MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London
Science for Health
2010 RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Meeting
14 October 2010
The annual national RSPCA/UFAW rodent welfare meeting was held at NIMR on 6 October, and was attended by more than 120 people. Attendees came mostly from the UK, but also from the Netherlands and Sweden.
The focus of this year's meeting was the effects of handling and cage change on laboratory rodents. Although both are extremely commonplace events in the lives of laboratory rodents, recent research suggests that they can have quite a profound impact on behaviour and welfare. The meeting will have a closer look at the implications of these studies and discuss how people are handling and caring for rodents and what further refinements might be made.
The programme included speakers from the Royal Veterinary College, University of Liverpool, University of Lincoln, University of Newcastle, University of Sussex and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research. The following topics were addressed:
- Handling and cage cleaning: effects on rat welfare
- Effects of different handling techniques on mice
- The effect of removing individual rats on indicators of welfare in the remaining group members
- Practical implications: bringing animal welfare science to the cageside
- Looking in the wrong place ... implications for assessing pain and distress in animals
- A tasty alternative to the gavage needle for administration of retinoic acid
A speaker from the Home Office Inspectorate closed the meeting by highlighting some of the day’s main conclusions following an open floor discussion on the practicalities of using animal welfare science in routine laboratory animal husbandry and putting into practice good ideas for refinement.
A full report of the meeting is expected to be published in Animal Technology and Welfare in summer 2011.
External links
News categories
© MRC National Institute for Medical Research
The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA
Top of page