The Humane Society of the United States is more than halfway finished transferring 4,000 beagles from a Virginia facility that bred the dogs to be sold to laboratories for animal experimentation.The DOJ in May filed a lawsuit against Envigo alleging violations of the Animal Welfare Act at the Cumberland, Va., breeding facility. Federal inspections revealed inadequate veterinary care, insufficient food, unsanitary conditions, and in some cases dogs were euthanized without anesthesia.Inotiv Inc., Envigos parent company, announced in June it would close the breeding facility.The transfer plan proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice was approved by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, giving the Humane Society sole responsibility for rescuing some 4,000 beagles over the course of 60 days.“These dogs have lived their lives in a massive breeding facility riddled with Animal Welfare Act violations,” Miguel Abi-hassan, chief animal rescue, care and sanctuary officer for the Humane Society of the United States, said in a statement. “We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with our shelter and rescue partners to give these beagles a new life.”Since then, the beagles have been transferred in batches. In addition to bringing some of the beagles to its own care and rehabilitation center, the Humane Society is partnering with numerous animal welfare organizations to rehabilitate and adopt out the pups.“We are honored that the Department of Justice asked us to lead this massive operation,” Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said in a statement. “Our Animal Rescue Team is ready for this challenge because this is who we are—what we have trained for—we take on what otherwise seems impossible. We are grateful to our dedicated independent rescue and shelter partners, a network of organizations in communities throughout the country.”
