The Humane Society of the United States attempted to deliver three boxes of petition signatures to a pharmaceutical development company in West Lafayette on Friday, demanding the release of some 80 dogs they say have been used for animal testing.
The company, Inotiv, was the subject of a recent Humane Society investigation that alleged animal testing at their lab in Mount Vernon, Indiana violated the Animal Welfare Act.
Anne Sterling is the vice president of State Affairs for the Humane Society of the United States, which is calling on Inotiv to release 80 dogs they say are set to be euthanized in mid-May.
“We’re calling on the company to release the dogs so we can find them loving homes,” she said. “These dogs spend virtually every day of their lives in a stressful and scary environment.”
Sterling also said the Humane Society would like to see animal testing end.
“Inotiv, if you interviewed them, would probably say they are legally required to do this,” she said. “They would say we have no choice – we have to do this. We would say yes, the FDA requires you to test your drugs before you send them to market – there are other ways to do it.”
Sterling and roughly ten other members of the group were not able to directly deliver the boxed petitions, which listed over 150,000 signatures. The West Lafayette Police Department was called, and officers instructed activists to stay off the company's property.
Inotiv did not respond to WBAA’s request for comment.