Slide 1

Welcome to the UWA Teaching module for students and selected volunteers participating in projects
involving animal use. This course is designed to advise you of your legal responsibilities and
regulatory processes at UWA.

Slide 2
We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we are meeting and recording on, the
Whadjuk people. We wish to acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution
they make to the life of this city and this region.

Slide 3
Animal ethics is a framework in which actions are considered to be good or bad, right or wrong.

Ethics is applied in the evaluation of what should or should not be done when animals are used for
scientific purposes. These ideas change over time between nations, ethnic groups and individuals.
For example, in Australia, community support has grown overtime towards free range eggs and away
from eggs produced from battery hens. In the research world, Australia banned animal testing on new
cosmetic ingredients in July of 2020.

Slide 4
Animal welfare, in essence, is an animal's quality of life, which encompasses the ways an animal may
perceive and respond to their circumstances. These range from a positive state of wellbeing to a
negative state of distress.

UWA recognises societal concern for animals used for scientific purposes and addresses the social
licence through their Animal Ethics Committees (AECs).

There are two AECs at UWA, the blue for biomedical species and the green for livestock and wildlife.
An AEC is an independent body established to apply the laws governing animal use.
Representation includes veterinarians, researchers, animal welfare advocates and laypersons from the
community.
UWA AECs also receive support from Animal Care Services (ACS), Veterinary Officers and Animal
Welfare Officers (AWOs). AWOs are authorised by the institution to ensure that activities proceed in
compliance with the Code and the decisions of the AEC.
ACS Veterinary Officers offer technical advice for the management and oversight of the programme of
veterinary care, quality management and project design within ACS facilities.

At UWA, researchers, volunteers and observers must hold a valid Permission to Work with Animals
(PWA) prior to commencing animal use. This enables the university to provide assurance to the state
government that all animal users are cognisant of the law and are adequately trained and supervised.

Slide 5
AEC approval represents acceptable community standards for the care and use of animals for scientific
purposes. Essentially, what will pass the “pub test.” This is the concept of social licence.
The AEC represents a form of protection for the public, in that only research that is code compliant is
undertaken at the university, and protection for the researcher from an animal cruelty prosecution. For
instance, performing surgery on animals without possession of a veterinary degree is not ok outside of
an AEC approved research project where the credentials and experience of all involved is approved by
consensus.
To establish a quorum, an AEC must comprise of at least four people, one from each of the four
categories of membership + chairperson. Category C&D must together represent at least one-third of
those members present at a meeting.
-A Category A member is a registered veterinary surgeon in Australia.
-Category B is a research scientist with substantial and recent experience in the use of animals for
scientific purposes. This can, in certain circumstances, be a teacher.
-Category C is an animal welfare advocate not affiliated with the University or involved in the care and
use of animals for scientific purposes, and a
-Category D member is a lay person not affiliated with the University or involved in the care and use
of animals for scientific purposes.

Slide 6.
UWA holds a WA government licence for animal use. To maintain this licence, we must adhere to the
law, specifically the Animal Welfare Act 2002 and the National Health and Medical Research Council's
Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes 2013 (the Code).

The overarching aim of the Code is that respect for animals must underpin all decisions and actions
regarding the care and use of animals for research purposes.

Slide 7.
The aim of the code is to protect animals used for scientific purposes.
Research must only proceed if; it will benefit society, there are no alternatives to Animal use to achieve
the proposed research questions, and there is no unnecessary pain or suffering in the process.

The Code covers non-human vertebrates and cephalopods. As a guide, once embryos, fetuses, and
larval forms have progressed beyond half their gestation or are capable of independent feeding, they
are covered by the Code. Unless there is evidence to the contrary, it must be assumed that what will
cause pain and distress in humans will cause pain and distress in animals.

Slide 8.
The Code dictates that all projects must be subject to ethical review, approval and monitoring by an
AEC, only proceed in accordance with what was approved, start only after AEC approval is gained and
stop if approval is withdrawn.

Slide 9.
There are 6 governing principles of the code, those being:
1. Animals must only be used when justified. Research should benefit society and use minimal
animal numbers where no replacement option is available. Benefit to society must justify the
means.
2. Support the wellbeing of animals. The wellbeing of animals must be considered in terms of
the cumulative effects of an animal's lifetime experience. Animals must be able to display
natural behaviours and interventions are in line with current best practise.
 3. Avoid or minimise harm. Where alleviation of pain or distress is pre-emptive and takes
precedence over a scientific aim. An animal monitoring plan should be in place to allow an
intervention to take place at the earliest possible time point.
4. A high standard of scientific integrity, no matter what the impact on animals is, If the research
is not scientifically valid, AEC approval should not be granted.
5. Every research application must address the Three R's of replacement (which are alternatives
to animal use), reduction (lessening of animal numbers), and refinement (techniques to reduce
harm or increase animal wellbeing). Reduction in animal numbers must not be confused with
reuse. Reuse requires permission from the AEC to assess if the potential benefit of using fewer
total animals outweighs the possibly higher welfare impact per animal.
6. Responsibility is shared by all. Everyone who works with animals is responsible for upholding
the Code. The person with ultimate responsibility in the eyes of the Code is the chief
investigator. Although everyone involved in animal work is responsible for their own conduct.
They must speak up if instructions to complete their role are not clear, or if they don't
understand something, or if they think protocols are not being performed properly.

