Reporting Deficiencies in Animal Care and Use
Abuse and neglect are deficiencies in animal care and use.
Important Definitions
Animal abuse is defined as:
- Intentionally inflicting pain, suffering or distress that is unrelated to the scientific goals and not contained in experimental procedures outlined in an Animal Use Protocol that has been approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
- Causing animal pain or distress by failure to follow the procedures of an approved Animal Use Protocol
Animal neglect is defined as failure to:
- Provide food, water, or appropriate sanitation
- Provide treatment prescribed by a veterinarian or the principal investigator of a research project
- Notify a veterinarian or the person's supervisor about and animal that is sick, in pain, injured or otherwise in need of veterinary medical care
- Report abusive or neglectful action of a student or employee
The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee has established the following policy of reporting deficiencies in animal care. Any person who has observed or otherwise become aware of animal abuse or neglect should report it immediately to:
a) the supervisor of the responsible employee or student or,
b) the chair of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee or,
c) the veterinarian or,
d) the designated USDA Institutional Official.
All employees and students have an ethical obligation to immediately report credible evidence of the Policy on Prevention of Animal Abuse and Neglect or of the Animal Welfare Act (9CFR Part 2, Section 2.32 c) to any institutional authority named in paragraph 2.1.
The chair of the IACUC shall investigate all reports of suspected violations brought under this policy and, if appropriate, recommend disciplinary action to the offending person's supervisor. The IACUC chair shall report the findings and actions of the investigation to the person who reported the incident.
No employee of student shall be subjected to reprisals for filing a report under this policy.
Reporting Animal Welfare Concerns
If you would like to report an incident of animal abuse or neglect, please complete an Animal Care & Use Concern Form.