Update: The Police have received over 400 phone calls today demanding the release of Love and Libby. They have started responding to emails asking people to stop contacting them as “their systems can’t take it”.
Peterborough Police Station: 01480 456111
18 beagle puppies have been successfully freed from animal testing ‘hell’. Organisations rally to free 2 more dogs captured and held by police.
At around 05:30, Tuesday 20th December, 12 supporters of Animal Rebellion entered an animal testing breeding facility and freed 18 beagle puppies. 14 arrests have been made.
An additional 2 dogs, Love and Libby, have been seized by Cambridgeshire Police on their way off-site. Other organisations flock to negotiate their release to a sanctuary, with public pressure mounting.
The group say they intend to put ‘animal testing on trial’ and that a jury finding them not guilty of any wrongdoing will send a clear message that testing on beagles and other animals cannot continue.
Footage of the unacceptable living conditions within MBR Acres was captured on cameras by the group. Dogs can be seen playing in their own excrement before making desperate attempts to interact with the rescuers.
Dr Alice Brough, Director of the Progressive Veterinary Association has said:
“The conditions shown in this footage are entirely unacceptable; floors are covered in faeces and there is no comfort provided in the form of bedding or blankets, at a time when outside temperatures have dropped to well below freezing. Beagles are particularly intelligent and require sufficient stimulation for welfare, and the cage enrichment appears pitiful. The puppies in this footage are desperate to interact with people, clearly starved of attention and affection by staff. From June when I last reviewed footage, no improvements have been made; it remains a facility not at all fit for the care of animals to which nobody in their right mind would return a puppy once freed.”
There is a broad-range of support and rising pressure for the release of the two dogs, Love and Libby.
Robert Cogswell, Director of Operations from Beagle Freedom Project UK has gone to the police station to negotiate their release, and 4000 people have signed a petition launched this morning calling for the release.
Video of dogs in a police car has also been captured by Camp Beagle, who have camped outside this facility for 2 years in protest. The wagging of a dog’s tail can be seen through a tinted window.
Rosa Sharkey, spokesperson for the rescuers states:
“Please can the general public sign this petition to call for the release of these dogs. They shouldn’t be sent back there!”
Animal Rebellion have released photographs of some of the rescued dogs, looking safe and well.
The site, MBR Acres, is responsible for breeding around 2,000 beagles each year to be sold for animal testing at 16 weeks old. The company also holds ‘bleeding licences’ which allow them to bleed healthy dogs to death to harvest their blood and organs. The site has previously come under fire for welfare breaches with recorded fly infestations, unhygienic buildings, lack of bedding, and dogs without access to outdoor spaces or enrichment.
Supporters of the group previously rescued 5 beagles from the facility in June but the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the burglary charges after 2 weeks. In 2021, 3.06 million instances of animal testing were recorded in the UK, a 6% increase on last year. 4,016 of these tests were carried out on beagles like those bred by MBR Acres. Other species subject to testing include cats, rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, and monkeys. The procedures often result in vomiting, internal bleeding, organ damage, seizures and death. For those who survive, the tests can last for months, after which the animals are killed regardless .
