4. Ethical code of behaviour of researchers, educators and animal care staff

The following attitudes should apply to any programme in which laboratory animals are used.

4.1 The animal subjects
Sensitivity and respect for the sentience of non-human animals demands that they should be treated as organisms fully worthy of moral concern, under the stewardship of institutions and their staff.

4.2 Fairness and objectivity
Animal users should respect the interests of animals and not subject animals to intentions and motives which are not directly concerned with a research or teaching project, its objectives and its methodology.

4.3 Competence
Animal care staff, researchers and educators must be either professionally and personally qualified and/ or formally authorised by the South African Veterinary Council, if tasks deemed to be those pertaining to the Veterinary or Para-Veterinary Professions are to be performed. Professional standards shall be upheld in accordance with academic training and the requirements of the professional regulatory body which administers the Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Professions Act No. 19 of 1982.9 The rules relating to the practising of the Para-Veterinary Profession of Laboratory Animal Technologist are appended to these guidelines as Annexure 1.

4.4 Responsibility
Researchers and educators who use laboratory animals and the staff who procure, breed and care for them are considered to be personally responsible for the proper care and use of these animals. They should uphold professional standards in accordance with their academic training and their professions.

4.5 Integrity
Integrity should be promoted by honesty and fairness. In particular, researchers, educators, animal care personnel and Ethics Committee for Research on Animals (ECRA) members should be honest about their own limitations, competence, belief systems, values and needs, and be prepared to respect views contrary to their own.

4.6 Sensitivity
Sensitivity in animal experimentation requires balancing scientific or teaching interests with general values and norms supporting the interests and welfare of the animal subjects. Special care should be taken not to treat animals as mere objects. Research objectives shall always be subordinate to the humane treatment of animals.