Elzaabalawy S, Abdelbaki MA, Abdelhakim AI, Alamir WM, Elsayed MO, Eryan MM, Hameda AM, Jukes N, Mahdi HM, Roshdy MA, Shaheen MA . Alternatives outreach and a new student movement for humane veterinary education and practice in Egypt. 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 new student movement for alternatives in veterinary education and for humane veterinary practice has been founded in Egypt. Cairo University Vets for Alternatives (CUVA) was established in 2010 through student self-organisation, with a vision to enhance education and training with humane alternatives. This followed the 1st North Africa and Middle East Seminar on Alternatives in Education and Training and subsequent InterNICHE outreach to faculty and students. Membership of CUVA includes over 400 students and junior teachers, facilitated by the social networking site Facebook. A workgroup on clinical rotations has developed collaborative projects with shelters and veterinary outreach organisations to help animal patients in cities and in villages. This can increase their practical experience and develop an animal welfare awareness that is often lacking in graduates. The Egyptian revolution of February 2011 gave rise to many welfare challenges for animals, particularly horses and camels, due to the disruption to the tourist trade. A month-long outreach project with CUVA involvement provided targeted animal care. A workgroup on body donation programs plans to provide cadavers that are ethically sourced according to the InterNICHE Policy. Both clinical work and body donation programs can potentially replace the killing and animal experiments within anatomy, pathology, clinical skills and surgery training. The empowerment achieved through CUVA’s establishment and activity has now led to a focus that reaches beyond alternatives, with a new awareness of the role of the veterinarian in a wide range of animal care issues. CUVA aims to help initiate campaigns at other faculties in Egypt and across the region.

 



Author's keywords: alternatives, animal experiments, education, veterinary, Egypt

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Link to journal: ALTEX - Alternatives to Animal Experimentation