Return to flip book view

Vol 20 No 3 December 2021ISSN 2752-3918Offi cial Journal of the Institute of Animal Technology and European Federation of Animal TechnologistsIAT JournalAnimal Technology and Welfare●Are Tunnels enough? ● Culture of Care● Horse welfare in Lesotho ● Congress 2021 Poster part 2

BiodegradableNesting MaterialsEnvironmental enrichment stems from the recognition that in addition to basic needs of food, water, warmth & health, housed animals have a physiological & psychological need to exert their natural behaviours like gathering nesting materials and nest building. All our nesting material comes with batch traceability and certicates of analysis. Our nesting materials can be eectively composted to reduce environmental impact.The Widest Range of Laboratory Animal Nesting MaterialsDatesand has the largest range of high-quality nesting materials to suit all animal breeds, including WHITE Bed-r’Nest, Sizzlenest and FINE STRAND Sizzlenest.Order FREESamplesScan the QR code to request product samples or go to:www.datesand.comNow Available OnlineUK customers can buy & request a quote onlineFull traceability & certicates of analysisReliable UK stocks & bulk pricing available

193August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareVol 20 No 3 December 2021EditorialJas Barley, Chair of the Editorial BoardReport of the 2019 RSPCA/UFAW RodentWelfare Group meetingChloe Stevens, Emily Finnegan, Jasmine Clarkson,Charlotte Burns, Sonia Bains, Colin Gilbert,Caroline Chadwick, Samantha Izzard, Charlotte Inman,Penny Hawkins (Secretary) and Huw GolledgeReduction of the negative effects ofmethionine on bone parameters in broilers’embryos by intra-egg injection of Vitamin B12Mohammad Naser Nazem, Shima Tasharofi,Negin Amiri and Sepideh SabzekarThe care of the Childr en’s Python(Antaresia children)Alexander Hosking and Gary MartinicFeline-assisted therapy: a promising part of animal assisted therapy (AAT)Eliska Mičková and Krityna MachovaThe care of Central and Pygmy Bearded DragonsAlexander Hosking and Gary MartinicPAPER SUMMARY TRANSLATIONSFrench, German, Italian, SpanishLOOKING BACKPhysical hazards in the laboratory animal houseR.T. CharlesThe incidence of a pathogenic strain of pseudomonas in a rabbit colonyG.R. Alpen and K. MaerzTECH-2-TECHDevelopment of a sifting cage change method for rats to improve welfareSeonagh HendersonVol 1 9 No 2 A ugust 2020CONTENTSiAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 4/8/20 10:48 Page iEditorial Jas Barley, Chair of the Editorial BoardA tunnel is not enough: mice benefi t from in-cage provision of a communal shelter as well as a handling tunnel Charlotte C. Burn and Ria PopatContributing to Your Culture of Care Sally Robinson and Angela Kerton SPECIAL INTEREST SECTION Assessing the welfare of horses in Lesotho using health and behaviour parametersMoleboheng Bolibe and Setsumi MolapoPAPER SUMMARY TRANSLATIONSFrench, German, Italian, Spanish TECH-2-TECH Use and development of sealable autoclave bagsGreg BairdReducing stress to rodents by use of a screen Emma Mustafa Why, how, what happened next: an introduction to scientifi c writing Jasmine BarleyExperiences of IAT training in South Africa Busisiwe MogodiPOSTERSImproving welfare of cattle housed in a high-containment facility using behavioural analysis Joe Garthwaite, Laila Al-Adwani, Aimee Bainbridge 215211227243233230203200BiodegradableNesting MaterialsEnvironmental enrichment stems from the recognition that in addition to basic needs of food, water, warmth & health, housed animals have a physiological & psychological need to exert their natural behaviours like gathering nesting materials and nest building. All our nesting material comes with batch traceability and certicates of analysis. Our nesting materials can be eectively composted to reduce environmental impact.The Widest Range of Laboratory Animal Nesting MaterialsDatesand has the largest range of high-quality nesting materials to suit all animal breeds, including WHITE Bed-r’Nest, Sizzlenest and FINE STRAND Sizzlenest.Order FREESamplesScan the QR code to request product samples or go to:www.datesand.comNow Available OnlineUK customers can buy & request a quote onlineFull traceability & certicates of analysisReliable UK stocks & bulk pricing available222237

194Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020POSTER PRESENTATIONSAssessing pain in models of Rheumatoid ArthritisSamuel Singleton, Meriam Nefla, Ngaire Dennison, Simon Arthur and Tim HalesRefinements to health monitoringHannah Jones and Rebecca KingBiosecurity risks and the pre-implantation embryo; lessons from the mouseJean Cozzi, Mendy Verrier and Jimmy MancipEnvironmental enrichment for a small colony of ratsNick Blackburn, Gemma Cronshaw and Mike MitchellOestr us checking – increasing productivity and embracing the 3RsSamantha Hoskins and Jack BrownUsing habituation to reduce str ess for rats being transported short distancesSarah TaylorShining a light on rearing pigmentless ZebrafishJacqueline Glover, Thom Berriman, Dimitra Mantzorou, William Havelange,Sam Berry and Bruno Corr eia da SilvaThe jacket with pulling power – a novel approach to early stage evaluationof magnetic nanoparticlesAlison Ritchie, James Dixon, Phil Clarke and Anna GrabowskaiiCONTENTSIndex to AdvertisersABPI ..................................................................x,xi LBS ..................................................................iiAS-ET ...............................................................OBC Somni Scientific ................................................ivDatesand Ltd......................................................IFC Special Diets Services .....................................viiiInstitute of Animal Technology ...............................vii Tecniplast UK Ltd .............................................xiiIPS Product Supplies Ltd.....................................IBCAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 12/8/20 07:54 Page ii247250255265258Effi cacy of Medola’s Blue Stain for the assessment of Syphacia muris egg viabilityLorna Cleverley, Rebecca Lawson, Callum Logan and Michelle PowellCage side determination of post-mortem interval in mice Selina Ballantyne, Marie Hitcham, Lena Hughes-Hallett, Claudia Watson, Olga Woolmer, Carole Frost, David Lafont, Rachel Buckmaster, Emma Cambridge and Aurelie ThomasMaximising effi cacy of your health monitoring programme Andy DickinsonAn electronic based experimental protocol has ‘ARRIVEd’ Ian Wilson, Jennis Mary-John, Karen Duncan, Claire Preston, Peter John-Baptiste, Mark Allen,Lynn Dorsett and Allan ThornhillBOOK REVIEW

195August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareMade with Alcohol/Chemical Resistant Polycarbonate and prevents unnecessary exposure to personnel and environmentCLEAR INDUCTION CHAMBERSSLIDE TOPThe SOMNI line of chambers are designed with slide top lids that allow for one handed operation. Unlike a “hinge lid” the slide top keeps gases from being “drawn” into the workplace when the chamber is opened.LID CHAMBERSRED INDUCTFLOW CHAMBERSCOMPATIBLE WITH EXISTING UK/EU:ProductsAccessoriesFittingsINHALATION ANAESTHESIA EQUIPMENT AND SERVICESOMNI Scientific is centered on the animal welfare and research community with a focus on clinical accuracy, clinician/technician safety, economic performance and intuitive functionality.SOMNI PROVIDES UNPARALLELED CUSTOMER SERVICE, CLINICAL AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT.(T) 0800 0129101 (D) 01872 248890 (M) 07798 969805 enquiries@somniscientific.com www.somniscientific.co.uk

196Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Tel: +44 (0)1293 827940 Email: sales@lbs-biotech.comContact LBS - your trusted supplier, serving the needs of the Biotechnology Industry www.lbs-biotech.comLBS - your trusted supplier...Serving the needs of the Biotechnology IndustryLBS Biotechnology is a respected and accomplished Company with a dynamic outlook; We focus on meeting the exacting requirements of the Biotechnology Industry backed up by our commitment to ISO9001:2008 Quality Assurance, customer care and logistics management. We oer an abundant range of quality products to choose from, all carefully developed through our understanding of customers’ needs:-•Environmental Enrichment•Bedding & Nesting•Animal Diets•Treats & Rewards•Vacuum Packing & Irradiation•Hygiene Products•Specialist Vacuum Cleaners•Protective Clothing & Footwear•Gloves & Disposables•NorayBio Management SoftwareLBS Biotechnology is a respected and accomplished Company with a dynamic outlook; We focus on meeting the exacting requirements of the Biotechnology Industry backed up by our

197August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarevOFFICERSPresidentDr Robin Lovell-Badge CBE FRSImmediate Past PresidentProfessor Sir Richard Gardner MA PhD FRSBFIAT (Hon) FRSVice-PresidentsSenga Allan MIAT RAnTech, David Anderson MRCVS,Stephen Barnett BA MSc FIAT (Hon) CBiol FRSBRAnTech, Miles Carroll PhD, Paul Flecknell MA Vet MBPhD DLAS DipLECVA MRCVS FIAT (Hon), PennyHawkins PhD BSc, Wendy Jarrett MA, Judy MacArthur-Clark CBE BVMS DLAS FRSB DVMS (h.c.) DipECLAMFRAgS DipACLAM MRCVS, Fiona McEwen BSc BVM&SMSc MRCVS, Tim Morris BVetMed PhD DipACLAMDipECLAM CBiol FRSB CertLAS MRCVS, Clive PageOBE PhD BSc, Jan-Bas Prins PhD MSc, Vicky RobinsonCBE BSc PhD, Paul Sanders MIAT RAnTech, DavidSpillane FIAT, Gail Thompson RLATG, RobertWeichbrod PhD RLATGLife MembersKen Applebee OBE FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech,Charlie Chambers MIAT RAnTech, Roger Francis MScFIAT RAnTech, Pete Gerson MSc FIAT RAnTech,Cathy Godfrey FIAT RAnTech, John Gregor y BSc (Hons)FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech, Patrick Hayes FIAT DipBARAnTech, Robert Kemp FIAT (Hon) RAnTech,Phil Ruddock MIAT RAnTech, Ted Wills FIAT (Hon)RAnTechHonorary MembersMark Gardiner MIAT RAnTech, Sarah Lane MSc FIAT,Sue McHugh BSc FIAT, Norman Mortell BA (Hons)MIAT RAnTech, Wendy Steel BSc (Hons)FIATMembers of CouncilMatthew Bilton, Kally Booth, Steven Cubitt,Simon Cumming, Haley Daniels, Glyn Fisher,Nicky Gent, Alan Graham, Linda Horan, Sam Jameson,Elaine Kirkum, Adele Kitching, Theresa Langford,Sylvie Mehigan, Steve Owen, Alan Palmer, AllanThornhill, John Waters, Lynda Westall, Carole Wilson,Adrian WoodhouseCouncil OfficersChair: Linda Horan BSc (Hons) MIAT RAnTechVice Chair: Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechHonorary Secretary:Simon Cumming BSc FIAT RAnTechHonorary Treasurer: Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechChair of Board of Educational Policy:Steven Cubitt MSc FIAT RAnTechChair Registration & Accreditation Board:Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechATW Editor: Jas Barley MSc FIAT RAnTechBulletin Editor: Carole Wilson BSc MIATATW/Bulletin Editorial Board:IAT REPRESENTATIVESAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 4/2/21 13:19 Page vvOFFICERSPresidentDr Robin Lovell-Badge CBE FRSImmediate Past PresidentProfessor Sir Richard Gardner MA PhD FRSBFIAT (Hon) FRSVice-PresidentsSenga Allan MIAT RAnTech, David Anderson MRCVS,Stephen Barnett BA MSc FIAT (Hon) CBiol FRSBRAnTech, Miles Carroll PhD, Paul Flecknell MA Vet MBPhD DLAS DipLECVA MRCVS FIAT (Hon), PennyHawkins PhD BSc, Wendy Jarrett MA, Judy MacArthur-Clark CBE BVMS DLAS FRSB DVMS (h.c.) DipECLAMFRAgS DipACLAM MRCVS, Fiona McEwen BSc BVM&SMSc MRCVS, Tim Morris BVetMed PhD DipACLAMDipECLAM CBiol FRSB CertLAS MRCVS, Clive PageOBE PhD BSc, Jan-Bas Prins PhD MSc, Vicky RobinsonCBE BSc PhD, Paul Sanders MIAT RAnTech, DavidSpillane FIAT, Gail Thompson RLATG, RobertWeichbrod PhD RLATGLife MembersKen Applebee OBE FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech,Charlie Chambers MIAT RAnTech, Roger Francis MScFIAT RAnTech, Pete Gerson MSc FIAT RAnTech,Cathy Godfrey FIAT RAnTech, John Gregor y BSc (Hons)FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech, Patrick Hayes FIAT DipBARAnTech, Robert Kemp FIAT (Hon) RAnTech,Phil Ruddock MIAT RAnTech, Ted Wills FIAT (Hon)RAnTechHonorary MembersMark Gardiner MIAT RAnTech, Sarah Lane MSc FIAT,Sue McHugh BSc FIAT, Norman Mortell BA (Hons)MIAT RAnTech, Wendy Steel BSc (Hons) FIATMembers of CouncilMatthew Bilton, Kally Booth, Steven Cubitt,Simon Cumming, Haley Daniels, Glyn Fisher,Nicky Gent, Alan Graham, Linda Horan, Sam Jameson,Elaine Kirkum, Adele Kitching, Theresa Langford,Sylvie Mehigan, Steve Owen, Alan Palmer, AllanThornhill, John Waters, Lynda Westall, Carole Wilson,Adrian WoodhouseCouncil OfficersChair: Linda Horan BSc (Hons) MIAT RAnTechVice Chair: Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechHonorary Secretary:Simon Cumming BSc FIAT RAnTechHonorary Treasurer: Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechChair of Board of Educational Policy:Steven Cubitt MSc FIAT RAnTechChair Registration & Accreditation Board:Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechATW Editor: Jas Barley MSc FIAT RAnTechBulletin Editor: Carole Wilson BSc MIATATW/Bulletin Editorial Board:IAT REPRESENTATIVESAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 4/2/21 13:19 Page vvOFFICERSPresidentDr Robin Lovell-Badge CBE FRSImmediate Past PresidentProfessor Sir Richard Gardner MA PhD FRSBFIAT (Hon) FRSVice-PresidentsSenga Allan MIAT RAnTech, David Anderson MRCVS,Stephen Barnett BA MSc FIAT (Hon) CBiol FRSBRAnTech, Miles Carroll PhD, Paul Flecknell MA Vet MBPhD DLAS DipLECVA MRCVS FIAT (Hon), PennyHawkins PhD BSc, Wendy Jarrett MA, Judy MacArthur-Clark CBE BVMS DLAS FRSB DVMS (h.c.) DipECLAMFRAgS DipACLAM MRCVS, Fiona McEwen BSc BVM&SMSc MRCVS, Tim Morris BVetMed PhD DipACLAMDipECLAM CBiol FRSB CertLAS MRCVS, Clive PageOBE PhD BSc, Jan-Bas Prins PhD MSc, Vicky RobinsonCBE BSc PhD, Paul Sanders MIAT RAnTech, DavidSpillane FIAT, Gail Thompson RLATG, RobertWeichbrod PhD RLATGLife MembersKen Applebee OBE FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech,Charlie Chambers MIAT RAnTech, Roger Francis MScFIAT RAnTech, Pete Gerson MSc FIAT RAnTech,Cathy Godfrey FIAT RAnTech, John Gregor y BSc (Hons)FIAT CBiol FRSB RAnTech, Patrick Hayes FIAT DipBARAnTech, Robert Kemp FIAT (Hon) RAnTech,Phil Ruddock MIAT RAnTech, Ted Wills FIAT (Hon)RAnTechHonorary MembersMark Gardiner MIAT RAnTech, Sarah Lane MSc FIAT,Sue McHugh BSc FIAT, Norman Mortell BA (Hons)MIAT RAnTech, Wendy Steel BSc (Hons) FIATMembers of CouncilMatthew Bilton, Kally Booth, Steven Cubitt,Simon Cumming, Haley Daniels, Glyn Fisher,Nicky Gent, Alan Graham, Linda Horan, Sam Jameson,Elaine Kirkum, Adele Kitching, Theresa Langford,Sylvie Mehigan, Steve Owen, Alan Palmer, AllanThornhill, John Waters, Lynda Westall, Carole Wilson,Adrian WoodhouseCouncil OfficersChair: Linda Horan BSc (Hons) MIAT RAnTechVice Chair: Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechHonorary Secretary:Simon Cumming BSc FIAT RAnTechHonorary Treasurer: Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechChair of Board of Educational Policy:Steven Cubitt MSc FIAT RAnTechChair Registration & Accreditation Board:Glyn Fisher FIAT RAnTechATW Editor: Jas Barley MSc FIAT RAnTechBulletin Editor: Carole Wilson BSc MIATATW/Bulletin Editorial Board:IAT REPRESENTATIVESAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 4/2/21 13:19 Page vMembers of CouncilCarmen Abela, Kally Booth, Steven Cubitt,Simon Cumming, Haley Daniels, Glyn Fisher,Nicky Gent, Alan Graham, Diane Hazlehurst, Linda Horan,Sam Jameson, Elaine Kirkum, Adele Kitching, Robin Labesse, Theresa Langford, Sylvie Mehigan, Steve Owen, Alan Palmer, Allan Thornhill, John Waters, Lynda Westall, Carole Wilson, Adrian WoodhouseJas Barley (Chair), Nicky Gent, Patrick Hayes,Diane Hazlehurst, Elaine Kirkum, Carole Wilson,Lynda WestallBranch and BING Liaison Offi cer:Kally Booth MIAT RAnTechEFAT Representatives:Glyn Fisher, Robin Labesse MIAT RAnTech, Alan PalmerWebsite Coordinator:Allan Thornhill FIAT RAnTechAnimal Welfare Group:John Waters (Chair), C Alba, Kally Booth, Nicky Gent, Sam Jameson, Sylvie Mehigan, Steve OwenBoard of Educational Policy:Steven Cubitt (Chair), Adele Kitching (Secretary), Tina O’Mahoney Communications Group:Adrian Woodhouse (Chair), Carmen Abela, Kally Booth, Sam Jameson, Elaine Kirkum, Teresa Langford, Tara Mclaughlin, Sylvie Mehigan, Allan Thornhill, Lynda Westall

198Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020BRANCH SECRETARIES 2021Cambridge: Tony Davidge cambridgebranch@iat.org.ukEdinburgh: Kery-Anne Lavin-Thomson edinburghbranch@iat.org.ukHuntingdon, Suffolk & Norfolk: Jo Martin hssbranch@iat.org.ukIreland: Lisa Watson irelandbranch@iat.org.ukLondon: Rebecca Towns londonbranch@iat.org.ukMidlands: Ian Fielding midlandsbranch@iat.org.ukNorth East England: Zoe Smith and John Bland northeastbranch@iat.org.ukNorth West: Nicky Windows cheshirebranch@iat.org.ukOxford: Adam Truby oxfordbranch@iat.org.ukSurrey, Hampshire & Sussex: Francesca Whitmore shsbranch@iat.org.ukWest Middlesex: Josefine Woodley westmiddxbranch@iat.org.ukWales & West: Rhys Perry waleswestbranch@iat.org.ukWest of Scotland: Joanne King westscotlandbranch@iat.org.ukIAT OFFICERS M AY BECONTAC TED VIA:IAT Administrator:admin@iat.org.ukOR VIA THE IAT WEBSITE AT :www.iat.org.ukOR THE REGISTERED OFFICE:5 South Parade, Summertown,Oxford OX2 7JLAdvertisement Managers:PRC Associates LtdEmail: mail@prcassoc.co.ukAlthough every effort is made to ensure that no inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement appear in thejournal, the Institute of Animal Technology wish to expound that the data and opinions appearing in the articles,poster presentations and advertisements in ATW are the responsibility of the contributor and advertiser concerned.Accordingly the IAT, Editor and their agents, accept no liability whatsoever for the consequences of any suchinaccurate or misleading data, opinion, statement or advertisement being published. Furthermore the opinionsexpressed in the journal do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or the Institute of Animal Technology.© 2021 Institute of Animal TechnologyAll rights reserved. No par t of this publication may be reproduced without per mission from the publisher.CPD Officer: Alan Palmer MIAT RAnTechRegistration and Accreditation Board:Glyn Fisher (Chair), John Gregor y,Cathy Godfrey, Kathy Ryder (Home Office),Stuart StevensonObserver: Ngaire Dennison (LAVA)Congress Committee:Alan Graham (Chair), Haley Daniels, Adele Kitching,Allan Thornhill, John WatersDiversity Officer:Haley Daniels MBA MSc MIAT RAnTech CIPDUK Biosciences ASG Representative/Home Office:Alan Palmer MIAT RAnTechviAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 12/8/20 07:54 Page viCPD Officer: Alan Palmer MIAT RAnTechRegistration and Accreditation Board:Glyn Fisher (Chair), Ken Applebee, Charlie Chambers, John Gregory, Cathy Godfrey, Kathy Ryder, Wendy Steel, Stuart StevensonObserver: Ngaire Dennison (LAVA)Congress Committee:Alan Graham (Chair), Haley Daniels, Adele Kitching,Allan Thornhill, John WatersEquality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer:Haley Daniels MBA MSc MIAT RAnTech CIPDUK Biosciences ASG Representative/Home Office:Alan Palmer MIAT RAnTechIndex to AdvertisersBRANCH SECRETARIES 2021Cambridge: Tony Davidge cambridgebranch@iat.org.ukEdinburgh: Kery-Anne Lavin-Thomson edinburghbranch@iat.org.ukHuntingdon, Suffolk & Norfolk: Jo Martin hssbranch@iat.org.ukIreland: Lisa Watson irelandbranch@iat.org.ukLondon: Rebecca Towns londonbranch@iat.org.ukMidlands: Ian Fielding midlandsbranch@iat.org.ukNorth East England: Zoe Smith and John Bland northeastbranch@iat.org.ukNorth West: Nicky Windows cheshirebranch@iat.org.ukOxford: Adam Truby oxfordbranch@iat.org.ukSurrey, Hampshire & Sussex: Francesca Whitmore shsbranch@iat.org.ukWest Middlesex: Josefine Woodley westmiddxbranch@iat.org.ukWales & West: Rhys Perry waleswestbranch@iat.org.ukWest of Scotland: Joanne King westscotlandbranch@iat.org.ukIAT OFFICERS M AY BECONTAC TED VIA:IAT Administrator:admin@iat.org.ukOR VIA THE IAT WEBSITE AT :www.iat.org.ukOR THE REGISTERED OFFICE:5 South Parade, Summertown,Oxford OX2 7JLAdvertisement Managers:PRC Associates LtdEmail: mail@prcassoc.co.ukAlthough every effort is made to ensure that no inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement appear in thejournal, the Institute of Animal Technology wish to expound that the data and opinions appearing in the articles,poster presentations and advertisements in ATW are the responsibility of the contributor and advertiser concerned.Accordingly the IAT, Editor and their agents, accept no liability whatsoever for the consequences of any suchinaccurate or misleading data, opinion, statement or advertisement being published. Furthermore the opinionsexpressed in the journal do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or the Institute of Animal Technology.© 2021 Institute of Animal TechnologyAll rights reserved. No par t of this publication may be reproduced without per mission from the publisher.CPD Officer: Alan Palmer MIAT RAnTechRegistration and Accreditation Board:Glyn Fisher (Chair), John Gregor y,Cathy Godfrey, Kathy Ryder (Home Office),Stuart StevensonObserver: Ngaire Dennison (LAVA)Congress Committee:Alan Graham (Chair), Haley Daniels, Adele Kitching,Allan Thornhill, John WatersDiversity Officer:Haley Daniels MBA MSc MIAT RAnTech CIPDUK Biosciences ASG Representative/Home Office:Alan Palmer MIAT RAnTechviAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 12/8/20 07:54 Page viAllentown .....................................................226Avid plc ........................................................199Datesand Ltd .................................................IFC Institute of Animal Technology ...201, 232, 242, OBCIPS Product Supplies Ltd ................................IBCLBS Serving Biotechnology Ltd .......................196Somni Scientific ...........................................195Surrey Diagnostics ........................................254Tecniplast UK Ltd ..........................................202

199August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareBRANCH SECRETARIES 2021Cambridge: Tony Davidge cambridgebranch@iat.org.ukEdinburgh: Kery-Anne Lavin-Thomson edinburghbranch@iat.org.ukHuntingdon, Suffolk & Norfolk: Jo Martin hssbranch@iat.org.ukIreland: Lisa Watson irelandbranch@iat.org.ukLondon: Rebecca Towns londonbranch@iat.org.ukMidlands: Ian Fielding midlandsbranch@iat.org.ukNorth East England: Zoe Smith and John Bland northeastbranch@iat.org.ukNorth West: Nicky Windows cheshirebranch@iat.org.ukOxford: Adam Truby oxfordbranch@iat.org.ukSurrey, Hampshire & Sussex: Francesca Whitmore shsbranch@iat.org.ukWest Middlesex: Josefine Woodley westmiddxbranch@iat.org.ukWales & West: Rhys Perry waleswestbranch@iat.org.ukWest of Scotland: Joanne King westscotlandbranch@iat.org.ukIAT OFFICERS M AY BECONTAC TED VIA:IAT Administrator:admin@iat.org.ukOR VIA THE IAT WEBSITE AT :www.iat.org.ukOR THE REGISTERED OFFICE:5 South Parade, Summertown,Oxford OX2 7JLAdvertisement Managers:PRC Associates LtdEmail: mail@prcassoc.co.ukAlthough every effort is made to ensure that no inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement appear in thejournal, the Institute of Animal Technology wish to expound that the data and opinions appearing in the articles,poster presentations and advertisements in ATW are the responsibility of the contributor and advertiser concerned.Accordingly the IAT, Editor and their agents, accept no liability whatsoever for the consequences of any suchinaccurate or misleading data, opinion, statement or advertisement being published. Furthermore the opinionsexpressed in the journal do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or the Institute of Animal Technology.© 2021 Institute of Animal TechnologyAll rights reserved. No par t of this publication may be reproduced without per mission from the publisher.CPD Officer: Alan Palmer MIAT RAnTechRegistration and Accreditation Board:Glyn Fisher (Chair), John Gregor y,Cathy Godfrey, Kathy Ryder (Home Office),Stuart StevensonObserver: Ngaire Dennison (LAVA)Congress Committee:Alan Graham (Chair), Haley Daniels, Adele Kitching,Allan Thornhill, John WatersDiversity Officer:Haley Daniels MBA MSc MIAT RAnTech CIPDUK Biosciences ASG Representative/Home Office:Alan Palmer MIAT RAnTechviAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 12/8/20 07:54 Page vi

200Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareEditorialJas BarleyChair of the Editorial BoardLooking back over issues of the Journal through its various identities, one thing is apparent and that is the contribution thatoverseas authors have made to the content. Topics have varied from dealing with exotic species, lack of sophisticated equipment,different attitudes to everyday problems, staff training and education and disease outbreaks. However, the resolute that has beenconstant throughout, despite the differences across the world, is the love and concern for the animals being cared for.Many include interesting photographs but I unfortunately am unable to use them as the quality of images is so poor whenrepr oduced, to the extent in some cases, they become worthless.Obviously, things have changed over seven decades and the technology described in contributions from overseas is less differentfrom what we use in the UK. This issue welcomes contributions from Australia, the Czech Republic and Iran as well, of coursefrom the UK. Since ATW became an Open Access publication and is being published electronically, it is enjoying a wider audienceand is attracting more contributions than usual. Not all are relevant to our profession, but knowledge is transferable so whatseems ‘off beat’ today may become useful in the future. However, as Editor I will always strive to maintain the quality of ourpublications and the usefulness to our readers.In this issue we include the RSPCA 2019 Rodent and Rabbit Welfare group meeting repor t. The 26th meeting that the RSPCA haveorganised focussed on ‘sentience, positive welfare and psychological well being’. The report contains contributions fr om 11presenters as well as notes on the interactive discussion session on sentience that closed the meeting.A paper from Iran, a first as far as I can see for the Journal, on r educing the negative effects of methionine on bone parametersin broilers’ embryos may seem of little relevance but it offers a better understanding of how methionine affects bone structur ewhich is important to most species. Similarly, Feline Assisted Therapy as described by the team at the University of Life SciencesPrague does not appear to fall into the realms of Animal Technology but it gives us a better understanding of how animals can havea positive effect on some people, which in thecurrent situation may be of significant benefit to a wider population. Our final paperfrom the team at Western Sydney University, details the care of the Children’ Python and two species of Bearded Dragons. Notperhaps the run of the mill laboratory animals but just as important to many Animal Technologists globally as mice and rats. If youkeep reptiles at home or know of someone who is contemplating one as a pet these papers make useful reference documents. Wealso offer twopapers from previous issues of the Journal which were very different in appearance and content than today’s Journalof Animal Technology and Welfare and not only because of the change of title. Issues were printed in black and white and in the veryearly days were produced by hand. The paper from France on Physical Hazards in the laboratory animal house will bring back manymemories for some of the older technicians, myself included, but not necessarily good ones. The use of ether as an anaestheticwhich I know is still used in some countries where resources are limited, for human sur gery, presented a very real danger to bothanimals and staff. Disease in laboratory animal units was often a recurring problem, bacterial infections such as Pseudomonas asdescribed in the reprint of the article were still presenting Animal Technologists with problems as late as the end of the 1980s. Whenimporting animals and tissues from overseas it is important to realise that they may be carrying disease not seen in the UK forseveral decades. In recent times, Ectromelia was introduced into a unit in the USA via antibodies produced overseas. Precautionsmust be taken until such time as you are sure that the animals and tissues are clear of any underlying infections.We are also able to offer in this issue an interesting Tech-2-Tech article by Seonagh Henderson of the University of Glasgow, ona novel technique of cage cleaning which hasa positive effect on the welfare of laboratory rats. Finally, we included several postersprepared for AST2020 but sadly at the moment remain unpresented.Thanks again to all of our authors, past and present, both internationally and here in the UK. There would not have been 70 yearsof the Journal without you. Here is to the next seven decades and beyond.THE INSTITUTE OF ANIMAL TECHNOLOGYETHICAL STATEMENT“In the conduct of their Professional duties, Animal Technologists have a moral and legalobligation, at all times, to promote and safeguard the welfare of animals in their care,recognising that good laboratory animal welfare is an essential component of goodlaboratory animal technology and science.The Institute recognises and supports the application of the principles of the 3Rs(Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) in all areas of animal research.”ixAugust20:Animal Technology and Welfare 12/8/20 07:54 Page ixAnimal Technology and Welfare December 2021When the Association of Animal Technicians (ATA), later to become the Institute of Animal Technology (IAT), was founded in 1950 one of the first things the band of pioneers did, other than develop an education programme, was to establish a Bulletin/Journal which quickly evolved into two separate publications. The intention was to provide an opportunity for Animal Technicians of the day, to have a medium for communication between technicians and other people working with animals in the field of science and to publish papers and articles on the rapidly developing technology of the time. The ATA was intended to be an organisation managed by Animal Technicians for Animal Technicians and its successor the Institute of Animal Technology holds true to that intention today. If you look at articles published in these early issues of the Journal there are lots of contributions, at least 90%, being provided by technicians at all levels of their career, on a wide range of topics from development of improved housing systems, standardised diets for laboratory animals, education of technicians, breeding of animals, diseases of laboratory animals, etc. In fact, everything and anything that had relevance to the laboratory animals we worked with and the people that worked with them was published. This remains the ethos of today’s IAT Journal, Animal Technology and Welfare. 71 years later the IAT Journal is still alive and well and is attracting an increasing audience both in the UK and internationally. The only aspect that looks to have changed is that the technical staff employed in the field of Animal Technology appear to have stopped using their voice if the number of contributions from Animal Technologists are anything to judge by. I know everyone is very busy and the situation has not been improved by the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and both the IAT Bulletin and ATW are suffering. Of course electronic communications enable us to communicate with ease, hence the change to electronic publishing for the Journal, but we must remember that written communication is still important especially for more detailed communications. New developments in Animal Technology still carry on but people seem reluctant to write about what they are doing to develop technology and improve Animal Welfare. Hopefully with the gradual return to face-to-face meetings more material will be forthcoming and ATW will start receiving more contributions from technical staff. Of course, all contributions are welcome and I am delighted to include another paper from the team at the Royal Veterinary College on the inclusion of shelters in mouse caging in addition to the handling tunnel. There is also a further entry in our Special Interest section, this time from Lesotho which is a first and deals with horse welfare, possibly another first. From the publicity used by some animal welfare charities it would be easy to think that animals in developing countries do not have a great value to their owners. From the paper by Moleboheng Bolibe and colleague it is evident that at least as far as horses are concerned this is certainly not true. Africa has also provided another contribution to this issue in the form of a Tech-2-Tech from Busisiwe Mogodi on IAT training in South Africa. The IAT is active in encouraging formal education for animal care staff in many countries and South Africa was one of the first to formally adopt the IAT system of training. Other Tech-2-Tech contributions include EditorialJas BarleyChair of the Editorial Board

