TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — More than 200 dogs and cats were rescued from an animal testing facility in Oklahoma that was recently shut down, according to the Beagle Freedom Project, a non-profit group working to end animal testing.
The 30-acre facility in Nowata, Oklahoma, was taken over by the Beagle Freedom Project, and the animals have been “liberated from a lifetime of toxic and painful testing,” according to the non-profit.
The facility is being converted into a rescue, rehabilitation and adoption center, according to a news release. The non-profit’s rescues will rehabilitated and given medical treatment before being matched with foster and adoptive families.
“The importance of this monumental achievement cannot be overstated,” BFP President and Founder Shannon Keith said in a statement. “Not only have we rescued hundreds of animals from being tested on and certain death, we have also created a pathway for others to do the same. This have never before been accomplished.
The former facility was used for flea and tick product testing, which the non-profit says was subject to multiple USDA citations and violations.
“We have seen first-hand, the horrors these animals have endured: their skin is burned, seared off and infected, they have seizures from the toxins, they endure maddening pain and discomfort while fleas and ticks are bred on their bodies and they are forced to wear cones so they cannot relieve the pain and itching, and so much more,” Keith said. “We had to end this.”
The new converted facility will be available for private tours and meet and greets with the animals, according to the non-profit.
Beagle Freedom Project was established in 2010 and is based out of Los Angeles. The group says it has rescued more than 4,000 animals while working to end animal testing.