A 20-YEAR-OLD GLASWEGIAN woman was among a group of Animal Rebellion activists who filmed themselves breaking into an animal testing facility to free more than a dozen beagles.
The group, who are aligned with environmental campaigners Extinction Rebellion, can be seen in the video using a saw to cut through a security gate at the MBR Facility in Wyton, Cambridgeshire at 5am on Tuesday.
One protester could be seen pulling themselves over a high fence before landing in the cage full of beagles.
He then picks up the pups one by one and hands them over to his colleagues.
MBR Acres, owned by US-based company Marshall BioResources, has previously been targeted by campaigners with actor Ricky Gervais and singer Will Young calling for its closure.
The latter handcuffed himself to the gates of the facility in November last year while a petition to get the site closed has attracted nearly 25,000 signatures.
The activists handed themselves into police after smuggling 16 of the pups out, saying that the animals “will now get to spend their first Christmas with loving new families”.
Cambridgeshire Police arrested three people on suspicion of burglary and nine on suspicion of aggravated trespass in connection with the protest.
A further two people were in custody at Stevenage Police Station but police confirmed that all 14 people have since been released on bail.
The protesters are from London, Leeds, Harrogate, Coventry, Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Brighton and Australia.
Two dogs, Love and Libby, remain with the police.
The group said: “Animal Rebellion believes that Love and Libby should be immediately and safely rehomed, rather than be returned to MBR Acres where it is expected they will be killed due to being ‘contaminated property’.”
A protest camp known as Camp Beagle has appeared outside the beagle breeding facility in Wyton, Huntingdon since July last year.
The company has insisted that it operates to high animal-welfare standards and that it is regularly inspected by the Home Office, which licenses it, to ensure guidelines are met.
A statement said: “Unfortunately, extremists, including long-time activists, are committing unlawful and dangerous activities each day against our business and staff.
“On top of this continuous harassment, today this has included breaking into the site and entering our buildings to steal our dogs for a second time this year.
“We are appalled by these actions.
“Dogs bred for research need careful rehabilitation not to be harmed by a sudden change to their environment.
“This unlawful extreme action has placed stress on our animals and staff by totally disrupting our daily activity to take care for the welfare of our dogs on site.”
