An 8-minute news report on alternatives to animal experiments, 'Learning to learn without hurting animals' is currently being shown on EuroNews, a pan-European terrestrial and satellite/cable TV station with worldwide reach.

The science program, Futuris, explores developments in science, and this news report looks at alternatives to animal experiments. It includes demonstrations of alternatives by InterNICHE members, and interviews with teachers who have developed and use alternatives. These include anatomy and physiology software, and veterinary clinical skills training mannekins.

Some footage was shot in Prague in December 2006 at a central European conference on alternatives in education and training, co- organised by InterNICHE and the Czech organisation Svoboda Zvirat.

The focus of the program is mostly on the use of non-animal alternatives in education and training to ensure the subsequent application of the 3Rs in laboratory animal science.

While such use of alternatives may reduce suffering in this field, the program does not sufficiently explore the impact of alternatives in helping to support a fully humane science where cutting-edge non- animal techniques are used for research and testing, nor where vets are involved in clinical work with animal patients rather than experimental work on laboratory animals. Nevertheless, it does popularise alternatives in general.

From this weekend the feature will be available in low resolution on the Euronews website, www.euronews.net (click on Futuris). It is also available on-line now for a subscription cost (free trial for 14 days).

Euronews is broadcast in 7 languages, including Spanish and Russian.

Best wishes,

Nick
InterNICHE
www.interniche.org