79 Beagles Liberated - 5th November 1999 - Part 1 The Preparations

Camp Beagle has received an anonymous account detailing how these beagles were liberated on 5th November 1999.

Part 1: THE PREPARATIONS

A few years before this liberation, a rather inquisitive group of activists paid an impromptu visit to a nearby Interfauna breeding centre for mice. During their visit, they rummaged through the bins and, “Hey Presto!”, uncovered the entire security plans that had been implemented since the liberation 9 years earlier of 82 beagles and 26 rabbits.

The most significant alteration to the existing security measures—alarms, on-site guards, cameras, etc.—was the installation of a brand new six-foot-high perimeter fence equipped with state-of-the-art motion sensors. It was still possible to access the inside of the sheds through the roof without triggering the alarms, just as it had been done in the previous liberation. The main challenge we faced was how to negotiate the fence without setting off the alarm.

The liberation took place on 5th November, and in just under an hour 79 beagles were rescued, but the preparation took several weeks. The actual raid involved about 20 to 25 people, while the planning phase was managed by just three friends.

For weeks we visited the site night after night to gather as much information as possible about the terrain, their routines, weaknesses, and escape routes. Our plan evolved as we collected more intelligence during our nocturnal visits, eventually culminating in the idea to construct an easily assembled bridge to cross over the motion sensed perimeter fence. We intended to build it using a few scaffolding parts and ratchet straps, allowing us to cross the security fence without ever having to touch it. We chose 5th November in the hope that the fireworks would mask or justify the noise made by the lonely dogs when they saw a human presence.

The plan was to fully empty one of the puppy sheds at the back of Interfauna (now MBR Acres), and free every single dog inside the shed. The last liberation at Interfauna had relied on using very large vans, but this time it would be done using cars. Each car, loaded with activists (and later also with liberated dogs), acted as a semi-autonomous team, and only one van was used to carry the heavy equipment needed – scaffolding parts, ratchet straps, ladders, sledge hammers, crowbars, laundry bags, etc – to build the bridge over the new motion sensed perimeter fence and to break into the puppies’ unit.

With the plan in place and the date set, it was simply a matter of enlisting trustworthy friends to join us, and organising a completely separate team to provide care for the dogs post-liberation, including veterinary assistance as well as safe foster or permanent homes.