US Dog Experiments -- WEB
Metadata
- US Dog Experiments -- WEB
- August 2, 2022
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script US Dog Experiments TV)) HEADLINE: Must Fido Pay the Price for Saving Human Lives? TEASER: The ethical dilemma of using man’s best friend in biomedical research PUBLISHED AT: 08/02/2022 at 2pm BYLINE: Veronica Balderas Iglesias CONTRIBUTOR: Lynn Davis DATELINE: Alexandria, Virginia SCRIPT EDITORS: Tom Detzel, MAS VIDEO SOURCE (S): Skype, agencies, see script for others PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __ TRT: 5:03 VID APPROVED BY: MAS TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES: UPDATE: Radio Tracks for Reversioning Included ((TV INTRO)) [[For years, thousands of beagles suffered inhumane conditions at a Virginia breeding house, where they were raised as test animals for medical researchers. Now it’s being shut down and the dogs are up for adoption, raising fresh questions about the ethics of animal testing. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias investigates. A warning: some images in this report might be disturbing to some viewers.]] ((WEB LEAD)) [[For years, thousands of beagles suffered through inhumane conditions at a Virginia breeding house, where they were raised as test animals for medical researchers. Now it’s being shut down, with the dogs up for adoption, all raising fresh questions about the ethics of animal testing. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias investigates. Warning: graphic images.]] ((NARRATOR)) ((Mandatory cg: Humane Society of the United States)) A [quote] “historic operation.” That’s what the Humane Society of the United States calls the rescue of 4,000 beagles from a Virginia business that bred them – for experiments. ((Mandatory cg: Skype)) ((Lindsay Hamrick/Humane Society of the United States)) “Is the result of a Department of Justice lawsuit from May, which looked at some egregious Animal Welfare Act allegations against the company ‘Envigo’ that showed things like puppies that were dying of cold exposure and maggots that were in food and then even some beagles that were killed instead of receiving basic veterinary care.” ((Courtesy: Humane Society of the United States.)) ((NARRATOR)) The dogs were raised for sale to drug companies and medical researchers. Many were euthanized without receiving anesthesia. ((end courtesy, Human Society)) A court ordered Envigo to close its Cumberland facility and to permanently stop any activity at the site requiring a license under the Animal Welfare Act. Inspection reports by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, dating to 2021, list dozens of examples of neglect including untreated skin and ear infections, insects and mold in feeders, and feces on floors. ((Mandatory cg: PETA)) The Cumberland site was the target of an undercover sting by the advocacy group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA. PETA says its video, in part recorded with hidden cameras and that VOA can’t independently verify, shows dead puppies, nursing mothers begging for food and dogs being sprayed with high-pressure water in their cages. ((Mandatory cg: Skype)) ((Daniel Paden, PETA)) “It is disturbing and disappointing and frustrating to see the government continually identify these problems for nearly a year and apparently be content to let this company go on profiting quite handsomely off that type of conduct.” ((NARRATOR)) USDA, which oversees animal research, and Inotiv, the company that last year acquired Envigo ((Mandatory cg: PETA)) declined to comment. The case, however, is shining light on the use of dogs in medical research. In 2019, USDA estimated that almost 65,000 dogs were held in labs or used in experiments nationwide. [[RADIO INTRO: Alka Chandna, PETA’s Vice President of Laboratory Investigations Cases explained via Skype]] ((Alka Chandna, PETA Laboratory Investigations)) “The majority are used to test pharmaceuticals... ((Mandatory cg: Skype)) ...or industrial chemicals. You are talking about dogs confined in cages or kennels, deprived of everything that’s natural to them, and being in most cases killed at the end.” ((Mandatory cg: Americans for Medical Progress)) ((NARRATOR)) It’s controversial. The Food and Drug Administration, which oversees drug research, told VOA it is committed to reducing studies using animals, but that in many areas, science requires them. ((Mandatory cg: Americans for Medical Progress)) The industry-backed group Americans for Medical Progress, whose donors include Envigo, said that includes cancer and cardiovascular research. The group supports humane research, but still … ((Mandatory cg: Skype)) ((Paula Clifford, Americans for Medical Progress)) “Most animals in research, including dogs, are euthanized at the end of the study, and the reason for that is that tissues, and looking at different systems at the cellular level, is very important in (in order) to get the data that we need.” ((Mandatory cg: Johns Hopkins CAAT)) ((NARRATOR)) But do the dogs have to die? Scientists at Johns Hopkins University say it can be avoided. ((Mandatory cg: Skype)) ((Thomas Hartung/Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing)) “We can recreate human organs in tiny, tiny form. We can combine these organs to form little organisms... Mandatory cg: Johns Hopkins CAAT)) ...and we also have computational models available that we can model very, very important aspects of disease. /Alternative methods are not always cheaper than animal experiments, but there’s typically much more opportunity to scale them down and make them really very affordable.” ((Mandatory cg: Johns Hopkins CAAT)) ((NARRATOR)) Researchers say those alternatives, while promising, are in early development. ((Mandatory cg: Speaking of Research)) Amanda Dettmer is with Speaking of Research, a group that supports humane animal research. ((Mandatory cg: Skype)) ((Amanda Dettmer, Speaking of Research)) “There is no requirement that a certain species be used. There are however worldwide ethical codes that explicitly state that animal research and testing should come before human testing, and research and these are codified in the Nuremberg Code and the Declaration of Helsinki. We just are not at a place yet scientifically where we can completely replace animal models tomorrow.” ((Mandatory cg: Speaking of Research)) ((NARRATOR)) Speaking of Research condemned the treatment of dogs in the Envigo facility as [quote] “egregious.” ((Mandatory courtesy: Americans For Medical Progress)) Most animal research in the U.S. is on guinea pigs, hamsters and rabbits – dogs account for only 7 percent. ((Mandatory Courtesy: Northeast Animal Shelter)) Still, the Virginia case has energized a push in the U.S. Congress for stronger laws. The hope? That animals won’t have to suffer again. ((Veronica Balderas Iglesias, for VOA News, Alexandria, Virginia))
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Location (dateline) Alexandria, Virginia
- Embargo Date August 2, 2022 17:09 EDT
- Byline ((Veronica Balderas Iglesias, for VOA News, Alexandria, Virginia))
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English