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MEDIA RELEASE
24 APRIL 2008
Calling for Compassion on World Veterinary Day, 26 April 2008
The Australian Association for Humane Research is calling on veterinary students to make ethical
choices with their chosen profession and object to “practicing” on healthy living animals.
AAHR Humane Education Officer, Carrie Barnes-Hobson says “Trainee veterinarians enter their
profession with the intention of helping animals. Killing healthy animals to obtain their training is a
contradiction and sends a confusing message that can result in desensitisation and a loss of respect
for life.”
“There are already alternatives available in veterinary teaching that allow students to acquire an
education equal to those that use animals in terminal surgery. Use of living dogs is therefore a failure
to implement the "3R’s" (reduction, refinement and replacement) principle.”
In order to provide hands on experience, veterinary students should instead provide a desexing
service to pounds and shelters thereby providing a real benefit for the individual animals. This ensures
that students also gain the experience of observing and monitoring post-operative recovery. They may
also assist with and perform supervised surgeries in private veterinary practices on patients in genuine
need of assistance – as is practiced in UK veterinary colleges and how human doctors learn in
teaching hospitals.
The concept of Conscientious Objection was pioneered by Dr Andrew Knight at Perth’s Murdoch
University in November 1998. He successfully completed his veterinary qualifications without harming
animals. In his objections he referred to numerous published studies which suggested that medical,
veterinary, biology and pharmacology students who used alternatives to animal use in their work were
at least as competent as the animal using counterparts.
“The duty of care that veterinarians have towards animals without having to ‘sacrifice’ is a much
greater teaching method which also incorporates a higher level of compassion towards the patients as
well as their chosen profession.” Ms Barnes-Hobson concluded.
Contacts for further information or quotes:
Carrie Barnes-Hobson, Humane Education Officer 03 9832 0752
Helen Rosser, Chief Executive Officer. 0407 802 794 or 03 9832 0752
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