Faculty and Investigator Responsibilities

All members of the University community who use animals in their teaching or research (including those whose research consists of field work involving animals) are, by law, accountable for conforming to the basic regulations and policies governing animal use on the University of Oregon campus. These regulations and policies cover:

• (a) the acquisition, care and use of animals,
• (b) efforts to minimize animal pain and distress,
• (c) the training of personnel using animals, and
• (d) consideration of alternatives to animal use.

As a matter of educational policy, even faculty who do not themselves use animals should be aware of these regulations and policies since their students may use animals at a later time. Likewise, instruction of students in proper animal use is an essential component of graduate education in the biological sciences.

Principal Investigator Responsibilities

All investigators are encouraged to review and apply the principles outlined in the U.S. Government Principles for Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training as prepared by the Interagency Research Animal Committee (IRAC). The committee's principal concerns are the conservation, use, care, and welfare of research animals. ¹ In summary, the principles encourage:

• Design and performance of procedures on the basis of relevance to human or animal health, advancement of knowledge, or the good of society.
• Use of appropriate species, quality, and number of animals.
• Avoidance or minimalization of discomfort, distress, and pain in concert with sound science.
• Use of appropriate sedation, analgesia, or anesthesia.
• Establishment of experimental end points.
• Provision of appropriate animal husbandry directed and performed by qualified persons.
• Conduct of experimentation on living animals only by or under the close supervision of qualified and experienced persons.

¹Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, Appendix D