can only be described as industrial-size puppy farms where they are merely objects for profit and no consideration is given to their welfare and bred in conditions that would be considered illegal if the dogs were being bred as domestic pets.”
He added: ”We currently have a situation where beagle dogs are being flown halfway around the world, landing at Copenhagen airport before being transferred to another plane and flown to [the UK].
“It begs the question of why dogs are being put through additional torment when a Marshall Bio facility already exists in the UK. Not only that but why are the dogs being forced to endure such long journeys? If the welfare of the animals was paramount, why not transport them directly into the UK?”
Beagles are preferred for testing because they are small and docile. The dogs still are widely used for medical research in the UK and US. Cats and rabbits are also used for experimentation.
It is currently a legal requirement that new medicines are tested on animals before they are given to people in clinical trials.
In the US animal rights advocates scored a victory when, in January this year, US law eliminated the requirement for drugs to be tested on animals before they could be tested on humans.
Still, on average more than 60,000 dogs are used in experiments each year in the United States.
Original Article: Express