Where do you stand on animal testing?

When it comes to using animals in research, IISD Experimental Lakes Area recognizes that it is a privilege and that animals must be treated with the utmost respect.

With animal research, we focus on “The Three Rs” of animal use (replacement, refinement, reduction) and decrease harm wherever possible, including the prioritization of non-lethal sampling methods. If you are planning to visit IISD-ELA as a researcher, please be sure to read and adhere to our guidelines on animal research at the site. 

Fish are included in our experiments. IISD Experimental Lakes Area lakes contain small populations of fish, such as fathead minnows, pearl dace, white sucker, lake trout, and northern pike. Projects involving wildlife go through an extensive review process prior to start-up. This process ensures that all wildlife within the experiment are being treated with respect and compassion according to the guidelines created by the Canadian Council for Animal Care.

Some exciting avenues of research we are pursuing at IISD-ELA include the pioneering of non-lethal testing methods. Imagine if you could gauge an animal’s health just through their mucus. Sounds miraculous, right? In reality, such sampling methods might be reliably used in our not-too-distant future.