A call for CARE in animal behaviour: an holistic ethical research framework

Despite increasing awareness of animal welfare, there are vast discrepancies between legal protections and recommended practices for different species, in different countries and at different institutions. While many guidelines are now available, they often target specific research contexts or species, leaving a gap in comprehensiveethicaloversight across the entireresearchprocess.Withinanimalbehaviour research,thereis abias for consideringethicsduringonlythemethodologyanddesignphase.This oftenmeansonly the immediate impact onanimalsdirectly involved inthe researchis accountedfor. Conducting ethical researchshould extendbeyond ensuring animal welfare during data collection and include environmentally sustainable research practices, alongsidethe ethicaltreatmentofpeopleworkingwithinandalongsideanimalbehaviour research.Weoffer the Consult,Approve,ResearchandEvaluate(CARE)frameworktoimprovethescientific integrity,transparencyand ethical practices within the field of animal behaviour. CARE encourages researchers and academic bodies to (1) Consult existing (academic and traditional) knowledge on the study species, local human—animal interactions, their environment and previously implemented ethical practices and to reflect on personal experience and biases when approaching a study question; (2) seek Approval from relevant bodies (e.g. institutional ethics committees and local and government authorities) even when not mandatory; (3) uphold ethical standards while carrying out Research and (4) Evaluate the short- and long-term impacts of the specific study. Our framework is designed to distribute accountability at every level of the academic system, from individual researchers to their institutions, funding bodies and publishers. We pitch this framework as a ‘version 1.0’ to recognize the fast-evolving nature of ethical standards in animal behaviour research and to allow space for improvement. CARE provides a necessary infrastructure for addressing systemic biases and ensuring ethically sound, socially responsible and environmentally sustainable animal behaviour research.