Reporting Concerns

Rutgers University, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES), and Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences are committed to the humane care and use of all animals used for teaching, research and demonstration. If you observe or have knowledge of activities, which you believe, constitute inappropriate animal care or use; you are encouraged to report such activities. Inappropriate care and use may include inhumane treatment, neglect, unapproved procedures, etc. The Rutgers Animal Care and Facilities Committee is required by the federal Animal Welfare Act (the Act) to deal with all such reports in a confidential manner and to investigate them fully. The Act further stipulates, "No facility employee, committee member, or laboratory personnel shall be subject to any reprisal for reporting violations of any regulation or standards under the Act...."

If you believe an activity is inappropriate, the most direct way to with the problem is to speak to the people involved (supervisor, principle investigator, technician, etc.). Persons not familiar with the animal research may misinterpret some procedures as causing pain or distress, when in fact that is not the case. If for any reason you do not wish to speak to the people involved with the activity, it is still appropriate to pursue the question within the University.

Concerns about animal care and use may be reported to any of the following persons: