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Session B6: Research on Animals for Animal BenefitChairs: David Morton (UK) and Mike Rickard (Australia) B6: The Use of Animals for Research on Animal Diseases: Its Impact on the Harm-Benefit Analysis In previous Alternatives Congresses, the debate about the use of animals for scientific research has usually focused on toxicology or pharmaceutical testing of chemicals for use in humans, or on biomedical research. Such studies can be subjected to a "harm-benefit analysis," which attempts to weigh the expected benefits of the research to be done against the harm done to the experimental animals. This paper will discuss the use of animals for research on animal diseases, in terms of whether or not this simplifies analysis of the benefits versus the harm done. These studies largely fall into two categories, use of the animal in which the disease occurs naturally or an experimental model. Use of experimental models can be subject to the same criticism that people level at the use of laboratory animals as models for studying human disease. Studies carried out in the target species offer a high level of fidelity and discrimination, i.e. confidence in the proper expression of the disease, and greater ability to detect the impacts of any treatments under investigation. Examples clearly demonstrate the benefits that have accrued to farmed, pet, and recreational species of animals through research on the diseases from which they suffer. There will be an ongoing need for such research, as new diseases emerge, and some examples of recently emerged diseases will be given. B6: Vertebrate Pesticides and Traps: Are there Benefits for Animals? New Zealand has a range of carnivorous and herbivorous mammals that were introduced for recreational, financial, aesthetic, and bio-control reasons, but they now pose significant threats to conservation and animal health values. Research is undertaken to develop new tools and strategies to manage these pests. Captive trials are carried out to determine the toxicity of poisons, efficacy of fertility control agents, and welfare impacts of poisons and traps. Field trials are undertaken to test the efficacy of poisons and traps, and large-scale management trials are carried out to optimize control strategies. Given that this research is aimed at killing animals, what are the benefits for them? We believe that there are both population and ecological benefits that exceed any cost of harm to individuals that are killed. We suggest that there are three levels of beneficiaries: the individuals of the pest species that are killed, the individuals in the surviving population, and the individuals and populations of other species. We provide examples of how wild animals can benefit from research. B6: The Ethics of Research on Companion Animals for the Benefit of Their Own Species A fundamental component of the ethics of animal use in science is justification on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis where the cost is to the animals and the benefit is to the same species, another species, the environment, human society, and so forth. This analysis is the baseline from which research projects can be refined to increase the benefit and reduce the animal cost. Research on companion animal species to benefit that same species provides some interesting aspects of cost-benefit analysis. These include the interface between clinical research in animals and the practice of veterinary science; the greater acceptance of animal research that benefits the animal species being used; and the allied benefits of companion animal research to society, companion animal owners, and animal drug and food industries. In many cases, these allied benefits are integral to the availability of resources to conduct the work. However, benefit to the companion animal species involved remains an important and welcome aspect of the use of these species in science. B6: Welfare Benefits to Farm Animals of Their Use in Research Humankind has been domesticating livestock for around ten millennia. Despite deliberate selection, considerable scope exists to further improve the match between genetic make-up and the production environment. Examples will be given of welfare benefits to livestock arising from experiments on genetic and phenotypic selection and environmental manipulation. Commercial livestock enterprises satisfy criteria for them to be considered experimental use of animals. Measurements made in a controlled and repeatable manner are used to test hypotheses about performance. Soon all large livestock classes will have lifetime identification, which will permit the whole of a class (e.g. dairy cattle) to constitute an experiment. Global livestock production is anticipated to double in the next twenty years. The dilemma this creates for the goals to reduce and replace animals used in experiments will be discussed. B6: Incorporation of the Three R's in Wildlife Research The Canadian Council on Animal Care is scheduled to publish guidelines on the care and use of wildlife in June 2002. The underlying ethical basis of all CCAC guidelines and policies requires adherence to the Three R's of Russell and Burch; however, development of these guidelines raised particular challenges in adaptation of the principles. Where the aim of field studies is to understand the ecology, ecophysiology, or behavior of wildlife, replacement by a non-animal method, or even replacement of one species with a less sentient species, may not be an option. On the other hand, humane treatment of wild vertebrates for research is both an ethical and a scientific necessity. Traumatized animals may exhibit abnormal physiological, behavioral, and ecological responses that defeat the purposes of the investigation and may have an impact on the local ecosystem. Assessment of what constitutes humane treatment is often a challenge in wildlife research, as it may differ in different contexts. Animal care committees are useful in this respect, as they focus on the ethical implications of the research through requiring practical steps to be in place prior to the study. In addition, the guidelines outline a process for reporting outcomes of research to assist in improving welfare outcomes for study animals.
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