10 ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS IN RESEARCH

• Two approaches to animal research are the
• utilitarian view: (where the end justifies the means) and the
• the deontological view: (where animals are afforded the same rights as humans).
• Monash: “Any person at Monash University who wishes to use animals in research or teaching must first obtain approval from their local Department or School Animal Ethics Committee (AEC).

• Mid 1600's: Descartes argued animals distinct from humans. Humans capable of complex functions (eg thought), whereas animals reacted automatically to stimuli and did not feel pain. 
• 1700s: continued discussion on animal sentience (have senses through which they perceive things).
• Judeo-Christian and Islamic says man has dominion over animals. But man's responsibility to animals is acknowledged in all religions to some extent. 
• Buddhism in strictest form makes little distinction and forbid killing/eating meat. 
• Basis of bhuddism is that animals are sentient and humans should not be placed above them.
• Bentham (englishman): argued the animal's ability to suffer should govern their treatment irrespective of whether they were capable of reasoning.

1800's: establishment movements to protect animals eg. RSPCA & antislavery

• 1900's: rise in medical and other biological research- with research came inc numbers in animals used.
• Developments in vaccines, antibiotics, anaesthetics and medicines. One spectacular success was the use of vaccines to eradicate smallpox. Basic mechanisms underlying the functioning of normal and diseased tissues
• made heavy use of small animals including guinea pigs, rats and mice.
• Fewer animals are used now than were 30 years ago.

Is it acceptable to do anything to an animal if there is some benefit to humans, or should we only use animals in research as a last resort?

Does it depend on the purpose of the work?



Does it depend on what type of animals being used?

Would you be more concerned about work that used orang-utans than mosquitoes?

Does it depend on the fate of the animals? 

Many people are more concerned about experiments that involve suffering and/or death than those that do not.

“Well designed experiments using sufficient animals to achieve a scientific objective, together with an appropriate statistical analysis, enable researchers to increase the robustness and validity of their experimental results, maximising the knowledge gained from each experiment whilst minimising the number of animals used”

The three Rs

• The 3R’s of animal research aim to limit the impact of experiments on animals. There are:
• replacement and
• reduction,
• refinement.

Replacement refers to changing the design of an experiment that uses animals to one that does not. This could mean using tissue cultures, computer models or replacing higher order animals such as primates or mammals with insects or similar.

Reduction is the use of fewer animals, or gaining more data from the same number of animals.

• Refinement is making sure that the animals are well cared for, with access to food and water and do not suffer unnecessary pain. Within the criterion of refinement are the ‘Five Freedoms’ (you can see them listed on some brands of eggs in the supermarket), which refer to freedom:
• From Hunger and Thirst: access to fresh water and good diet
• From Discomfort: appropriate environment including shelter, resting area
• From Pain, Injury or Disease: prevention / treatment
• To Express Normal Behaviour: space, facilities, company of the animal's own kind
• From Fear and Distress: conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering

• Researchers in Australia and many other countries who work with animals usually have to get their experiments approved by an ethics committee before work can start.
• The animals for which ethics procedures apply are all, live, non-human vertebrates:
• mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish;
• domestic animals;
• purpose-bred animals;
• livestock;
• wildlife;
• AND live crustaceans;
• yabbies, crayfish and lobster;
• BUT NOT brine shrimps and Daphnia. 

• Each institution usually has its own committee to scrutinise experiments.
• Ethics approval must even be obtained for research that does not involve direct contact with animals, such as bird watching.

• Experiments on primates, showed for the first time the essential role maternal bonding plays in the life of young primates.
• Harlow separated mothers and babies at birth, initially to prevent infection.
• found that the babies developed a lot of behavioural problems and did not parent their own babies well, leading to further experimentation to examine why these behavioural problems developed in separated infants. 
• Important part of realising, for example, that human premature babies need to be handled and have skin contact and not just be kept warm and given food.