By law, animals in federally-supported research centers are provided with humane living conditions that are less stressful than the daily struggle for survival that animals face in the wild. In the laboratory, appropriate food, housing, and veterinary care are provided. Scientists simply cannot use animals in research that are not healthy and properly cared for. Illness, undue stress, or poor living conditions would interfere with obtaining valid, useful results from scientific experiments using animals.
Excellent science requires excellent animal care.
The use of animals in research, teaching and testing is acceptable only if it promises to contribute to the understanding of fundamental biological principles or to the development of knowledge that can reasonably be expected to benefit humans or animals. Researchers must have diligently sought alternatives before requesting to use animals, and the smallest number of the most appropriate animals must be used. Replacement means the use of research methods or models that do not use animals instead of models that do. It is imperative that studies be well thought out in advance. Studies must include the appropriate control groups and numbers of animals to assure that the data can be interpreted with statistical confidence.