TOTAL ANIMALS USED: 316,568

A total of 316,568 animals used for research, testing and teaching purposes were reported in 2023, that's 75,776 less than the previous year.

The rolling 3-year average was 339,595, which is an increase of 23,682 from the previous year.

NUMBER OF ANIMALS WHO DIED: 126,787

A total of 126,787 animals died or were euthanised during or after manipulations (including animals who were killed for the purpose of using their tissues). This is 40.05% of the total number of animals used that year. See a breakdown below.

Animals who died or were euthanised during or after manipulations: 81,443
Animals who were killed for their tissues: 45,344

In 2023, 110,565 animals that were bred for research, testing or teaching purposes but not used were killed. This included mice, rats, fish, guinea pigs, goats, rabbits, possums, amphibians and cephalopods/crustacea.

This is 24,280 less animals than the previous year.

PURPOSES

Animals were used in the following ways in 2023:

Basic biological research: 36,142
Veterinary research: 39,792
Teaching: 39,412
Animal husbandry research: 112,022
Medical research: 12,914
Testing: 9,745
Environmental management research: 50,864
Species conservation: 5,794
Other: 6,110
Production of biological agents: 3,688
Development of alternatives: 77
Producing offspring with compromised welfare: 8

TYPES OF ANIMALS

The following categories of animals were used in 2023:

Alpacas/llamas: 12
Amphibians: 164
Birds: 18,336
Cats: 604
Cattle: 127,167
Cephalopods/crustaceans: 1,494
Deer: 2,954
Dogs: 856
Fish: 24,310
Goats: 1,615
Guinea pigs: 2,572
Hamsters: 16
Horses/donkeys: 1,684
Marine mammals: 701
Mice: 47,449
Pigs: 469
Possums: 1,086
Rabbits: 1,014
Rats: 7,810
Reptiles: 437
Sheep: 30,461
Misc Species: 45,357

ORGANISATION TYPE

The following types of organisations used animals in 2023:

Universities: 91,374
Commercial Organisations: 176,265
Crown Research Institutes: 20,737
Other(non-university medical research institutes, zoos/wildlife parks and individuals): 10,525
Government departments: 3,549
Polytechnics: 12,763
Schools: 1,355

SOURCE

Animals were sourced from the following places in 2023:

Farms: 134,941
Breeding Units: 57,008
Captured: 17,723
Commercial Sources: 39,089
Public Sources: 50,255
Born During Project: 17,066
Imported: 486

MORE INFO

The most commonly used species in 2023:

Cattle were the most used species in 2023, followed by mice and wallabies.

“OTHER” species used

In 2023, 45,357 animals were reported in the “other species” category. This group was primarily made up of wallabies, 45,011 were used for the purposes of basic biological research and research on environmental management.

Animals imported into NZ

A total of 486 animals were imported into New Zealand for research, testing and teaching purposes in 2023. These included 473 mice, 12 various amphibians and 1 rat.