Environmental Enrichment

Effects of environmental enrichment on survivorship, growth, sex ratio and behaviour in laboratory maintained zebrafish Danio rerio

Environmental enrichment involves increasing the complexity of a fish's environment in order to improve welfare. Researchers are legally obliged to consider the welfare of laboratory animals and poor welfare may result in less robust data in experimental science. Laboratory zebrafish...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Lee, C. J., Paull, G. C., Tyler, C. R. 2019. Effects of environmental enrichment on survivorship, growth, sex ratio and behaviour in laboratory maintained zebrafish Danio rerio. Journal of Fish Biology 94(1), 86-95.

Horn of calf hooves as chews in laboratory dogs

European law recommends the enrichment of laboratory dogs with chewing objects. This study examines the suitability of the horn of calf hooves for this purpose and was performed with 62 dogs (60 beagles, 2 Foxhound Boehringer Ingelheim) across 3 research...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Döringa, D., Kettera, D. A., Klima, A. et. al. 2016. Horn of calf hooves as chews in laboratory dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 13, 39-45.

Effects of calf horn as chews on the behavior of laboratory dogs

It is increasingly required that non-human animals in laboratories are provided with adequate enrichment to promote the welfare of the animals. In a previous publication we showed that laboratory dogs intensively used the horn of calf hooves as chewing objects....

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Ketter, D. A., Klima, A., Küchenhoff, H. et al. 2020. Effects of calf horn as chews on the behavior of laboratory dogs. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 23(1), 116-128.

Can simple tank changes benefit the welfare of laboratory zebrafish Danio rerio? Journal of Fish Biology 92(3), 653-659

This study examined the effects of simple changes in the tank environment on the wellbeing of laboratory-maintained zebrafish Danio rerio. Groups of D. rerio were either housed in stable environments (where they were maintained in the same tanks throughout the...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Lee, C. J., Tyler, C. R., Paull, G. C. et al. 2018. Can simple tank changes benefit the welfare of laboratory zebrafish Danio rerio? Journal of Fish Biology 92(3), 653-659.

The effect of substrate rearing on growth, aerobic scope and physiology of larval white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus

The effect of substratum on growth and metabolic rate was assessed in larval white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus. Yolk-sac larvae (YSL) were reared in bare tanks or tanks with gravel as substratum from hatch until approximately 16-days post hatch (dph). The...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish

Citation: Boucher, M. A., Baker, D. W., Brauner, C. J. et al. 2018. The effect of substrate rearing on growth, aerobic scope and physiology of larval white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus. Journal of Fish Biology 92(6), 1731-1746.

The effect of rearing structures on behaviour and movement of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss

The relative movement of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss reared on two treatments was investigated to provide insight on the effect of structure in the rearing environment on the behaviour of the fish before potential release into a natural river system....

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Fish, Trout

Citation: Self, K. E., Schreck, C. B., Cogliati, K. M. et al. 2018. The effect of rearing structures on behaviour and movement of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss. Journal of Fish Biology 93(3), 449-454.

Survey of behavioral indices of welfare in research chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in the United States

Chimpanzees demand specialized housing and care and the highest degree of attention to animal welfare. The current project used a survey method to collate information on chimpanzee housing and behavioral indices of welfare across all 6 of the chimpanzee research...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Animal Training, Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Bloomsmith, M. A., Clay, A. W., Lambeth, S. P. et al. 2019. Survey of behavioral indices of welfare in research chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in the United States. JAALAS 58(2), 160-177.

Immunomodulatory effects of stress and environmental enrichment in Long–Evans rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Stress can influence the secretion of neuroendocrine mediators, thereby exposing immune cells to altered signaling and interactions. Here we investigated the synergetic effect of stress and environmental enrichment on the immune response of Long–Evans rats. Subjects (n = 46) were...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Scarola, S. J., Perdomo Trejo, J. R., Granger, M. E. et al. 2019. Immunomodulatory effects of stress and environmental enrichment in Long–Evans rats (Rattus norvegicus). Comparative Medicine 69(1), 35–47.

Interest in non-social novel stimuli as a function of age in rhesus monkeys

Human cognitive and affective life changes with healthy ageing; cognitive capacity declines while emotional life becomes more positive and social relationships are prioritized. This may reflect an awareness of limited lifetime unique to humans, leading to a greater interest in...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Bliss-Moreau, E., Baxter, M. G. 2019. Interest in non-social novel stimuli as a function of age in rhesus monkeys. Royal Society Open Science 6(9), 182237.

The activated newborn neurons participate in enriched environment induced improvement of locomotor function in APP/PS1 mice

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age‐related neurodegenerative disorder. One of the pathological features of AD is neuronal loss in brain regions associated with cognition, particularly the hippocampus. An enriched environment (EE) can facilitate neuronal plasticity and improve behaviors such as...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Wang, H., Li, Q, Tang, H. et al. 2019. The activated newborn neurons participate in enriched environment induced improvement of locomotor function in APP/PS1 mice. Brain and Behavior 9(7), e01316.