ABSTRACT

The importance of a Culture of Care is increasingly referred to in the literature surrounding laboratory animal science, with good care viewed as essential to the competent management of animal facilities. Yet ‘culture of care’ is poorly defined, with care often being seen as synonymous with an attention to animal welfare. This paper draws on data from focus groups with researchers and animal technologists working in UK animal research facilities to identify practices that support or negate a culture of care. Tronto’s ethic of care is used as a framework to consider how caring cultures are shaped within laboratory animal facilities, revealing practices which support or limit care. I suggest that closer attention human–human as well as human–animal relations is central to more expansive understanding of a culture of care, one which values care labour, recognises the need for both practical and emotional support, and provides opportunities for technologists and researchers to develop attentiveness to one another’s work. The paper also recognises key obstacles to developing a more expansive culture of care including institutional hierarchies, the need to realise scientific outcomes, and the preconceptions held by individuals who work in animal facilities .

摘要

关爱文化的重要性在围绕实验动物科学的文献中越来越多地被提及，良好的关爱被视为对动物设施进行有效管理的必要条件。然而，“关爱文化”的定义并不明确，关爱通常被视为关注动物福利的同义词。本文利用来自在英国动物研究机构工作的研究人员和动物技术专家的焦点小组的数据，以确定支持或否定护理文化的做法。Tronto 的护理伦理被用作一个框架来考虑如何在实验室动物设施内塑造护理文化，揭示支持或限制护理的做法。我建议更密切地关注人与人以及人与动物的关系对于更广泛地理解关怀文化至关重要，一种重视护理劳动，认识到需要实际和情感支持，并为技术人员和研究人员提供机会来培养对彼此工作的关注。该文件还认识到发展更广泛的护理文化的主要障碍，包括机构等级制度、实现科学成果的需要以及在动物设施中工作的个人所持的先入之见。