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Environmental challenge and animal agency

Challenges are there to be overcome – seen usually as problems to avoid rather than as opportunities to enjoy. However, for humans a life without challenge would be likely to be dull and boring, lacking the enthusiasm and satisfaction that...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Environmental Enrichment, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Špinka, M., Wemelsfelder, F. 2011. Environmental challenge and animal agency. Animal Welfare 27–43.

Assessing animal welfare with behavior: Onward with caution

An emphasis on ensuring animal welfare is growing in zoo and aquarium associations around the globe. This has led to a focus on measures of welfare outcomes for individual animals. Observations and interpretations of behavior are the most widely used...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Watters, J. V., Krebs, B. L., Eschmann, C. L. 2021. Assessing animal welfare with behavior: Onward with caution. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 2(1), 75–87.

In pursuit of peak animal welfare; the need to prioritize the meaningful over the measurable

Despite the diversity of animal welfare definitions, most recognise the centrality of the feelings of animals which are currently impossible to measure directly. As a result, animal welfare assessment is heavily reliant upon the indirect measurement of factors that either...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Veasey, J. S. 2017. In pursuit of peak animal welfare; the need to prioritize the meaningful over the measurable. Zoo Biology 36(6), 413–425.

The choice to access outdoor areas affects the behavior of great apes

Outdoor access is often cited as a critical component of appropriate housing for great apes in captivity, and although studies have shown that offering primates choices can improve welfare, choice to access specific areas has been empirically neglected. Behavioral data...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: All/General, Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Kurtycz, L. M., Wagner, K. E., Ross, S. R. 2014. The choice to access outdoor areas affects the behavior of great apes. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 17(3), 185–197.

Mission creep or mission lapse? Scientific review in research oversight

Background: The ethical use both of human and non-human animals in research is predicated on the assumption that it is of a high quality and its projected benefits are more significant than the risks and harms imposed on subjects. Yet...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Waltz, M., Fisher, J. A., Walker, R. L. 2023. Mission creep or mission lapse? Scientific review in research oversight. AJOB Empirical Bioethics 14(1), 38-49.

Defining short-term accommodation for animals

The terms short-term, temporary, and transitional are related but can have different contexts and meanings for animal husbandry. The definitions and use of these terms can be pivotal to animal housing and welfare. We conducted three separate literature searches using...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Housing, Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Warwick, C., Steedman, C., Jessop, M. et al. 2023. Defining short-term accommodation for animals. Animals 13(4), 732.

Neuroimaging of human and non-human animal emotion and affect in the context of social relationships

Long-term relationships are essential for the psychological wellbeing of humans and many animals. Positive emotions and affective experiences (e.g., romantic or platonic love) seem to be closely related to the creation and maintenance of social bonds. When relationships are threatened...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Zablocki-Thomas, P. B., Rogers, F. D., Bales, K. L. 2022. Neuroimaging of human and non-human animal emotion and affect in the context of social relationships. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 16, 994504.

Ultrasound guided surgery as a refinement tool in oncology research

Refinement is one of the ethical pillars of the use of animals in research. Ultrasonography is currently used in human medicine as a surgical tool for guided biopsies and this idea can be applied to preclinical research thanks to the...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Drug/Substance Administration, Imaging & Electrophysiological Recording, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Serrano, C., Antonio, J. 2022. Ultrasound guided surgery as a refinement tool in oncology research. Animals 12(23), 3445.

Are currently selected laboratory animals useful in the research of how female hormones influence orthodontic biomechanics?

Animal testing was and remains the only method of introducing a certain treatment and medical procedure on humans. On the other hand, animals have their rights resulting from applicable legal acts, including Directive 2010/63/EU and, indirectly, the World Medical Association...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General, Cat, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Peruga, M., Kawala, B., Sarul, M. et al. 2023. Are currently selected laboratory animals useful in the research of how female hormones influence orthodontic biomechanics? Animals 13(4), 629.

An ethics toolkit to support animal-centered research and design

Designers and researchers who work with animals need to employ an array of ethical competencies to guarantee the welfare of animals taking part in animal-centered research. The emerging field of Animal-Computer Interaction (ACI), which deals with the design of animal-centered...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Regulations & Ethical Review, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Dog

Citation: Ruge, L., Mancini, C. 2022. An ethics toolkit to support animal-centered research and design. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9, 891493.