if you do use animals how do you get them

Question: if you do use animals how do you get them
- Keywords:
  animal testing
Asked by raggy to Adam, Joanna, Louise S, Louise W, Marcus on 12 Nov 2012.
- Louise Stanley answered on 12 Nov 2012:
  
  I don’t use animals but I do know some people who have used them. Generally most animals are bred in specific facilities to be used for experiements and then the reasearchers buy them. Sometimes researchers may breed their own animals such as to make a “knock-out” model which is where a specific gene is made so it doesn’t work anymore and then you can observe what the role of that gene has by seeing what effect it has on the animal.
- Marcus Wilson answered on 12 Nov 2012:
  
  I dont use animals but have in the past. Big areas of research (institutes, universities) tend to have a dedicated animal facility where lots of peope are employed just to take care of the animals the scientists need for their experiments.
  
  they tend to be kept in super clean environement to make sure they dont get sick. Where I work the people that look after mice have to shower and wear special clothes ( right down to their underwear!) when they go to look after the mice.
- Adam Paige answered on 14 Nov 2012:
  
  the other thing to mention about animal work is that it is carefully controlled by laws. Animal work can only be done by trained specialists. There must be veterinary trained experts on hand to ensure the animals are well cared for. Any science work involving animals is reviewed by the government before permission is granted. And they check up on what is happening every year to ensure the animals are being cared for.
  
  The key thing in animal work is the three Rs – Replacement, Reduction and Refinement. Which basically means
  i) can you use a different method that doesn’t involve animals?
  ii) if not, can you reduce the number of animals needed to the smallest number possible.
  iii) and can you change the experiment so that you are doing as little as possible to the animals.
  To do animal work, a scientist has to convince the government reviewers that they have done these three things properly. And then only experiments that can only be done in animals will be allowed.
- Joanna Giles answered on 14 Nov 2012:
  
  I’ve only ever worked on either bacteria or human blood samples and I agree with everyone else – nobody WANTS to work on animals but if they have to then there are strict laws in place to make sure it’s all approved to be seen as ethical.Scientists only get animals from specific places that will sell healthy animals grown specifically for research.
- Louise Walkin answered on 18 Nov 2012:
  
  The animals are bred specifically for research, and they are very well looked after. There are companies that breed the animals onsite and then you need to order them from there. Universities and big pharmaceutical companies have designated areas where the animals are kept and they have staff whose responsibility it is to look after the animals. They feed them and look after them. They also keep an eye on the animals on a daily basis to make sure anything that has been done to them doesn’t cause any excessive pain. The animals are never allowed to suffer any pain, there is even a vet on site who makes sure that the animals are okay.
  There are even specific places that provide animals whose genetic background is completely mapped. These animals are specifically used for genetic research, which allows us to locate the genes responsible for certain diseases.

Question: if you do use animals how do you get them

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