244 • Alternatives to Animal Use in Research, Testing, and Education 
Figure 11-1.— Relation Between Number of Animals Used and Cost of Animal Use 
Acquisition Maintenance Total 
The total cost of animal acquisition and maintenance equals the sum of the acquisition cost and the maintenance cost. (The 
maintenance cost depends on the animal’s length of stay in the animal facility.) 
Acquisition Maintenance Total 
Using fewer animals will yield a decrease in the total cost of animal acquisition and maintenance, but the proportionate sav- 
ings will be less than the decrease in the number of animals used. Both the price of each animal and the cost of maintenance 
per animal can be expected to increase to support the operating costs of breeding facilities and animal facilities. 
SOURCE: Office of Technology Assessment. 
and the total cost of animal use. Although the 
numbers and species of animals used (see ch. 3) 
and the price per animal can be estimated, it is 
currently impossible to estimate with any ac- 
curacy the laboratory lifetime— and hence the to- 
tal maintenance costs— of animals used in the 
United States. Therefore no actual dollar figure 
can be affixed to the cost of animal acquisition 
and maintenance in research and testing. Begin- 
ning in 1986, the Public Health Service (PHS) will 
require reports on the average daily census of all 
species housed in PHS-funded facilities (see app. 
C). These data may permit an estimate of the to- 
tal cost of animal use in a sizable portion of ani- 
mal research— namely, that conducted in PHS- 
funded facilities. 
The relationship shown in figure 11-1 empha- 
sizes several aspects of the economics of animal 
use. If the number of animals used is reduced, 
the total cost of animal acquisition and mainte- 
nance will decline. But the proportional decrease 
in total cost will not match the proportional de- 
crease in the number of animals used. Reducing 
animal use by 15 percent, for example, will not 
effect a cost savings of 15 percent; the savings 
will be somewhat less, for two reasons. First, if 
the number of animals used decreases, the cost 
of acquiring each animal can be expected to in- 
crease somewhat. (A temporary drop in price for 
some species that are in immediate oversupply 
may occur, but this would last only through the 
laboratory -useful lifespan of animals already on 
