The use of animals
in research and instruction generally occurs in one of two contexts: the animals
serve as model systems for the investigation of phenomena and processes which
cannot be studied directly, or the animals are being studied to investigate a
problem specific to the particular species. Most biomedical research
falls into the first category. Examples of the latter include field studies of
behavioral and ecological adaptations of animal species, studies of taxonomic
relationships among species, or captive studies of physiological or behavioral
processes which form an important part of the adaptations of one or more species.
This section
reviews scientific, ethical, and humane considerations in experimental design
and model selection for research involving animals. Ethical and humane
considerations should be viewed as compatible with good scientific practice.
There is a body of literature that supports the premise that animals which are
humanely cared for are healthier, both physically and psychologically, and therefore
make better, more predictable, subjects. Similarly, unless a research project
is intended to study pain itself, pain and suffering on the part of the animal
subject will rarely, if ever, contribute anything positive to the experimental
procedure. Thus, ethics and humane considerations can be viewed as integral
parts of the process of experimental design and model selection.