Lab animal guidelines in India just came out. They are catastrophic.

Lab animal guidelines in India just came out. They are catastrophic.

New draft laboratory animal guidelines in India could allow the use of street dogs, cats, farm animals, and protected wild species in testing and research facilities. Humane World for Animals stated that the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Control and Supervision of Experiment, Breeding and Trading of Laboratory Animals) Rules contain glaring loopholes that threaten ethical standards. Humane World for Animals stated that the draft rules permit laboratories to make a case for using wild animals protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, including primates. Dr Surat Parvatam, senior program director for research and toxicology in India at Humane World for Animals, stated that the rules also allow stray and feral animals like dogs and cats to be used in experiments. Regulatory oversight shifts from the Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals, established under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, to individual institutional ethics committees. Humane World for Animals alleged that because five out of nine members on these institutional committees belong to the applicant establishment, a clear conflict of interest arises. Animal welfare advocates, conservationists, environmentalists, and public health activists raised concerns that using animals with unknown medical histories poses zoonotic disease risks.

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