A medical Beagle breeding facility in Cumberland County, Virginia, will close after an undercover investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) helped to expose the cruelty and federal animal welfare violations carried out there.
A company named Envigo runs the facility. Their profits, in part, come from breeding Beagles for animal testing laboratories.
Prior to the shutdown, a federal judge ordered a temporary restraining order on the company. This happened after evidence emerged of injured and malnourished dogs living in conditions that were excessively hot.
Days ago, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and other law enforcement agents seized 446 Beagles in “acute distress” from Envigo. However, the company still possesses many animals at the facility.
What’s The Back Story Behind The Envigo Shutdown?
The US Department of Agriculture has been citing Envigo since July of 2021. In fact, the company has racked up over 70 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.
Back in November 2021, PETA shared an undercover video of the breeding facility. As DogTime reported at the time:
“In the video, Beagles either dead or dying are boxed into tight cages. Daphna Nachminovitch, PETA’s Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations, cited documentation supporting that ‘more than 350 Beagles at Envigo suffered and died.’
“Furthermore, a staffer was heard on camera saying, ‘This week they did not get fed. If too many people know it, it’s going to get out that’s what we are doing, and it’s going to get bad.'”
What Happens To The Dogs Now?
The news that Envigo has to close its Beagle breeding facility is a positive development. However, it remains unclear precisely what will happen to the dogs currently living there.
Several dogs from the facility have already gone to forever homes through adoption. But many dogs remain in Envigo’s possession.
The DOJ offered a plan to Envigo that would place all the dogs at the facility up for adoption. However, Envigo argues that they should still have the right to sell the animals they currently own for profit.
PETA’s associate director of evidence analysis, Dan Paden, said that the organization believes all of the dogs should go up for adoption, and courts should not allow Envigo to still make a profit by selling the remaining dogs to animal testing labs.
What do you think about the news that Envigo has to close its Beagle breeding facility? Would you bring one of the Beagles home if they go up for adoption? Let us know in the comments section below.
