Program Term Archive
Animals in Laboratories
Something Doesn’t Add Up
Animals in LaboratoriesFish can perform simple addition and subtraction, a study recently published in the journal Scientific Reports revealed (Schluessel et al., 2022). In a series of runs, cichlids and stingrays were first shown...
Behavioral Patterns of Goldfish (Carassius auratus) Exploring a “Fish Tower”
Animals in LaboratoriesCuriosity—the drive to gather information—is considered a fundamental motivation throughout the animal kingdom. As such, providing opportunities to satisfy that curiosity may be essential for animals to have good welfare...
Breaking Up the Fight Before It Begins: Detecting Early Signs of Inter-male Aggression in Mice
Animals in LaboratoriesInter-male aggression in mice continues to challenge laboratory animal husbandry personnel, as intervention strategies are typically applied at the cage level without a good understanding of how individual behavior is...
Congratulations to This Year’s AWI Refinement Grant Recipients
Animals in LaboratoriesEvery year, AWI awards grants of up to US$10,000 to support research projects aimed at developing or testing new and creative ways to improve the welfare of animals in research....
Conventional Rodent Housing Is Harmful to Animals and Science
Animals in LaboratoriesA meta-analysis recently published in the journal BMC Biology (Cait et al., 2022) found that rats and mice housed in conventional laboratory cages have higher mortality rates and greater disease severity compared...
Birds Finally in Line for Animal Welfare Act Protections
Animals in Laboratories, Companion Animals, Terrestrial WildlifeIt only took 20 years, two lawsuits, and prodding from Congress for the US Department of Agriculture to finally propose regulations to extend Animal Welfare Act (AWA) protections to birds...
Blood Money: Vested Industry Interests Keep Drain Open on Horseshoe Crab Population
Animals in LaboratoriesThey are captured from the wild, piled inside plastic bins, and hauled into labs where they are strapped to a stand. A hypodermic needle is inserted into the membrane surrounding...
Daniel Moulton, Dealer of Chinchillas for Research, Has License Revoked
Animals in LaboratoriesOn October 8, US Department of Agriculture administrative law judge Jill Clifton permanently revoked the dealer license of Daniel Moulton, who for decades had been a primary supplier of chinchillas...
Pigs Love Scratching But Are Hard on Scratchers: A LAREF Discussion
Animals in LaboratoriesThe 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...
Rats May Relish More Refined Tickling Techniques
Animals in LaboratoriesA technique that is increasingly used worldwide to improve the welfare of rats in research is rat “tickling”—whereby humans make light, brisk, and vigorous movements with their fingertips on a...