Uni-Tübingen

How are the animals treated in the laboratory?

The care of animals at the University of Tübingen’s research facilities is conducted in full compliance with all provisions of European and German animal welfare laws. Laboratory animals are provided with sufficiently large, well-equipped cages and enclosures in which they can live as far as possible according to their natural needs and behaviors. Laboratory and animal care staff, as well as the University’s veterinary service, ensure the animals’ well-being. Trained and knowledgeable animal caretakers ensure species-appropriate housing, provide daily care and attention to the animals, and attend to their physical and psychological needs. The animals are treated with compassion and respect. Specialized veterinarians at the University provide medical care for the animals in the animal facilities.

In many scientific experiments, researchers at the University are interested in the normal behavior of animals. Observing this behavior requires the focused cooperation of healthy, comfortable animals. Nevertheless, pain or distress for the animals cannot always be entirely avoided. Researchers who cannot do without important results from experiments strive to minimize suffering on the part of the animals they use in their research. Where suffering is unavoidable, they take every possible measure to reduce it to a minimum, for example by using anesthesia during painful procedures and providing pain management according to the latest standards.


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