201August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and Welfarethose diverse subjects ranging from the development and use of sealable autoclave bags, details of an innovative screen to reduce stress in animals and an introduction to Scientifi c Writing. As usual I am delighted to include more of the posters exhibited at the IAT Virtual Congress held during March this year including one from the staff at the Pirbright Institute on cattle welfare when the animals are housed in a containment environment. Making the most of your animal health monitoring programme from regular contributor Andy Dickinson is also included. Thankfully Posters are a form of writing by Animal Technologists that is still going strong and the Editorial Board welcome posters displayed at meetings other than those organised by the IAT. However, we would be grateful if authors would check with the organising committees of these meetings that there are no objections to posters being published elsewhere, ATW is happy to acknowledge the alternative meeting if desired and please do not forget to consider submitting posters or presentations presented at IAT Branch Meeting whether Virtual or face-to-face.EditorialAnimal Technologists – the key workers for medical researchCALL FOR POSTERSCongress2022CONGRESS Invitation to Participate29th March – 1st Aprill take an active part in the leading annual meetingfor Animal Technologistsl submit a poster – final date Friday 4th February 2022*l choose to do an oral presentation of your posterand receive a discount – closing date Friday 17th December 2021*l send your ideas today on the Submission form available from www.iat.org.uk (*posters will notbe accepted for display at Congress unless theyhave been properly submitted and approved bythe Congress Committee)l two best posters will receive a prize based on the criteria: environmental enrichment / scientific basisl plus claim up to 10 CPD points – details given on acceptance of submissionContact: congress@iat.org.uk

202Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020ISSUE2 - VISION+ - 210X297.indd 1 05/11/2018 18:14:29find out more on www.tecniplastuk.com Or call us on 0345 050 4556

203August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAbstractMouse shelters can provide mice with security, help them thermoregulate, offer darkness to prevent damage to their eyes and enable climbing and gnawing opportunities. For laboratory mice, there is a vast array of commercially available cage furniture, so choosing which shelter to provide can be difficult. We investigated whether an in-cage handling tunnel alone is sufficient as a shelter or whether an additional cardboard tube or igloo shelter is beneficial. Using 12 cages of adult C57BL/6 mice (5 x female, 7 x male), we conducted a repeated measures experiment, providing the handling tunnel alone or with a cardboard tube or with an amber dome in a randomised order for one week per cage. Cages also contained bedding, nesting material and a gnawing block. We observed that, compared with a handling tube alone, mice with the additional dome sheltered three times more (P<0.001), probably because the dome enabled more mice to simultaneously shelter. The dome significantly reduced time spent using nesting material (P<0.001), so it may have partially substituted for nesting. Some mice used the cardboard tube less than expected by chance, implying that it reduced the useable space available to mice. When the cage was opened for handling, mice with a dome were less likely to spontaneously enter the handling tunnel (P<0.001), so the dome needed briefly removing before tunnel-handling mice. The handling tunnel was not sufficient as a shelter, and a shelter large enough for several mice to occupy it simultaneously should be additionally provided.Keywords: animal welfare; environmental enrichment; laboratory animals; mice; refinement; shelterIntroductionEnvironmental enrichment can increase normalcy and Animal Welfare compared with alternative housing options.1,2 Whilst environmental enrichment is often envisaged as providing stimulation for animals, some valuable enrichment, such as shelters, can instead provide a safe and peaceful place to rest.3-5 For example provision of red polycarbonate shelters, either with or without other enrichments, significantly increased the frequency of sleeping in rats compared with other non-shelter enrichments.6 Consistent with the concept of good sleep quality being important for health, provision of a shelter significantly increased longevity in BALB/cJ males compared with an unenriched cage.7 However a vast array of shelter types are commercially available for laboratory mice making it difficult to know which type to purchase and whether one is enough. When offered a choice of nest boxes mice preferred those made from perforated materials rather than solid and with one entrance rather than two,8 inside the preferred shelters, they were observed resting orientated with their heads towards the single entrance. In another study, mice preferred a cardboard shelter over a red polycarbonate one and almost always brought their nesting material into the cardboard one.9 Whether through improving rest quality or some other means, shelters can often reduce stress in mice. For example, provision of a cardboard tube significantly reduced bar-biting in ICR mice compared with a barren cage10 but see Wurbel et al (1998) and Nevison et al (1999).11,12 Providing a peaceful refuge is possibly the most important function of a shelter but – depending on the type of shelter – other functions also exist. For example, some shelters could help mice thermoregulate, because room temperatures comfortable for humans are colder than optimal for mice.13 Shelters that provide some degree of darkness might help protect mouse eyes from retinal degeneration, in the wild, mice are crepuscular and spend much of their time underground and furthermore many domesticated strains are albino, so mouse eyes are adapted to low light levels and A tunnel is not enough: mice benefit from in-cage provision of a communal shelter as well as a handling tunnelCHARLOTTE C. BURN and RIA POPATAnimal Welfare Science and Ethics, Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms AL9 7TA UKCorrespondence: cburn@rvc.ac.uk December 2021 Animal Technology and WelfareISSUE2 - VISION+ - 210X297.indd 1 05/11/2018 18:14:29find out more on www.tecniplastuk.com Or call us on 0345 050 4556

204Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020can become damaged if light is inescapable.14,15 Rats preferred darker shelters over fully transparent ones,16 so mice may be similar, although Sherwin17 found no significant preference for transparent versus opaque shelters in mice. Mice are unable to distinguish red wavelengths, which has led to the suggestion that they would perceive transparent red shelters as ‘dark’ e.g., Bioserv.18 However during light-phase observations, mice showed a tendency to prefer transparent amber or blue shelters (7/17 mice preferring each colour) over red ones (3/17 mice).19Some shelters can enable, not only resting but active behaviours, such as gnawing and climbing. For example, whilst 4 week old C57BL/6J mice mainly used a box for sleeping, by 8 weeks they shifted towards mainly using the box for active behaviour whilst they slept in nesting material,20 similarly mice greatly preferred nesting material over tunnels for sleeping in.17 Shelters can affect aggression in either direction: for example, reducing it if they help a pursued mouse to flee or if they decrease stress-related aggression; or increasing it if they encourage resource guarding or cause pursued mice to become cornered. Shelters reduced aggression in NIH/S mice compared with nesting material alone with tunnels and nest boxes being equally as effective.21 On the other hand, provision of a tunnel as a shelter plus nesting material did not significantly affect aggression compared with non-enriched cages but it increased stereotypic bar-biting in some mouse strains which the authors suggested could have been due to stress caused by resource-guarding.11 Furthermore in male BALB/cAnNCRLBr mice horizontal shelf-like ‘shelters’ increased fight wounds and corticosterone concentrations and reduced bodyweight gain, suggesting that they increased aggression and stress, whilst nesting material decreased aggression.12 Whilst some guidelines for the care of laboratory rodents state that shelters ‘should normally be provided’, some users are concerned that shelters could increase mouse aggression, or obstruct viewing or handling of mice by staff when health-checking the animals.4,22,23 In general, the more enrichment there is in a cage, the less visible the mice are.2 Shelters of certain shapes and materials could be obstructive, as found in rats with opaque shelters with a small entrance hole.16 However the use of transparent, tinted shelters could enable humans to view mice whilst mice perceive themselves to be hidden e.g. Bioserv (2007), Gjendal et al (2018), Datesand (2005).18,19,24 Provision of a transparent red tunnel to mice along with nesting material led to decreased signs of anxiety in an open field test, and greater weight gain in males compared with only nesting material, without significantly affecting physiological parameters.25 Provision of a tunnel did not obstruct handling26 and indeed could help facilitate it as the mice can be lifted within the tube.27 Use of tunnels as in-cage shelters can facilitate handling, because some mouse strains enter in-cage tunnels more readily than tunnels that are only introduced into the cage when handling the mice.28 With the strong recommendation and increasing uptake of lifting mice using tunnels rather than lifting by their tails27 we started with the premise that handling tunnels should be the minimum in-cage shelter provided for mice.25,28 However we aimed to investigate whether an additional shelter might benefit mice, if the handling tunnel alone did not enable as many mice to shelter as wanted to shelter or if the tunnel shape or material did not enable certain behaviours. We selected two contrasting additional shelters: a cardboard tube which was opaque and could be gnawed and a transparent amber igloo shelter which had a single entrance and a footprint large enough to accommodate several mice simultaneously with their nesting material. We hypothesised that, if an additional shelter was beneficial, it should enable more mice to shelter than when it was absent, decrease aggression, increase climbing and gnawing, and it should not obstruct staff from viewing or handling mice. We also predicted that the cardboard tube would be the most likely to be gnawed (a normal mouse behaviour) due to the softer material than the polycarbonate shelters. If the handling tube alone provided insufficient space for resting, the mice would be more active when the sole shelter was the handling tube. Mice would be more likely to build nests within the igloo shelter than the tubes, due to its domed shape and larger footprint. Finally, in terms of potential disadvantages from additional shelters, mice would be more frequently out of sight with two shelters compared with only the handling tunnel and, if the additional shelters were redundant and simply cluttered up the cage, then mice would use them less than expected by chance.MethodsAnimals and housingIn a temperature-controlled room, consistently recorded at 22oC with a mean humidity of 49%, an opportunistic sample of 12 cages of existing C57BL/6 stock mice were used in this study. There were five cages containing 2-4 female mice and seven cages containing 3-4 male mice. The mice were aged 15 weeks +/- 12 days at the start of the study. Routinely, each Tecniplast Blue line 1285L cage (Tecniplast UK Ltd) contained Lignocel bedding (IPS Ltd) with at least a clear polycarbonate handling tunnel (Polycarbonate Clear Mouse Handling Tube, 130mm long x 50mm diameter x 3mm wall thickness, Datesand Ltd), two small aspen chew A tunnel is not enough: mice benefit from in-cage provision of a communal shelter as well as a handling tunnel

