Use and Care of Animals in Instruction
The University of Michigan realizes that some citizens have a special concern about the use of animals in instruction. While non-animal teaching methods are used to provide the vast majority of biology or medical students’ education, there remain educational objectives for which the University believes animal models are required.
Responsibility for humane and responsible animal use is an established and important part of the University’s educational objectives. Most instructional uses of animals involve minimally invasive or non-invasive procedures, and all are conducted under the supervision of a trained instructor.
At the University, these animals receive humane and compassionate care identical to that received by pets in veterinary clinics or humans in hospitals. The people working with the animals have chosen their profession because they care about animals, and would be among the first to object if an animal were used unnecessarily or inappropriately.
The University's formal policy on animal research acknowledges the important contribution that laboratory animals make to biomedical progress and affirms the institution's commitment to the responsible and human use of animals in research and instruction.