156 Beagles to be rescued from pharmaceutical lab

As many as 156 Beagles will be freed from a Bengaluru-based pharmaceutical laboratory and sent for rehabilitation and re-homing, following directions from a statutory body of the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals, functioning under the MoEF, monitors testing and experimentation on animals by laboratories.

The laboratory in question has not been successful in getting the committee’s permission for live testing, as a result of which these animals are being released from its facility.

This is also possibly the first time so many dogs are being rescued at one go.

City-based NGO, Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA), has been entrusted with the responsibility of finding these dogs homes. In February, too, CUPA had facilitated adoption of 64 Beagles, and in 2012, 102 dogs were rescued and rehabilitated.

According to CUPA, the last two batches of dogs have never been tested upon. They were merely used for breeding as the test approvals didn’t come through. 

The dogs, aged between 2 and 5, have never been exposed to the outside world. As they have lived their entire lives in cages, they have no semblance of a normal life. Not only have they not been toilet-trained, they can’t even climb stairs, play with toys or respond to sounds.

Laboratories usually source this breed from China. Some of them are used for breeding, while the others are subjected to various researches.

CUPA trustee Sandhya Madappa said the 90 males and 66 females, which have already been vaccinated by the laboratory, would be sterilised by CUPA’s in-house veterinarian.

CUPA is also following a stringent adoption mechanism to ensure that prospective caregivers are certain about what they are getting into. “These dogs have never been exposed to sunlight, nor have they been socialised. It can be overwhelming for both the dog and those adopting them. The caregivers will have to be extremely patient until the dogs adapt to the changes. We will be screening every single application to ensure that the dogs find good homes,” she added.

CUPA has also tied up with Beagle Brigade, a support group, started by Chinthana Gopinath in a bid to extend guidance to those adopting these dogs. 

“There is no resource or help available for a laboratory-bred Beagle parent and this where Beagle Brigade comes in. As these dogs can’t associate with any emotion, they can experience a lot of stress in a different environment. Beagle Brigade is a common forum for such parents, where the associated issues can be discussed and resolved,” she added.

The first batch of dogs will be put up for adoption on May 16. All applications will be processed online.