Environmental Enrichment

Effect of different environment enrichments on behaviour and social interactions in growing pigs

Background: Pigs are active animals that require a suitable environment to be able to express their exploratory behaviour. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of different environmental enrichments on the behaviour, social interactions, salivary cortisol...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Giuliotti, L., Benvenuti, M. N., Giannarelli, A. et al. 2019. Effect of different environment enrichments on behaviour and social interactions in growing pigs. Animals 9(3), 101.

Growing pigs’ interest in enrichment objects with different characteristics and cleanliness

Enrichment objects can be a practical way to provide rooting and chewing material to growing pigs, on which they can express species-specific behaviors. The challenge is to provide enrichment objects that will satisfy pigs' behavioral needs, while being practical and...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Beaudoin, J.-M., Bergeron, R., Devillers, N. et al. 2019. Growing pigs' interest in enrichment objects with different characteristics and cleanliness. Animals 9(3), 85.

The efficacy of novel rope flavours as environmental enrichment for stalled gilts

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of flavoured ropes as environmental enrichment for individually housed pigs (Sus scrofa). A 4 × 4 Latin square experimental design was utilised to evaluate the effects of four rope flavour...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Colpoys, J. D., Johnson, A. K., Gabler, N. K. 2018. The efficacy of novel rope flavours as environmental enrichment for stalled gilts. Animal Welfare 27(4), 351-356.

Standardized environmental enrichment supports enhanced brain plasticity in healthy rats and prevents cognitive impairment in epileptic rats

Environmental enrichment of laboratory animals influences brain plasticity, stimulates neurogenesis, increases neurotrophic factor expression, and protects against the effects of brain insult. However, these positive effects are not constantly observed, probably because standardized procedures of environmental enrichment are lacking. Therefore,...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Fares, R. P., Belmeguenai, A., Sanchez, P.E. et al. 2013. Standardized environmental enrichment supports enhanced brain plasticity in healthy rats and prevents cognitive impairment in epileptic rats. PLOS ONE 8(1): e53888.

Larger cages with housing unit environment enrichment improve the welfare of marmosets

The provision of adequate space for laboratory animals is essential not only for good welfare but accurate studies. For example, housing conditions for primates used in biomedical research may negatively affect welfare and thus the reliability of findings. In common...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Yoshimoto, T., Takahashi, E., Yamashita, S. et al. 2018. Larger cages with housing unit environment enrichment improve the welfare of marmosets. Experimental Animals 67(1), 31-39.

An assessment of porches as enrichment for singly housed cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis)

Effective environmental enrichment encourages usage, promotes species‐typical behaviors, and/or decreases abnormal behaviors. Porches are small cages that attach to the primary cage of an animal to provide additional space and a better view of the surroundings. This study aimed to...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Brown, T. A., Lutz, C. K., 2018. An assessment of porches as enrichment for singly housed cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis). American Journal of Primatology 80(S1), 18 (40th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #21).

Increasing captive chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) engagement with multi-step cognitive enrichment

Environmental enrichment enhances the psychological well‐being of animals and is therefore a vital part of the husbandry of captive animals. Since chimpanzees are a cognitively complex species, they may especially benefit from enrichment programs that focus on cognitive engagement. We...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Cornelius, N., Enstam‐Jaffe, K. Minier, D. et al., 2018. Increasing captive chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) engagement with multi-step cognitive enrichment. American Journal of Primatology 80(S1), 19 (40th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #23).

Increases in feeding and destructible enrichment distribution in caged rhesus macaques (Macaques mulatta) provide some behavioral benefits

It is important to evaluate the effectiveness of environmental enrichment in meeting behavioral goals (e.g., decreasing abnormal behavior) and in making the best use of limited facility resources (e.g., money, personnel time). One/zero behavioral data on 12 abnormal behaviors were...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Perlman, J. E., Martin, A. L., Bloomsmith, M. A., 2018. Increases in feeding and destructible enrichment distribution in caged rhesus macaques (Macaques mulatta) provide some behavioral benefits. American Journal of Primatology 80(S1), 19 (40th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #24).

Enhanced physical environment in single-housed macaques: A long-term usage profile of cage extensions

Social housing is always preferred in the research environment; however, single housing is sometimes necessitated by scientific objectives or social incompatibility. In these cases, other environmental enhancements are developed to provide indirect social interactions. We developed a novel cage extension...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Woelffer, S., Ace, L., Sullivan, J. et al., 2018. Enhanced physical environment in single-housed macaques: A long-term usage profile of cage extensions. American Journal of Primatology 80(S1), 19-20 (40th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #25).

The effect of feeding enrichment in the milk-feeding stage on the cognition of dairy calves in a T-maze

In many species, environmental complexity is known to affect cognitive development, yet it is common to house dairy calves individually in restrictive environments. The hypothesis of this study was that providing calves with simple nutritional enrichments would improve their success...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Horvath, K., Fernandez, M., Miller-Cushon, E. K. 2017. The effect of feeding enrichment in the milk-feeding stage on the cognition of dairy calves in a T-maze. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 187, 8-14.