Black Sabbath bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler has given his support to a historic mission to rehome 1,500 beagles from a breeding facility in Wisconsin.
Geezer attended a triage site at Dane County Humane Society alongside pop singer Debbie Gibson on Wednesday (13th May) as part of the latest push to rehome 500 beagles in a week from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds.
According to the Center for a Humane Economy, which works alongside the Beagle Freedom Project, Ridglan Farms is a large-scale dog breeding facility that has supplied beagles for biomedical research. It housed approximately 2,000 dogs at a time.
The current rescue is one of the largest coordinated transitions of dogs from a research-breeding facility into rescue organisations and homes in recent US history.
150 beagles were brought to Dane County Humane Society on Wednesday, where Geezer Butler struck up an instant bond with one of the dogs.
Anna James from the Beagle Freedom Project said: “Geezer Butler immediately found a love connection with one of the beagles and held him the entire time he was here.”
Geezer, who is a spokesman for the Center for a Humane Economy, said: “I’ve loved animals my entire life, and seeing these dogs finally get a chance at freedom and loving homes is deeply moving.
“This rescue represents compassion in action and a growing recognition that we can pursue better science without animal suffering.”
Geezer Butler has been a vegetarian since he was an eight-year-old in Aston, and he later transitioned to a full vegan diet.
Debbie Gibson added: “I’m so honoured to be invited by Beagle Freedom Project to help shine a light on this rescue effort that represents a shift in consciousness.
“Although there is a long way to go for these docile, sentient beings, their entire world is about to change thanks to the tireless efforts of all of those who have been advocating for these beautiful beagles.”
Other organisations involved in the rescue include the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project, the Dane County Humane Society and the Wisconsin Federated Humane Societies.
Ridglan Farms has been accused of animal abuse and cruelty by campaigners, however the farm states there is “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”
Following a negotiated agreement, it gave the green light for 1,500 dogs to be rehomed.