Program Term Archive
Animals in Laboratories
Enrichment Strategies for Rabbits in Research
Animals in LaboratoriesOne of the goals of environmental enrichment is to encourage species-typical behaviors while discouraging abnormal behaviors. Assessing the effectiveness of various enrichment strategies can be a challenging endeavor, particularly for...
Human “Body-on-a-Chip” Could Replace Traditional Animal Testing
Animals in LaboratoriesOrgan-on-a-chip is a relatively new technology that reconstitutes the functions of human organs on devices as small as a computer memory stick. Each organ-on-a-chip is composed of a clear flexible...
Lab Animal Caregivers Share Insights in New LAREF Volume
Animals in LaboratoriesAWI 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...
A New Beginning for Retired Laboratory Rabbits
Animals in LaboratoriesHealthy laboratory animals who are no longer needed in research deserve the chance to be rehomed. The practice of rehoming retired laboratory animals is more common with dogs, but other...
Clarification: Rats Playing Hide-and-Seek
Animals in LaboratoriesIn the last issue of the AWI Quarterly, we reported on a study recently published in the journal Science (Reinhold et al., 2019). In that study, researchers who were examining the...
Congratulations to This Year’s AWI Refinement Grant Recipients
Animals in LaboratoriesAWI advocates for improving the care, housing, and handling of animals in research facilities to spare them needless suffering. To help achieve this, we offer Refinement Grants of up to...
How Many Former Research Chimps Will NIH Deem Unsuitable for Sanctuary?
Animals in LaboratoriesFour years ago, Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced that all of the chimpanzees the NIH “owns” or supports financially would be eligible for...
Technician Spotlight: Jessica Brekke’s “Rat Hammock” Design
Animals in LaboratoriesThe heart of any laboratory animal facility is its animal care staff. Dedicated and compassionate animal care technicians can make a tremendous difference in the quality of the animals’ lives....
Mystic Aquarium Does Not Need to Import Belugas to Conduct Research
Press ReleaseNovember 14, 2019Animals in Laboratories, Marine WildlifeThe Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and a coalition of environmental and animal protection organizations strongly oppose Mystic Aquarium’s unprecedented request to import five captive-born beluga whales from Canada for scientific...
Rats Enjoy Playing Hide-and-Seek
Animals in LaboratoriesA new study published in the journal Science (Reinhold et al., 2019) reported that laboratory rats learned to play hide-and-seek with researchers at Humboldt University of Berlin, in a novel approach to...