Animals in Research

Behavioral Management Programs (BMP) are intended to ensure optimal environments, husbandry, handling, and management of all animals in our care. These programs focus on a holistic view of animal care for the specific species and individual animal.

• Dynamic environmental enrichment programs that consider species-specific welfare requirements.
• Proactive management programs that provide physiological and behavioral well-being for our animals.
• Ongoing commitment to develop best practices in behavioral management and environmental enrichment strategies.

We offer a complimentary guide to the behavior and enrichment of laboratory rodents covering species-typical behavior as well as abnormal/malfunctional behavior and stereotypes observed in mice, rats, hamsters, and gerbils, this is an excellent resource for those looking to implement or enhance an existing behavioral husbandry and enrichment program.

• Active participation at numerous national and international scientific meetings to ensure we both obtain and impart knowledge about best practices.
• Establishment of an Animal Oversight Body or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee responsible for each site. Representatives of these committees across all sites meet together on a regular basis to establish guidelines and identify and harmonize best practices.
• Regular site visits by the senior members of the Global Animal Welfare and Training group to identify areas of excellence and facilitate sharing of this information with others.
• Establishment of a network of Animal Welfare Specialists for all business units worldwide. These individuals are appointed by the CEO and work with Global Animal Welfare and Training on a regular basis.
• Commitment to promoting compassion, resiliency, and the well-being of personnel working with animals. Charles River’s Compassion Science Program helps personnel to recognize signs of compassion stress in themselves and others, provides support to employees, helps to increase consistency in work quality and excellent animal care, and increases employee satisfaction.

• When new employees join Charles River, they are welcomed to the company with a Cultural Orientation Program. A central message to new employees is our commitment to animal welfare. All employees are asked to embrace humane care as a critical element of how Charles River supports accelerating drug development.
• Employees learn about the 3Rs of animal welfare: Replacement, Reduction, Refinement, and incorporate Charles River’s Culture of Care into their daily work. They also learn about their obligation to report any animal welfare concerns and then sign a Humane Care Commitment after completing their orientation.
• Formal training in animal welfare recurs annually, at minimum. Employees with direct contact with the animals re-sign the Humane Care Commitment statement after each annual update.
• There are internal information channels such as our quarterly newsletters, intranet site, and annual All-Hands meetings that keep employees current on animal welfare, the 3Rs at Charles River, and the latest news regarding the Humane Care Imperative.
• A network of trainers helps to ensure that our sites are working together to raise the bar for the humane care and welfare of our animals. These groups meet regularly for advanced training, networking, discussion, case studies, and other activities related to advancing humane care. The network reinforces the objectives of the Humane Care Imperative and gives our employees a local outlet for ideas, questions, or concerns.
• We believe strongly in providing continuing education opportunities to our network of trainers through retreats and workshops. These bring together employees from sites around the globe and reinforce our commitment to their development and to promoting best practices within the company and the industry.