How to improve housing conditions of laboratory animals: The possibilities of environmental refinement |
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| Authors: | V Baumans PLP Van Loo |
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| Institution: | 1. Dept. Animals, Science and Society, Div. Laboratory Animal Science, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80166, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands;2. TNO Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences, P.O. Box 360, 3700 AJ Zeist, The Netherlands;1. Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Life Science, Kyoto-Sangyo University, Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto-City 603-8555, Japan;2. Laboratory of Public Health, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan;1. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada;2. Department of Animal Husbandry, University of Bristol, Langford, UK;3. Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada;4. Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada;5. Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada;1. Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada;2. Department of Psychiatry, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;1. Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA;2. Department of Pharmacology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA;3. Department of Psychiatry, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA |
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| Abstract: | Housing systems for captive animals have often been designed on the basis of economic and ergonomic considerations, such as equipment, costs, space, workload, ability to observe the animals and to maintain a certain degree of hygiene, with little or no consideration for animal welfare. Environmental refinement can be defined as any modification in the environment of captive animals that seeks to enhance the physical and psychological well-being of the animals by providing stimuli which meet the animals’ species-specific needs. This article provides an overview of environmental factors that influence the well-being of captive animals with specific reference to the needs of the most common laboratory species.It is important to evaluate environmental refinement in terms of the benefit to the animal, by assessing the use of and preference for certain enrichment, the effect on behaviour, and the performance of species-typical behaviour on physiological parameters. It is also necessary to evaluate the impact of refinement on scientific outcome, including whether and how statistical power is affected. Communication and team work between animal welfare scientists, animal research scientists, institutional animal welfare officers, veterinarians and animal ethics committees, animal facility management and personnel, are essential for success. |
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