Groups United To Save Beagles Tell AstraZeneca “the World Is Watching”

Twenty organisations representing hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens around the world have today written to the senior management of AstraZeneca urging them to release for rehoming hundreds of beagles that are destined to be sent to labs in Sweden and the UK. In a letter sent today to Chairman Lief Johansson, CEO Pascal Soriot and Executive Vice President-Europe Rudd Dobber, the organisations call on AstraZeneca to show their commitment to the replacement and reduction of animal experiments and release the dogs for rehoming in what would be “an appropriate, and widely supported, gesture”. Such a step, the organisations say, would also show AstraZeneca’s support for new European legislation on the use of animals for research, which states that its “final goal” is the “full replacement of procedures on live animals for scientific and educational purposes”. Eighty of the dogs have already been rehomed with employees of the company and the organisations believe that “this principle should be applied to all the animals at the facility” citing the Laboratory Animal Science Association Guidance on the Rehoming of Laboratory Dogs which states “establishments have successfully rehomed laboratory dogs over many years”. Jan Creamer, CEO of the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS), “The NAVS has personal experience of rehoming lab beagles and we know what wonderful family companions these dogs make. We urge AstraZeneca to do the right thing and allow these dogs to live.” The joint letter to the company concludes “The world is watching and is hopeful of a humane end to this story.” Participating organizations: Anima, Animal Aid, Animal Concern, Animal Concern Advice Line (ACAL), Animal Defenders International, Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN), AnimaNaturalis, Beagle Freedom Project, Djurens Rätt, Djurrattsalliansen, Dr Hadwen Trust for Humane Research, EDEV - Een DIER Een VRIEND, FOUR PAWS, LAV- Lega Anti Vivisezione, National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS), One Voice, Our Compass, PETA UK, Scottish Anti-Vivisection Society (SAVS), Vegan Coalition Find out more about the campaign to save the AstraZeneca beagles.

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