3 million animals used in experiments in S. Korea in 2016

Nearly 3 million animals were used in experiments by universities and public and private research centers in South Korea last year, government data showed Tuesday.

A total of 2.88 million mammals, amphibians and fish were experimented on by 333 institutions in 2016, according to the data compiled by the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency.

Testing on mammals fell 22.5 percent on-year, while the number of amphibians and fish experiments rose 13.7 percent last year from a year earlier.

In the country, 364 universities, medical centers, laboratories and private firms had their own ethics committees on experimental research with animals in accordance with the government's regulations on ethical issues. (Yonhap)