Use of experimental animals in research: Legal regulations in Türkiye

Experimental animals have been used in research since the beginning of medicine and still have an important place in scientific research today. Initially, there were no rules or limits regarding the treatment of animals used in experiments. When this was added to the rapid increase in the number of animals used in experiments in parallel with the increase in scientific studies, public reactions arose. To counter this reaction, governments began to make regulations on the subject, and the first legal regulations regarding experimental animals emerged. The first legal regulation covering experimental animals in Türkiye was created in 2004. The regulation issued in 2006 determined the working procedures and principles of animal experimentation ethics committees. In addition, a separate regulation was issued for aquatic vertebrates used for scientific research in 2019. Over the years, legal regulations have been revised at certain periods in order to reach the ideal in line with ethical values and emerging needs.