Search Archive

AWI Quarterly

Search all articles or use filters below to narrow results.

Filter by Program
Filter by Article Type
Filter by Date Range
Active Filters
No filters applied
18 Articles

Sharing Info on Improving Welfare of Animals in Research

Quick Read Winter 2025

In November, AWI hosted an exhibit at the annual symposium of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science—the world’s largest gathering of personnel involved in the production, care, and use of animals in laboratories.  We distributed hundreds of books related to improving the welfare of animals in laboratories and took orders for our newest book, Refinements

NIH Greenlights Grant Funds for Animal Rehoming

Quick Read Winter 2025

As of October, National Institutes of Health grant recipients are allowed to allocate a portion of their funding to the rehoming and retirement of animals after their use in experimentation. This could provide second chances for animals who otherwise would have been killed after their time in research and testing came to an end. AWI

Apply Now: Funding Available to Develop or Implement Refinements

General/AWI, Quick Read Fall 2025

Through October 13, AWI is accepting applications for its Refinement Research Award and its Implementing Refinement Grant. Refinements, in this context, are improvements to the housing, husbandry, and care of animals used in experimentation to minimize pain, suffering, and distress. The Refinement Research Award offers up to $15,000 for research projects designed to study, develop,

AWI Launches Revamped Refinement Database

General/AWI, Quick Read Fall 2025

AWI is excited to announce the 25th anniversary relaunch of our Refinement Database, which has been updated and modernized and can now be accessed via a brand-new website: refinementdatabase.org. This database contains a vast array of curated scientific articles, books, and other publications related to improving or safeguarding the welfare of animals used in research and

Enhancing the Audio-Visual Environment for Nonhuman Primates

Quick Read Spring 2025

Nonhuman primates housed in indoor laboratory environments are generally exposed to blank walls. This environment is not ideal for species whose primary sensory modality is visual. The aim of this study, which was funded by an AWI Refinement Research Award, was to assess the potential welfare benefits of providing a passive natural audio-visual stimulus to

Making Positive Changes for Animals in Laboratories: A LAREF Discussion

Feature Article Spring 2023

AWI’s Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (LAREF) is an online discussion forum where individuals working with animals in research share their ideas and experiences related to improving the welfare of animals under their care. Recently, Dr. Joanna Makowska, AWI’s laboratory animal advisor, asked members a question that generated a lively discussion, reproduced below. The

Pigs Love Scratching But Are Hard on Scratchers: A LAREF Discussion

Feature Article Fall 2021

The Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (LAREF) is an online platform, hosted by AWI, where individuals working with animals in research share ideas and experiences related to improving the welfare of animals under their care. Recently, Renee Gainer asked for recommendations for pig scratchers. Jacqueline Schwartz, Lorraine Bell, Brianna Gaskill, Evelyn Skoumbourdis, Michele Cunneen, Viktor Reinhardt,

LAREF Has Moved!

General/AWI, Quick Read Winter 2020

AWI’s Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum (LAREF) is an electronic discussion forum facilitating the factual exchange of experiences about ways to refine the conditions under which animals are housed and handled in research institutions. The forum is intended to serve the international animal care community in its effort to promote animal welfare and improve

Lab Animal Caregivers Share Insights in New LAREF Volume

Quick Read Spring 2020

AWI is pleased to announce publication of It’s Okay to Cry: Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum, Volume V. Since 2002, AWI’s Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (LAREF) has facilitated the sharing of ideas and experiences of animal care personnel who strive to improve the conditions under which all animals in research

Rabbit Enrichment Items: Getting Bang for the Buck (and Doe)

Feature Article Spring 2019

A recent discussion on the Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (LAREF) focused on new enrichment ideas for rabbits. Brianna Parkinson initiated the conversation to share her experience and to ask what others have tried. Sarah Thurston, Steven Ortiz, Jacqueline Schwartz, Leslie Jenkins, Michele Cunneen, and Lorraine Bell all chimed in on which toys and

Caregivers in Research Say Animals Calmed by Conversation

Feature Article Spring 2018

A LAREF Discussion This past December on AWI’s Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (LAREF), a question posed by Erik Moreau prompted a discussion on whether talking to animals in a laboratory setting helps reduce their stress. Further, does announcing a certain procedure make it more predictable for the animals and does that communication have

AWI’s New Book on Better Care of Animals in Research 

General/AWI, Quick Read Fall 2016

AWI is pleased to announce publication of Committed to Animal Welfare: Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum, Volume IV, edited by Viktor Reinhardt. Since 2002, AWI’s Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (LAREF) has facilitated the exchange of ideas and the sharing of personal knowledge and experience by animal care personnel who strive

Setting Standards: How Best to Meet the Needs of Nonhuman Primates in Research

Feature Article Summer 2015

As the USDA considers a Petition for Rulemaking to establish criteria to promote the psychological well-being of primates, a discussion concerning regulations based on “performance standards” as opposed to “engineering standards” is timely. The use of performance standards for animals in research was the topic of a roundtable this spring by the Institute for Laboratory

Compassion Makes a Difference

Quick Read Summer 2013

AWI is pleased to announce publication of Compassion Makes a Difference, the third volume of discussions from the Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (LAREF), edited by longtime AWI laboratory animal advisor, Viktor Reinhardt. The online forum facilitates the exchange of ideas and the sharing of personal knowledge and experience by animal care personnel who seek

A Phenomenon Named Viktor Reinhardt: AWI Salutes a Visionary Advocate for Better Treatment of Animals in Research

Feature Article, General/AWI Summer 2012

The Improved Standards for Laboratory Animals amendments to the Animal Welfare Act were signed into law in 1985. The new law contained many significant mandates for research institutions, including a requirement to provide “a physical environment adequate to promote the psychological well-being of primates.” Predictably, industry resisted, and a prolonged struggle to enact meaningful regulations

Do Animals Have a Sense of Humor?

Feature Article Winter 2011

Whether animals have a sense of humor was the focus of a recent Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum (LAREF) discussion. Certainly the juveniles of many animal species exhibit play behavior. And anyone who has spent time around dogs can attest to the fact that a desire to have fun doesn’t necessarily end when an

Training Primates to Cooperate During Blood Collection

Feature Article Winter 2011

For macaques and other primates in research laboratories, blood draws can be extremely stressful events. The anxiety and fear, however, may result not so much from any “phobia” involving the needle, but from the restraint often employed to enable the technician to perform the procedure. Depending on the nature of the study, the distress these

A Dip in the Pool Deemed Positive for Primates

Feature Article Summer 2010

To keep their interest and encourage natural behaviors, animals in research facilities are often offered enrichment devices: objects to gnaw on, nesting materials that allow them to custom build their shelters, “food puzzles” to forage, and various toys to keep them occupied during the long hours cooped up in cages. For highly intelligent primates, mental