Three representatives from the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International, known as AAALAC, spent two days on campus last fall inspecting facilities, poring over records, and assessing the review and oversight process for all animal studies. They notified the campus last month that its accreditation had been extended for another three years, and commended its "excellent veterinary care" and "excellent core animal facilities and accommodations for unusual species."

"This makes us feel proud of our institution, our animal care and the effort we have been putting into the program," said veterinarian Helen E. Diggs, director of the campus's Office of Laboratory Animal Care (OLAC). "We have a program we can stand behind."

In a letter to the campus, AAALAC associate director and veterinarian Kathryn Bayne called the continued accreditation "a major achievement.... AAALAC accreditation is a symbol of quality and a way of demonstrating accountability for animal welfare."

"In what must be unique for an academic institution of the size and complexity of UC Berkeley, for the third site visit in a row AAALAC was left with not even a single suggestion for improvement," said Richard C. Van Sluyters, professor of optometry and chair of the campus's Animal Care & Use Committee (ACUC), which reviews all proposed uses of animals in research and teaching.

"Our students, faculty, staff, alumni and administration can be proud that UC Berkeley is a recognized leader in maintaining the highest standards of animal welfare."

UC Berkeley has had the organization's seal of approval since 1994, the year it first applied after a complete reorganization and consolidation of campus animal care.

"The campus went from being unaccredited 10 years ago to a status today where people want to visit to see how our system works and what a good animal care program looks like," Diggs said.

She credits improved training for the "excellent" ratings. Educating researchers and her own staff about the value of maintaining AAALAC standards, which are higher than the minimum required by federal law, and showing them just what accreditation means, was critical.

"Our administrators, investigators and staff are not content with a program that is just 'good enough' - they insist on us running a superlative program and being totally accountable," she said. "Our program is so good because we have exceptional animal care staff who love what they do."

Diggs' office oversees about 40,000 animals on an average day. Fifty percent are mice and 40 percent are cold-blooded animals, such as amphibians, fish and reptiles. Nine percent are other rodents - rats, hamsters, guineas pigs and wild rodents - while the remaining one percent is comprised of rabbits, cats, non-human primates, coyotes, hyenas, birds and invertebrates, such as sea slugs.

For more than 35 years, the scientific community has voluntarily participated in AAALAC's accreditation program. A private, nonprofit organization, AAALAC evaluates organizations and companies using animals in research, teaching or testing, and awards accreditation to those that exceed the minimum standards for the care and use of laboratory animals established in federal regulations and policy. More than 630 institutions around the world have received AAALAC accreditation.

"Earning accreditation demonstrates an institution's commitment to responsible animal care and use," said John G. Miller, executive director of AAALAC International. "Accreditation is a symbol of quality, and assurance that when animals are used to advance medicine and scientific progress, their well-being is protected. At the same time, it enhances the overall quality of science and promotes the validity of research in which animals are used."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Public Health Service look for AAALAC accreditation among the institutions that receive government research funds, including those from the National Institutes of Health. Both federal agencies conduct their own reviews, however, while the campus ACUC committee also evaluates UC Berkeley's overall program for animal care and use, inspecting all campus animal facilities at least twice yearly, investigating specific complaints about animal use and recommending institutional animal care and use policies.