All/General

Provision of environmental enrichment: Scientifically proven or use of common sense?

In an ideal world, of course, it would be nice to have the time and resources to prove everything scientifically and in many cases this is also the right approach. However, sometimes the use of common sense might be a...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Ottesen, J. L. 2013. Provision of environmental enrichment: Scientifically proven or use of common sense? Enrichment Record 16, 5-8.

Getting on the same page: Using a checklist to communicate environmental enrichment

Multiple species, study protocols and user needs make it difficult to develop a one-size-fits-all approach to standardizing enrichment. Fortunately, it turns out that there is a very simple solution to the complex issue of getting everyone on the same page—literally!...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Dragon, M. 2013. Getting on the same page: Using a checklist to communicate environmental enrichment. Enrichment Record 15, 5-6.

Assessing the application of the 3Rs: A survey among animal welfare officers in The Netherlands

Implementation of the 3Rs (Replacement, Refinement and Reduction) in animal studies is a legal requirement in many countries. In The Netherlands, animal welfare officers (AWOs) are appointed to monitor the welfare of laboratory animals. As part of this task, AWOs...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: van Luijk, J., Cuijpers, Y., van der Vaart, L. et al. 2013. Assessing the application of the 3Rs: A survey among animal welfare officers in The Netherlands. Laboratory Animals 47(3), 210-219.

The role and responsibilities of the enrichment coordinator

The challenges with being an Enrichment Coordinator can be as variable as your roles and responsibilities. But the rewards are just as great. As an Enrichment Coordinator, I am able to be part of bettering the research community. I support...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Neeb, K. 2013. The role and responsibilities of the enrichment coordinator. Enrichment Record 15, 17-20.

The effects of music on animal physiology, behavior and welfare

Physiological and psychological effects of listening to music have been documented in humans. The changes in physiology, cognition and brain chemistry and morphology induced by music have been studied in animal models, providing evidence that music may affect animals similarly...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General, Baboon, Bird, Capuchin, Cattle, Chicken, Chimpanzee, Fish, Fowl, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Fish, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Pig, Rat, Rodent, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Alworth, L. C., Buerkle, S. C. 2013. The effects of music on animal physiology, behavior and welfare. Lab Animal 42(2), 54-61.

Environmental enrichment – what works best and do animals need it?

Year Published: 2013Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Phillips, S., Miller, P., Rudling, B. et al. 2013. Environmental enrichment - what works best and do animals need it? Animal Technology and Welfare 11, 49-51.

Alone or together: A risk assessment approach to group housing

The question of whether it is better to house animals in groups rather than alone deals with the unresolved issues at the heart of animal welfare. In particular, we need to be able to rank different classes of threats to...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Social Housing & Companionship, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Cattle

Citation: Rushen, J., de Passillé, A. M., Appleby, M. C. et al. 2014. Alone or together: A risk assessment approach to group housing. In: Dilemmas in Animal Welfare. Appleby, M. C., Weary, D. M., Sandøe, P. (eds), 169-187. CAB International, Oxfordshire, UK.

Facts and demonstrations: Exploring the effects of enrichment on data quality

There is widespread support within the scientific community for the concept that better welfare equals better science. It is also broadly accepted that environmental enrichment improves welfare. I have seen much evidence of support for both of these concepts in...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Hawkins, P. 2014. Facts and demonstrations: Exploring the effects of enrichment on data quality. Enrichment Record 18, 12-21.

A historical perspective on social housing

The ever-broadening scope of social housing of research animals is increasingly encompassing the diversity of species used in research, including dogs, cats, rabbits, a variety of rodent species, agricultural animals, aquatic animals, and others.The Guide's position on social housing matured...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Bayne, K. 2014. A historical perspective on social housing. Enrichment Record 18, 8-11.

Training is enrichment – And beyond

With regards to the issue of animal training in the zoo community, there is some debate as to whether or not it should be considered a type of environmental enrichment (EE). This article suggests four criteria by which an intervention...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Animal TrainingAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Westlund, K. 2014. Training is enrichment - And beyond. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 152, 1-6.