On April 15, 2019, the KBS 9 o’clock news reported the truth about the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency’s Incheon Airport Center. We, the Beagle Rescue Network, received a tip about this in January, and after three months of investigation we provided all the data we obtained to KBS.
Based on our own investigation and the KBS news report, we would like to petition the following:
1. Immediately stop the illegal animal testing at Seoul National University College of Veterinary Medicine and rescue the retired quarantine detection (sniffer) dogs being used for animal testing purposes.
– As KBS reported, Mei, Feb and Cheonwangi all worked as detection dogs at Incheon Airport’s quarantine center for five years since 2013. The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency transferred these dogs to professor Lee Byeong-Chun of Seoul National University for animal testing purposes in March 2018. One of the three dogs transferred to the university died of natural causes, and two are still alive.
Article 24 of the Animal Protection Act of Korea prohibits the use of service dogs for animal testing purposes. Apart from the illegality of the issue, how can you subject dogs that have spent many years of life in service to the country and for the safety of people to cruel animal testing for the rest of their lives? We should be finding good homes for them.
This goes beyond problems with animal testing – If we neglect the seriousness of this issue, it will undermine the trust the public has in the country.
Currently, the two surviving dogs at Seoul National University have been subject to animal testing for a long time and therefore their rescue is most urgent. We petition that testing on these two dogs be stopped immediately and that they be transferred to the Beagle Rescue Network’s shelter.
2. We petition that Seoul National University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency immediately stop and reconsider the joint research project on the cloning of superior detection dogs.
– Please investigate the fairness of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency’s evaluation process of the detection dog cloning done by Seoul National University College of Veterinary Medicine.
According to the Beagle Rescue Network’s investigation, it has been confirmed that the evaluation methods and evaluation subjects are conducted by a select few senior executives, and there is a huge difference in opinion from the actual handlers of the dogs at the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency.
From our knowledge, the Korean National Police Agency is of the opinion that cloned dogs are not superior, and thus they have stopped using cloned dogs as police dogs.
3. Finally, we need to improve the laws and systems that can guarantee the respectful treatment of service dogs.
– Korea is the only country among OECD countries where retired service dogs are used for animal testing. We petition that the government set up policies at the national level to promote the welfare of service dogs and ensure a happy and safe life after their retirement.
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