"Varsities like Nalanda Open University, Madurai Kamaraj University, Pondicherry University, Bharathiar University, Kakatiya University and Jamia Millia Islamia have already ended animal dissection or are in the process of phasing it out.
"We welcome their initiatives as the UGC is still to decide on considering a ban in this regard," Anuradha Srivastava, an activist with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India said.
There are several alternatives such as computer-generated virtual dissection programmes, observation of animals in field studies and other humane methods, she said. Peta has written to the universities across the country that still use dissection in zoology courses, urging them to switch to "humane, non-animal alternatives".
Stressing on the need for a ban, the activist said, dissection can have a devastating impact on the environment by decimating wild populations of insects and amphibians. "Published studies show that non-animal methods of learning anatomy and physiology are as good as - and in many cases, better than - using animals," said Srivastava.
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