PERSUASION is replacing coercion in animal experiments. Some lab animals are being trained to take part in tests in their own time and in the security of their own pens.
All it takes is a bit of patience and sensitivity, and animals will work with you instead of against you, say the pioneers of this approach. Apart from the obvious welfare benefits, such as not having to restrain or sedate the animals, they say it makes tests easier to do and produces more reliable results than if the animals are stressed.
Animal welfare organisations have cautiously welcomed the development and…