205August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and Welfareblocks (small, Datesand Ltd), nesting material (Bed-r’Nest and Nestlets, Datesand Ltd), and food (RM1 diet, Special Diets Services) and water ad libitum. In the month before formal observation of these mice began, each cage was also equipped with a cardboard tube (GLP Fun Tunnel Mini, 76mm long x 38mm diameter, LBS Biotechnology) and an amber polycarbonate dome shelter (Amber Mouse Igloo, 108mm diameter, Datesand Ltd). This ensured that the mice were all accustomed to each item of EE and reduced any novelty effect. The project was approved by the Royal Veterinary College Level 2 Clinical Research Ethical Review Board (BSc3 201804).Treatment allocationThe cages were rotated weekly through three different shelter treatments (Figure 1): 1. HT = a colourless polycarbonate handling tunnel; 2. CT = a cardboard tube as well as the handling tunnel; and 3. AD = a transparent amber dome as well as the handling tunnel.The order of treatment allocation to each cage was randomised using the RANDOM function in Excel, ensuring each cage rotated through all three treatments in a random order. Each cage received every treatment for 1 week, meaning that the data collection ran for 3 weeks in total. The shelters were allocated to the cages at cage-cleaning with the same handling tunnel remaining across weeks. Figure 1. Examples of the three shelter treatments. The photograph in (a) shows provision of a handling tunnel (Treatment HT) only; (b) shows provision of a cardboard tube (CT) as well as a handling tunnel; and (c) shows provision of a transparent amber dome (AD) as well as a handling tunnel. Also visible are aspen gnawing blocks, some scatter-fed food pellets, two nestlets and a Bed-r’Nest (the latter being mostly removed for photographs (a) and (b)). 8 Figure 1. Examples of the three shelter treatments. The photograph in (a) shows provision of a handling tunnel (Treatment HT) only; (b) shows provision of a cardboard tube (CT) as well as a handling tunnel; and (c) shows provision of a transparent amber dome (AD) as well as a handling tunnel. Also visible are aspen gnawing blocks, some scatter-fed food pellets, two nestlets and a Bed-r’Nest (the latter being mostly removed for photographs (a) and (b)). Behavioural observation An ethogram was devised on the basis of a pilot study with the purpose of quantifying the behaviour and locations of the mice (Table 1). The behaviours specifically recorded were aggression, bar biting and climbing the shelter. Each one of these behaviours could be directly influenced by the EE in the cage. Other active and inactive behaviour was also recorded as a general catchall, to investigate whether the shelter type influenced activity levels. The ethogram also defined areas of the cage so that the location of the mice could be recorded as a qualifier; importantly, this included whether the mice were in contact with each shelter, so that together with ‘climbing shelter’, we could determine the extent to which each shelter was used for resting versus climbing. Table 1. Ethogram of behaviours and locations recorded. At any time, each mouse would be coded with both a behaviour and a location. Behaviour or location Label Description Status 8 Figure 1. Examples of the three shelter treatments. The photograph in (a) shows provision of a handling tunnel (Treatment HT) only; (b) shows provision of a cardboard tube (CT) as well as a handling tunnel; and (c) shows provision of a transparent amber dome (AD) as well as a handling tunnel. Also visible are aspen gnawing blocks, some scatter-fed food pellets, two nestlets and a Bed-r’Nest (the latter being mostly removed for photographs (a) and (b)). Behavioural observation An ethogram was devised on the basis of a pilot study with the purpose of quantifying the behaviour and locations of the mice (Table 1). The behaviours specifically recorded were aggression, bar biting and climbing the shelter. Each one of these behaviours could be directly influenced by the EE in the cage. Other active and inactive behaviour was also recorded as a general catchall, to investigate whether the shelter type influenced activity levels. The ethogram also defined areas of the cage so that the location of the mice could be recorded as a qualifier; importantly, this included whether the mice were in contact with each shelter, so that together with ‘climbing shelter’, we could determine the extent to which each shelter was used for resting versus climbing. Table 1. Ethogram of behaviours and locations recorded. At any time, each mouse would be coded with both a behaviour and a location. Behaviour or location Label Description Status 8 Figure 1. Examples of the three shelter treatments. The photograph in (a) shows provision of a handling tunnel (Treatment HT) only; (b) shows provision of a cardboard tube (CT) as well as a handling tunnel; and (c) shows provision of a transparent amber dome (AD) as well as a handling tunnel. Also visible are aspen gnawing blocks, some scatter-fed food pellets, two nestlets and a Bed-r’Nest (the latter being mostly removed for photographs (a) and (b)). Behavioural observation An ethogram was devised on the basis of a pilot study with the purpose of quantifying the behaviour and locations of the mice (Table 1). The behaviours specifically recorded were aggression, bar biting and climbing the shelter. Each one of these behaviours could be directly influenced by the EE in the cage. Other active and inactive behaviour was also recorded as a general catchall, to investigate whether the shelter type influenced activity levels. The ethogram also defined areas of the cage so that the location of the mice could be recorded as a qualifier; importantly, this included whether the mice were in contact with each shelter, so that together with ‘climbing shelter’, we could determine the extent to which each shelter was used for resting versus climbing. Table 1. Ethogram of behaviours and locations recorded. At any time, each mouse would be coded with both a behaviour and a location. Behaviour or location Label Description Status (a) (b) (c)Behavioural observationAn ethogram was devised on the basis of a pilot study with the purpose of quantifying the behaviour and locations of the mice (Table 1). The behaviours specifically recorded were aggression, bar biting and climbing the shelter. Each one of these behaviours could be directly influenced by the EE in the cage. Other active and inactive behaviour was also recorded as a general catchall, to investigate whether the shelter type influenced activity levels. The ethogram also defined areas of the cage so that the location of the mice could be recorded as a qualifier; importantly, this included whether the mice were in contact with each shelter, so that together with ‘climbing shelter’, we could determine the extent to which each shelter was used for resting versus climbing. The location of the nest was also noted at the start of observation, with the locations defined in the ethogram, shown in Table 1, as well as the estimated percentage of each shelter that had been gnawed. State behaviours were recorded by instantaneous recording every 20 seconds for 2 min per cage, while events took the form of one-zero recording between 20 second intervals.29 The behaviour and location of each mouse was scan sampled by systematically scanning the cage from front to back, and then left to right, and recorded as the number of mice performing each behaviour in each location.Observations were recorded four times per week: (1) Day 1 after the cage had been cleaned at 15:00; (2) Day 3 after cleaning at 11:00; (3) again on Day 3 at 14:00; and (4) Day 7 at 10:00 before the cage was cleaned. Recordings (1), (2) and (4) were made whilst disturbing the mice as little as possible. It was difficult A tunnel is not enough: mice benefit from in-cage provision of a communal shelter as well as a handling tunnel

206Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020to view the cages within the rack, so the cages were gently pulled halfway out from the rack. After 3 min, when the mice had settled again, data were collected without removing the cage or opening the lid. However to assess whether disturbance affected shelter use (because of mice awakening and avoiding potential handling and light) the third observation each week involved removing the cage from the rack and removing the lid under a ventilator hood, as if for a cage-change or handling. The mice were not touched and behaviour observation began as soon as the lid was lifted. This third observation indicated where in the cage the mice regarded as a safe place when their cage was disturbed.Statistical analysisStatistical analysis was carried out using IMB SPSS Version 27 (IBM, Portsmouth, UK), with Cage ID as the experimental unit. All observations were divided by the number of mice per cage. The shelter location data were corrected for the amount of floor area per shelter. This was because even if mice had located themselves indiscriminately, they might be observed more at larger shelters simply because of the greater proportion of floor area taken up with the shelters. This correction enabled us to test whether mice spent more or less time using any of the shelter combinations than expected by chance. To calculate the proportion of observations that mice were observed inside, rather than on top of the shelters, the proportion of observations climbing each shelter was subtracted from the total observations of the mice located at that shelter under the assumption that mice could only either be on top of or inside the shelters (see Table 1 for the location and climbing definitions). General linear mixed models were used for data where the model residuals were sufficiently normally distributed and fitted the model assumptions. If the residuals showed a skewed distribution, the outcome variable was square root or log transformed as appropriate. Data from disturbed mice observed under the ventilator hood were analysed with Treatment, Week, Number of Mice per Cage and Mouse Sex as fixed effects, and Cage ID as the random effect. Data from the three observations per week of relatively undisturbed mice within their racks were analysed similarly but with the Day Since Cage-Cleaning as an additional fixed factor. If any factor showed a significant effect, post-hoc pairwise tests were conducted to examine which treatments differed and in what way.Where data could not be transformed to fit the assumptions of a parametric analysis, Friedman’s or Wilcoxon signed ranks tests were used to compare the treatment effects across the cages. When P <0.05, this was interpreted as being statistically significant. Behaviour or locationLabel Description StatusBehaviourAggression Agonistic behaviour such as biting, chasing or boxing.EventBar-biting Biting the bars of the cage other than the food hopper.EventClimbing on shelterCrawling on top of any of the shelters with at least two paws.EventOther ActiveAny non-aggressive behaviour or movement, such as walking, grooming, eating, drinking or nest-building.StateOther InactiveInactive behaviour such as lying, sitting, or standing still.StateOut of SightMouse cannot be seen.StateLocationHandling TunnelAt least both forelegs inside or on top of the handling tunnel.StateCardboard TubeAt least both forelegs inside or on top of the cardboard tube.StateAmber DomeAt least both forelegs inside or on top of the amber dome.StateFood hopperAt least both forelegs under or clinging to food hopper.StateOpen spaceMouse is exposed on the cage floor or cage bars.StateNest Mouse is inside or on top of the nesting material (if the nest is not within a shelter).StateWall huggingMouse’s flank is in contact with the cage wall.StateUnknown An observation is missing with unknown location.StateTable 1. Ethogram of behaviours and locations recorded. At any time, each mouse would be coded with both a behaviour and a location.A tunnel is not enough: mice benefit from in-cage provision of a communal shelter as well as a handling tunnel

207August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareResultsShelter use in undisturbed miceSignifi cantly more mice used shelters in the AD treatment than the other two treatments, both in an absolute sense (F2, 90 = 15.42; P < 0.001; Figure 2), and when the fl oor area taken up by the shelters was taken into account (F2, 90 = 90.14; P < 0.001). When the shelter use was separated into climbing versus inside the shelter, climbing showed no signifi cant treatment effect (P = 0.599), but mice were located inside shelters signifi cantly more in the AD treatment than the HT and CT treatments in the absolute sense (F2, 90 = ; P < 0.001; Figure 2) and after controlling for the amount of fl oor space the shelters occupied (F2, 90 = 12.92; P < 0.001). When the amber dome was present, each mouse used it or the handling tunnel on a mean +/- SE of 34.1 +/- 4.0% of the observations, whereas in the HT treatment, they only used the handling tunnel (the only shelter present) on 10.4 +/- 3.9 % of observations; the presence of the cardboard tube reduced shelter use to 7.8 +/- 3.9% of observations. Mice appeared to rarely use the Figure 2. Treatment effects on shelter use in undisturbed mice. The median (+/- IQR) proportion of observations that mice used shelters, including climbing on them, is shown (a) in an absolute sense and (b) relative to the amount of fl oor space occupied by the shelters. The proportion of observations that mice used shelters, excluding climbing on them, is also shown (c) in an absolute and (d) a relative sense. AD = amber dome plus handling tunnel; CT = cardboard tube plus handling tunnel; HT = handling tunnel only.12controlling for the amount of floor space the shelters occupied (F2, 90= 12.92; P < 0.001). (a)(b)(c)(d)(a)12controlling for the amount of floor space the shelters occupied (F2, 90= 12.92; P < 0.001). (a)(b)(c)(d)(b)13 Figure 2. Treatment effects on shelter use in undisturbed mice. The median (+/- IQR) proportion of observations that mice used shelters, including climbing on them, is shown (a) in an absolute sense and (b) relative to the amount of floor space occupied by the shelters. The proportion of observations that mice used shelters, excluding climbing on them, is also shown (c) in an absolute and (d) a relative sense. AD = amber dome plus handling tunnel; CT = cardboard tube plus handling tunnel; HT = handling tunnel only. When the amber dome was present, each mouse used it or the handling tunnel on a mean +/- SE of 34.1 +/- 4.0% of the observations, whereas in the HT treatment, they only used the handling tunnel (the only shelter present) on 10.4 +/- 3.9 % of observations; the presence of the cardboard tube reduced shelter use to 7.8 +/- 3.9% of observations. Mice appeared to rarely use the cardboard tube, occasionally climbing the tubes in the CT treatment but hardly ever entering them (Figure 2). Some mice were even observed using shelters less than expected by chance in the CT treatment. (c)13 Figure 2. Treatment effects on shelter use in undisturbed mice. The median (+/- IQR) proportion of observations that mice used shelters, including climbing on them, is shown (a) in an absolute sense and (b) relative to the amount of floor space occupied by the shelters. The proportion of observations that mice used shelters, excluding climbing on them, is also shown (c) in an absolute and (d) a relative sense. AD = amber dome plus handling tunnel; CT = cardboard tube plus handling tunnel; HT = handling tunnel only. When the amber dome was present, each mouse used it or the handling tunnel on a mean +/- SE of 34.1 +/- 4.0% of the observations, whereas in the HT treatment, they only used the handling tunnel (the only shelter present) on 10.4 +/- 3.9 % of observations; the presence of the cardboard tube reduced shelter use to 7.8 +/- 3.9% of observations. Mice appeared to rarely use the cardboard tube, occasionally climbing the tubes in the CT treatment but hardly ever entering them (Figure 2). Some mice were even observed using shelters less than expected by chance in the CT treatment. (d)cardboard tube, occasionally climbing the tubes in the CT treatment but hardly ever entering them (Figure 2). Some mice were even observed using shelters less than expected by chance in the CT treatment. The mice were observed in the shelters signifi cantly less in the absolute sense on Day 7 after cage-cleaning than on Days 1 or 3 (F2, 90 = 3.439; P = 0.36). No other effects were found on shelter use. Home-cage behaviour in undisturbed miceMice spent signifi cantly less time interacting with the nesting material in the AD treatment than in the other two treatments (F2, 100 = 8.62; P < 0.001). On the other hand, they brought nesting material into the amber dome in 3/12 cages, whereas no mice brought nesting material into either of the tubes. Apart from this, nests were observed in the open fl oor area on 55% of occasions, under the food hopper on 30% of occasions and against a cage wall on 15% of occasions. Mice interacted with nesting material, including resting in it, more on Day 7 after cage-cleaning than on Days 1 or 3 (F2, 100 = 5.20; P = 0.007).A tunnel is not enough: mice benefi t from in-cage provision of a communal shelter as well as a handling tunnel

208Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Signs of gnawing were seen on cardboard tubes in 8/12 cages, with less than 5% of the tube having been gnawed in each case. Neither of the other shelter types showed signs of gnawing. Aggression was too rare for analysis being observed in only two cages that contained males (in the AD and HT treatments). Bar-biting was only observed in one cage (in the HT treatment). There were no signifi cant treatment or other effects on activity levels.Effects on viewing and handling miceMice were almost always visible during observations, except for one occasion (in the CT treatment), so it was not possible to statistically analyse for treatment effects on visibility. Under the disturbed condition in the ventilation hood signifi cantly fewer mice went into the handling tube in the AD treatment than in the HT and CT treatments (F2, 33= 23.34; P < 0.001; Figure 3). During disturbance, mice were seen inside a shelter on a signifi cantly higher proportion of observations in the CT treatment (58.0 +/- 7.5% of observations) than in the HT and AD treatments (20.6 +/- 7.5% and 35.1 +/- 7.5%, respectively; F2, 29 = 6.39; P = 0.005). Figure 3. Treatment effects on the frequency of mice entering the handling tunnel when disturbed. The median (+/- IQR) frequency of observations that mice entered the handling tunnel is shown. AD = amber dome plus handling tunnel; CT = cardboard tube plus handling tunnel; HT = handling tunnel only. 15 inside a shelter on a significantly higher proportion of observations in the CT treatment (58.0 +/- 7.5% of observations) than in the HT and AD treatments (20.6 +/- 7.5% and 35.1 +/- 7.5%, respectively; F2, 29 = 6.39; P = 0.005). tunnel is shown. AD = amber dome plus handling tunnel; CT = cardboard tube plus handling tunnel; HT = handling tunnel only Treatment showed no significant effects on activity levels when disturbed, but mice were significantly more active when disturbed than undisturbed (W = 2.94; N = 12; P = 0.003). Discussion The main results of the current study suggest that C57BL/6 mice of both sexes do benefit from having a communal shelter in addition to an in-cage handling tunnel. Treatment showed no signifi cant effects on activity levels when disturbed but mice were signifi cantly more active when disturbed than undisturbed (W = 2.94; N = 12; P = 0.003). DiscussionThe main results of the current study suggest that C57BL/6 mice of both sexes do benefi t from having a communal shelter in addition to an in-cage handling tunnel. Total shelter use during the AD treatment was signifi cantly higher than the other treatments with approximately three times the number of mice using it than when only one or two tunnels were provided (Figure 2). This could suggest that there is insuffi cient space within the handling tunnel alone for all the mice wishing to shelter to be able to do so. The fact that the provision of the cardboard shelter did little to increase the number of mice sheltering also suggests that the shape, size and possibly the colour of the amber dome also encouraged mice to go inside it. The lack of signifi cant effect of treatment on climbing behaviour suggests that the increased shelter use in the AD treatment was almost entirely because mice were sheltering inside the amber dome not because they were climbing it; the treatment effect on shelter use remained signifi cant even when climbing behaviour was excluded. The presence of the amber shelter signifi cantly reduced time in contact with the nesting material, suggesting that the dome was being used as an alternative to the nest as a place to rest, especially on the fi rst day after cage-cleaning. Mice may prefer to rest huddled together, as they have previously been observed to spend approximately 55% of their time huddled30 and huddling aids thermoregulation.31,32 However if a shelter cannot fi t more than one mouse inside, the mice must decide whether to prioritise resting in a shelter or in a huddle, the amber dome might enable them to simultaneously do both, which could enhance welfare.Mice also brought nesting material inside the amber dome in three of the twelve cages whereas they were never observed to nest in either tunnel type. While mice usually located their nest in other locations around the cage further study could assess whether mice would prefer to have a shelter that can properly accommodate nesting material inside rather than having separate nests and shelters. Visual inspection suggested that even the amber dome was too small to easily accommodate a nest. The mice did not move nesting material into the handling tunnel even though it was seemingly large enough, so perhaps its shape or transparency deterred them from doing so. In future, measuring mouse use of different sizes and colours of dome shelters for nesting could shed light on what shelter characteristics encourage nesting in mice. The amber dome seemed to have attractive qualities for mice in this study but it may be possible to improve the additional shelter still further. For example mice may prefer a shelter made from a perforated material8 or cardboard.9 In any case, having a secluded and warm nesting place may be particularly important for breeding A tunnel is not enough: mice benefi t from in-cage provision of a communal shelter as well as a handling tunnel

