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Impulse for animal welfare outside the experiment.

Lars Lewejohann1,2, Kerstin Schwabe3, Christine Häger4

  • 1German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Berlin, Germany.

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|February 14, 2020
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Summary

Improving laboratory animal welfare requires enhancing living conditions outside of experiments. Focus on housing and maintenance for all animals involved in research, not just during procedures.

Keywords:
3Rsanimal useenvironmental enrichmenthousinglaboratory animal welfare

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Area of Science:

  • Laboratory animal science
  • Animal welfare research
  • Ethical research practices

Background:

  • Societal concern for animal welfare is increasing, particularly for experimental animals.
  • Laboratory mice, the majority of experimental animals, often live in barren, small cages.
  • The time animals spend awaiting or recovering from experiments, and those bred or maintained for research, significantly impacts welfare.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the critical need for improving living conditions for laboratory animals outside of experimental procedures.
  • To emphasize that overall animal welfare is largely determined by housing and maintenance conditions.
  • To identify potential areas for enhancing the well-being of animals used in research.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current animal welfare concerns in research settings.
  • Analysis of the time allocation for laboratory animals in relation to experimental procedures.
  • Consideration of housing and maintenance conditions for all animals associated with experimentation.

Main Results:

  • Experimental procedures represent a small fraction of an animal's life compared to breeding and housing periods.
  • Living conditions outside of experiments significantly influence overall animal welfare.
  • A substantial potential exists for improving laboratory animal welfare through better housing and maintenance.

Conclusions:

  • Improving laboratory animal welfare necessitates a focus on enhancing living conditions beyond the experimental phase.
  • Housing and maintenance are key determinants of welfare for all animals involved in research.
  • Further research into optimizing housing can significantly advance animal welfare standards.