Altaj State University Barnaul

Faculty of Biology, Department of Zoology and Physiology

In June 2015, our project leader Dimitrij Leporskij accepted an invitation from Dr. Alexander Matsura, a lecturer at the Department of Zoology and Physiology at the Faculty of Biology at Altaj State University in Barnaul. He had discovered our project through our trilingual website.

Barnaul is located in Siberia, roughly between Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Just before the long journey began, a surprising message arrived from Moscow: Vadim and Maxim Kalan, who work with InterNICHE – the International Network for Humane Education – wanted to donate seven PCs. The two computer enthusiasts had built the devices themselves from old parts, completely free of charge! We purchased monitors, keyboards, computer mice, as well as software. Vadim and Maxim have made it their mission to further support animal-free education in Russia and plan to assemble additional computers.

When Dimitrij arrived in Barnaul, it was exam time, yet his presentations were very well attended. Thanks to Alexander Matsura, professors from different institutes, including the Altaj State Pedagogical University, were present. The presentations of humane teaching tools were met with great interest. Irina Tomilova, a lecturer at the Institute of Zoology and Physiology, even proposed the idea of establishing a Siberian Center for Alternatives and organizing online conferences for other universities in the region.

At the subsequent meeting with Dean Prof. Marina Siljanteva, she explained that a large part of the curriculum was already animal-free. During field studies in the nearby nature reserve, students identify animal species, distinguish animal calls, and follow animal tracks — all without harming animals. However, due to a lack of alternatives, a number of animal experiments were still being conducted, particularly in physiology. The animals were either taken from the wild or bred in an animal house (vivarium). With the provision of computers and software, there was now no longer a reason to stick to outdated teaching methods. During the signing of the agreement, Prof. Siljanteva pledged to close the vivarium for teaching purposes. She also wants to inspire other universities to use animal-free teaching methods.

The curriculum previously included various exercises in nerve and muscle physiology where frogs were decapitated to experiment on their organs. Hormonal activity and embryonic development were studied in rats, and nerve activity in snails. According to the agreement, starting from September 1, 2015, 315 frogs, 45 rats, and 60 snails will no longer be killed each year. The agreement was signed on June 15, 2015.

This project was sponsored by People for Animal Rights Baden-Württemberg (Menschen für Tierrechte). Many thanks for the generous donation!

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