A heated topic: branding animals for identification
Branding has been used for centuries on horses and cattle; more recently wildlife researchers have begun using hot-iron branding to identify marine mammals. Kristen Walker’s Ph.D. research focused on the pain and distress caused by branding and other marking methods in Steller sea lions, and how this could be avoided. Kristen’s work and other recent […]
Elisabeth Ormandy’s recent paper featured by FRAME
Elisabeth Ormandy, post-doctoral researcher in UBC’s Animal Welfare Program, has had her research profiled in FRAME’s most recent newsletter (see page 5). Elisabeth’s research shows a high level of public concern for the use of zebrafish in painful research. Fish are now the most widely used research animal in Canada and many other countries.
Public attitudes toward the use of fish and mice in biomedical research
Post-doctoral scholar Elisabeth Ormandy and colleagues in the Animal Welfare Program have recently published an article on public attitudes towards the use of animals in research. The study focused on the commonly used procedure of ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis. This procedure is used to introduce genetic point mutations and study various genetic diseases, including cancer. The […]
AWP to co-host symposium on euthanasia
How can we tell if an animal’s death is a good one? UBC’s Animal Welfare Program is co-hosting a symposium on this topic at the Behaviour 2013 meeting to be held in Newcastle this August. The aim will be to review recent findings and discuss more effective ways of assessing and improving euthanasia methods.
Animals in Science
The issues of pain and distress in research animals, as well as the impacts of common laboratory procedures and standard husbandry practices concerns the general public and thoughtful researchers.