Purpose <p>To examine the ethical and educational dimensions of live nonhuman animal use during residency training and to consider whether its use should be uniform across programs.</p> Methods <p>Conceptual analysis informed by a case study and review of relevant literature on simulation-based surgical training and animal use ethics.</p> Results <p>Simulation-based training provides measurable improvements in operative time, performance, and patient outcomes, while live nonhuman animal training carries ethical, logistical, and financial burdens without clear evidence of superiority.</p> Conclusions <p>Given the lack of demonstrated educational advantage and ethical concerns, live nonhuman animal use should remain optional and justified on a program-by-program basis rather than mandated across surgical training programs.</p>