Industry update
RSPCA International’s work with industry has mainly focused on East Asia and Europe. Workshops and training have addressed ethical review, the development of alternatives in education and the 3Rs (reduction, refinement and replacement of the use of animals in research). Read about some of our recent work below.
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) - new standards
Working through the International Coalition for Animal Welfare (ICFAW) we have input scientific expertise for improving draft global guidelines on animal health and welfare. The final text, published in 2010 includes a chapter on ‘Animals used in research and education’.
Development of plastinated dog specimens in the Western Balkans
In February 2010, the Western Balkans Veterinary Network (WBVN) completed a project to find an alternative to the use of animals in education and research. The result was the production of a whole plastinated canine digestive and respiratory system specially designed for training exercises in endoscopic and bronchoscopic exploration. A CD rom was produced in collaboration by three veterinary faculties in the region for distribution throughout the Western Balkans.
The project conforms with EU directives requiring the Commission and member states to actively support the development, validation and acceptance of methods which could reduce, refine or replace the use of laboratory animals.
Interested in finding out more about work on research animals in the Western Balkans? Visit the WBVN website.
Improving laboratory husbandry in East Asia
We recently participated in the 4th Asian Federation of Laboratory Animal Science Associations (AFLAS) Congress which took place in Taipei, Taiwan. A member of our Research Animals Department delivered a presentation on how housing and care for laboratory animals can be improved and then, along with an expert vet from a leading UK university, led a well-attended RSPCA-funded mini-symposium ‘Better science - humane use and care of animals’ which focused on the importance of reducing animal use and suffering and how this can be done in practice.
Meanwhile, Dr Manuel Berdoy of Oxford University (UK), accompanied RSPCA International to the Korean Association for Laboratory Animal Science (KALAS) Symposium to speak about the training of people using and caring for laboratory animals. A Korean language version of his acclaimed film ‘Ratlife’ was also distributed. The film follows the lives of laboratory rats when released into a large outdoor enclosure simulating a wild environment - providing a graphic illustration of how complex these animals are.
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