By Sarah Gamble.
The vigil started at 6:30 a.m. I watched the sunrise over Marshall BioResources and my heart completely shattered for all the animals. I felt emotional, heartache, and a sense of grief that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to explain. Marshall’s has over 97,000 cats, beagles, mini pigs, and ferrets that will more than likely never see a sunrise, grass, or the sky. The animals we were there to support are always on my mind; the torture and abuse they endure daily is unfathomable and unnecessary. Marshall BioResources not only breeds animals but they are also a licensed animal testing facility.
It wasn’t long after arriving that Kimmy, Leslie, and I heard dogs barking from behind the trees and man-made hills that hide the multitude of factory-farm sheds lining the property behind the façade of an everyday country-looking landscape. It took everything in me not to immediately hit the ground and sob—my heart felt as if it slid at 100 mph and hit my stomach.
I started walking down the street, hoping I could follow the barking and desperate yips. I’d say I walked over a quarter of a mile or so, and as I got closer to the second “not-so-secret” entrance I heard more dogs—then I smelled the worst smell of my life. I can’t tell you exactly what it was, but it was thick, immobilizing, and disheartening.
I was met with security, as usual, and a Wayne County Sheriff while I stayed on the public access area of the property. It seemed they had doubled security and County and State police this time around, so I walked around and recorded a few videos. The dogs went silent pretty quickly after I stayed down at the second entrance facing Lake Bluff Road, just like the main entrance. After a while I went back to join the others at the main entrance.
The vigil continued with people coming from Webster, Buffalo, and Rochester, and the camaraderie was fantastic. The conversations, thoughts, and positive energy—all for the animals—helped us remember the purpose of why we were there and stand even taller in solidarity.
Cars seemed to honk more at this vigil, and we were visited by more locals, which tells me the community is learning what really goes on at 5800 Lake Bluff Road, nestled between Route 104 East/West and Ridge Road East. People held signs, took pictures, and called out to employees and vendors.
The star of the show was Freddy the Beagle. Freddy and his owner Ryan always show up for the animals, and sweet Freddy loves all the pats and scratches, bringing steady emotional support to everyone throughout the day. The community of people being built here is becoming a strong chain, and the fact that Marshall doubled its security makes us all wonder if they are starting to squirm a little.
The news WHEC Channel 10 Rochester showed by lunch time and took what we all thought to be great interviews from event coordinators Kimberly Dennis from Beagle Lovers and Rescuers Inc., Adam Durand of Vegans of Rochester, and Dawn Peters who runs Furever Ferret Sanctuary who explained that ferrets are not only pets they are also tested on due to their lungs being extremely similar to human lungs. The footage would show 25 or so of us protesting and getting a few honks, a few furry friends that showed up with their owners and Marshall hiding their own company sign with a purple and white sign with a temporary website and a video trying to ask for your personal information that was on a trailer bed that was just moved in that morning with the wheels still on it ready to be moved out after we left, I’m sure. The news ended up taking a very small clip of our vigil then focused on Marshall BioResources’ statement trying to discredit every ounce of truth of why we were there in the first place. The report made us all wonder who Marshall BioResources was trying to fool? The statement was everything but the truth and the news media took it without question, disgusting…
The impact of the vigil definitely altered the workers and office staff, but it seemed like a skeleton crew if they anticipated us coming, which we assume they did. The few workers we saw this time compared to May weren’t wearing masks and not trying to hide their license plates. I wonder if these workers were ones that don’t feel ashamed of the depravity that goes on—the abuse and torture of innocent sentient beings. Everyone agreed we definitely received more honking cars and fewer middle fingers this time around! The vigil dwindled out about 3-ish and the remaining folks helped clean up and boo at the workers leaving from their shift. I was humbled by the ever-growing community of animal lovers that have come out to show support and show Marshall BioResources that their quiet little farm community is gaining notoriety from the public. I’m left to assume that when you want to hide what you are mass-producing behind the façade of trees, man-made hills, and roll-out fake signs that lead you to temporary websites designed to try to take your information, I would assume at this point you are ashamed of what people would think. I would also like to assume that you would be ashamed of yourself—but money makes the world turn, isn’t that right Scott Marshall?
Marshall wheeled out a huge purple and white sign with a temporary website and a video of “how animal testing benefits humans.” The truth is, animal testing doesn’t—it fails in human trials over 95% of the time. That is wildly insane to me that we torture animals in the name of science just to literally poison and torture them with your tax dollars.
Do you understand yet? This goes on all over the world daily and for nothing but profit. Literal blood money.
The animals are prisoners and kept in cages, probably underfed, undervalued, and unloved—and for what? Pain, torture, and imminent death, when we have science-based testing that has only gotten more accurate in the last few years and is cheaper in comparison to live animals. Why are we still allowing big pharma the right to practice archaic and outdated testing on live animals when we as a society “love animals”? I wish more animal lovers would help chime in and tell them we don’t want or need this barbaric and uncivilized practice to continue.
Beagle Lovers And Rescuers is the only nonprofit maintaining a presence outside Marshall BioResources — to document, expose, and demand change. Please DONATE to help. It’s tax deductible and helps bring us closer to freeing the animals trapped inside.