The liberation of 4,000 beagles from deplorable conditions last month at Envigo's breeding and research facility in Virginia raised uncomfortable questions about the use of animals in scientific research. Beagles, it turns out, lend themselves to research because they are sweet, docile and small. Ugh.
After writing about Nancy, an Envigo beagle now in foster care in Sherman Oaks, I received emails from two groups with an intense interest in the issue.
The first came from PETA, the animal rights group that has evolved over the decades from Ingrid Newkirk's one-woman anti-cruelty crusade to a sophisticated operation with scientists and attorneys dedicated to ending animal cruelty and stopping the use of animals — all animals — in scientific research.
