Animals used for science in NZ can be sourced from the following places:

• Breeding units: An institutional unit dedicated to breeding animals for manipulation.
• Commercial sources: Obtained from a commercial supplier of animals.
• Farms: Farm animals obtained from a farm; the farm may be a commercial unit or belong to the institution. Animals such as a pet which happens to live on a farm or wild animals caught on farmland should not be included in this category.
• Born during projects: Intended for offspring whose birth is part of the project, e.g. lambing or hatching studies.
• Captured: Captured in the wild.
• Imported: Imported into New Zealand from an overseas source.
• Public sources: Public donations, animals obtained from a pound, a pet shop or other public sources. This includes privately owned pets which are ‘borrowed’ for the duration of the exercise (e.g. veterinary nurse training).

The above definitions were sourced from the Ministry for Primary Industries.

Where animals are sourced from

The table below shows where animals used for science in NZ were sourced from during 2017 - 2021.