How the 3Rs framework (Replace, Reduce, Refine) is applied to rabbit use in biomedical research and what welfare-centred rabbit research looks like.
Laboratory rabbit welfare sits at the intersection of scientific necessity and animal welfare obligation. Rabbits are sensitive, social animals that experience significant stress from restraint, isolation, and aversive procedures — conditions that are common in research settings not specifically designed with rabbit welfare in mind. The 3Rs framework provides the ethical framework: replacing rabbit use with in vitro or alternative methods where possible, reducing numbers through better experimental design, and refining procedures through better housing, handling, and pain management. The welfare costs of rabbit research are real and must be continuously weighed against the scientific and medical benefits.