Public Outreach—A Toolkit for Investigators
A text summary and online versions of the presentations given at the EB2012 Public Outreach symposium. The symposium featured insights into public outreach from a researcher, a laboratory animal veterinarian, and a media relations expert, each one experienced in standing up to animal rights tactics.
APS Incorporates ILAR, NC3Rs Guidance on Animal Studies in Instructions for Authors
The APS Publications Committee has updated requirements for reporting studies involving animals in light of two recent reports.
Research Chimpanzee Colony is Valuable Resource
Chimpanzees in biomedical research colonies are “responsibly managed, well-regulated, and offer a resource of international value that benefits the health of humans and supports wild ape conservation efforts,” the APS told the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
APS Comments on Research Animal Transportation
On October 26, APS President Sue Barman sent letters thanking the CEOs of UPS and FedEx for their companies’ continued shipments of research animals. Recent campaigns by animal rights groups have sought to pressure various carriers to curtail the shipment of various species. In her letters, Dr. Barman points out the many layers of protection in place to ensure the humane treatment of research animals. She also underscores the fact that biomedical research involving animals is intended to relieve suffering by finding cures for disease.
Implementation Plans for the new Guide
NIH and AAALAC, Intl. both use the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals as a standard for animal care and use programs, but each has different plans for implementing the new 8th edition.
APS Comments on the Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2011
The APS sent a letter to cosponsors of the Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2011 (HR 2256) asking them to allow the NIH program to replace Class B dealers to come to fruition instead of implementing an immediate ban. (PDF)
NIH Submits Plan to Replace Class B Dogs
NIH submitted a plan to the Senate Appropriations Committee to phase out the use by extramural researchers of dogs and cats purchased from Class B dealers by 2015.
APS Comments on New Guide
APS submitted comments May 17 on NIH’s plans to adopt the 8th edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. While supporting most of the Guide’s updates, APS expressed concerned that NIH’s enforcement strategies undermine the use of the Guide as performance standards. (PDF)
EU to Implement New Animal Welfare Rules in 2013
On September 22, 2010, the European Union (EU) adopted a new set of requirements for the protection of animals in scientific procedures including those for research, education, and training. It will go into effect on January 1, 2013.
Highlights of EU Directive 2010/63
An article by article summary of EU Directive 2010/63 on animal welfare.
APS Announces New Position Statements on Animals in Research
APS has posted two new position statements on animals in research: “Animal Research is Essential to the Search for Cures” and an updated “Guiding Principles for the Care and Use of Vertebrate Animals in Research and Training.”
ILAR Releases Guide Update
On June 2, 2010, the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR) of the National Academy of Sciences released the pre-publication version of the 8th edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
USDA Announces Enhanced Animal Welfare Act Enforcement
On May 20, 2010, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan announced that USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is stepping up its Animal Welfare Act (AWA) enforcement efforts.
European Union Animal Welfare Directive 2010/63
A PDF of the full directive.
Background on EU Directive
More information about the adoption of the new EU directive from Understanding Animal Research.
Book Review of An Odyssey with Animals
Whether you are a researcher or a lay person, pro-research or pro-animal rights—or anywhere in between—Adrian Morrison’s An Odyssey with Animals: A Veterinarian’s Reflections on the Animal Rights & Welfare Debate (2009) will give you much to pause and consider.
ILAR Issues Updated Distress Report
The Institute for Laboratory Animal Research has completed an update to its 1992 report Recognition and Alleviation of Pain and Distress in Laboratory Animals. The pre-publication version was released in late 2007, and the final version of the report came out in early 2008. According to the executive summary, the updated report “focuses specifically on the scientific understanding of the causes and the functions of stress and distress, the transformation of stress to distress, and the identification of principles for the recognition and alleviation of distress.”
NIH Guidance on the Transition from USDA Class B Dogs
To facilitate the transition from USDA Class B, NIH is implementing an acquisition plan to develop a USDA Class A vendor to breed dogs possessing the same characteristics as those previously acquired from USDA Class B dealers, namely large, mature, socialized out-bred hounds or mongrels.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Updated Guiding Principles
Answers to common questions about the new APS Guiding Principles.
What’s in the 2010 Update of the Guiding Principles?
Material to help explain the updates to the Guiding Principles.