Laws, Animals, & Research

Background

Animals in laboratories across the country are almost always kept from public view and very few laws protect them. In fact, the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), originally named the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act, is often the only law that addresses the minimum standards of care for animals at research facilities. Unfortunately, the AWA excludes over 95% of the very animals the law is supposed to be protecting by specifically excluding birds, rats, and mice bred for use in research, cold-blooded animals, and animals used in agriculture research for food and fiber. This section explains the laws and levels of oversight currently in place to protect animals used for research, testing, and education.

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