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Treatment of Organisms
Animals in experiments
All experiments carried out on vertebrate animals must pass an ethics committee assessment first. The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique established in 1959 by Russell and Birch were called the three R’s. They established the idea of reduction, replacement and refinement in the use of animals in experiments. The aim overall was to “reduce the sum total of distress”. As at that time large numbers of animals were being used for development and testing of pharmaceutical products to meet legal and not so legal national and international requirements.
Animals must always be treated with respect and care, and the welfare of the animal must be the most important factor to consider when determining their use in experiments. In all cases where uncertainty exists as to whether the experiments planned may harm an animal, then advice must be sought.
Guidelines
The following guide is adapted from Scanlon and Morgan (1991) to help students decide whether an experiment they have proposed fulfils the ethical obligations to animals.
- Animals kept in school laboratories should only be obtained from approved suppliers. Wild animals, dead or alive, must never be used in school experiments as they can cause a number of infections and permits are generally needed.
- Techniques that replace or complement animal experiments must be used wherever possible. The three R’s need to be taken into account.
- Experiments on animals should only be performed when they are essential to obtain information of significance for humans or animals. Only perform the experiment if the value to be gained from the experiment outweighs the potential effects on the welfare of the animals.
- Animals used for scientific purposes should be treated with respect and consideration or their welfare when planning and conducting experiments.
- Responsibility must be taken for the welfare of the animals by the investigator.
- Animals must not be taken from their natural habitats if animals bred in captivity are available and suitable.
- Experiments must be scientifically valid and must use no more than the minimum number of animals needed.
- Experiments must use the best available scientific techniques and must be carried out only by persons competent in the procedures they perform.
- Keep the number of experiments you perform to a minimum.
- Experiments must be as brief as possible.
- Experiments must be designed to avoid pain or distress to animals.
- Under no circumstances should an experiment lead to the death of the animal.
- If an animal develops signs of pain or distress, end the experimental procedure.
- Animals must be transported, housed, fed, watered, handled and used under conditions that are appropriate to the species and which ensure a high standard of care. This means the biology of the species must be well understood.
- Invertebrate animals, too, need to be handled with care.
There is also an Australian Code of Practice for the care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes and this is legally binding in all States.
More information can be obtained from the Australia and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching
(ANZCCART) website:
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/ANZCCART/
Good experimental design is the key to getting the most from an experiment with the least number of animals. In other words the experiment must have value.
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