A show cause notice will be issued to a Bangalore-based research company for reportedly importing puppies from China under title pets and using them for experiments, Union Minister Jayanthi Natarajan said here on Saturday.

“Show cause notice will be given to Advinus Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical lab in Bangalore, based on complaints that 70 Beagles, aged between four to nine months, were imported from China under the title pets, but used for experiments,” the Environment and Forest Minister told reporters here.

She said the ‘Control and Supervision of Experimentation on Animals’ body (under the Ministry) would meet on December 3 to consider this case and would deregister Advinus if the reports are found true, as it is a serious offence.

Advinus had got permission to import 434 dogs for 14 experiments and this was its sixth consignment, the Minister said.

“Now I hear the experiments are over. We are worried and deeply concerned that these animals, which do not have a voice, may be misused by labs for other purposes,” she said.

“It (Research) is not done necessarily for the benefit of India. This is actually experimentation for products contracted to them (company) outside India. We have asked the company to produce the licenses.”

Stating that lab experiments on dogs in India is a multi-crore business, she said the Ministry will confiscate all animals used for experiments by Advinus if they were found guilty. “We will take stern action against them,” she said.

She said there are about 1,600 labs in India, of which three to four do research on animals, particularly on rodents.

The Ministry welcomes research without which there would be no progress, but it should be under strict guidelines, the minister said.

She also favoured tightening rules for animal research. .

“For Science and Technology, you have to give some space. But my mandate is to look after these animals. I will try to be the voice for these voiceless animals,” she said.

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