ABSTRACT
This chapter provides inspiration, and encourage reflection, on the institution’s current and desired future Culture of Care. Frequent use is made of terms from the European Union legislative framework and the US Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, which emphasizes the importance of “a culture of care focusing on the animals’ well-being.” The Culture of Care can thus be considered in terms of what we do and what we think, i.e., our behavior, our mindset, and how these both shape the establishment’s inherent values and attitudes towards the animals it uses and who are in its care. The primary objective of the Culture of Care is reducing animal use and suffering and improving welfare. A good Culture of Care includes clear corporate expectations relating to the refinement and replacement. Providing staff with information about the local Culture of Care, and how it is developing, is obviously key to ensuring that the culture is meaningful, impactful, and challenging.
