Program Term Archive
Animals in Laboratories
Rodent Training Video Available Online
Animals in LaboratoriesCamilla Bengtsson and Marie Eriksson, researchers at the RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, have recently gained some international acclaim for their unique approach to handling and training laboratory mice and...
USDA Takes Infamous Chinchilla Dealer to Court
Animals in LaboratoriesAn administrative hearing is underway with respect to allegations of Animal Welfare Act (AWA) violations leveled by the US Department of Agriculture against Moulton Chinchilla Ranch (MCR), a supplier of...
Judge Permanently Revokes License of Notorious Chinchilla Supplier, Calls Violations “Absolutely Astounding”
Press ReleaseOctober 10, 2021Animals in Laboratories, Farmed Animals, Terrestrial WildlifeCiting a pattern of chronic Animal Welfare Act (AWA) violations, an administrative law judge on Friday permanently revoked the dealer license of Dan Moulton, owner of Moulton Chinchilla Ranch (MCR),...
Playpen Time Beneficial to Mice in Laboratories
Animals in LaboratoriesMounting scientific evidence indicates that environmental enrichment improves the welfare of laboratory mice, but most facilities worldwide still use standard housing (i.e., mostly barren “shoebox” cages). The provision of regular...
Tens of Millions of Animals in Research Are Unprotected
Animals in LaboratoriesIn the United States, the number of rats and mice used each year for experimentation, testing, and teaching is shrouded in secrecy. The current industry estimate, as reported in Science, is...
Cuttlefish Show Cognitive Complexity
Animals in Laboratories, Marine WildlifeIn a landmark new study, scientists have shown that cuttlefish are capable of delaying gratification, and that those who choose to delay longer are also more intelligent (Schnell et al.,...
Letting Animals Control the Remote
Animals in LaboratoriesA common feature of captive environments is that they deprive individuals of agency—that is, they constrain individuals’ ability to make decisions and exercise control over their environment. Agency is recognized...
New System Allows Noninvasive Study of Freely Moving Macaques
Animals in LaboratoriesResearchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a motion-capture system that allows for the markerless 3D tracking of free-moving macaques (Bala et al., 2020). The new technology, called OpenMonkeyStudio,...
AWI Refinement Grant Winners Announced
Animals in LaboratoriesEach year, AWI awards several Refinement Grants to investigators in the United States and Canada to support innovative research projects aimed at improving the welfare of animals in research. We...
Does Online Training Increase Implementation of a Welfare-Enhancing Technique?
Animals in LaboratoriesA new study (LaFollette et al. 2020. Animals 10(8): 1435), supported by a grant from AWI, shows that implementation of a particular animal welfare-enhancing technique can be improved through targeted training....