Fudan University animal ethics committee

[Guest guest]

Fudan's panel to safeguard rights of laboratory

animals

Yan Zhen

2006-06-03

 

FUDAN University has set up the city's first animal

ethics committee to protect the welfare and rights of

laboratory animals, university officials said

yesterday.

 

Researchers and teachers must apply in advance to the

animal ethics committee and receive written approval

before conducting experiments and research at Fudan's

pharmaceutical college.

 

The decision was effective June 1.

 

Concerned medical students and animal rights activists

have urged the university to build a memorial to the

many animals that have suffered and died for science

in work on campus.

 

A similar committee has been set up for animal

research in Beijing.

 

Those involved in experiments and animal care are

expected to receive training in appropriate animal

treatment that meets an international code of ethics.

 

Standards include giving animals enough living space,

never starving or dehydrating them and killing them

painlessly when necessary.

 

Those who violate the ethics code will be warned and

could forfeit research rights, officials said.

 

" The organization is set up to regulate the ethical

treatment of laboratory animals and bring the

country's practice in line with international codes, "

said Cheng Nengneng, the committee director.

 

Medical research programs, especially pharmaceutical

experiments, often involve animals - usually rats,

mice, rabbits, dogs and monkeys. Thousands of rats and

mice, dozens of dogs and less than 10 monkeys are used

in Fudan's research programs each year, officials

said.

 

However, lack of standards for animal treatment has

put many researchers into an embarrassing position.

Several professors' thesis were rejected by

international academic journals as they were not

certified by an animal ethics committee.

 

" The lack of animal protection organizations and

regulations even hurt our communication with

counterparts in the world, " Cheng said.

 

The suffering of laboratory animals and separate

maltreatment scandals have been reported in recent

years. An online video showed a high-heeled women in

Heilongjiang Province stomping kittens to death in

March.

 

Cruelty to animals has caused indignation and raised

awareness in a country where pets are increasingly

popular.

 

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2006/06/03/281839/Fudan__039_s_panel_to_safegua\

rd_rights_of_laboratory_animals.htm

-------------------

Fudan sets up committee to aid animals

Winny Wang

2006-06-02

 

FUDAN University set up an ethics committee yesterday

to protect laboratory animals' welfares and rights,

Oriental Morning Post reported today.

 

Chen Nengneng, the head of the committee, said it aims

to regulate the ethical treatment of laboratory

animals and demands researchers treat the animals

mercifully.

 

The committee was set up after some international

publications turned down papers written by teachers

and students from pharmaceutical college in the

university, because they lack the ethical check on

laboratory animals, Chen said.

 

Researchers should treat laboratory animals as

follows:

 

*The living space for laboratory animals should meet

the standard;

 

*Animals can't be starved, dehydrated or fall sick;

 

*Use other methods instead of testing on animals if

possible;

 

*Train dogs, cats and monkeys before experiments to

reduce their dread and upset;

 

*Kill the animals mercifully after the experiments if

they can't be recovered;

 

*Treat the animals kindly and mercifully and be

grateful to the animals.

 

[Chinese story link:

http://dfdaily.news365.com.cn/dfchannels/dadoukuai/fudanxingui-dongwushiyanxuguo\

lunliguan/?searchterm=??]

 

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2006/06/02/281803/Fudan_sets_up_committee_to_ai\

d_animals.htm

 

==============================

Posts on the Shanghaiist blog about Fudan University:

 

Shanghaiist blog describes how Fudan University was

the scene of alledged cat cruelty by a maths student

named Zhang Liangliang last year. This was before the

cat crusher business but along similar lines with an

upsetting photo, stories by other students and lots of

angry posts on cat sites/bulletin boards:

 

http://www.shanghaiist.com/archives/2005/12/06/spare_the_anima.php

 

Shanghaiist blog re Fudan's new animal lab standards:

 

While the thought of animal testing gives us the

shivers, we suppose it’s good they finally have some

standards in place, vague as they may be. But it makes

us wonder just what they were doing to these animals

before they drew up this list.

 

http://www.shanghaiist.com/archives/animals/

 

 

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