The civic groups called for the permanent abolition of Seoul National University Professor Lee Byeong-chun’s unethical cloning project, as well as his immediate dismissal. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Apr. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — A non-profit organization for animal rescue, the Beagle Rescue Network (BRN), has urged the government to rescue the beagles “Feb” and “Cheonwangi” who are being used in experiments at Seoul National University (SNU)’s veterinary college after having completed their duty as detection dogs.
Roughly 150 activists from the BRN held a rally at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on Saturday to demand that the government, SNU and the National Assembly immediately transfer retired dogs currently at SNU’s veterinary college to an animal protection group.
Along with other dog, “Mei,” Feb and Cheonwangi worked as detection dogs at Incheon International Airport’s quarantine center for five years since May 2013, but were transferred to professor Lee Byeong-chun of SNU for animal testing in March of last year.
Mei died of natural causes at the laboratory, but Feb and Cheonwangi are still alive.
The BRN said that the use of national working dogs that served people in animal experiments was a disgraceful mockery that has never been found anywhere in the world.
The use of animals that sacrificed for the people in brutal experiments reveals the serious problems of animal testing in South Korea.
Furthermore, the BRN said that SNU should immediately dismiss Lee Byeong-chun, a veterinary professor who used Mei, Feb and Cheonwangi in experiments, and apologize in the name of SNU’s president.
The network demanded that all animal cloning research and related projects be abolished for good.
The network also demanded that the National Assembly revise the experimental animal law, animal protection law, and said the government should scrap the state-led animal cloning project, while inspecting the current animal testing system, adding that it should also determine whether there is no collusive relationship between the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Lee Byeong-chun, who allowed working dogs to be used in experiments.
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
Please make animal vivisection illegal. No animal should be used for such. unscientific research. In the 21st century there are much more scientific experimental procedures that actually work. To do research on one species for the benefit of another is nonsense. For example penicillin cures conditions in many people. However, it has no effect on rabbits and actually kills guinea pigs. Additionally, morphine dulls pain in humans but excites cats.