Allow the adoption of remaining Envigo beagles
If you’ve ever met a beagle, you can understand why they are the breed of choice for the experimentation industry. They’re small, friendly, gentle and unlikely to bite no matter what their abusers subject them to.
Right now, fewer than 150 miles away, 3,200 beagles await their fate. These are the survivors of Envigo — a massive breeding operation that has been selling dogs for experiments since 1961. Until last fall, when PETA released the findings of an undercover investigation exposing shocking and unlawful conditions at the facility, its existence remained largely under the radar. Today, it is anything but.
In recent months, the plight of Envigo’s victims has caught the attention of Virginians and animal protection organizations from all over the commonwealth, state legislators from both sides of the aisle — Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., — members of Congress including Rep. Elaine G. Luria, D-Va., and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Although all worked to hold Envigo accountable and ensure the dogs’ safety, the agency tasked with enforcing the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) — a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture called Animal Care — documented an astounding 74 violations in only 10 months, but failed to seize a single dog, suspend Envigo’s license or take any enforcement action.
The USDA’s failure to stop the atrocities at Envigo has left thousands of dogs to suffer. Last month, with no involvement from USDA Animal Care, the DOJ executed a search warrant at the facility and seized 446 dogs “in acute distress.”
USDA Animal Care had inspected Envigo 15 days earlier and noted nothing but a repeat violation for unsafe flooring. But federal agents found dogs “crammed” into enclosures while other enclosures remained empty. Cages contained one food receptacle for as many as nine dogs, leading to fights. Puppies “raced” to drink water once it was offered. A veterinarian found underweight nursing dogs, a dog with a “shredded” ear and dogs suffering severe dental disease, inflamed paw pads, missing toes, infected puncture wounds and more.
Because the DOJ and the state of Virginia — thanks to meaningful bipartisan action by the General Assembly — are finally holding Envigo’s feet to the fire, its parent company, Inotiv, has announced that the facility will close. For the dogs who will never be born, bred and experimented on, this is welcome news.
But Inotiv — which admits that less than 1% of its revenue comes from this facility — plans to “fulfill existing orders” and sell at least 500 surviving beagles for experiments.
The DOJ has offered a plan to make all the beagles available for adoption; however, a judge recently opined that he didn’t have the authority to prohibit Envigo’s plan to sell the dogs, stating that the court’s authority is “limited” but that the USDA has the authority to “suspend or revoke the license of any dealer he or she suspects of violating the AWA” — an action that the USDA has thus far “chosen to forego.”
In recent years, experimenters using beagles from this facility have drilled holes in their skulls and injected chemicals into their brains, burned their eyes, forced their bodies into septic shock and force-fed them experimental compounds, among other forms of torment. Absent the $330 million company making the compassionate decision to release all 3,200 dogs for adoption, a suspension of Envigo’s license is these dogs’ only chance to be spared torture and misery in painful experiments.
It’s time for Envigo’s victims to enjoy a game of fetch, the feel of grass under their paws, long walks, cozy evenings on the sofa, respect for their individuality, the safety of a home and the love of a family. Join us in fighting for them by visiting PETA.org.