Introduction

 July 2009 Newsletter

Before undertaking research or teaching with animals at Murdoch University you must consider a number of questions:

• Is your proposed use of animals fully justified?
• Are all members of the team competent at performing the tasks required and able to reliably assess animal welfare for the proposed species?
• Have adequate provisions been made for animal welfare and wellbeing?

Murdoch University is committed to animal welfare and respects the contribution of animals to teaching and research. Staff and students must treat animals with respect and consider their welfare as an essential factor when participating in work using animals.

You need to be familiar with the framework governing the use of animals in research and teaching in Australia, which is in three tiers:

The 3 R's

The guiding principles underlying the use of animals for scientific purposes are referred to as the 3 R's

• Replacement - wherever possible animals used for teaching and research must be replaced with alternatives. Ensure that you fully explore all possible options to eliminate the requirement for animals. For suggestions on alternatives see the Guidance page.
• Reduction - if your use of animals is necessary, the number of animals used must be the minimum required to ensure scientific and statistical validity. You must also ensure that individual animals do not experience undue impact through your efforts to keep numbers low.
• Refinement - all use of animals must be planned to minimise the impact on them, the project must be appropriate for the species, and suitable intervention should be available to maximise animal welfare.