And I thought Canada was a decent place! `mel
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=0010ae9f-d017-444f-8bb8-3b69dedf7528&k=56127
Beagles flown to labs for testing
Air Canada confirms shipments to Europe
MAX HARROLD, The Gazette
Published: Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Speeding down the runway in Dorval May 21, Air Canada passengers bound for
Paris heard a lot more than just the jet's engines wailing.
Dogs were yelping in the cargo hold beneath them.
The estimated 70 to 100 healthy beagles were among many regular - and
Perfectly legal - Trans-Atlantic shipments by Air Canada of dogs destined
For medical experiments.
Passengers on the flight found the sound of the dogs very distressing.
"All we could hear during the boarding and before the takeoff was barking,
Crying and whimpering," said one passenger in business class on Flight 870
Who did not want to be identified.
After landing in Paris, passengers saw three pallets with cages of two dogs
Each being unloaded from the Airbus 330 aircraft.
"Their tails were wagging through the cages," said one passenger, who also
Asked not to be identified.
"We were shocked to hear some flight attendants say this goes on regularly -
Dogs get shipped to Paris for experiments." Because Quebec's
Animalprotection law is vague and weakly enforced, the province provides a
Steady source of dogs for laboratories both here and abroad, animal rights
Activists said.
"Fifty per cent of all dogs used for medical research in Canada are used in
Quebec," said Liz White, a director of the Animal Alliance of Canada, a
National animal rights group.
Figures found on the website the Canadian Council on Animal Care, a
Government-funded organization that monitors animal research, show 5,610
Dogs were "used" in Quebec in 2005.
That same year, 5,127 dogs were used in all the other provinces combined.
Despite a tough new provincial animal-welfare law enacted 2004, "Quebec is a
Frontier province for animal abusers," White said.
"There are very few bylaws, there is a high euthanasia rate by pet owners),
And the claim rate for lost pets is very low." The Quebec atmosphere helps
Medical researchers trade in animals, she said.
Only four inspectors enforce Quebec's animal-welfare law, which allows for
Fines of $200 to $15,000 for repeat offenders. In Ontario, more than 200
Inspectors enforce animal-welfare regulations.
Suzanne Lecomte, chief inspector with Anima-Quebec, a not-for-profit agency
That applies the new law, said the "law is vague. It says simply you cannot
Compromise the safety and welfare of the animal." Linda Robertson, director
Of the Monteregie SPCA, said beagles are often used in research because they
Are particularly docile.
"You can do with a beagle whatever you want," she said.
"It's not going to bite you." The breed can be tailor-made to develop
Certain cancers, she added.
Pierre Barnoti, executive director of the SPCA in Montreal, said his group
Has been aware of the air shipments for years.
"Our investigators have checked out the dogs' health and they're fine,"
Barnoti said.
"These are not puppy mill dogs," he said.
Claude Morin, president of Air Canada Cargo, confirmed the existence of
Animal shipments for medical research.
"It's completely legal," Morin said. "The animals are treated perfectly (en
Route).We don't really ask too many questions about where they're going.
Clients don't have to tell us anything." Air Canada spokesperson Isabelle
Arthur said a 1998 ruling by the Canadian Transportation Agency forbids the
Airline from refusing to ship animals simply because of their purpose. The
Ruling was made after Air Canada refused to carry monkeys intended for
Vivisection.
But Jadrino Huot, a spokesperson for the CTA, said the ruling was made to
Force Air Canada to apply its own policies and that the airline was entirely
Within its rights to change its policies.
"Air travel is a deregulated industry," he said. "They set their own
Policies." One Air Canada flight attendant, who asked not to be identi-
Fied, said the dog shipments have been kept "hush, hush." "It's a business,"
She said. "They shouldn't be doing this."