E2 = 3R + 2Q: Calculating species-appropriate environmental enrichment (2004)

Sherwin, C. M.

Abstract

Species appropriate environmental enrichment should be provided to improve both animal welfare and the quality of research data. For research animals, species-appropriate Environmental Enrichment (E2) can be considered as a function of the 3 R's (3R) and the Quantity and Quality (2Q) of space that we provide, i.e. E2=3R+2Q. This paper reviews examples of species-appropriate environmental enrichment considering species as diverse as spiders, mice, cattle and primates.