-
The Psychological Effects of Medical Research on Animal Subjects and the Ramifications for the Applicability of the Research Results
Contributor(s):: Morgan A. Damm
Historically, animals have been used in medical research to bring about many of the medical breakthroughs and advances seen today. The successful studies are accompanied by numerous, often concealed, failed studies that are inapplicable to human medicine due to stress and distress changing the...
-
Antimony: The Use, Rights, and Regulation of Laboratory Animals
Contributor(s):: Brenda L. Thomas
'In recent years, the problem, plight, and philosophy behind the use of animals in laboratories, schools, and industries has caused many to formulate an opinion on animal experimentation. It is simple to postulate a Monday morning quarterback philosophy - merely weigh the...
-
Influence of pet ownership on opinions towards the use of animals in biomedical research
Contributor(s):: Hagelin, J., Johansson, B., Hau, J., Carlsson, H. E.
The present study investigated the relationship between pet ownership and opinions on the use of animals in medical research. A questionnaire was answered by 484 schoolteacher students and 156 preschool teacher students from Uppsala University, Sweden [date not given]. Animal use was found to be...
-
Environmental enrichment alters the behavioral profile of ratsnakes ( Elaphe )
Contributor(s):: Almli, L. M., Burghardt, G. M.
This study investigated the effects of environmentally enriched and standard laboratory housing conditions on behavioral performance in 16 subadult ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta) using a split-clutch design. In a problem-solving task, snakes housed in enriched environments (EC) exhibited shorter...
-
The use of cage enrichment to reduce male mouse aggression
Contributor(s):: Ambrose, N., Morton, D. B.
The complete cleaning of cages has been shown to reduce the level of intermale aggression in mice. This study investigated the effects of the addition of enrichment objects on post cage-cleaning aggression in male BALB/c mice. Enrichment objects were found to significantly reduce aggressive...
-
Combination therapy reduces self-injurious behavior in a chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes troglodytes ): a case report
Contributor(s):: Bourgeois, S. R., Vazquez, M., Brasky, K.
Self-injurious behavior (SIB) remains a severe and intractable abnormal behavior for nonhuman primates in diverse settings and is a significant concern for veterinarians and behavioral scientists. To date, no single pharmacological, behavioral, social, or environmental intervention method has...
-
Genetically modified laboratory animals - what welfare problems do they face?
Contributor(s):: Buehr, M., Hjorth, P. J., Hansen, A. K., Sandoe, P.
In this article, we respond to public concern expressed about the welfare of genetically modified (GM) non-human animals. As a contribution to the debate on this subject, we attempt in this article to determine in what situations the practice of genetic modification in rodents may generate...
-
Animal experimentation in cancer research: a citation analysis
Contributor(s):: Dagg, A. I.
Cancer research involves the use of millions of nonhuman animals and billions of dollars in public funds each year, but cures for the disease remain elusive. This article suggests ways to reduce the use of animals and save money by identifying articles that garnered few citations over the 9 years...
-
Severe intragroup aggressions in captive common marmosets ( Callithrix jacchus )
Contributor(s):: Filippis, B. de, Chiarotti, F., Vitale, A.
Members of captive colonies of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), a small New World primate, can occasionally be victims of repeated, and potentially fatal, attacks by a family-mate. This study examined the records of a colony, looking for past instances of such aggressions. The aim was to...
-
A study of three IACUCs and their views of scientific merit and alternatives
Contributor(s):: Graham, K.
Two ethical issues facing Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) today are assessing scientific merit and the use of alternatives in research proposals. This study evaluated 3 IACUCs using a 19-question survey, with a 77.8% response rate. Although 76% of members answered that...
-
Overcoming the barriers to the retirement of Old and New World monkeys from research facilities
Contributor(s):: Kerwin, A. M.
In this commentary I aim to raise awareness among researchers and sanctuary directors to potential barriers to retiring Old and New World monkeys from research facilities. I define a barrier as an opinion or stereotype that prevents primate retirement from occurring on a regular basis. By...
-
The poor contribution of chimpanzee experiments to biomedical progress
Contributor(s):: Knight, A.
Biomedical research on captive chimpanzees incurs substantial nonhuman animal welfare, ethical, and financial costs that advocates claim result in substantial advancements in biomedical knowledge. However, demonstrating minimal contribution toward the advancement of biomedical knowledge...
-
Primate behavior studies: essential to primate welfare. Proceedings of the special Animal Behavior Society session, 2006
Contributor(s):: Koch, V. W.
This special issue contains 8 papers and 3 commentaries on the association between understanding nonhuman primate behaviour and providing for nonhuman primate welfare. The topics of the papers include: welfare of apes in captive environments; social housing for nonhuman primates in the research...
-
The use of positive reinforcement training techniques to enhance the care, management, and welfare of primates in the laboratory. (Training Nonhuman Primates Using Positive Reinforcement Techniques)
Contributor(s):: Laule, G. E., Bloomsmith, M. A., Schapiro, S. J.
Handled frequently and subjected to a wide range of medical procedures that may be particularly invasive, nonhuman animals in a laboratory setting have unique needs. To produce the most reliable research results and to protect and enhance the well-being of the animals, it is desirable to perform...
-
The development of a novel form of mouse cage enrichment
Contributor(s):: Leach, M. C., Ambrose, N., Bowell, V. J., Morton, D. B.
This article describes the design and testing of a novel form of mouse cage enrichment. A cage insert was designed and developed to fulfill a number of enrichment goals pertaining to its effectiveness and practicality (i.e., to improve the environment of mice in laboratories while causing the...
-
Urinary corticosterone levels in mice in response to intraperitoneal injections with saline
Contributor(s):: Meijer, M. K., Lemmens, A. G., Zutphen, B. F. M. van, Baumans, V.
The concept of refinement is an important issue in the field of laboratory animal science. Refinement-based research aims to improve animal welfare, to increase the reliability of experimental outcome, and to diminish variation. In search of refinement of experimental techniques, this study...
-
Noise exposure, music, and animals in the laboratory: a commentary based on Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (LAREF) discussions
Contributor(s):: Patterson-Kane, E. G., Farnworth, M. J.
The effects of noise, in general, and music, in particular, on the behavior and welfare of animals in the laboratory deserve a great deal of empirical study. However, many laboratories must develop their current practices on the basis of sparse and conflicting data. With this commentary we seek...
-
Rat's demand for group size
Contributor(s):: Patterson-Kane, E. P., Hunt, M., Harper, D.
Social isolation compromises the welfare of rats. However, it is not clear how many rats should be housed together under laboratory conditions. Pair housing, sometimes recommended over group housing, may help avoid aggression and disease transmission. Female rats, however, showed the highest...
-
Global harmonization of pain and distress classification systems: current analysis and opportunity for change
Contributor(s):: Purves, K. E.
When humans suffer pain or distress, they are generally able to describe their experience to others, including doctors. Medical professionals are also able to convey the likelihood of pain and distress to humans who are voluntarily participating in clinical research trials. The same is not true...
-
The myth of the aggressive monkey
Contributor(s):: Reinhardt, V.
Captive rhesus macaques are not naturally aggressive, but poor husbandry and handling practices can trigger their aggression toward conspecifics and toward the human handler. The myth of the aggressive monkey probably is based on often not taking into account basic ethological principles when...
