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Dewhurst D and Hemmi A. A survey of animal use and alternatives in higher education in Europe. Paper presented at: The Three Rs - Together it's possible. 8th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences; 2011 Aug 21-25; Montreal, Canada
Abstract
A study was conducted in 2010 to determine the extent to which animals were still being used or had been replaced by computer- based alternatives across a selection of universities from 10 European countries: UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, Holland, Slovenia, Czech Republic and Macedonia. Response rates varied between 73.1% (UK) and 26.3% (Romania) thus making valid comparisons difficult.
A questionnaire, designed to collect information on the use of innovative technologies in teaching physiology and pharmacology and containing questions relating to animal was delivered online using the UK Bristol Online Survey service.
Universities in the UK, Spain, and France had the highest average levels of animal usage with the highest total use in the UK. Spanish universities used the highest number of mammals and those in the UK the most amphibians and guinea pigs for teaching. Of the four eastern European countries surveyed, Ro¬mania had the highest use of animals in teaching.
Computer-based alternatives (both commercially available and freeware) were used to some extent by all countries. Romania, Spain, and Poland had the highest reported use with Macedonia, Italy and France the lowest. Major barriers to the introduction of alternatives were "resources not available in local languages"; "difficulty finding resources"; "lack of money to purchase resources" and "available resources don't meet learning objectives".
Major factors which would persuade academic staff to intro¬duce alternatives were: "published evidence of effectiveness" and "recommendation from a colleague". In western European institutions students' objecting to the use of animals in teaching was an important driver.
Author's contacts: david.dewhurst@ed.ac.uk
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Link to journal: ALTEX - Alternatives to Animal Experimentation
