Report a Concern

Faculty, staff and students who work with animals on behalf of the University assume responsibility for conducting their duties within the law and in keeping with Princeton’s highest ethical standards. In keeping with this responsibility, each individual who works with animals or within an animal facility must:

• Understand and follow principles of conduct in the comportment of their University obligations,
• Ensure that they and the staff who report to them are aware of and operate in compliance with applicable laws and policies, and 
• Report incidents of non-compliance or concerns.

Direct concerns or observations of inappropriate laboratory animal care or treatment must be reported in order for the institution to fulfill its responsibility to review and fully investigate all potentially inappropriate activity reported by a member of the public or an individual within the institution. If you have a concern, please raise it to the University in any of the following ways: 

RAISE YOUR CONCERN DIRECTLY WITH THE PERSON INVOLVED. Because some procedures used in the course of animal research can be misinterpreted, it may be helpful to speak directly with the person involved in the activity to clarify the situation. If you choose not to speak about the concern directly with that person, for any reason, you are still encouraged to pursue your concern within the University. 

RAISE YOUR CONCERN WITH A SUPERVISOR. Supervisors, managers or a chairperson in your department can provide you with guidance regarding your concern. Concerns may also be raised to the University Veterinarian.   

BRING YOUR CONCERN TO THE IACUC. The IACUC has the responsibility to review and fully investigate all inappropriate, neglectful, or non-compliant activities involving the care or treatment of animals. You may submit a confidential report directly to the committee by phone at 609-258-3105, email [email protected], or by mail to Princeton University IACUC, P.O. Box 36, Princeton, NJ 08544-0036. 

SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE PRINCETON UNIVERSITY HOTLINE. If all avenues have been exhausted and you have not received a sufficient response or if you would like to remain anonymous, submit a report online(link is external) or via telephone at 1-866-478-9804.