Beagle rescuers convicted of burglary
In 2022, 23 dogs were taken from animal research facility MBR Acres as part of a stunt by animal rights activists. Civil disobedience group Animal Rising (formerly Animal Rebellion) carried out the stunt and stated afterwards that campaigners had rescued the beagle puppies from a “life of suffering.”
Photo from Animal Rising
Dan Kidby, Animal Rising Co-Founder and Co-Director said “In 2022 Animal Rising saved the lives of 18 beagle puppies - sparing them unimaginable and pointless suffering in animal testing.”
MBR Acres branded the campaigners “extremists” and asserted that, as a lawful breeder of beagles, they were unfairly targeted. According to Animal Rising, as a holder of a ‘bleeding licence’, the company is allowed to bleed healthy dogs to death to harvest their blood and organs. Additional to this horrific treatment, the site is known to have breached welfare standards, with records exposing unhygienic buildings and a lack of outdoor access or enrichment for the dogs.
Two of the beagles were returned to the facility by police. 12 activists were arrested and charged with burglary, and six with aiding and abetting burglary, facing up to 10 years in prison.
Last week, after a 7-day trial at Peterborough Crown Court, four defendants have been convicted of burglary for their involvement in the rescue mission. This is the third of four trials in the case against the activists. The first group of five defendants were convicted, whereas the second group of four defendants were acquitted. The last trial is scheduled to begin on the 23rd of February.
The group most recently convicted have avoided prison and four of the five convicted in the first trial are still awaiting sentencing.
Animal Rising’s petition to shut down MBR Acres has already reached 170,550 signatures, signifying significant public opposition to the inhumane and cruel treatment of dogs that is carried out in the company’s facilities.
Animal Concern is disappointed that 9 out of the eighteen activists charged have been convicted. We believe that their actions were taken in the public interest, as a significant portion of the UK’s public opposes testing on dogs and other animals. We await the result of the last trial in the case with trepidation and hope that the jury will choose to uphold the activists’ right to protest and not criminalise them for taking action for the voiceless.