Animal Care Program Openness Statement

The UC Davis animal care program is one of the largest and most diverse in the nation. We are incredibly proud of our program and take animal welfare very seriously. We understand that working with animals is a privilege and that it is our responsibility to provide exemplary care.

We are a USDA registered facility and as such conduct animal research in compliance with the regulations and standards of the Animal Welfare Act. As are all USDA registered facilities, we have annual unannounced inspections by Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Veterinary Medical Officers who assess the animals, facilities, food and water supply, medications and records.

All research proposals are thoroughly reviewed by our Institutional Animal Care and Use committee prior to any animal studies and require approval before commencing. The membership of this committee is constituted by veterinarians, physiologists, immunologists, wildlife conservationists and at least one member whose primary concerns are in a nonscientific area (e.g., ethicist, lawyer). There is also at least one member not affiliated with the institution in order to include a diverse opinion from the surrounding community. This learned group of scientists and vested individuals provide close oversight and ensure that we follow all federal and state guidelines for the ethical use of laboratory animals in support of human health and welfare.

We believe in openness and transparency about the important work we do and are voluntarily posting our inspection reports.