66 • Alternatives to Animal Use in Research, Testing, and Education 
data sheets completed by every institution that uses 
laboratory species regulated under the Animal 
Welfare Act. APHIS requires that registered insti- 
tutions report all use of dogs, cats, guinea pigs, 
hamsters, rabbits, and nonhuman primates. Even 
with this requirement, though, it seems that APHIS 
does not receive animal-use information from all 
possible users. The data from these forms were 
found to be more accurate than the Animal Wel- 
fare Enforcement Report, a summary submitted 
annually by APHIS to Congress. This report usu- 
ally neglects 10 to 20 percent of the annual reports 
(those submitted late, usually after December 31) 
and so underestimates the actual number of dogs, 
cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, and nonhu- 
man primates used. 
For fiscal years 1982 and 1983, the numbers of 
these kinds of animals used, according to the APHIS 
data sheets, are shown in table 3-7. For other lab- 
oratory species— mice, rats, birds, amphibians, and 
fish— the ability to obtain accurate estimates of the 
number used is impaired by a lack of reliable data 
sources. The best estimates are that 100,000 to 
500,000 birds, 100,000 to 500,000 amphibians, 2.5 
million to 4.0 million fish, and 12.2 million to 15.25 
million rats and mice were used. (Animal use in 
medical and veterinary education is estimated to 
be at least 5 3,000 animals per year and is discussed 
in ch. 9.) Total animal use in the United States, 
therefore, is estimated as between 17 million and 
22 million a year. 
The great discrepancies in data sources meant 
no trends could be observed over time and among 
different types of institution. Even within the 
APHIS data for six kinds of animals, no clear trends 
Table 3-7.— Animal Use Reported to the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, 1982 and 1983 a 
Animal 
Number used 
in 1982 
Number used 
in 1983 
Dogs 
194,867 
182,425 
Cats 
59,961 
55,346 
Hamsters 
417,267 
454,479 
Rabbits 
547,312 
509,052 
Guinea pigs 
497,860 
521,237 
Nonhuman primates. . . 
54,565 
59,336 
Total 
. . 1,771,832 
1,781,875 
a Totals do not include rats or mice, two species that together represent the 
majority of animals used. 
SOURCE: Office of Technology Assessment. 
were found. Indeed, the most important finding 
was that no accurate source exists on the num- 
bers of animals used annually in the United States. 
A stratified random sample of all possible user in- 
stitutions done with a correct statistical analysis 
would probably be the best way to estimate labora- 
tory-animal use in the United States. 
In the Federal Government, six departments and 
four agencies use animals for intramural research 
and testing. These investigative efforts range from 
uncovering new knowledge that will lead to bet- 
ter health (within the National Institutes of Health), 
to evaluating hazardous substances in consumer 
products (within the Consumer Product Safety 
Commission's Directorate for Health Sciences), to 
protecting the health of American astronauts 
(within the National Aeronautic and Space Admin- 
istration’s Life Sciences Division). 
OTA used the APHIS Annual Report of Research 
Facility forms to track animal use within the Fed- 
eral Government itself by department (and by di- 
vision within departments) and by species. In this 
way, it was possible to identify what portion of 
the estimated 17 million to 22 million animals used 
yearly were used within Federal facilities. In 1983, 
the Federal Government used at least 1.6 million 
animals, largely rats and mice. Ninety -six percent 
of the 1.6 million animals were used by DOD, 
DHHS, and the VA. Of the total, about 9 percent 
were dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, 
and nonhuman primates. 
The APHIS forms require that all experiments 
be categorized as: 1) involving no pain or distress; 
2) involving appropriate anesthetic, analgesic, or 
tranquilizer drugs to avoid pain or distress; or 3) 
involving pain or distress without administration 
of appropriate anesthetic, analgesic, or tranquilizer 
drugs. Sixty -three percent of the animals used 
within Federal departments and agencies were in 
the experimental situation categorized as involv- 
ing no pain or distress while 32 percent were given 
drugs and only 5 percent experienced pain or 
distress. 
The APHIS reporting system lacks clear defini- 
tions and uniform reporting. If accurate data are 
to be obtained, the forms must be revised and bet- 
ter explanations of how to complete them must 
be provided. 