Slide 10.
At UWA, we are all in this together. Animal Care Services, or ACS, is comprised of vets, vet nurses,
animal technicians, quality control, breeding management and farm hands. ACS + the AEC and
researchers must work together to ensure animal welfare standards are upheld to the highest degree.
The AWO can act as the intermediary between all three parties.
Animals that are less stressed will give less variability in their physiological responses to interventions.
Quality science + a quality regulatory framework equates to quality research output.

Slide 11.
Monitoring is essential to know when to intervene if pain and distress are predicted or unavoidable
consequences of a project. Species specific monitoring criteria must be predetermined to identify:
- The Experimental Endpoint: This is the earliest time point at which data can be obtained and
the study completed.
- The Intervention Point: When intervention is necessary to minimise pain and distress, and
- The Humane Endpoint. This is when the animal should be humanely killed, regardless of
whether the aims of the study have been achieved.

Slide 12
Monitoring methods should be standardised to decrease subjectivity and variability within an
experiment. Examples of this are body condition score and “grimace scales”. The example on screen is
of a monitoring coversheet and recording sheet. The frequency and criteria used for monitoring are
predetermined, as is the total welfare impact score when an intervention is mandated. The humane
endpoint and thresholds for weight loss, tumour burden or any other project specific parameter is
captured on the monitoring coversheet. Management of sick or injured wildlife encountered in a field
situation should also be captured in a project's monitoring documentation.

Slide 13.
Grimace scales look at changes in facial expression to assess pain. A numeric score is given to quantify
the extent of the animal's “pain face” to know when to intervene with pain relief. This is essentially an
animal version of a doctor asking a patient to rate their pain between one and ten. These examples
are of mouse and rat grimace scales, but they are available for multiple species.

Slide 14.
When dealing with life, things don't always go according to plan. An adverse event, as defined by the
Code, is any event that has a negative impact on the wellbeing of an animal.
To learn from mistakes, refine techniques and safeguard the welfare of other animals involved in the
experiment the AWO must be contacted immediately if an unexpected adverse event has occurred.
If the adverse event is not predicted in the research application, it must be reported to the AEC and a
necropsy must take place to determine the cause of death.
The only way to prevent an adverse event being repeated is early and accurate reporting.
It should be noted that this process is not punitive but rather a method to improve animal welfare.

Slide 15.
Wildlife have additional considerations in the Code such as:
- Direct and indirect disturbance to their habitat, such as risk of disease transmission.
- Injury and stress induced disease from capture. An example of this is capture myopathy in
Kangaroos which renders the roo paralysed after excessive chasing.
- Ensuring treatment for individuals who are ill or injured. Trap selection should be suited to the target
species that ensures protection from injury, predators, parasites, and environmental extremes.
- Dependent offspring should be pre-empted. To minimise impact, researchers should avoid trapping
in breeding seasons.
- Target and non-target species should be considered. Methods to maximise the species of interest
and minimise bycatch need to be considered. An example is minimising the number of days of
continuous trapping within an area.
- It is imperative to return the environment to its natural state after a project is complete. For example,
removing traps when not in use and removing radio collars.

Slide 16.
So, what are my responsibilities as a student or volunteer on a research project?
1. Animal use must be in line with AEC approval. Everyone involved in a research project,
from volunteers to chief investigators, must follow the activities and procedures outlined in
the application. The AEC approved application is effectively a contract. If one strays from this
contract, there is no protection from being investigated for non-compliance, reported for
research misconduct, or charged with animal cruelty.
2. Animal use must be in line with UWA Standard Operating Procedures. SOPs have been
developed to align with current best practice of care. These must be strictly followed.
3. Supervision. As a volunteer or student on a research application, you must be supervised by a
person who is competent for the procedure being performed.
4. Training prior to animal use must be undertaken. This presentation is the first step! You
must know your regulatory responsibilities prior to working with animals.
5. Permission to work with animals. With few exceptions, at UWA you must hold a PWA to
work with animals.
 6. Reporting. You must maintain accurate records of animal use and report any animal welfare
concerns to your teacher or supervisor.

Slide 17.
Any questions related to the ethical and social issues and legal responsibilities involved in the care
and use of animals for scientific purposes should be directed to your teacher or chief investigator
before animal use commences.
Any investigator can contact the AEC directly or the AEC Chair or the Animal Welfare Officer to
express their concern regarding a project involving animals.
Please now proceed with the quiz. A link to the Code is available at the start of the quiz should you
need it for reference. Thank you for your time.