Oles Honchar Dnipro National University
Faculty of Biology, Ecology and Medicine Institute of Human and Animal Physiology Institute of Zoology and Ecology
Lecturers at the Department of Human and Animal Physiology at the Faculty of Biology, Dnipro National University reported that they wanted to switch to humane education already five years ago, but did not know how. They looked for help, but found none. In October 2009, they learnt about our project through Dnipropetrovsk Medical University and were happy and grateful that they could finally switch to animal-free teaching without compromising the students' education.
So far, 1,278 frogs, 78 rats, 20 cats, 4 dogs and 5 snails have been killed each year in experiments on the physiology of various organ systems.
In March 2010, we signed an agreement with the head of department, Prof Olena Severynovs'ka, which obliges the department to refrain from all animal use in education from 1 October 2010. The department received a laptop, a multi-media projector, training models and numerous films and computer programmes from us.
We also signed an agreement with the Department of Zoology at the same university. Here, 463 vertebrates (sharks, snakes, frogs, pigeons, rats, etc.) and over 3,000 invertebrates (cockchafers and other insects, octopuses, starfish, mussels, crabs, earthworms, etc.) have been killed every year to study their anatomy. We donated a laptop, DVDs and computer programmes to this department.
Prof. Olena Severynovs'ka, Head of the Department of Physiology (centre) and Prof Viktor Gasso, Head of the Department of Zoology at the Faculty of Biology, Ecology and Medicine at Dnipro National University with Dr Corina Gericke (left).
Controll visits
The control visits at both departments took place on 12 January 2011.
Students are "dissecting" a starfish on the computer.
Multi-media lecture on human and animal physiology.