Are there laws and that protect birds, mice, and rats bred for biomedical research?
Rats, mice and birds bred for biomedical research are not covered by the Animal Welfare Act; nor are they counted in the annual USDA statistics on animal use in the United States. There are two main laws that apply to animals in laboratories: the Animal Welfare Act and the Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Q: What is being done to find alternatives to animal use? A: Federal funding for alternatives has historically been very low. Some companies have put substantial resources into finding alternatives. In the context of animal research, “alternatives” include not only the replacement of animals altogether, but reduction in the number of animals used and refinement of research so that it causes less pain, distress and suffering. Therefore, there are a number of alternatives currently available and can include something as simple as housing social animals in pairs rather than individually. Unfortunately, however, aggressive development and impl
