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Swedish cat breeder closes
Sweden's only laboratory cat breeder, Kuskatorpet, in Halmstad, announced its immediate closure on 25 March. Based in the south of Sweden, it had been supplying laboratory cats for over 20 years to major research centres across Scandinavia. However, over the last few months it had come under increasing pressure from animal rights activists, which included an abortive raid by the Animal Liberation Front. In the middle of March, an unknown group of activists sent around an email claiming that they were launching a SHAC-style campaign against the breeder.
The campaign, called Radda Kuskatorpskatterna, launched itself with a web site and email to numerous animal rights groups across Europe. Calling on activists to "unapolo-getically protest, without compromise", they arranged their first national protest at the breeding centre for 26 April, World Day for Laboratory Animals. The campaign was modelled on the 'Save the Hillgrove Cats" campaign in the UK, which mobilised substantial support amongst activists and, after two years of protests, forced Hillgrove Farm, the UK's only laboratory cat breeder, out of business.
The owners of the Swedish breeding centre responded to the news of the campaign by closing down their business at short notice. It has been reported that they put down their entire breeding stock. The Swedish animal rights activists are claiming this as a major victory and have said that they will use the same tactics against another target, which will be announced in the near future.