| Valley Animal Research Centre (VARC)
has been quietly expanding its operations and now has extensive facilities in the Hawke's Bay and Manawatu regions.
Headed by Canadian toxicologist Dr Alan
Goldenthal, a former director of Pasteur Merioux's Animal Resources and Pathology Centre in Canada and research director of Massey University-owned Estendart Ltd in
Palmerston North, VARC is a contract facility that provides animal experimentation services to national and international clients. Bred to test
SAFE has discovered VARC is now one of the largest suppliers of companion animals for laboratory testing in the Southern Hemisphere. A SAFE investigation has
revealed that VARC's facilities are holding close to 200 beagles in very basic, barren kennels. SAFE has had difficulty determining precisely what type of experimentation
the beagles will endure but understands that male contraception drug tests will involve at least 40 beagles and may involve killing some or all of the dogs.
 SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek is appalled that VARC
is breeding beagles for experimentation. "The conditions in which these animals are housed are poor and who knows what terrible fate awaits them," he says. "Does
New Zealand really want to become a place where overseas companies have their cruel animal testing carried out?"
"Animal experimentation is a highly
controversial issue in many overseas countries with companies that test coming under increasing scrutiny. These companies may well be trying to avoid criticism in their own
countries by having their dirty work carried out in New Zealand."  "Beagles are the vivisectors' choice of dog because they are gentle and easy to handle. What a way to repay these trusting animals. It is not
hard to imagine the stress the animals will feel, being locked up for life with scant attention paid to their individual physical and emotional needs. Anyone who has ever had a
dog as a companion will be able to relate to the terrible suffering of these animals," says Hans.
Wasted lives - incompetent ethics committees
Animal experimentation is cruel and a waste of valuable research money that should be used for more reliable, non-animal based research. By Goldenthal's own
admission, only 0.1 per cent of products that are pre-clinically tested on animals reach the market.
Goldenthal also admits to knowing that some research conducted
in New Zealand involving animals is redundant, complementary or sequential to studies being performed elsewhere. As a contracted service provider, he believes he cannot make
comments to other researchers or the client commissioning the research. "This clearly shows that money and business interests are more important to researchers than
animals used in often painful experiments, even when it's known that these experiments are useless. Goldenthal's comments are also a damning indictment of the
ineffectiveness of New Zealand's animal ethics committees, who are charged with preventing duplicate research," says Hans.
SAFE will closely monitor any
developments at VARC and has called for the VARC beagles to be spared and rehomed into permanent loving homes.
The Amazing Belle In June last year
Belle, a three-year-old beagle, was flown to Washington to receive an award. Before leaving town, the unassuming yet remarkable little dog had an appointment with her local
congressman to receive yet another medal for her bravery. Her story of heroism captured world attention. Belle's guardian, Kevin Weaver, 34, was lying unconscious
on his kitchen floor in Florida in the throes of a severe diabetic seizure. Belle located his phone and bit down on a particular number on the keypad, triggering an emergency
call. Emergency dispatchers heard Belle barking and sensing the danger, immediately dispatched an ambulance. Mr Weaver, a former flight attendant, woke up hours later in
hospital, weak and disoriented. Belle was by his side, having accompanied her ‘dad' in the ambulance. Doctors told Mr Weaver that had Belle not intervened before his
flatmates arrived home, five hours later, he probably would not have survived. Because of his condition, Mr Weaver and Belle had thankfully attended nine months of
training to teach Belle what to do if he suffered an attack. During training Belle was taught to lick her ‘dad's' nostrils to smell his breath and read his ketone
level. If something was not right, Belle knew to start scratching at his leg, warning him to adjust his sugar levels before a seizure came on. In more severe cases, Belle was
taught to bite down on the #9 key of his touch-tone phone, which was programmed to dial 911. As a result the smart little dog was able to correctly interpret the situation all
by herself and use her life-saving skills to save her ‘dad'. "Without Belle I would have slipped into a coma and died," Mr Weaver said.
 Facts about beagles
• First imported into New Zealand in 1868 by Governor Sir George Grey. • America, Australia and New
Zealand all use beagles to search aeroplane passengers and freight. In 1995, MAF's quarantine detector dog programme started with two beagles. Now it has 50 beagles and
cross-bred dogs. • Beagles are scent hounds that were used primarily for hunting rabbits and hares. • Friendly and lovable, the beagle has been the dog
breed of choice for everyone from former US President Lyndon Johnson to Charlie Brown! • The Beagle is the dog breed most commonly used in animal experiments in the
US. |