South actor Trisha Krishnan has written to the government seeking due action to release 70 beagles, who have reportedly been imported from Chinai as pets, but are likely to be used for some experiments. Trisha, a supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), has demanded that the dogs be given to the animal rights organisation for adoption.
The 29-year-old has addressed the letter to M.F. Farooqui, special secretary in the ministry of environment and forests. “It is my understanding that it is, rightfully, illegal to import animals who are to be used in experiments under the false premise that will go to loving homes,” Trisha wrote in the letter. “If you don’t intercede, these dogs are likely to be injected with or force fed chemicals, experimental drugs or pesticides until they become very sick and die,” she added.
According to reports, the dogs were falsely marked as pets to get a no-objection certificate from authorities, and are being used for experiments by a pharmaceutical laboratory, Advinus Therapeutics in Bangalore. Several celebrities like Celina Jaitly, Neha Dhupia, Sonu Sood and Kunal Khemu have also lent support to the cause by taking to Twitter, and posting: “Help PetaIndia save 70 beagles wrongly transported as pets to India for laboratory testing.”