Fourteen people have been arrested after a break-in at a research facility which saw a number of dogs taken.
Protest group Animal Rebellion said in a statement that 12 of its supporters entered the Marshall BioResources (MBR) Acres building, an animal testing breeding facility in Cambridgeshire on Tuesday (December 20).
After entering at around 5.30am, 18 Beagle puppies were freed, the group said.
It said that people from Camden and Hackney were involved.
MBR Acres described the protesters as “extremists” and said their actions “placed stress on our animals and staff”.
A Cambridgeshire Police spokesman said: “Three people were arrested on suspicion of burglary – a 29-year-old man from Sheffield, a 23-year-old man from York and a 33-year-old woman of no known address.
“Dogs were stolen from the site but there is no precise number at this time.
“Officers also arrested nine people on suspicion of aggravated trespass in connection with the protest.”
They are a 23-year-old man from north London; a 28-year-old woman from Dalston; a 32-year-old man from Hackney; a 54-year-old man from Stalybridge, Greater Manchester; a 23-year-old woman of no known address; a 22-year-old man of no known address; a 30-year-old man from Worcester; a 20-year-old woman of no known address and a 20-year-old woman from Glasgow.
Twelve people are in custody at Thorpe Wood Police Station in Peterborough, police said, with a further two people at Stevenage Police Station – a 20-year-old man of no known address and a 19-year-old man from Islington, London.
Cambridgeshire Police said the incident is over but officers remain at the scene.
In photographs released by Animal Rebellion, protesters appeared to pass a dog over the top of a metal fence.
Photographs show protesters wearing pink T-shirts saying “Put Animal Testing On Trial” and “What Would You Do If This Was Your Dog?”.
MBR Acres said it is “a fully licensed establishment and a lawful breeder of beagle dogs that are specially bred for human and animal research in an environment compliant with our licenses”.
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."
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