What is the GRAAL ?

The Group for Reflection and Action for AnimaLs association (L’association Groupement de Réflexion et d’Action pour l’AnimaL – GRAAL) was created by some activists in 1997 who wanted to set up a coherent, committed and independent, national animal rights movement.  The association endorses the view that all living beings (human or animal) are entitled to respect and compassion and believes that action must always be derived from reflection. 

In 2005, the GRAAL developed and implemented a public service mission by organizing the rehoming of all species of laboratory animals at national level.  This legal but non-binding scheme is always left to the discretion of laboratories. A pioneering French association, the GRAAL takes charge of several hundred animals every year (dogs, cats, horses, primates, birds, farm animals, rodents, fish) from laboratories in France and elsewhere in Europe.

As long as science is unable to dispense entirely with animals, whether for research or for manufacturing medical products, the plight of the animals involved is an issue that will keep resurfacing. For ethical reasons, the GRAAL supports the development of alternatives to animal experimentation and is concerned about the welfare and fate of animals used for scientific purposes. The GRAAL association acts as an organizer and facilitator and guarantees laboratories that wish to take part in the scheme a coordinated, confidential rehoming solution adapted to each species. We are motivated by our determination to give animals, at the end of procedures, an ethical alternative to euthanasia.

Thanks to the combined efforts of the GRAAL, public and private laboratories, breeding establishments, veterinary schools, public authorities, hosting facilities (around 250 partner animal shelters) and adopters, more than 8,000 laboratory animals have been officially rehomed since the scheme started at the end of 2004.

Rehoming: an approach concerned about animal welfare

Rehoming consists in placing or releasing healthy laboratory animals and is covered by regulations on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes (European Union Directive 2010/63/EU and Article R.214-112 of the French Rural Code). The rehoming of these animals can be added to the 3R Rule (Reduce the number of animals used; Refine techniques and methods to minimise stress and pain; Replace by alternative methods) with Rehoming as a 4th R.

Rehoming concerns all animals which have been issued a veterinary health certificate, whose state of physical and psychological health allows it, and where rehoming poses no danger to public health, animal health or the environment.  A proper preparation of the animals in view of their release by the partner laboratories helps the animals to settle into their new environment. A major challenge in the placement process is ensuring the animals’ well-being.

No matter what the species (vertebrates and cephalopods), animals that can be considered for placement are:

• animals released from research protocols whose severity is classified as “mild” or “moderate”;
• control or supernumerary animals;
• breeding animals;
• animals that were bred for research but not used.

 

Today in France and in some other countries in Europe, regulations encourage the placement of animals at the end of research protocols. Rehoming should be considered when:

• euthanasia is not required for scientific or regulatory reasons;
• the animals will not be reused in other research protocols;
• it is not useful or necessary to keep them in the establishment.

 

Rehoming is undertaken on a voluntary basis by laboratories which care about what happens to the animals after experimentation. Rehoming must be factored in by laboratories from the outset when they draft their applications for project authorisation.

Thanks to a network of shelters which makes it possible to take charge of numerous species of animals in France as well as in other European countries, the GRAAL association works alongside laboratories that wish to take part in this ethical, responsible and civic-minded approach. The GRAAL’s Translation Unit enables the association to interact easily in English, German and Spanish with foreign research units and to provide rehoming with an international reach.

Rehoming: a collaborative approach

The rehoming procedure is initiated by the laboratory which contacts the GRAAL association to take charge of the selected animals (by joint decision of the scientists, animal care staff, veterinarian and the animal welfare body). On the basis of a transfer contract which guarantees the proper implementation of the rehoming procedure, the GRAAL provides support and assistance to the laboratory in its administrative formalities and selects a hosting facility (animal park, shelter, aquarium, individual adopters, etc.). Each contract is adapted to meet the specific needs of the partner laboratory.

Two contracts are drawn up for every placement: one between the laboratory and the GRAAL and another between the hosting facility and the GRAAL. This procedure guarantees the confidentiality of the information concerning the laboratory vis-à-vis the hosting facility. The GRAAL becomes the owner of the animals, and is responsible for transferring ownership of the animals to the hosting facilities that have been preselected on the basis of their reliability and sustainability. The GRAAL undertakes to ensure the traceability of the rehoming process as well as the transparency and legality of the release of the animals for rehoming.

In this way, the GRAAL acts as a coordinator and facilitates the rehoming formalities in a spirit of trust and confidentiality with partner laboratories. A GRAAL team of experts in charge of rehoming is available and ensures that the rehoming procedure runs smoothly, from the initial contact made with the laboratories to the socialisation and introduction of the animals in their new environment.

Concerned about the well-being of the animals in its charge, the GRAAL undertakes to conduct post‑adoption monitoring of the animals who have started new lives. The partner laboratories receive news on a regular basis.

The use of animals for scientific purposes remains of great concern to the public, and can give rise to debate and deliberation. Rehoming animals through partnerships between research units and animal protection associations is a unique opportunity to connect the world of research and civil society.  The GRAAL’s approach has always been to promote an open and constructive dialogue, and one of the roles of the GRAAL is to inform the general public its action, through which, hundreds of animals are given the chance of a new life every year.

Contact Us

Are you a laboratory interesting in rehoming your animals? Contact our Rehoming Unit at the following e-mail address: rehoming@graal-defenseanimale.org

Are you an animal shelter interested in taking in laboratory animals?   Contact our Partnerships Unit at the following e-mail address: partenariats@graal-defenseanimale.org

For any other request, please write to: contact@graal-defenseanimale.org