3Rs - search page

Vaccination of animals against disease protects them from suffering. However, this comes with an animal welfare cost - the safety and efficacy of vaccines is assessed in experimental animals and the tests involved can cause significant pain and distress. There is an ethical dilemma in protecting one set of animals at the expense of others but implementation of the 3Rs can help to resolve this. The research animals department works with researchers involved in vaccine testing and regulators to promote the 3Rs in this important area.

The Macaque Website is a free resource for everyone who works with, or is interested in, laboratory macaques: animal care staff and technicians, facility managers, veterinarians, researchers, students, policy makers and IACUC/AWERB members. Developed by the UK’s National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), this site provides referenced information and practical guidance on the natural history and behaviour of macaques, their care and management in captivity, and ways to assess their welfare.