James Madison University's (JMU) Animal Care and Use Program supports researchers and staff in meeting their regulatory responsibilities for the care of animals used in their work. The program also supports and facilitates the work of JMU's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), ensuring compliance with federal and state laws, regulations, and university policies to guarantee the ethical care and welfare of animal subjects.
JMU is committed to providing a humane and compliant environment for all animals involved in research, teaching, and testing activities. Every effort is made to adhere to all federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing the care and use of animals.
Ethical Treatment of Animals
Different members of our society hold widely diverging views about the relative value of animals compared to humans. These views may be held on moralistic or practical grounds. A majority of people value the practical aspects of using animals to benefit humans. These uses include food, clothing, companionship, work, sport, competition for space, investigation of the basic processes of life, disease and death. However, a majority of people also recognize that these uses may cause pain or distress to animals, and feel that humans have a moral obligation to minimize the consequences of their activities. Thus, the humane care and use of animals used for research, testing and training is considered a moral obligation; good animal care equals good science.
There are other reasons that animals used for research should be treated humanely. Pain and stress can drastically alter the physiologic state of animals. Distress results when animals are no longer able to adapt to changes in their environment or physiological condition and display maladaptive or abnormal responses. These responses are not predictable and thus represent an uncontrolled experimental variable. Numerous studies have shown that prevention of pain or distress results in improved experimental results. Simply said, good animal care and use is good science.
Finally, while not all people may agree with the above assessments, we do live in a democracy. The opinion of the majority is law. In the United States continued concern by the public and by scientific organizations over the humane care and use of animals has resulted in the creation of several sets of laws requiring that animals used in research, testing and training be cared for according to specific guidelines.
