Lab animals' lives made less painful

CHONGQING: Laboratory test animals are suffering less pain and being treated more humanely, thanks to a new law.

Lab animals, which already have their contributions engraved on a monument here, will be tested while under anesthetic, and not in the presence of the same species during experimentation, according to new articles added by the local science and technology commission on Saturday.

Institutes and individuals conducting scientific and medical research are required to follow the management provisions for lab animals. Every year in Chongqing, about 130,000 animals, including rodents and bigger animals, are used in laboratory tests, according to the commission.