Schools Pledge to Prevent Severe Animal Pain and Distress
The Humane Society of the United States praises 25 colleges and universities across the country for signing a pledge to ensure that no laboratory animals in their care will experience severe and unrelieved pain and/or distress.
The HSUS pledge applies during all aspects of animal care and use both now and in the future at the institution. It can also be adopted by any school that wants to sign on, whether or not currently using animals and/or performing experiments that may cause animal suffering. The pledge states: "Our institution joins others that have pledged to ensure that no laboratory animals in our care experience severe and unrelieved pain and/or distress."
"We are delighted to announce that these schools have taken the lead and are the first to adopt our pledge," said Andrew Rowan, executive vice president for The HSUS. "It is critical for research institutions to take a proactive role in preventing animal suffering, which is an issue of major public concern in regards to animal research. We applaud these institutions for making this commitment to any animals in their care."
Suffering affects not only animal welfare, but also the quality of science. While laws that apply to animal research call vaguely for the minimization of animal pain and distress, it is legal to conduct research that causes severe and unrelieved pain and distress. There are also cases in which animal research isn't covered by law, such as the use of lab-bred mice, rats and birds in research that is privately funded. Federally funded research is subject to regulations under the Public Health Service requiring that researchers minimize pain and distress.
Through this newly launched pledge initiative of our Pain & Distress Campaign, The HSUS seeks to encourage greater attention to pain and distress in animal research, regardless of how severe, and to decrease animal pain and distress overall.
Colleges and Universities Signing the Pledge:
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (Asheville, N.C.)
Blue Ridge Community College (Weyers Cave, Va.)
Cardinal Stritch University (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Central Carolina Community College (Sanford, N.C.)
County College of Morris (Randolph, N.J.)
Delaware Valley College (Doylestown, Pa.)
Fairfield University (Fairfield, Conn.)
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (Tallahassee, Fla.)
Foothill College (Los Altos Hills, Calif.)
Francis Marion University (Florence, S.C.)
Lincoln Memorial University (Harrogate, Tenn.)
Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods (Kansas City, Mo.)
Miami Dade College (Miami, Fla.)
Morgan State University (Baltimore, Md.)
New Mexico Highlands University (Las Vegas, N.M.)
Nova Southeastern University (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)
Pima Community College (Tucson, Ariz.)
Southern Connecticut State University (New Haven, Conn.)
University of Texas-Pan American (Edinburg, Texas)
University of the Ozarks (Clarksville, Ariz.)
Valdosta State University (Valdosta, Ga.)
Wheaton College (Norton, Mass.)
* Some institutions have chosen to remain anonymous.
Representatives of institutions that want to sign the pledge should contact The HSUS at ari@hsus.org for more information.
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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization — backed by 10.5 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty — On the web at humanesociety.org.