209August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and Welfaremice e.g. Leidinger et al (2018), Gaskill et al (2013)33,34 and for mice kept in draughty environments, such as IVCs.35 The cardboard tube provided no significant usage above the handling tube alone with some mice seeming to go inside it less than expected by chance when undisturbed. It could be concluded that it was literally a waste of floor space in this study, perhaps being of too narrow a diameter to be useful for adult mice. This finding is perhaps consistent with mice choosing nesting material over tunnels for sleeping in.17 One potential benefit that the cardboard tube did have for the mice was that it was the only shelter type that showed signs of gnawing, as we hypothesised. The estimated amount chewed in one week never exceeded 5%, so it was in fact chewed fairly little. This could be a finding in favour of the tubes because they remain mostly intact during the course of a week. However, since each cage in this study was already equipped with a wooden gnawing block, the cardboard tubes may have provided little added value even in terms of facilitating gnawing. The mice also did go inside the carboard tube sometimes when disturbed perhaps because its narrowness and darkness made it an attractive refuge from an anticipated human hand.Some of the potentially negative outcomes that we assessed – aggression, bar-biting and the mice being out of sight – were too rare for statistical analysis. To conclusively test whether the shelter type had any influence on these variables, the length of time for behavioural observation would need to be considerably increased compared with the four 2 minute periods per cage used in this time-limited study. Additionally, they might be might be more sensitively recorded using a continuous or conspicuous behaviour schedule, rather than the one-zero recording used here.29 Observing the mice in the dark phase under a reversed light schedule would also be beneficial for capturing bar-biting and aggression, as that is when mice are most active e.g. nevison et al (2011).36One potentially undesirable logistical effect of the amber dome was that it reduced the frequency that mice spontaneously entered the handling tunnel when the cage was disturbed which could impede capture using the handling tunnel. Therefore, when a shelter is used in conjunction with a handling tunnel, we would advise removing the additional shelter from the cage when mice need to be lifted, thus encouraging the mice to enter the handling tunnel.For future studies more generally the effect of the number of mice per cage on shelter use should be better understood. For example it would be useful to know the maximum number of mice that would voluntarily rest within a shelter of a given size simultaneously and therefore how many or how large a shelter should be provided for a given group size of mice. It would also be useful to replicate the study with different strains of mice and with breeding mice to assess external validity across mouse strains and reproductive stages.2,37Conclusions and animal welfare implicationsProviding mice with a dome shelter as well as the handling tunnel increased the frequency of sheltering behaviour and could thus be a means to increase improve mouse welfare via enhanced security, provision of a darkened area and facilitation of thermoregulation in mice. None of the shelter combinations presented insurmountable logistical difficulties in this study although additional shelters would need to be removed from the cage when mice are due to be lifted via a handling tunnel. AcknowledgementsThis project was funded by a UFAW Animal Welfare Student Scholarship that was awarded to Ria Popat. We would like to thank L. K. Smith and E. Rowley and their team for advising and facilitating on this project and to the researchers who allowed us to observe their off-study mice. References1 Wurbel, H. (20010 Ideal homes? Housing effects on rodent brain and behaviour. Trends Neurosci. 2001; 24: 207-11.2 Bailoo J.D., Murphy E, Boada-Saña M, et al. (2018) Effects of Cage Enrichment on Behavior, Welfare and Outcome Variability in Female Mice. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 2018; 12: 232.3 Mering, S. and Jolkkonen, J. (2015). Proper housing conditions in experimental stroke studies—special emphasis on environmental enrichment. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2015; 9: 106.4 Slater A.M. and Cao L. (2015). A Protocol for Housing Mice in an Enriched Environment. J Visual Exp. 2015; 100: e52874.5 Sztainberg, Y. and Chen A. (2010). An environmental enrichment model for mice. Nature Protocols. 2010; 5: 1535-9.6 Abou-Ismail, U.A. (2011). Are the effects of enrichment due to the presence of multiple items or a particular item in the cages of laboratory rat? Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2011; 134: 72-82.7 Swetter B.J., Karpiak C.P. and Cannon J.T. (2011). Separating the effects of shelter from additional cage enhancements for group-housed BALB/cJ mice. Neurosci Lett. 2011; 495: 205-9.8 Van de Weerd H.A., Van Loo P.L.P., Van Zutphen LFM, et al. (2011). Preferences for Nest Boxes as Environmental Enrichment for Laboratory Mice. Animal Welfare. 1998; 7: 11-25.A tunnel is not enough: mice benefit from in-cage provision of a communal shelter as well as a handling tunnel

210Animal Technology and Welfare August 20209 Van Loo, P.L., Blom, H.J., Meijer, M.K., et al. (2005). Assessment of the use of two commercially available environmental enrichments by laboratory mice by preference testing. Laboratory Animals. 2005; 39: 58-67.10 Wurbel, H., Chapman, R. and Rutland, C. (1999). Effect of feed and environmental enrichment on development of stereotypic wire-gnawing in laboratory mice. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 1998; 60: 69-81.11 Nevison, C.M., Hurst, J.L. and Barnard, C.J.(1999). Strain-specific effects of cage enrichment in male laboratory mice (Mus musculus). Animal Welfare. 1999; 8: 361-79.12 Van Loo, P.L.P., Kruitwagen, C.L.J.J., Koolhaas, J.M., et al. (2002). Influence of cage enrichment on aggressive behaviour and physiological parameters in male mice. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2002; 76: 65-81.13 Gaskill, B.N., Rohr, S.A., Pajor, E.A., et al. (2009). Some like it hot: Mouse temperature preferences in laboratory housing. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2009; 116: 279-85.14 LaVail, M.M., Gorrin, G.M., Repaci, M.A., et al. (1987). Light-induced retinal degeneration in albino mice and rats: strain and species differences. Prog Clin Biol Res. 1987; 247: 439-54.15 Wong AA and Brown RE. Visual detection, pattern discrimination and visual acuity in 14 strains of mice. Genes Brain and Behavior. 2006; 5: 389-403.16 Manser, C.E., Broom, D.M., Overend, P., et al. (1998). Investigations into the preferences of laboratory rats for nest-boxes and nesting materials. Laboratory Animals. 1998; 32: 23-35.17 Sherwin, C. (1996). Preferences of individually housed TO strain laboratory mice for loose substrate or tubes for sleeping. Laboratory Animals. 1996; 30: 245-51.18 Bio-Serv. (2007). Transparent tinted polycarbonate certified mouse Igloo®. Animal Products Catalogue. 2007.19 Gjendal, K., Ottesen, J.L. and Sørensen, D.B. (2018). Does colour matter? Preference of mice for different colours of the house mouse igloo: an observational study. Scand J Lab Anim Sci. 2018; 44: 2002-0112.20 Marques, J.M. and Olsson, I.A.S. (2007). The effect of preweaning and postweaning housing on the behaviour of the laboratory mouse (Mus musculus). Laboratory Animals. 2007; 41: 92-102.21 Kaliste, E.K., Mering, S.M. and Huuskonen, H.K. (2006). Environmental modification and agonistic behavior in NIH/S male mice: nesting material enhances fighting but shelters prevent it. Comparative Medicine. 2006; 56: 202-8.22 Home Office. (2014). Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes. London: Crown Copyright, 2014, p. 1-199.23 Liss, C., Kenneth Litwak, Dave Tilford, et al. (2005). Comfortable quarters for laboratory animals. 10 ed. Washington: Animal Welfare Institute, 2015.24 Datesand Ltd. (2005). Environmental enrichment. Product Catalogue. Manchester: Datesand Ltd, 2005, p. 23-6.25 Oatess, T.L., Harrison, F.E., Himmel, L.E., et al. (2021). Effects of Acrylic Tunnel Enrichment on Anxiety-Like Behavior, Neurogenesis, and Physiology of C57BL/6J Mice. J Am Assoc Lab Anim. 2021; 60: 44-53.26 Moons, C.P., Van Wiele, P. and Odberg, F.O. (2004). To enrich or not to enrich: providing shelter does not complicate handling of laboratory mice. Contemp Top Lab Anim Sci. 2004; 43: 18-21.27 Hurst, J.L. and West, R.S. (2010). Taming anxiety in laboratory mice. Nat Meth. 2010; 7: 825-6.28 Gouveia, K. and Hurst, J.L. (2010). Reducing Mouse Anxiety during Handling: Effect of Experience with Handling Tunnels. PLOS ONE. 2013; 8: e66401.29 Martin, P. and Bateson, P. (2007). Measuring behaviour: an introductory guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.30 Ohayon, S., Avni, O., Taylor, A.L., et al. (2013). Automated multi-day tracking of marked mice for the analysis of social behaviour. J Neurosci Methods. 2013; 219: 10-9.31 Gilbert, C., McCafferty, D., Le Maho, Y, et al. (2010). One for all and all for one: the energetic benefits of huddling in endotherms. Biological Reviews. 2010; 85: 545-69.32 Gordon, C.J., Becker, P. and Ali, J.S. (1998). Behavioral thermoregulatory responses of single- and group-housed mice11This paper has been reviewed by the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. Physiol Behav. 1998; 65: 255-62.33 Leidinger, C.S., Thöne-Reineke, C., Baumgart, N., et al. (2018). Environmental enrichment prevents pup mortality in laboratory mice. Laboratory Animals. 2018; 53: 53-62.34 Gaskill, B.N., Winnicker, C., Garner, J.P., et al. (2013). The naked truth: Breeding performance in nude mice with and without nesting material. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2013; 143: 110-6.35 David, J.M., Knowles, S., Lamkin, D.M., et al. (2013). Individually Ventilated Cages Impose Cold Stress on Laboratory Mice: A Source of Systemic Experimental Variability. J Am Assoc Lab Anim. 2013; 52: 738-44.36 Nevison, C.M., Hurst, J.L. and Barnard, C.J. (1999). Why do male ICR(CD-1) mice perform bar-related (stereotypic) behaviour? Behav Processes. 1999; 47: 95-111.37 Richter, S.H., Garner, J.P., Zipser, B., et al. (2011). Effect of population heterogenization on the reproducibility of mouse behavior: a multi-laboratory study. PLoS ONE. 2011; 6: e16461.A tunnel is not enough: mice benefit from in-cage provision of a communal shelter as well as a handling tunnel

211August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAbstractThere is a growing recognition that nurturing a Culture of Care can lead to staff satisfaction and improved Animal Welfare. The phrase Culture of Care is not well defi ned and can mean different things to different people. Whilst a Culture of Care involves all staff working directly and indirectly with animals it is important to recognise and support those who carry the burden of care i.e. the staff that conduct procedures on and care for animals used in research. These staff may be referred to differently according to establishment and role but can commonly be referred to as Animal Technologists, Animal Technicians, Animal Scientists or care staff. This article provides practical examples and ideas of how you can contribute to a Culture of Care in your workplace and methods by which you can be supported to do this.Keywords: culture of care, animal welfare, science, compassion, management.Contributing to Your Culture of Care SALLY ROBINSON1and ANGELA KERTON21 Animal Sciences and Technologies, Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park UK2 The Learning Curve (Development) Ltd., P.O Box 140, Ware, Hertfordshire SG9 0ZN UKCorrespondence: sally.robinson@astrazeneca.comDecember 2021 Animal Technology and WelfareFigure 1. Culture of Care Word Cloud. Figure 1. Culture of Care Word Cloud Doing some detective work Let us start with some detective work of your own. There are plenty of resources which you can access to read up more on the topic of a Culture of Care.1,2,3,4 However, can you find out the following information in your own work place? Go and talk to the people you work with, your Named Animal Care and Welfare Officers (NACWOs), Animal Welfare Ethical Review Body (AWERB) members, your unit manager, the Named Veterinary Surgeon and fellow Animal Technologists. Ideas IntroductionWhat does a Culture of Care mean to you? Do you feel cared for, respected and valued at work? A Culture of Care is underpinned by an organisation’s values and beliefs. These set the tone and expectation of the behaviours and attitudes of the people within the organisation. Having a positive Culture of Care is essential to delivering high quality care and support to both research animals and staff.Doing some detective workLet us start with some detective work of your own. There are plenty of resources which you can access to read up more on the topic of a Culture of Care.1,2,3,4 However, can you fi nd out the following information in your own workplace? Go and talk to the people you work with, your Named Animal Care and Welfare Offi cers (NACWOs), Animal Welfare Ethical Review Body (AWERB) members, your unit manager, the Named Veterinary Surgeon and fellow Animal Technologists.Ideas 1. Does your Establishment have a Culture of Care vision or pledge? If this does not exist you or your manager can propose the idea to your NVS and AWERB. The vision or pledge should encompass all perspectives including researchers and other roles less directly involved with the hands on animal research. Therefore developing a vision or pledge is an ideal activity to be led and/or sponsored by the AWERB. The process of bringing the perspectives together in generating the pledge is almost as important as the pledge itself. A vision or pledge should be made visible (e.g. on display in the animal facility and labs). This is a way for all staff to see the commitment of the organisation to a Culture of Care. An example of a Culture of Care Pledge is attached in Appendix 1. 2. How often does your AWERB discuss a Culture of Care? Think about how you would find this out. Is your AWERB visible? Are agendas shared widely e.g. to all animal facility staff? If not speak to your NACWO or NVS and establish

