What should a researcher do if an animal may experience pain?

• A. The researcher makes every effort to ensure the animal does not feel discomfort.
• B. The researcher should ignore pain.
• C. The researcher should intentionally cause pain to study effects.
• D. The researcher should replace the animal with a non-animal model.

Answer: (A)

When animals are involved in research, the priority is to prevent or minimize pain and distress. This means planning procedures to reduce suffering, using appropriate anesthesia or analgesia, refining methods to be less invasive, and closely monitoring for signs of discomfort with humane endpoints in mind. Acting to ensure the animal does not feel discomfort aligns with ethical care and welfare standards, making it the best course of action. Ignoring pain is inappropriate, and deliberately causing pain is unethical. Replacing animals with non-animal models is encouraged when feasible, but the immediate responsibility in the moment is to alleviate suffering as much as possible.