The following is the unedited text of the Yale statement on animal

research:

Yale believes the humane use of animals in research is more than justified by the
benefits it yields to humankind. Virtually all medical advances of the last century
would have been impossible without animal research. From antibiotics and blood
transfusions to dialysis and organ transplantations, nearly every modern treatment to
cure disease and control pain is based on knowledge gained through animal
research.
Today researchers at Yale are working on new therapies and diagnostic tools for a
broad range of terminal diseases including Parkinson’s, lung cancer, HIV/AIDS, cystic
fibrosis, Alzheimer’s and Muscular Dystrophy – all of which rely on animal models.
Our faculty members employ animals only when there are no alternative models for
advancing their research.
Yale takes seriously its responsibility for the humane care of animals; our laboratories
comply with or exceed all federal regulations and independent accreditation
standards. As we continue to advance modern medicine, and provide hope for
millions of patients and their families, Yale scientists will sustain their commitment to
the humane use of animals in research.

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FACT SHEET ON ANIMALS IN RESEARCH
•Biomedical researchers, who dedicate their lives to preserving and improving
human health, respect all life.
•Animal research at Yale is conducted humanely – and only when there are no other
research options.
•Virtually all medical advances of the last century—organ transplantation, drug
development and vaccines—would have been impossible without animal research.
•Animal research has resulted in many life-saving and life-extending vaccines and
treatments for cats, dogs, farm animals, and endangered species as well as humans.
•Some achievements of animal research:
•Advances in HIV/AIDS treatment
•Treatment for diseases and conditions such as: diabetes, spinal cord injury and
Parkinson’s disease.
•Increase in cure rates for pediatric cancers.
•Over 553,000 men and women survive coronary bypass surgery each year
•The 420,000 patients who receive hip and knee replacements each year no longer
face confinement in wheelchairs or great difficulty and pain when walking
•Yale’s animal program has voluntarily sought and obtained accreditation by the
Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International
(AAALAC). The program also maintains a current Assurance with the NIH Office of
Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), and a Registration with the USDA Animal Plant
Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
•Yale’s program is internally overseen by the University’s Institutional Animal Care
and Use Committee (IACUC) and conducts a rigorous self-assessment of the entire
program twice a year. The program is externally overseen by unannounced annual
inspections by the USDA and by announced triennial site visits by AAALAC.
•Yale purchases animals only from licensed and/or accredited commercial vendors
and dealers who are licensed to sell animals that have been specifically bred for
research.
•Humane treatment of research animals is required by law and is necessary to obtain
valid research findings.
•Often, the need for animals in biomedical research is misunderstood by non-
scientific individuals, who in fact, purchase and benefit from products on a daily basis
without realizing that they were developed, in part, from data collected in animal
research.
•Approximately 95 percent of all animals needed for research conducted in the U.S.
are rats and mice; the percent is even higher at Yale, where less than one percent of
research animals are non-rodent species.