‘Revisit animal dissection ban’

An environment ministry panel has urged the University Grants Commission (UGC) to “revisit” its 2014 ban on animal dissection for UG/PG curriculum, noting it is “having serious consequences on teaching of animal sciences.”

The UGC on August 2014 had completely banned animal dissection in UG as well as PG curriculum while advising the use of digital alternatives, models and charts in its place. The step had invited opposition from some faculty members.

In a letter written by S. Gowri Shankar, member secretary of Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA), an environment ministry wing, to UGC chairman Ved Prakash on March 30, the former mentioned about a letter by Dr Neeta Sehgal, head of DU’s zoology department wherein she flagged “the importance of use of different animals in gaining knowledge of fundamental processes of life. She had requested the UGC for allowing the use of laboratory animals at the post-graduate level for meaningful teaching to serve nature and mankind.”

On the basis of Dr Sehgal’s apprehensions, CPCSEA requested the UGC to give their comments on the issue after which a committee was reconstituted with the inclusion of Ms Vandana Sethi, director, administration, UGC as one of its members.

In the new committee’s recent meeting, the members held the view that “due to the ban imposed by UGC, the students and establishments have been facing a lot of problems and a total ban on the use of animals as experimental teaching tools will have serious consequences on teaching of animal sciences”.

In the March 30 letter, Mr Shankar, therefore, stated: “In view of the recommendations of the members of the CPCSEA, I would like to request the UGC to revisit the complete ban on animal dissection and experimentation in UG and PG curriculum as per practical needs and instead, wherever possible, the use of alternative animal models to be encouraged.”

The UGC had imposed the ban saying many of the animals used for dissection were caught from their natural habitats and that their indiscriminate removal disrupts the biodiversity and ecological balance.