In a daring and costly mission dubbed Operation Freedom Fetchers, Wyoming’s Kindness Ranch Animal Sanctuary has begun the process of rescuing 47 beagles from a research facility in China — dogs believed to be connected to American-owned or funded experiments.
The first group of ten beagles touched down in Los Angeles on August 25, after a grueling flight from Shanghai, a night at a Centers for Disease Control quarantine facility, and a 20-hour van ride to the sanctuary in Hartville, Wyoming.
For sanctuary director John Ramer, the moment was bittersweet.
“This isn’t just about ten dogs. It’s about exposing the secrecy and cruelty of billion-dollar institutions that profit off the suffering of man’s best friend,” he said in a Facebook post.
Ramer first learned of the beagles in May, when a contact at the group White Coat Waste alerted him to their plight and connected him with others involved in the rescue attempt. After securing video proof and documentation, Kindness Ranch agreed to take on the challenging and costly rescue.
Hellbound and Down 