136 HUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS USED IN RESEARCH 
field. Those installations having extensive research programs 
should consider full time direction of their animal care programs. 
In smaller institutions part time consultation with specialists 
may be feasible; or a member of the staff with appropriate exper- 
ience could devote the time necessary to assure the adequacy of 
animal care. 
2. Career opportunity for animal technicians . 
Ultimately, the quality of animal care depends on the 
skill with which animal technicians meet their daily responsi- 
bilities. In some institutions the care of animals is organized 
primarily as a custodial rather than a technical activity. The 
salary scale for this group frequently is based on a comparison 
with building maintenance positions rather than with more skilled 
laboratory positions. These limitations greatly restrict the 
development of career positions for animal technicians, and add 
to the difficulty of recruiting better quality personnel. In 
spite of these restrictions, the site visitors were impressed with 
the obvious devotion of many technicians to the animals in their 
charge, and with the dependence of the professional staffs on 
these people for effective day to day operation of the animal 
facilities . 
In some institutions the decentralized organization of 
animal care also serves to limit the opportunity for animal 
technicians to develop comprehensive skills. For example, a 
technician employed by one investigator to care for mice may 
have no opportunity to learn about the care of rabbits, even 
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