The laws are often called “Beagle Freedom” measures because, animal welfare groups say, beagles are favored by researchers for their gentle natures. Aside from Maryland, six other states — California, Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada and New York — have enacted laws encouraging research animal adoptions. Like Coming Out of JailBetween 2014 and 2017, Matthews-Brown said, Hopkins used 28 cats for research and all were adopted or will be. Animal research is a major part of industry and top universities’ work, and institutions must provide oversight to ensure animal safety. The Beagle Freedom laws apply only to cats and dogs, not to guinea pigs, rabbits, monkeys, sheep and other animals used in scientific research.

Source: Huffington Post May 04, 2018 17:26 UTC