These statistics should be used for general purposes only. Queensland, Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory, and Northern Territory figures have not yet been received, but going by an average of figures available from previous years (1,202,343 for QLD, 980,429 for WA, 122,628 for the ACT, and 160,792 in 2009 for the NT), this would bring the total number of animals used to more than 6.2 million.
Figures will be updated as they become available.
2010 Statistics
Type of animals | Vic | NSW | SA | Tas | Qld | ACT | WA | NT | Total |
Mouse | 503,934 | 337,214 | 50,330 | 6,484 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 898,040 |
Rat | 30,694 | 44,790 | 7,898 | 1,056 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 84,574 |
Guinea Pig | 3,905 | 5,860 | 719 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 10,484 | |
Rabbit | 1,558 | 1,638 | 888 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 4,115 |
Other Lab Animals | 2,933 | 5 | 161 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 3,099 | |
Cat | 439 | 397 | 1,334 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 2,170 | |
Dog | 2,831 | 2,694 | 1,787 | 560 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 7,872 |
Other Domestic | 682 | 4,612 | 51 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 5,345 | |
Sheep | 132,868 | 69,984 | 125,196 | 414 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 328,527 |
Cattle | 25,587 | 25,469 | 3,649 | 353 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 55,058 |
Pig | 961 | 20,297 | 16,063 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 37,321 | |
Horse/Donkey | 1,206 | 2,804 | 381 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 4,391 | |
Other Stock Animals | 1,814 | 1,211 | 229 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 3,254 | |
Native Mammals | 13,373 | 64,223 | 7,804 | 18,060 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 103,925 |
Exotic ‘feral’ Animals | 3,409 | 5,318 | 5,327 | 264 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 14,403 |
Primates | 282 | 184 | 30 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 496 | |
Domestic Fowl | 21,730 | 72,878 | 20,247 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 114,857 |
Other Birds | 26,173 | 503,907 | 12,680 | 7,736 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 550,959 |
Reptiles | 5,143 | 18,328 | 9,441 | 1,444 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 34,356 |
Fish | 778,759 | 118,854 | 56,747 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 954,360 | |
Amphibians | 7,072 | 54,992 | 803 | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 62,873 |
Other Aquatic Animals | 30,009 | 409,917 | 9,420 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 449,346 | |
Other | 13 | 27 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 40 | ||
TOTALS | 1,595,375 | 1,646,749 | 393,292 | 93,128 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 3,729,865 |
VIC (Other Lab Animals) : Including 1,145 ferrets
NSW and VIC (Other): Exotic zoo animals
NSW (Other Aquatic Animals): Unspecified
Purpose of project | Vic | NSW | SA | Tas | Qld | ACT | WA | NT | Total |
Understanding human or animal biology | 455,318 | 158,880 | 48,177 | 16,451 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 678,826 |
Maintenance and improvement of human or animal health and welfare | 217,541 | 302,769 | 26,978 | 10,501 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 557,789 |
Improvement of animal management or production | 264,358 | 71,722 | 60,890 | 11,189 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 408,159 |
Production of biological products | 19,568 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 19,568 | |||
Diagnostic procedures | 3,630 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 3,630 | |||
Achievement of educational objectives | 97,117 | 43,344 | 170,891 | 18,838 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 330,190 |
Environmental study | 561,041 | 901,502 | 86,356 | 36,149 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1,585,048 |
Regulatory product testing | 42,302 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 42,302 | |||
Stock Breeding | 75,867 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 75,867 | |||
Stock Maintenance | 27,165 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 27,165 | |||
Unspecified | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | ||||
TOTALS | 1,595,375 | 1,646,749 | 393,292 | 93,128 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 3,728,544 |
n/a – Yet to be received
Severity of procedure | Vic | NSW | SA | Tas | Qld | ACT | WA | NT | Total |
Observational studies involving minor interference | 534,070 | 760,592 | 135,548 | 12,143 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1,442,353 |
Animal unconscious without recovery | 124,243 | 143,155 | 34,950 | 23,341 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 325,689 |
Minor conscious intervention | 514,938 | 459,712 | 152,406 | 35,307 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1,162,363 |
Minor operative procedures with recovery | 63,158 | 35,763 | 6,077 | 12,367 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 117,365 |
Surgery with recovery | 33,355 | 25,823 | 3,468 | 163 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 62,809 |
Minor physiological challenge | 92,711 | 79,070 | 13,236 | 4,903 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 189,920 |
Major physiological challenge | 230,585 | 22,625 | 8,030 | 4,533 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 265,773 |
Death as an end point | 2,315 | 17,465 | 39,577 | 371 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 59,728 |
Production of genetically modified animals | 98,386 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 98,386 | |||
Unspecified | 4158 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 4,158 | |||
TOTALS | 1,595,375 | 1,646,749 | 393,292 | 93,128 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 3,728,544 |
n/a – Yet to be received
Slight discrepancy (of 4158) between the total of NSW procedures by severity (1,642,588), and the totals for NSW procedures by animal type and purpose (both 1,646,749).
Sources:
VIC
Department of Primary Industries, Statistics of Animal Use in Research and Teaching Victoria, Report Number 28, 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2010.
NSW
Animal Research Review Panel NSW, Annual Report 2010-2011, November 2011.
SA
Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources response to FOI external review received April 2017. It has been acknowledged that the SA statistics are incomplete and that the majority of animals used have not been reported as it is not a legal requirement in South Australia.
TAS
Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, Animal Research Statistics Tasmania, Annual Report Number 15 (2010), September 2011.
QLD
Yet to be received.
ACT
On an annual basis, no ACT-wide statistics are compiled. Correspondence from Animal Welfare Policy, AWAC Secretariet, 6 February 2014.
WA
No WA-wide statistics are available. Phone conversation with Department of Agriculture and Food, WA, 23 March 2014.
NT
Statistics are not yet available. No indication given of when (or if) they will be available. Phone conversation with NT Government 26 June 2014.