212Animal Technology and Welfare August 20201. Does your Establishment have a Culture of Care vision or pledge?If this does not exist you or your manager can propose the idea to your NVS and AWERB. The vision or pledge should encompass all perspectives including researchers and other roles less directly involved with the hands on animal research. Therefore developing a vision or pledge is an ideal activity to be led and/or sponsored by the AWERB. The process of bringing the perspectives together in generating the pledge is almost as important as the pledge itself. A vision or pledge should be made visible (e.g. on display in the animal facility and labs). This is a way for all staff to see the commitment of the organisation to a Culture of Care. An example of a Culture of Care Pledge is attached in Appendix 1.2. How often does your AWERB discuss a Culture of Care?Think about how you would fi nd this out. Is your AWERB visible? Are agendas shared widely e.g. to all animal facility staff? If not speak to your NACWO or NVS and establish whether Culture of Care is on the agenda and if not propose it is. Remind the NVS and AWERB that promoting a Culture of Care is a general task of the AWERB.3. Does your staff induction training highlight a Culture of Care?What happens when there are new staff or users in your animal facility or in the research groups? Is an introduction to the establishment Culture of Care part of induction. If you have developed a vision or pledge within your establishment sharing this at induction is a good way to set the tone and demonstrate that Culture of Care is taken seriously. It is also a way to highlight the expected values and behaviours within the facility.4. Does your Establishment encourage an open AWERB with ethical debate? Are animal technicians members of the AWERB?The NACWO is often a member of the AWERB. However are animal care staff and technicians represented in their own right outside of the NACWO role. How can you input your views and have your voice? Are the mechanisms for you to feed into the AWERB discussions? For example in large organisations it may be diffi cult to have a completely open AWERB due to the numbers of staff that would involve. Another mechanism might be to propose an animal technician/care champion role on AWERB who can act as a focus to feed in the thoughts and concerns of the wider group.5. Do animal technical and care staff receive any recognition awards and thanks for their work and achievements?A Culture of Care should recognise positive behaviours and work of staff. This could be a simple as a thank you/reward certifi cate for good cage side practice, coffee vouchers or even a more formal staff Culture of Care celebratory award.5,66. Does your organisation celebrate the Institute of Animal Technology (IAT) Technicians Month each year?What examples can you fi nd of past events and celebrations in the month of March each year? Did your unit display a TechMonth participation plaque?7If not speak to your unit manager about what you can do to celebrate Technicians Month next year. Organise staff competitions, speakers and cake and coffee events.7. Does your organisation suppor t your role in Openness on Animal Research?Are there opportunities for you to host unit tours to visitors and students? Are you able to participate in other openness activities for example school speaking events or family days? Many Animal Technologists/care staff value the opportunity to take pride in their work through tours and talks. This should be encouraged as it can enhance satisfaction in the job.Contributing to a Culture of Care at workFigure 2. Teamwork.6. Does your organisation celebrate the Institute of Animal Technology (IAT) Technicians Month each year? What examples can you find of past events and celebrations in the month of March each year? Did your unit display a TechMonth participation plaque?7 If not speak to your unit manager about what you can do to celebrate Technicians Month next year. Organise staff competitions, speakers and cake and coffee events. 7. Does your organisation support your role in Openness on Animal Research? Are there opportunities for you to host unit tours to visitors and students? Are you able to participate in other openness activities for example school speaking events or family days. Many Animal Technologists/care staff value the opportunity to take pride in their work through tours and talks. This should be encouraged as it can enhance satisfaction in the job. Contributing to a Culture of Care at work Figure 2. Teamwork During the fi rst UK COVID-19 lockdown the IAT campaigned for the recognition of animal care staff as “key workers” in the biomedical fi eld.8 This should illustrate the importance of the role you do and make you feel proud. What sort of things can you do to further enhance your job satisfaction and pride in your work, wellbeing and to help champion a Culture of Care at work?Be proactive and raise new ideas with your co-workers and supervisors. Discuss things openly and see what is achievable. As a manager support staff when they raise new ideas and provide time to implement refi nements. Providing structured support for technical staff to demonstrate the value of refi nements is critical.Contributing to Your Culture of Care

213August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareReport any Animal Welfare or other concerns you have immediately through raising concern/whistleblowing channels. These can generally be reported anonymously if you are worried but do speak up! If you are unaware of such channels ask your manager or NVS about them. If they do not exist this is something your NVS and NACWO should raise with the AWERB. Sign up for the UK National Centre for Replacement, Refi nement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) newsletter that provides Animal Technologists with the latest news. It includes updates on recent advances in the 3Rs and new resources, research and events of interest to animal technicians.9 Managers should ensure their staff are recognised for their contributions to Animal Welfare e.g. one way might be to suggest they compile an entry for ‘The Andrew Blake Tribute Award’.10 As a manager provide the support for staff by reviewing the submissions and helping make them the best they can be. The Andrew Blake Tribute Award is awarded annually to the Animal Technologist judged to have made the most signifi cant contribution to improving standards in laboratory animal welfare. Design posters which showcase your work and cage side innovations that promote animal welfare. These can be on display within your facility. shared with your AWERB and they can also be submitted as a poster or a short presentation at IAT Congress or a technicians’ workshop. (Editors note: and or, to Animal Technology and Welfare for publication).Look after yourself. Self-care is important as compassion fatigue is recognised within caring professions including within the Laboratory Animal Profession.11,12 Compassion satisfaction results from satisfying the positive feeling of caring for others.13 Compassion satisfaction can be enhanced by being engaged with your work by having two way communication with scientists so that you understand the benefi ts and outcomes of the work and by being respected, valued and recognised for the role you play. ‘Action for Happiness’ is an organisation that encourages people through providing ideas and resources to enable them to take action at home, at work or in their community. Downloading and sharing the monthly calendars within the animal facility could be a valuable way to support staff.14Discuss your career development with your supervisor and make the most of training and self-development opportunities.Using training and development opportunitiesTraining supports the acquisition of new skills and knowledge helps boost confi dence in the workplace and can improve organisational culture by ensuring technical and care staff are up to date with new technologies and literature in relation to their roles. Speak to your manager during your annual review and suggest that you draw up an individual learning record for the next 12 months, Your manager can also support a Culture of Care by helping you make sure that your training records are kept up to date.Find out about training opportunities within the workplace, whether these are conducted internally or through attending external workshops. For managers:- does your department have a staff training budget and what proportion of this budget is assigned to animal technical and care staff? When you attend workshops come back and share your knowledge with the rest of your team, thus promoting new techniques and good practice. One excellent free workshop for animal technical and care staff is the annual NC3Rs/IAT Animal Technicians’ symposium.15Figure 3. Support.staff are up to date with new technologies and literature in relation to their roles. Speak to your manager during your annual review and suggest that you draw up an individual learning record for the next 12 months, Your manager can also support a Culture of Care by helping you make sure that your training records are kept up to date. Find out about training opportunities within the workplace, whether these are conducted internally or through attending external workshops. For managers:- does your department have a staff training budget and what proportion of this budget is assigned to animal technical and care staff? When you attend workshops come back and share your knowledge with the rest of your team, thus promoting new techniques and good practice. One excellent free workshop for animal technical and care staff is the annual NC3Rs/IAT Animal Technicians’ symposium.15 Figure 3. Support DiscussionA workplace with a Culture of Care is vital to allow animal technical and care staff to fulfi l their potential and to minimise the risk of compassion fatigue. A Culture of Care provides the framework that will enable the behaviours that drive continuous improvement benefi tting both science and welfare.AcknowledgementsThe authors acknowledge staff past and present in Animal Sciences and Technologies and the Oncology Research Group at AstraZeneca Alderley Park for developing the Culture of Care Pledge.Declaration of Confl icting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential confl icts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this report.FundingThe author(s) received no fi nancial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this report.Contributing to Your Culture of Care

214Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Research Data Availability StatementThe authors declare there is no primary data associated with this publication.Appendix 1Those who conduct and support all aspects of in-vivo work are committed to the responsible care and use of all research animals at AstraZeneca, Alderley Park. We will uphold animal welfare as a priority and treat animals and colleagues with care, compassion and respect. Take full accountability and responsibility for the treatment of animals in our care and act as the animal’s advocate. Key behaviours: 1. Adhere to the 3Rs when designing or performing studies e.g. appropriate use of animals, act to minimise pain and distress e.g. by use of humane endpoints and fi nishing studies when scientifi c objectives are met. 2. Continually review training programs and working processes so that procedures are performed to best practice. 3. Promote and support an open and honest working environment. 4. Work as one team, fl exibly supporting colleagues, utilising strengths and diversity 5. Challenge when animal welfare has the potential to be compromised. 6. Take the time to act with diligence in every task, payingattention to detail, in order to produce high quality data and encourage a culture of double checking. 7. Embrace a culture of giving and receiving constructive feedback to aid continuous improvement. 8. Ensure timely and accurate communication with key individuals. 11Appendix 1 Culture of Care PledgeThose who conduct and support all aspects of in-vivo work are committed to the responsible care and use of all research animals at AstraZeneca, Alderley Park. We will uphold animal welfare as a priority and treat animals and colleagues with care, compassion and respect. Take full accountability and responsibility for the treatment of animals in our care and act as the animal’s advocate. Key behaviours: 1. Adhere to the 3Rs when designing or performing studies e.g. appropriate use of animals, act to minimise pain and distress e.g. by 11Appendix 1 Culture of Care PledgeThose who conduct and support all aspects of in-vivo work are committed to the responsible care and use of all research animals at AstraZeneca, Alderley Park. We will uphold animal welfare as a priority and treat animals and colleagues with care, compassion and respect. Take full accountability and responsibility for the treatment of animals in our care and act as the animal’s advocate. Key behaviours: 1. Adhere to the 3Rs when designing or performing studies e.g. appropriate use of animals, act to minimise pain and distress e.g. by Culture of Care Pledge CCuullttuurree ooff CCaarree PPlleeddggee Those who conduct and support all aspects of in-vivo work are committed to the responsible care and use of all research animals at AstraZeneca, Alderley Park. We will uphold animal welfare as a priority and treat animals and colleagues with care, compassion and respect. Take full accountability and responsibility for the treatment of animals in our care and act as the animal’s advocate. Key behaviours: 1. Adhere to the 3Rs when designing or performing studies e.g. appropriate use of animals, act to minimise pain and distress e.g. by use of humane endpoints and finishing studies when scientific objectives are met. 2. Continually review training programs and working processes so that procedures are performed to best practice. 3. Promote and support an open and honest working environment. 4. Work as one team, flexibly supporting colleagues, utilising strengths and diversity 5. Challenge when animal welfare has the potential to be compromised. 6. Take the time to act with diligence in every task, paying attention to detail, in order to produce high quality data and encourage a culture of double checking. 7. Embrace a culture of giving and receiving constructive feedback to aid continuous improvement. 8. Ensure timely and accurate communication with key individuals. References1 Robinson, S. et al. (2019). The European Federation of the Pharmaceutical Industry and Associations’ Research and Animal Welfare Group: Assessing and benchmarking ‘Culture of Care’ in the context of using animals for scientifi c purpose. Laboratory Animals. 2019; 54(5): 421-432.2 European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). Living Your Culture ofCare. https://www.efpia.eu/media/602714/culture-of-care-2021-leafl et.pdf accessed 19 August 2021.3 Norway’s National Consensus Platform for the advancement of “the 3 Rs” (Norecopa). Culture of Care. Available online: https://norecopa.no/more- resources/culture-of-care accessed 25 August 2021.4 Hawkins, P., Bertelsen, T. (2019) 3Rs-related and objective indicators to help assess the culture of care. Animals (Basel). 2019; 9(11):969.5 Finnemore, P., Owen, S. (2020). Using an award scheme to promote 3Rs innovation. https://nc3rs.org.uk/news/using-award-scheme-promote-3rs-innovation accessed 25 August 2021.6 AstraZeneca; Animals in Research. https://www.astrazeneca.com/sustainability/ethics-and-transparency/animals-in-research.html accesed 25 August 2021.7 IAT Tech Month https://www.iat.org.uk/techmonth. (accesed 26 August 2021).8 Department for Education. (2020). Key workers ineducation letter. Available online: http://independen the.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/200421-COVID-19-Keyworkers-Letter.pdf Accessed 23 August2021.9 Tech3Rs: A newsletter for animal technicians https://nc3rs.org.uk/tech3rs accesed 26 August 2021.10 The Andrew Blake Tribute Award https://www.iat.org.uk/abta accessed 26 August 2021.11 Davies, K., Lewis, D. (2010). Can caring for laboratory animals be classifi ed as emotional labour? Animal Technology and Welfare 2010, 9, 1–6.12 American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS). Compassion Fatigue: The Cost of Caring. Human emotions in the care of laboratory animals. https://www.aalas.org/education/educational-resources/cost-of-caring Accessed 23 August 2021.13 Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue:Helpful tips for our Frontline Workers https://med.uth.edu/psychiatry/2020/10/29/compassion-satisfaction-and-compassion-fatigue-helpful-tips-for-our-frontline-workers/ Accessed 20 August 2021.14 Action for Happiness https://www.actionforhappiness. org/ Accessed 20 August 2021.Contributing to Your Culture of Care

215August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2021 Animal Technology and WelfareAbstractHorses play an important role in the livelihood of people living in the rural areas in Lesotho; however, their health and behaviour remains a concern. A cross-sectional study on the assessment of health and behaviour of horses was carried out from September to December 2020. The aim of the study was to determine the problems of horses in Lesotho using health and behavioural parameters. Assessment of health condition was based on direct observation of horses.Horse behaviour was assessed through reaction that relied on the observer’s approach and contact. A total of 455 horses participated in the study and data was statistically analysed in Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. None of the assessed horses had abnormal mucous membranes, diarrhoea or lower limb swelling. The incidence of ticks was higher. Approximately, 42.2%, 45.2% and 35.1% of horses respectively in the rural, semi-urban and urban areas had good body condition scores. Open lesions occurred mainly in horses in the rural region (11.6%). Few horses demonstrated hoof abnormalities (4.8% in rural region and 3.1% in semi-urban region) and gait deformities (2%, 0.6% and 0.7%) respectively for urban, semi-urban and rural regions. Horses in urban regions (35.1%) demonstrated a negative reactive behaviour towards an observer, while in rural region; most horses (43.5%) reacted positively when approached. The indicators of good health and behaviour of horses were observed across the three regions. Therefore, there is a need for horse owners to be trained on issues aimed at improving the human-horse relationship, control of parasites and wound care of horses in Lesotho. Keywords: equine, horse, owners, welfare, assessmentIntroduction Most common livestock in Lesotho are cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, mules, donkeys, and horses.1 Horses are among the most common livestock in Lesotho hence they are regarded as the source of pride. In some areas of the country, the horse is the only alternative to travelling on foot, hence, horses are used mainly as a mode of transport over the rugged topography of Lesotho.2 They are also used for ploughing, planting, carding* and cultivating the fields.3 With 80% of the country more than a mile high and few paved roads, horses are life-saving couriers, shuttling vital medical supplies, anti-retroviral medicine (ARVs), mother-to-baby pregnancy kits and laboratory samples to remote clinics that serve villages inaccessible by vehicles.4The environment in which domestic horses are kept differs and is often designed for human convenience instead of what is ‘good’ for the horse. Behavioural and physiological measures are used to determine health and wellbeing and the response of an animal to its environment. Good health is indicated by condition, freedom from pain and behavioural signs of positive emotion.5 In the case of working equids there is increasing evidence of their socio-economic contribution to human livelihood through their direct and indirect impact in generating income for thousands of households worldwide. It has been reported that the welfare state of these equids is usually poor and impacts directly on their health, mental state and working capacity.6 Often, horses are neglected and exploitation cases originate from lack of economic resources needed to effectively sustain the horse wellbeing.6Injuries and diseases are regarded as important welfare indicators because they are both generally associated with negative experiences such as pain, discomfort and Assessing the welfare of horses in Lesotho using health and behaviour parametersMOLEBOHENG BOLIBE and SETSUMI MOLAPO Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, National University of Lesotho, Maseru, Lesotho Correspondence: mbolibe0@gmail.comSPECIAL INTEREST SECTION*EDITORS NOTE: Carding is a mechanical process in the preparation of fibres for further processes such as weaving etc.

216Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020distress.7 Animal health measurements provide specifi c and practical information which aids the observer in determining how the animal is managed. Animal health measures can be indicative of current and potential welfare concerns, as well as providing information regarding the management and husbandry practices employed by the animals’ owner or primary carer and the response of the owner or primary carer to animal health challenges.7The animal’s reactions to human interaction can be measured experimentally by using behavioural tests.8Tests measuring an animal’s reactions to humans are generally grouped into reactions to stationary human, moving human and actual handling. The physical and social environment can strongly infl uence the outcome of the test.9 Behavioural tests such as avoidance, approach and startle tests, measure an animal’s level of fear towards humans which provides a refl ection of the nature of the human-animal relationship.10 Fear is a negative emotion and as such is often included in assessments and recommendations of animal welfare.11 Taking this into account, the aim of this study was to assess the welfare of horses in Lesotho, using health and behaviour as parameters.Materials and methods Study areaThe study was carried out in Mafeteng and Maseru districts, covering the three regions: urban, semi-urban and rural. Four resource centres represented each region. The urban region was composed of Masianokeng, Morija, Semonkong and Ramokoatsi. The semi-urban region was made up of Ramabanta, Ntsi, Tsákholo and Thabana Morena while Matelile, Mosala, Ribaneng and Marakabei represented the rural region. Data collection took place between September and December 2020. Study designA cross sectional survey was conducted using a simple random sampling procedure. With the help of extension staff from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the horse owners were identifi ed in their respective resource centres. Owners were included in the study if they owned at least one horse and were willing to participate. The data was collected using the individual questionnaires and assessment forms.Four hundred and fi fty fi ve horses were randomly selected composed of 148, 160 and 147 horses in the urban, semi-urban and rural regions respectively. The horses were composed of 281 stallions and 174 mares. The horses were further categorised into foals (39), yearlings (44) and adults (372). Horse age was estimated according to dentition and the farmer’s information. Each horse used in this study was uniquely identifi ed. The Standardised Equine Based Welfare Assessment Tool (SEBWAT) was used to evaluate Figure 1. The status of eyes, mucous membranes and respiratory noise of horses in different regions. Figure 1: The status of eyes, mucous membranes and respiratory noise of horses in different regions Figure 2: The occurrence of nasal discharge and diarrhoea in horses in different regions 97.59898.59999.5100100.5Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionEyes Mucous membranes Respiratory noise98.89999.299.499.699.8100100.2Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageeRegionNasal discharge Diarrhoeahorses.12 The assessment form included descriptors of a horse (sex and age group), health parameters (eyes, mucous membranes, nasal discharge, respiratory noise, diarrhoea, external parasites, body condition score (BCS), severity and size of body lesions, gait, limbs, and hooves) and behaviour (observer approach, chin contact, general attitude and spinal contact).The assessment took fi ve to ten minutes per horse. Horses were assessed by observation and also touchedby the assessor or owner. The BCS was assessed using a standard scoring scale from zero to fi ve (emaciated to obese).13 Lesions were numbered and scored according to their severity and the surface area covered (0-3). Hooves were considered neglected if they were overgrown, cracked or deformed with the score ranging from 0-2. General attitude was evaluated by considering the behaviour of the horse throughout the whole assessment (the handler, the assessor and being handled) and was scored from zero to two (zero = positive general attitude: bright, alert, responsive, one = negative non-reactive general attitude: dull, obtund, lethargic and two = negative reactive general attitude: fearful, aggressive, signs of anxiety).The data was statistically analysed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. Descriptive Statistics were employed to describe data with the use of percentages and frequency distributions. The Chi-square test was utilised to determine if the differences were due to chance or owing to a relationship between the variables under study 95% confi dence level was set. Results Eyes, mucous membranes and respiratory noiseFew horses in the semi-urban (0.6%) and urban (1.4%) regions showed a moderate eye abnormality (excessive tears, red conjunctiva or abnormal eyelid being visible in one or both eyes). The mucous membranes of all horses (100%) in the three regions were within normal range, meaning they were neither pale nor darker in colour (Figure 1). The respiratory noise of most assessed Assessing the welfare of horses in Lesotho using health and behaviour parameters

217August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and Welfarehorses was not audible. The Chi-square tests indicated that there was no signifi cant association (P>0.05) between the respiratory noise and the region in which a horse was kept.Nasal discharge and diarrhoeaIn rural and semi-urban regions, None of the horses (100%) showed nasal discharge, whereas 0.7% of horses in the urban region had some nasal discharge which in most cases signifi es the presence of a disease. The results as illustrated in Figure 2 also demonstrated that all horses (100%) that were assessed in the three regions had no diarrhoea.Figure 3. The prevalence of ticks in horses found in different regions. Figure 3: The prevalence of ticks in horses found in different regions Figure 4: Body conditions of horses in different regions 05101520253035404550Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionNone Few ticks Many ticks05101520253035404550Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionEmaciated Poor Moderate Good FatFigure 2. The occurrence of nasal discharge and diarrhoea in horses in different regions. Figure 1: The status of eyes, mucous membranes and respiratory noise of horses in different regions Figure 2: The occurrence of nasal discharge and diarrhoea in horses in different regions 97.59898.59999.5100100.5Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionEyes Mucous membranes Respiratory noise98.89999.299.499.699.8100100.2Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageeRegionNasal discharge DiarrhoeaExternal parasitesThe majority of horses had low numbers of ticks since the proportion of horses that were without external parasites in rural, semi-urban and urban regions was 27.9%. 20.0% and 41.9% respectively. The severity of ticks ranged from one to fi ve. The Chi-square tests indicated that there was a signifi cant relationship (P<0.05) between external parasites and the region.Body condition scoreMajority of horses that were assessed had a moderate to good body condition as presented in Figure 4. Only 0.6% and 0.7% of horses in semi-urban and urban regions respectively were found to be emaciated. The horses with poor body condition were found in rural (12.2%), semi-urban (12.5%) and urban (12.8%) areas. The results indicated that only a few horses were found to be fat in all the regions though the number was higher in the rural (4.8%) and urban (4.1%) regions than in the semi- urban region (1.2%).Figure 4. Body conditions of horses in different regions. Figure 3: The prevalence of ticks in horses found in different regions Figure 4: Body conditions of horses in different regions 05101520253035404550Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionNone Few ticks Many ticks05101520253035404550Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionEmaciated Poor Moderate Good FatBody lesionsThe results of the current study as shown in Figure 5 revealed that the majority of horses had no body lesions in the rural (85%), semi-urban (88.8%) and urban (88.5%) regions. The numbers of horses in the rural, semi-urban and urban with open lesions was 11.6%, 6.2% and 4.7% respectively. Most assessed horses had small lesions comprised of 13.6%, 10% and 9.5% for rural, semi-urban and urban regions respectively.Figure 5. The severity and size of body lesions of horses assessed in difference regions. Figure 5: The severity and size of body lesions of horses assessed in difference regions Figure 6: The state of gait, limbs and frog of assessed horses in different regions 0102030405060708090100Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionNo lesions Small9797.59898.59999.5100100.5Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionGait Lower limb swelling FrogFigure 5: The severity and size of body lesions of horses assessed in difference regions Figure 6: The state of gait, limbs and frog of assessed horses in different regions 0102030405060708090100Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionNo lesions Small9797.59898.59999.5100100.5Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionGait Lower limb swelling FrogFigure 1: The status of eyes, mucous membranes and respiratory noise of horses in different regions Figure 2: The occurrence of nasal discharge and diarrhoea in horses in different regions 97.59898.59999.5100100.5Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionEyes Mucous membranes Respiratory noise98.89999.299.499.699.8100100.2Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageeRegionNasal discharge DiarrhoeaFigure 3: The prevalence of ticks in horses found in different regions Figure 4: Body conditions of horses in different regions 05101520253035404550Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionNone Few ticks Many ticks05101520253035404550Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionEmaciated Poor Moderate Good FatAssessing the welfare of horses in Lesotho using health and behaviour parameters

218Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Gait, limbs and frogThe majority of assessed horses in the rural, semi-urban and urban areas showed uncompromised gait. Moderately abnormal gaits were disclosed in semi-urban (0.6%) and urban (2%) regions while a small percentage of highly compromised gaits were only found in horses in the rural region (0.7%). The results of the present study showed that all horses assessed had no swelling in the lower limbs. As illustrated in Figure 6, only 0.7% of horses in the rural region did not have healthy frogs.Figure 6. The state of gait, limbs and frog of assessed horses in different regions. Figure 5: The severity and size of body lesions of horses assessed in difference regions Figure 6: The state of gait, limbs and frog of assessed horses in different regions 0102030405060708090100Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionNo lesions Small9797.59898.59999.5100100.5Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionGait Lower limb swelling FrogCondition of hoovesThe fi ndings of this study showed that the majority of the horses hooves that were assessed had normal shape Figure 7. The shape and quality of hooves for horses in different regions. Figure 7: The shape and quality of hooves for horses in different regions Table 1: Behaviour of horses in different regions Parameter Rural (%) Semi-urban (%) Urban (%) SE X2 Sig Observer’s approach Positive 43.5 39.4 39.9 0.060 7.022 0.155 Neg. non-reactive 34.0 33.1 25.0 0.066 Negative reactive 22.4 27.5 35.1 0.071 Chin contact Accepts contact 43.5 39.4 41.2 0.060 0.548 0.760 Avoids contact 56.5 60.6 58.8 0.049 General attitude Positive 43.5 39.4 40.5 0.060 7.371 0.118 93949596979899100Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentagesRegionHoof shape Hoof qualityTable 1. Behaviour of horses in different regions. Parameter Rural (%)Semi-urban (%)Urban (%) SE X2SigObserver’s approachPositive 43.5 39.4 39.9 0.060 7.022 0.155Neg. non-reactive 34.0 33.1 25.0 0.066Negative reactive 22.4 27.5 35.1 0.071Chin contactAccepts contact 43.5 39.4 41.2 0.060 0.548 0.760Avoids contact 56.5 60.6 58.8 0.049General attitudePositive 43.5 39.4 40.5 0.060 7.371 0.118Neg. non-reactive 33.3 32.5 23.6 0.067Negative reactive 23.1 28.1 35.8 0.070Spinal contactNo reaction 45.5 40.0 40.5 0.059 0.450 0.798Reaction 56.5 60.0 59.5 0.049SE: Standard Error X2: Pearson Chi-Square Value Sig: Signifi cant Valueand quality. In terms of shape the two fore hooves of a few horses in rural region (4.8%) were abnormal. In the case of hoof quality, 3.1% of horses in semi-urban region had abnormal hooves on the two fore feet assessed. Observer’s approachGenerally a higher percentage of assessed horses were positive (not afraid, alert, friendly or relaxed, not nervous or apathetic) towards the observer’s approach. A negative reaction was mostly noticed with horses in the urban region (35.1%) than in the rural (22.4%) and semi-urban (27.5%) regions. The Chi-square tests indicated that there was no signifi cant association (P>0.05) between the observer’s approach and the region in which a horse is kept (Table 1).Figure 5: The severity and size of body lesions of horses assessed in difference regions Figure 6: The state of gait, limbs and frog of assessed horses in different regions 0102030405060708090100Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionNo lesions Small9797.59898.59999.5100100.5Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentageRegionGait Lower limb swelling FrogFigure 7: The shape and quality of hooves for horses in different regions Table 1: Behaviour of horses in different regions Parameter Rural (%) Semi-urban (%) Urban (%) SE X2 Sig Observer’s approach Positive 43.5 39.4 39.9 0.060 7.022 0.155 Neg. non-reactive 34.0 33.1 25.0 0.066 Negative reactive 22.4 27.5 35.1 0.071 Chin contact Accepts contact 43.5 39.4 41.2 0.060 0.548 0.760 Avoids contact 56.5 60.6 58.8 0.049 General attitude Positive 43.5 39.4 40.5 0.060 7.371 0.118 93949596979899100Rural Semi-urban UrbanPercentagesRegionHoof shape Hoof qualityAssessing the welfare of horses in Lesotho using health and behaviour parameters

219August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareChin and spinal contactsRegarding chin contact, more horses in the rural (56.5%), semi-urban (60.6%) and urban (58.8%) regions avoided contact than those that accepted contact as stipulated in Table 1. It was also revealed that 56.5%, 60% and 59.5% of horses in the rural, semi-urban and urban areas respectively reacted upon spinal contact.General attitudeThe majority of assessed horses exhibited a positive general attitude followed by a higher percentage of horses that displayed a negative non-reactive attitude (apathetic, dull or non-responsive throughout the assessment) with 33.3% in the rural, 32.5% in semi-urban and 23.6% in urban regions. However, majority of horses reacted upon spinal contact encompassed of 56.5%, 60% and 59.5% for rural, semi-urban and urban regions respectively.Discussion The results in Figure 1, which indicated that horses assessed were not having any eye problems, are in disparity with Upjohn et al. (2011) who reported that 48.4% of assessed horses had ocular discharge.14 This might be due to the fact that the referred assessment was made during winter months (between April and June, 2007) when it was cold and horses were prone to diseases such as equine infl uenza (fl u). Pritchard et al. (2005) also demonstrated a high prevalence of abnormalities of eyes ranging from mild discharge to signs of ocular pain, keratitis, uveitis and blindness.15The outcomes which revealed that the mucous membranes of all horses (100%) studied in the three regions were within normal range (Figure 1) concur with those of Pritchard et al. (2005) who observed that fewer than 8% of working equines had abnormal mucous membranes.15 In addition, Upjohn et al. (2011) reported that 6.2% of assessed horses had pale mucous membranes.14As shown in Figure 1, the respiration of most horses was not affected because the following signs were also not observed; fl aring of the nostrils, heaving abdomen, asynchrony between movements of the chest and abdomen and audible respiratory noise as stated by the European Animal Welfare Indicators Project (AWIN) (2015).16 Nevertheless, the results of the present study disagree with the study of Upjohn et al. (2011) who reported that 11.5% of horses in Lesotho had audible respiratory noise.14The results about the nasal discharge as presented in Figure 2 differs with the fi ndings of Upjohn et al.(2011) who stated that 48.4% of assessed horses had nasal discharge.14 The reason for the variations could be traced to the fact that the study in contrast was conducted in winter, when it was cold and horses were prone to diseases such as fl u. The results in Figure 2, which demonstrated that all horses (100%) in the three regions had no diarrhoea suggest that maybe the horses investigated did not have problems related to feeds or gastrointestinal parasites. AWIN (2015) designated that a bad manure consistency could indicate a gastrointestinal problem but also a poor value of food.16The fi ndings of the current study concur with the results of Upjohn et al. (2011) who found that 59% of assessed horses had ticks.14 On the other hand, the results of the present study disagree with the fi ndings of Pritchard et al. (2005) who reported that fewer than 8% of working equines had external parasites.15 The fact that majority of assessed horses were found with parasites suggests that the housing management practices by horse owners are not good. The results in Figure 4 that revealed that majority of assessed horses had a moderate to good body condition suggest that the evaluated horses are correctly fed and or the internal parasites are suffi ciently controlled because most horses were in good body condition. Supporting these results, Upjohn et al. (2011) also reported that the body condition score of assessed horses was moderately good.14 Contrary to the results of the current study, Fröhlich et al. (2020) indicated that 90.4% of animals were moderately thin.17 Pritchard et al. (2005) also reported a much higher prevalence of thin horses.15 The study of Horseman et al. (2016) also revealed that in relation to health, horses being underweight was the most commonly discussed issue.18Leckie (2001) found that the cases most frequently encountered by fi eld offi cers were situations involving undernourished horses.19 In addition, Pearson (2003) found that the problem most frequently encountered by inspectors from the RSPCA was poor body condition and that most cases were classed as moderately severe.20The fi ndings of the current study on body lesions concur with the results of Fröhlich et al. (2020) who indicated that wounds were found in less than a quarter of the assessed population of horses, and explained that those horses that were doing more work were found to have more wounds.17 However, Upjohn et al. (2011) reported that 62% of assessed horses had lesions.14 The study conducted by Luna et al. (2017) also revealed that 47% of the assessed horse population had skin lesions.6As shown in Figure 6, majority of assessed horses in the rural, semi-urban and urban areas showed uncompromised gait. Based on a limited lameness assessment, the lower lameness prevalence in Lesotho was also witnessed by Pritchard et al. (2005) and Broster et al. (2009).15,21 Conversely, the fi ndings of Scott et al.(2003) revealed that the majority of working equines Assessing the welfare of horses in Lesotho using health and behaviour parameters

220Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020showed a gait abnormality of over twelve paces at walk; these varied from uneven gait in animals with poor limb conformation, through mild to severe lameness.22 The results of the current study as illustrated in Figure 6 agree with the study of Fröhlich et al. (2020) who found that few horses (4.1%) had swollen joints.17 The fact that SEBWAT was used means the frog assessment may have been underrated since Brooke (2013) indicated that when using this tool, only the fore hooves are assessed for practical reasons; therefore, prevalence of frog disease found in this study is likely to be underestimated (Figure 6).23 The possible reason for a diseased frog is that, sometimes service providers or farriers who are not well trained and do not understand the hoof structure and the function of the frog may do excessive trimming or even remove or cut the frog. The findings of this study which showed that the majority of the hooves of the horses assessed were normal in shape and quality (Figure 7) contradict with the results of Horseman et al. (2016) who stated a higher number of horses with foot abscesses and over grown hooves.18 The study of Fröhlich et al. (2020) also indicated that 71.5% of horses showed signs that their hooves were neglected.17 Furthermore, Pritchard et al. (2005) reported 55.5% of examined horses to have overgrown hooves.15 Upjohn et al. (2011) also reported 39.8% to 44.6% of horses to have overgrown hooves while 9.8% to 21.3% had foot injuries.14 In addition, Tadich et al. (2008) pointed hoof management to be the most prominent concern in horses, which could be attributed to lack of education and perception of health and husbandry issues.24 The results illustrated in Table 1 showing a higher percentage of assessed horses being positive to the observer are in accordance with the findings of Burn et al. (2009) who reported that only 21% of the animals were avoiding the observer.25 Furthermore, Hausberger et al. (2020) reported that 8% of horses showed aggressiveness in human-horse relationship test both towards the assessor and the owner.26 Nonetheless, Popescu and Diugan (2013) found that most horses (64%) showed avoidance/fear when the assessor walked along their side.27 These results strongly suggest that the daily human–horse contact has a great influence on the way horses perceive humans and the resulting relation.The results illustrated in Table 1 indicating that most horses avoided contact are in agreement with those of Pritchard et al. (2005) who reported that the proportion of horses avoiding chin contact by the observer’s cupped hand was significantly higher.15 Popescu and Diugan (2013) also reported that 48% of the horses assessed showed avoidance/fear when the assessor touched their chin (48%).27 In support of the results of this study Fröhlich et al. (2020) also found that 89.2% of horses had a positive general attitude.17Acknowledgements World Horse Welfare is greatly recognised; the project financially supported this work during data collection.References1 Botreau, R., Veissier, I., Butterworth, A., Bracke M.B.M. and Keeling, L.J. (2007). Definition of criteria for overall assessment of animal welfare. Animal Welfare, Vol 16, 225-228.2 Lekota, T.A. (2001). The State of the Basotho Pony in Lesotho. 3 Rwelamira, J.K. (1998). Economic aspects of draught animal power. Animal Production Officer. Ministry of Agriculture, Quthing, Lesotho.4 McLean, A.N. and McGreevy, P.D. (2010). Ethical equitation: Capping the price horses pay for human glory. Journal of Veterinary Behaviour: Clinical Applications and Research, Vol 5, 203-209.5 Botreau, R., Veissier, I., Butterworth, A., Bracke M.B.M. and Keeling, L.J. (2007). Definition of criteria for overall assessment of animal welfare. Animal Welfare, Vol 16, 225-228.6 Luna, D., Vásquez, R.A., Rojas, M. and Tadich, T.A. (2017). Welfare Status of Working Horses and Owners Perceptions of Their Animals. Animal, Vol 7, 4-12.7 Rousing, T., Bonde, M. and Sorensen, J.T. (2001). Aggregating welfare indicators into an operational welfare assessment system: a bottom-up approach. Animal Supplement, Vol 30, 53-57.8 Hemsworth, P.H., Coleman, G.J., Barnet. T.J.L. and Borg, S. (2000). Relationships between human-animal interactions and productivity of commercial dairy cows. Journal of Animal Science, Vol 78, 2821-2831.9 Rushen, J., Taylor, A.A. and De Passille, A.M.B. (1999). Domestic animals’ fear of humans and its effect on their welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Vol 65, 285-303.10 Waiblinger, S., Boivin, X., Pedersen, V. et al. (2006). Assessing the human-animal relationship in farmed species: A critical review. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Vol 101, 185-242.11 Bonde, M.K. (2004). Welfare assessment in a commercial sow herd. Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Denmark. 12 Sommerville, R., Brown, A.F. and Upjohn, M.A. (2018). Standardised equine-based welfare assessment tool used for six years in low and middle income countries. PLoS ONE, Vol 13, No 2, 5-8.13 Carroll, C.L. and Huntington, P.J. (1988). Body condition scoring and weight estimation of horses. Equine Veterinar y Journal, Vol 20, 41-45. 14 Upjohn, M.M., Shipton, K., Pfeiffer, K. et al. (2011). Cross-sectional survey of owner knowledge and husbandry practices, tack and health issues affecting working horses in Lesotho. Equine Veterinar y Journal, Vol 44, 310-318.Assessing the welfare of horses in Lesotho using health and behaviour parameters

221August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and Welfare15 Pritchard, J.C., Lindberg, A.C., Main, D.C.J. and Whay, H.R. (2005). Assessment of the welfare of working horses, mules and donkeys, using health and behaviour parameters. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Vol 69, 265-283. 16 European Animal Welfare Indicators Project (AWIN) (2015). Animal welfare indicators assessment protocol for horses. DOI: 10.13130/AWIN_HORSES.17 Fröhlich, N., Patrick, D.S., Sommerville, R. et al. (2020). Welfare Assessment and Husbandry Practices of Working Horses in Fiji. Animals, Vol 10, 392.18 Horseman, S.V., Buller, H., Mullan, S. and Whay, H.R. (2016). Current Welfare Problems Facing Horses in Great Britain as Identified by Equine Stakeholders. PLoS ONE, Vol 11, No.8.19 Leckie, E.J. (2001). Equine Population of the UK: A Report for the International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH). United Kingdom.20 Pearson, N.Y.Â. (2003). A study of horse ownership and management in Victoria, Australia. Masters thesis, University of Melbourne, Australia.21 Broster, C.E., Burn, C.B., Barr, A.R.S. and Whay, H.R. (2009). The range and prevalence of pathological abnormalities associated with lameness in working horses from developing countries. Equine Veterinary Journal, Vol 41, 474-481.22 Scott, E.M., Fitzpatrick, J.L., Nolan, A.L., Reid, J. and Wiseman, M.L. (2003). Evaluation of welfare state based on interpretation of multiple indices. Animal Welfare, Vol 12, 457-468.23 Brooke. (2013). Understanding Equid Welfare Issues. The Working Equid Veterinary Manual. First edition. Essex: Whittet Books.24 Tadich, T., Escobar, A., Pearson, R.A. (2008). Husbandry and welfare aspects of urban draught horses in the South of Chile. Archives of Veterinary Science and Medicine, Vol 40, 267-273.25 Burn, C., Pritchard, J. and Whay, H. (2009). Observer reliability for working equine welfare assessment: problems with high prevalence of certain results. Animal Welfare, Vol 18, 177-187.26 Hausberger, M., Lerch, N., Guilbaud, E., et al. (2020). On-Farm Welfare Assessment of Horses: The Risks of Putting the Cart before the Horse. Animals, Vol 10, No. 371, 2-16.27 Popescu, S. and Diugan, E.A. (2013). The relationship between behavioural and other welfare indicators of working horses. Journal of Equine Veterinar y Science, Vol 33, 1-12.Assessing the welfare of horses in Lesotho using health and behaviour parameters

222Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020★ ★ ★Encourager la culture de soins SALLY ROBINSON1 et ANGELA KERTON2 Correspondance: sally.robinson@astrazeneca.com Résumé Il est de plus en plus reconnu que le développement d’une culture de soins peut favoriser la satisfaction du personnel et l’amélioration du bien-être animal. L’expression « Culture de soins » (Culture of Care) n’est pas bien définie et peut avoir différentes significations en fonction de chacun. Bien que la culture de soins implique tout le personnel travaillant directement et indirectement avec des animaux, il est important de reconnaître et de soutenir les personnes qui portent le fardeau des soins, à savoir le personnel qui effectue des procédures médicales et qui prend soin des animaux utilisés dans la recherche. Ces personnes peuvent être appelées différemment selon l’établissement dans lequel elles travaillent et le rôle qu’elles occupent, mais elles peuvent généralement être appelées technologues animaliers, techniciens animaliers, spécialistes des animaux ou personnel soignant. Cet article fournit des exemples pratiques et des idées sur la manière de favoriser une culture de soins sur un lieu de travail et présente les méthodes qui permettent d’atteindre cet objectif. Mots-clés: culture de soins, bien-être animal, science, compassion, gestion PAPER SUMMARY TRANSLATIONSCONTENU DE LA REVUEUn tunnel ne suffit pas: les souris se voient attribuer dans leur cage un abri collectif et un tube de manipulation CHARLOTTE C. BURN et RIA POPATCorrespondance: cburn@rvc.ac.uk Résumé Les abris de souris peuvent assurer la sécurité des souris, les aident à réguler leur température interne, leur offrent de l’obscurité évitant d’endommager leurs yeux et leur permettent de grimper et de ronger. Pour les souris de laboratoire, il existe une large gamme de mobilier de cage disponible dans le commerce, il peut ainsi être difficile de choisir l’abri le mieux adapté. Nous avons tenté de déterminer si le fait d’installer uniquement un tube de manipulation dans la cage suffisait pour fournir un abri ou si un tube en carton supplémentaire ou un abri en forme d’igloo serait bénéfique. À l’aide de 12 cages de souris adultes C57BL/6 (5 femelles et 7 mâles), nous avons réalisé une expérience de mesures répétées, consistant à fournir le tube de manipulation uniquement ou à ajouter un tube en carton ou un dôme de couleur ambre dans un ordre aléatoire pendant une semaine dans chaque cage. Les cages contenaient également une litière, des matériaux de nidification et un bloc à ronger. Nous avons remarqué que, par rapport aux souris possédant un tube de manipulation uniquement, les souris disposant du dôme supplémentaire s’abritaient trois fois plus (P < 0,001), probablement parce que le dôme permettait à plus de souris de s’abriter en même temps. Le dôme a considérablement réduit le temps passé à utiliser des matériaux de nidification (P < 0,001), il est possible qu’il ait donc partiellement remplacé la nidification. Certaines souris ont utilisé par hasard le tube en carton moins souvent que prévu, ce qui implique que celui-ci a réduit l’espace utilisable à disposition des souris. Lors de l’ouverture de la cage pour manipuler les souris, celles qui possédaient un dôme étaient moins susceptibles d’entrer spontanément dans le tube de manipulation (P < 0,001), si bien que le dôme a dû être brièvement retiré avant de manipuler les souris à l’aide du tube de manipulation. Le tube de manipulation n’était pas un abri suffisant. Un abri assez grand pour que plusieurs souris l’utilisent en même temps doit être ajouté. Mots-clés: bien-être animal; enrichissement de l’environnement; animaux de laboratoire; souris; amélioration; abriAnimal Technology and Welfare December 2021

223August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePaper Summary TranslationsINHALTVERZEICHNISEin Tunnel reicht nicht: Neben einem Handling-Tunnel profitieren Mäuse auch von einem gemeinsamen Unterschlupf im KäfigCHARLOTTE C. BURN und RIA POPATKorrespondenz: cburn@rvc.ac.uk Abstract Unterschlupfmöglichkeiten bieten Mäusen Sicherheit, unterstützen ihre Wärmeregulierung, sorgen für Dunkelheit zur Vermeidung von Augenschäden sowie für Kletter- und Nagemöglichkeiten. Für Labormäuse gibt es eine große Auswahl an handelsüblichen Käfigen, sodass die Wahl des richtigen Unterschlupfs schwierig sein kann. Wir haben untersucht, ob ein Handling-Tunnel allein im Käfig als Unterschlupf ausreicht oder ob eine zusätzliche Pappröhre oder ein igluartiger Unterschlupf von Vorteil ist. Anhand von 12 Käfigen mit ausgewachsenen C57BL/6-Mäusen (5 weibliche, 7 männliche) führten wir ein Experiment mit wiederholten Maßnahmen durch, bei dem wir eine Woche lang pro Käfig in zufälliger Reihenfolge den Handling-Tunnel allein oder zusammen mit einer Pappröhre oder einem gelben Mäuse-Iglu zur Verfügung stellten. Die Käfige enthielten außerdem Einstreu, Nestmaterial und einen Nageblock. Wir stellten fest, dass die Mäuse bei dem zusätzlich zur Verfügung gestellten Mäuse-Iglu dreimal mehr Unterschlupf suchten (P < 0,001) als beim Handling-Tunnel allein, wahrscheinlich weil das Iglu mehr Mäusen gleichzeitig Unterschlupf gewährte. Das Iglu verringerte die Zeit, die mit der Verwendung von Nestmaterial verbracht wurde, erheblich (P < 0,001), sodass es möglicherweise teilweise das Nisten ersetzte. