Understanding Humane Animal Care and Use

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Find information on animal care and use in laboratory settings, the 3Rs, and animal use ethics.

Animal Care and Use in Laboratory Settings

• NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW): the definitive NIH website of humane animal care and use.
   
• What investigators need to know about the use of animals (PDF - 3.9 MB): a concise summary of the responsibilities of NIH-funded investigators who use animal subjects.
   
• OLAW's PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals Tutorial is for new animal care and use committee members, institutional administrators, investigators, animal care personnel, veterinarians, or others who are interested in learning about the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
   
• OLAW's National Animal Welfare Education Program supports workshops, conferences and IACUC education.
   
• OLAW's Online Seminars program is a free online seminar series to help Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) staff and Institutional Officials explore their responsibilities in the oversight of PHS-funded research that involves the use of live vertebrate animals.
   
• Many professional societies offer training opportunities on how to effectively manage animal care and use programs and other related topics.

The 3Rs: Reduction, Refinement and Replacement in the Laboratory Setting

• OLAW's Useful Links on Alternatives
   
• The NTP Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM) and the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) hold NICEATM-ICCVAM meetings and workshops which focus on using alternative models in toxicology testing.
   
• The NIH provides a video of a presentation on the Management of Environmental Enrichment and Animal Behavior in Biomedical Research.

Animal Use Ethics

• U.S. Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training: "Whenever U.S. Government agencies develop requirements for testing, research, or training procedures involving the use of vertebrate animals, the following principles shall be considered; and whenever these agencies actually perform or sponsor such procedures, the responsible Institutional Official shall ensure that these principles are adhered to."
   
• International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals of the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) (PDF - 123 KB)
   
• NASA Principles for the Ethical Care and Use of Animals
   
• The Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC) provides information on improving animal care and use in research, testing, teaching and exhibition.
   
• The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) of the US Department of Health and Human Services sponsors a tutorial on Contemporary Science, Values and Animal Subjects in Research.
   
• The NIH National Library of Medicine provides links to a variety of resources on the Bioethics Information Resources webpage.