Over 16 European nations and 12 international organisations recently joined hands and agreed to cooperate in an attempt to find ways of improving the welfare of laboratory animals, and primates in particular. Under the terms of a "declaration of intent" signed under the auspices of the Council of Europe, they agreed, for instance, to choose means and routes of transport to avoid delays and to minimise "stress and suffering", to acquire animals only from establishments with high-quality housing, care and welfare facilities, and to supply the public with "accurate information on the use of these animals." The signatories also agreed to encourage measures to gradually phase out the use of animals caught in the wild, and to limit use to those that are purpose-bred.
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