I recently did an international webinar with participants from all over the world. In the feedback, someone in the USA wrote “I am a vivarium supervisor with no prospect to do something else so I just wanted to know how bad is for me,…how soon I will be homeless and unemployed”.  

That comment hit hard. It’s an honest and poignant reminder of the human impact of phasing out animals in science, and it echoes other conversations we’ve had with Animal Techs in the UK over the past year.

Change is felt deeply

Yes, we can, and should, celebrate the animal lives that will be saved from replacing their use, but we also need to recognise the human harm caused by the transition, and think about what we can do to support them through it. 

I grew up in Coventry, a city known for its turbulent boom-and-bust industrial heritage, and until I was about 12, 1 in 6 adults were unemployed when the UK’s car manufacturing industry collapsed (remember ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials?).  

Each time an emerging technology threatened old ways, Coventrians have had to adapt to the demands of a changing world. But it’s never a seamless transition, and it comes at a huge cost to many. 

Much later on in life, I found out for myself what it is like to be made redundant from a job I loved and that I relied on. It was heartbreaking, terrifying, and made me question my self-worth and identity. 

People and places are important

When a global industry changes, effects are also felt locally. Animal research facilities are employers, and when they close, the local area will immediately have more people looking for jobs, reducing local spending. If this happens in a university that’s already struggling financially, competition for employment rises, and the effects can ripple outwards to local shops, cafes, and businesses facing lower demand. Families and communities will feel it. 

Place matters, and people matter. Different areas have different histories, different cultures, and different capacities to cope with these shocks.  

Any strategy to manage a shift in how science is done must therefore recognise how best to support the stakeholders, communities, and individuals involved, and how geographic differences will affect the transition, so support is tailored appropriately. 

Animal research has been changing for a while

The landscape of animal research has changed considerably in the past decade, with declines in some areas of research and growing complexity in others.  

Commercial organisations have foresight and access to resources, so they can reinvent themselves ahead of change in the world and their markets by creating opportunities for diversification and expansion. Charles River Laboratories began as a supplier of animals for laboratories in 1947 and eventually became one of the world’s main sources of genetically altered mice. Over the past few decades, it’s transformed by acquiring smaller biotech firms specialising in in vitro technologies, biologics, cell and gene therapy, and AI-driven platforms. It’s now one of the world’s largest contract research organisations providing preclinical and clinical laboratory services, using both animal and non-animal methods, for the development of new drugs, vaccines, and medical devices. 

Industry and academia are very different

We’ve seen a number of establishments closing over recent years, and this is reflected in the Home Office Stats for Establishment Licenses. But this hasn’t really been due to the global shift to focus on developing non-animal methods. The rising financial and operational pressures on facilities, many of which are ageing and are no longer up to spec, are owned and operated by universities. With 85% of universities reporting either an operating deficit, break-even position, or reduced surplus, many have been forced to make decisions to outsource current and future work, and axe jobs and crumbling estate. 

Translating skills into opportunity

It can be difficult to recognise opportunities when change is beyond your control, and you have little resource to tap into, and you are faced with losing your job.  

Animal Techs and their Senior facility staff, are all highly skilled, compassionate professionals, with many transferrable skills that are needed in both adjacent scientific fields, and outside of scientific research completely.  

Many Animal Techs chose their line of work for animal care and welfare reasons, and will no doubt want to continue to look after animals in different contexts in their future careers. But it’s important to know that all of their current professional skills are relevant and very much needed for other areas of scientific research. 

Diverse roles, diverse skills

Even at its most basic level, following protocols, or Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) is essential for all types of laboratory tech work, including tissue culture and complex microphysiological model use in related biomedical and veterinary fields. Biobanks, data centres, climate-controlled logistics, sterile manufacturing, and food safety all require these skills. 

Working in laboratory animal science also demands the ‘softer skills’ (not a phrase I like!) such as conflict management and resolution, to navigate the expectations of researchers vs. the needs and welfare of animals in their care, and this can really be “stakeholder management” and “negotiation”.  

Caring for animals through all stages of their life and death also requires emotional resilience and literacy. 

Language matters in empowering people to recognise their skills

Removing the term “animal” may allow a Tech more of a focus on their technical precision and reliability, while a Facility Manager may pivot towards operations, risk, or people management, and strategic leadership. 

• Completing Home Office/Regulatory Licensing training alone demonstrates regulatory cognizance and the ability to operate within nuanced ethical and legal frameworks.  

• Maintaining a sterile or barriered environment required in animal units shows quality assurance (QA) and biosecurity adherence.  

• Those who manage breeding colonies demonstrate data analytics and inventory management skills with the ability to maintain accurate, audit-ready records.  

• Animal care staff observing subtle health and welfare changes in animals under their care show critical thinking and diagnostic observation.  

• Assisting vets or researchers with injections, gavage, or surgery involves technical manual dexterity and clinical support in a high-stakes context. 

A path forward

As part of our work with universities, integrating a Replacement focused Institutional 3Rs strategy into research governance ensures that all those working within the regulatory frameworks have the knowledge, skills and institutional support to meet Replacement obligations of their role or remit. 

An establishment with a good Culture of Care, should have a 3Rs strategy that supports successful transitions to future roles, and the next steps in the careers of their staff. 

It’s important to help individuals see their abilities, their skills, and how they are needed in other roles and other sectors. Teams should be encouraged to undertake a “Skills Audit”, with each staff member listing their technical competencies (e.g., anaesthesia, microsurgery, IVIS imaging) alongside their softer skills (e.g., mentoring juniors, managing rotas), to help them identify opportunities and consider what their next professional chapter in life might look like. 

Obviously, the global commitment to phasing out animal testing is a long-term strategy, and animal use will continue for some time to come, but it is already creating a sense of dread in a sector that is already in flux for many different reasons. 

We humans, are animals too. We fear change in all its forms. But by knowing our worth and our abilities, we can adapt.