Ethical treatment of animals in behavioural research Flashcards
what needs to be considered when thinking of ethical treatments on animals in research
- legislation
- the 3 R’s
- choices of species and nonanimal alternatives
- number of individuals
- procedures used
- procurement and transport
- housing and animal care
- final disposition of animals
why does legislation need to be considered for ethical treatment of animals
- must acquire knowledge of local legislation as it is country specific e.g. level of animal protection and enforcement standards
- many nations require the experiments performed on animals to be reviewed and approved by an animal welfare/care or ethic committee
define the animal (scientific procedures) act 1986
an act to make new provision for the protection of animals used for experimental or other scientific purposes
what is the animal welfare act 2006
contains laws relating to animal welfare, it is an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any animals; there is a duty of care to animals e.g. must take the steps to make sure their needs are met
what is the welfare of farmed animals regulation 2007
set minimum welfare standards for farm animals generally whilst kept and reared on a farm. Some more specific provisions address laying hens, calves confined for rearing and fattening, cattle etc
outline ASPA 1986
provides some of the strictest animal research regulations in the world carried out om protected animals
= any living vertebrate other than man, and any living cephalopod come under this act
= regulated procedures require 3 licences (establishment, project and a personal licence)
what are the three Rs
defined by Russel and Burch and highlights the importance of employing them in research
1) Replacement = approaches which replace or avoid animal use should be used as animals more costly and time consuming, presenting scientific limitations
- full replacement = methods which avoid animal use e.g. human volunteers of tissues and cells
- partial = use of animals which based on current thinking cant experience suffering e.g. nematodes or daphnia
2) Reduction = methods which minimise the number of animals per experiment whilst maintain appropriate design and analyse
- info using the used animals must be maximised to reduce use of others but also reduction in numbers must be balanced against additional suffering caused by repeated use e.g. share data and resources
3) Refinement = methods used to minimise pain and distress applying to all aspects of animal use e.g. housing, scientific procedure
why is it important in refinement to minimise pain and suffering of any animals
Pain and suffering can alter an animal’s behaviour, physiology and
immunology. Such changes can lead to variation in experimental results
that impairs both the reliability and repeatability of studies.
what are the prepare (Planning, Research and Experimental Procedures on Animals: Recommendations for Excellence) guidelines
Set of guidelines for planning experiments
as part of ongoing efforts to reduce waste,
promote animal alternatives (3Rs), and
increase the reproducibility of research and
testing
- covers three areas determining quality of prep for animal studies
1) formulation of study
2) dialogue between scientists
3) quality control of the components in the study
outline the ARRIVE (Animal Research Reporting of InVivo Experiments) guidlines
recommendations to improve the reporting of
research involving animals – maximising the
quality and reliability of published research, and enabling others to better scrutinise, evaluate and reproduce it
relevant to any study involving live animals, in
any area of the biosciences; primarily aimed at
researchers, reviewers and journal editors of
studies involving animals; also useful for ethical
review boards, funders, institutions and learned
societies to help promote best practice
what are some ethical considerations when making a choice of species or non-animal alternatives to use in a study
1) if procedures may cause discomfot use the species or strain least likley to experience it
2) choose species/strains that are appropriate and best suited for research question (need knowledge of history, physiology and individual previous experience)
3)seek expert advice an minimise harm wherever possible = majority of invertebrates excluded from legislation but doesn’t mean they don’t feel pain
4) use non-animal alternatives when possible e.g. robots, video records or computer simulations
what are some ethical considerations on the number of individuals to use in a study
1) use minimum number necessary to test hypothesis without loss of scientific rigour (3 Rs)
2) use clear hypothesis, pilot studies, good experimental design and stats tests which enable several factors to be examined at the same time to reduce numbers without comprimise
3) use power analysis of pilot or previously published data to estimate lowest number of animals needed to obtain meaningful data
what are some ethical considerations when it comes to animal welfare in procedures
1) if exposed to pain the investigator must perform a cost benefit analysis
= custom, practise or economic savings are not adequate justifications for this analysis
= poor welfare can arise due to actions causing pain/suffering but also lack of action or denying some opportunity/ resource
2) use more refined procedures before using ones which cause physical or mental discomfit
3) consider pain/distress causing stages of all procedures
4) suffering should be far as pssible under the requirements of the experimental design n
5) pre and postprocedural care to minimise prepatory stress and immediate residual effects
what should be conducted if pain/discomfort/distress are more than momentary, low intensity
use appropriate anaesthesia, analgesia, tranquillization and/or adjunctive relief measures unless this would jeopardize the aims of the study; seek expert advice (e.g. vet)
some suffering can be taxon/ context specific which can be alleviated with conditions that specifically target those experiences so consult with experts
what are some ethical considerations to do with field work procedures
potentially disruptive to subjects and the wider ecosystem
* Cost/benefit analysis (cost= the total impact on the ecosystem)
* Capture, handling and marking, fitting with data-loggers/transmitters, collection
of physiological data experimental manipulations may have adverse consequences -> consider minimally invasive or non-invasive techniques
* Pilot investigations
* Minimize suffering/discomfort if animals are removed from the population;
minimize time in captivity; when returning individuals consider long-term costs
(e.g. loss of territory/mates, change in social status, loss of site-specific
information or changes in cognitive abilities); avoid possible introduction of
captive-borne zoonotics
