One of the most precarious and controversial topics in the life sciences, neuroscience included, is the use of animals in research. While many strides have been made to make the use of animals as ethical as possible, there lies a deeper question that scientists and non-scientists ask themselves alike: is it ethical at all?
I am not going to try to convince you that animal use is okay. Honestly, my own thoughts and views on the matter are conflicting at times and ever changing. What I want to do, however, is present to you some facets of animal use in science and then follow up by explaining how these facets are guided by good animal ethics. To be clear, this discussion will not be all encompassing, and will largely be based upon my own experience conducting research with animals.
First, where are animals in science kept? If a research institute is using animals, they will often have an animal care facility with trained and dedicated animal care staff. This facility serves the needs of the animals as well as the research needs of the scientists that make use of the animals.
