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Sensory stimulation as environmental enrichment for captive animals: A review

In the wild, animals are exposed to an ever-changing array of sensory stimuli. The captive environment, by contrast, is generally much more impoverished in terms of the sensory cues it offers the animals housed within. In a bid to remedy...

Year Published: 2009Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Wells, D. L. 2009. Sensory stimulation as environmental enrichment for captive animals: A review. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 118, 1-12.

Measuring the impact of animal enrichment on research results

My take on this message is that the research community is gathering enough data from laboratory animals under a variety of environmental conditions, but we are not recording and/or sharing enough information about the animal treatment part of the experimental...

Year Published: 2010Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Lett, G. S. 2010. Measuring the impact of animal enrichment on research results. Enrichment Record 2, 6-7.

Environmental enrichment fights cancer and improves research results – What now for the biomedical researcher? Enrichment Record 5, 4-6

The article, “Environmental and Genetic Activation of a Brain-Adipocyte BDNF/Leptin Axis Causes Cancer Remission and Inhibition,” was first published in Cell on July 8, and quickly echoed by online editions of major journals including The Scientist, Scientific American, Nature and...

Year Published: 2010Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Lett, G. S., Patterson-Kane, E. G. 2010. Environmental enrichment fights cancer and improves research results - What now for the biomedical researcher? Enrichment Record 5, 4-6.

Can caring for laboratory animals be classified as Emotional Labour?

Caring for laboratory animals is a primary function for animal technicians and demands total commitment to ensuring all species receive the highest level of care and welfare during their time within a research facility. On the surface this would appear...

Year Published: 2010Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Davies, K., Lewis, D. 2010. Can caring for laboratory animals be classified as Emotional Labour? Animal Technology and Welfare 9(1), 1-6.

It is more than just a job; it is a way of life

This report is a summary of the Workshop which took place at Congress 2009 and the questionnaire submitted in preparation. The report covers the emotions raised by people working in the biomedical industry. At Congress 2008 I attended several lectures...

Year Published: 2010Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Cruden, J. 2010. It is more than just a job; it is a way of life. Animal Technology and Welfare 9, 7-24.

Visual aid for creating enrichment items

Enrichment devices are administered to laboratory animals to reduce abnormal behaviors and to promote species typical behaviors (for example, foraging and nest building). With a diverse collection of species that require numerous enrichment options, a laboratory enrichment schedule can become...

Year Published: 2010Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Vyas, D., Mayfield, K. L. 2010. Visual aid for creating enrichment items. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 705 (Abstract #P76).

Weighing the costs and benefits of animal experiments

Most regulations governing animal experimentation require that the harms expected to be incurred by animal subjects should be balanced against the likely benefits of the project. Too often, however, expected human benefits are based on unrealistic assumptions. To critically assess...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Knight, A. 2011. Weighing the costs and benefits of animal experiments. Alternatives to Animal Experimentation [ALTEX] Proceedings of WC8, 289-294.

A guide to defining and implementing protocols for the welfare assessment of laboratory animals: Eleventh report of the BVAAWF/FRAME/RSPCA/UFAW Joint Working Group on Refinement

The refinement of husbandry and procedures to reduce animal suffering and improve welfare is an essential component of humane science. Successful refinement depends upon the ability to assess animal welfare effectively, and detect any signs of pain or distress as...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Hawkins, P., Morton, D. B., Burman, O. et al. 2011. A guide to defining and implementing protocols for the welfare assessment of laboratory animals: Eleventh report of the BVAAWF/FRAME/RSPCA/UFAW Joint Working Group on Refinement. Laboratory Animals 45(1), 1-13.

An effective, economical method of reducing environmental noise in the vivarium

High levels of ambient noise can have detrimental effects on laboratory animal wellbeing and may affect experimental results. In addition, excessive noise can reduce technician comfort and performance. This study was performed to determine whether inexpensive, passive acoustic noise abatement...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Young, M. T., French, A. L., Clymer, J. W. 2011. An effective, economical method of reducing environmental noise in the vivarium. JAALAS 50(4), 513-515.

A good life for laboratory animals – How far must refinement go? Alternatives to Animal Experimentation [ALTEX] Proceedings of WC8, 11-13

Refinement typically is viewed as a means of reducing harms to animals used in laboratory research. Examples of recent research on refinement include improved methods of handling and euthanasia. Focus in the animal welfare literature is now shifting from simply...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Natural Behavior, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Weary, D. M. 2011. A good life for laboratory animals - How far must refinement go? Alternatives to Animal Experimentation [ALTEX] Proceedings of WC8, 11-13.