An investigation of the perceptions of laboratory animal welfare issues among undergraduate and graduate veterinary students in southeastern China

Shihong Yan; Hongyang Li; Jin Lin; Huimin Chen; Shasha Liu; Hongxiu Diao

doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1335484

An investigation of the perceptions of laboratory animal welfare issues among undergraduate and graduate veterinary students in southeastern China

Front Vet Sci. 2024 Feb 12:10:1335484. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1335484. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Shihong Yan^{1

2}, Hongyang Li^{1

2}, Jin Lin^{1

2}, Huimin Chen^{1

2}, Shasha Liu^{1

2}, Hongxiu Diao^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Animal Pathogen Infection and Immunology of Fujian Province, College of Animal Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
² Joint Laboratory of Animal Pathogen Prevention and Control of Fujian-Nepal, College of Animal Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.

Abstract

Animal experiments have played a significant role in advancing scientific knowledge and enhancing people's quality of life. In order to better understand the opinions and knowledge of veterinary students in the domain of laboratory animal welfare and to explore and advance the teaching methods used in animal ethics education, a questionnaire was designed and used to conduct a survey among undergraduate and postgraduate students majoring in veterinary medicine. The survey encompassed various topics, such as students' level of knowledge about animal welfare, their perspectives on laboratory animals, their proficiency with animal experiments, and their opinions on teaching methods and content. The respondents were a total of 150 undergraduate students and 148 graduate students. The survey results indicated that most students expressed a strong sense of responsibility for the safeguarding of the welfare of experimental animals. However, there were a few students who lacked compassion for animals. Additionally, there was a general lack of basic theoretical knowledge of animal ethics and an inadequate grasp of experimental techniques among current students. Furthermore, most of the participants expressed a strong sense of responsibility to advocate for animal welfare. Although a substantial number of students were unaware of the existence of agencies for the supervision of work involving laboratory animals, they supported teaching and supervision in the domain of animal welfare and were open to various teaching methods and topics of content. In conclusion, targeted training and education regarding laboratory animal welfare and ethics should be conducted in the future to address the specific needs of students. This study provides a foundation for future animal welfare education and will help to improve the professional skills and humanistic qualities of veterinary students.

Keywords: Chinese veterinary students; animal welfare; laboratory animal; survey research; university education.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was supported by the Undergraduate Education and Teaching Reform Research Program of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (111421143, 111423041) and the Graduate Education and Teaching Reform Research Program of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (712018270373, 712018270502).