Openness in Animal Research and Teaching

Research at CQUniversity is monitored by a number of ethics committees, including an Animal Ethics Committee.

Animal Ethics Committees are responsible for ensuring compliance with the Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes (2013).

Our Animal Ethics Committee (CQUAEC) is responsible for assessing and providing clearance to any research or teaching projects undertaken by University staff or students involving the use of vertebrate animals. The Committee is also responsible for monitoring the use and care of animals by the University and conducting site inspections as necessary.

Our Animal Ethics Committee underwent an external review in October 2020, to meet the requirements of the Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes. An external review will also be conducted in 2024.

The Three Rs (3Rs) are guiding principles for more ethical use of animals in scientific research and teaching. 

1. Replacement: replacing or avoiding the use of animals in research and teaching
2. Reduction: use of methods that enable researchers to obtain similar levels of information from fewer animals, or to obtain additional information from the same number of animals.
3. Refinement: use of methods that minimise or alleviate potential pain, suffering or distress, as well as enhancing animal welfare for animals used.

CQUniversity researchers conduct surveys of endangered birds and native wildlife to develop a sound basis for recovery planning and conservation of the subspecies and their habitat. For example, recent research on the critically endangered Capricorn Yellow Chat highlights the importance of evidence-based habitat management. 

CQUniversity’s Precision Livestock Management team use cutting edge technology (including GPS collars and walk over weigh stations) to automatically gather phenotypic data, such as animal live-weight, pregnancy status and parentage, as well as improve the understanding of animal behaviours, all with a view to improving on-farm profitability, productivity, and animal welfare.

Estuaries are complex ecosystems vulnerable to human impacts which directly and indirectly affect plants and animals. For example, when fish are exposed to contaminated water, they are affected at the population level (numbers and diversity of fish species) down to biochemical impacts on single cells within individual fish. CQUniversity researchers have tested and developed fish and mud crab health indicators for the Gladstone Harbour. An annual report is compiled examining the health of the Harbour.

CQUniversity researchers are investigating the early administration of probiotics in agricultural poultry, to improve bird health and immunity and observing if this results in any improvement in poultry growth rate.

Current probiotic delivery practices in industry are not giving the desired results. CQUniversity researchers are also exploring the addition of biochar to feed and natural product alternatives to antibiotics for use in the poultry industry, to improve bird health and performance.

The use of animals in teaching activities occurs across several academic disciplines, none of which utilise invasive methods. For example, cattle housed at CQUniversity are used to teach agriculture students best practice livestock management. Ecology students conduct fieldwork trapping and monitoring of wildlife. Teaching at CQUniversity makes use of donated deceased animals or pest species (such as cane toads).