Is your Campus’ Animal Research Free of Severe Pain & Distress?

The HSUS is asking for the support of colleges and universities across the country to end severe pain and distress in research animals. Schools can pledge to ensure that no animals at their institution experience severe and unrelieved pain and/or distress during any aspect of their care and use.

While the majority of animal-based protocols do not result in severe pain and/or distress, this pledge is as an opportunity for the animal research community to increase attention to and better tackle pain and distress overall, regardless of their levels. 

Animal pain and distress—when not alleviated—can affect an animal’s physiological and psychological state and therefore confound experimental results. By adopting the pledge, institutions demonstrate their commitment to go beyond the letter of the law in addressing research animal suffering. 

So far, 15 schools across the country have signed the pledge to not allow animals to experience severe pain and/or distress. These significant and tangible successes have resulted in reduced suffering of research animals. The public, students, parents, and alumni at these schools have a right to know that their tax dollars and tuition are being spent on research that is not causing severe suffering to the animals involved. 

If you are on the faculty or staff at a school that would like to explore the possibility of signing on to this pledge, or you are a student and want your school to take the pledge, please email us, or call 301-258-3041.

For more information please see the following:

Severe Pain and Distress Free: How Do I Make the Switch? [PDF]

Severe Pain and Distress Free: Why Make the Switch [PDF]

University Pledge Form [PDF]

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Updated July 1, 2008