PETA hails new rules on use of animal in vet sci to students

With an estimated 1,000 calves being killed every year for use in the teaching of veterinary anatomy and surgery in India, a top animal rights body today said a new regulation will phase out the calf killings and introduce computer simulation and promote use of other humane teaching methods.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said apart from calves, thousands of frogs, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits suffer and die for dissection and other training.
"But the new regulation--Veterinary Council of India Minimum Standards of Veterinary Education (Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry degree course) Regulations, 2016--will change the way students are taught veterinary science in India.

"The new regulation will phase out calf killing, introduce computer simulation, require setting up an ethically sourced body-donation program and calls for use of other humane teaching methods," it said in a statement.
PETA claimed that the regulation, which was notified recently, came following its efforts, government's advisory body Animal Welfare Board of India and Union Minister Maneka Gandhi.
It said under the new regulations, dissection will be carried out on cadavers procured by donation of animals or animals obtained from post-mortem section and the donated animals should be either incurable or in terminal stages and prossected specimens should be used.

"Within one year, each college must set-up a body donation programme or wild body programme. For better understanding of the subject, computer simulation softwares, mannequins, models, plastinated specimens, preserved body organs, models should be used.

"The physiology practical, which required students to record a cardiogram of a live frog's heart and study the effects of heat and cold on the animal, was also removed and replaced with simulation experiments on nerve-muscle and heart physiology," it said.
PETA hailed the Veterinary Council of India for working towards ending cruel uses of animals to teach veterinary science and fixing a common deadline for veterinary colleges to setting up humane methods.

"Veterinary students who want to dedicate their lives to alleviating animal suffering want to attend classes knowing that they won't cause an animal to suffer," said PETA India's director of veterinary affairs, Manilal Valliyate.