A wide variety of animals are used for research, testing and teaching purposes in NZ including:

• Alpacas/llamas
• Amphibians
• Birds
• Cats
• Cows
• Cephalopods/crustaceans
• Deer
• Dogs
• Fish
• Goats
• Guinea pigs
• Horses/donkeys
• Marine mammals
• Mice
• Pigs
• Possums
• Rabbits
• Rats
• Reptiles
• Sheep
• Other species

Other species include but are not limited to:

Bats, ferrets, stoats, hedgehogs, llamas, alpacas, chinchillas, chimpanzees, elephants, giraffes, wallabies, spider monkeys, Himalayan tahr, meerkats and weasels.

Animals that can’t be used:

According to the Animal Welfare Act, 1999, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans (non-human hominids) can’t be used for research, testing or teaching purposes in NZ, unless special requirements are met.

The most commonly used animals

Mice, sheep and cattle were in the top four most commonly used animals for research, testing and teaching purposes in NZ from 1989-2020.