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Invertebrates and Humans: Science, Ethics, and Policy

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The Welfare of Invertebrate Animals

Part of the book series: Animal Welfare ((AWNS,volume 18))

Abstract

In this contribution we will first briefly describe different ways in which invertebrates are part of our lives and how we interact with them. A special focus is the use of invertebrates in scientific research. After a review of the major fields of investigation utilizing invertebrates, we will argue that their use in research constitutes an interesting and inspiring case study. As an example, the relatively recent European legislation on the protection of animals in scientific procedures now contemplates cephalopods. For this reason, it appears that animal experimentation is a kind of relationship in which the awareness of welfare problems of invertebrates is relatively more advanced. This opens a series of considerations on public attitude toward invertebrates, ethical issues arising on the use of these animals in research, compared both with other kinds of invertebrate/human relationship (e.g., pest control) and with the regulation of research on vertebrates, and the related legislative aspects. One question that is addressed is whether such attention for the ethical implications in the use of invertebrates in scientific research is and/or can be extended to other aspects of our relationships with these animals.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the editors of the present volume, Jennifer Mather and Claudio Carere, for their support. We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers and Clive Phillips for their very helpful comments and suggestions. Finally, we thank Jennifer Sienna-Vitale for revising the English.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, Università “Sapienza”, Rome, Italy

    Simone Pollo

  2. Center for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy

    Augusto Vitale

Authors
  1. Simone Pollo
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  2. Augusto Vitale
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Augusto Vitale .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, Ichthyogenic Experimental Marine Centre (CISMAR), University of Tuscia, Tarquinia, Viterbo, Italy

    Claudio Carere

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada

    Jennifer Mather

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Pollo, S., Vitale, A. (2019). Invertebrates and Humans: Science, Ethics, and Policy. In: Carere, C., Mather, J. (eds) The Welfare of Invertebrate Animals. Animal Welfare, vol 18. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13947-6_2

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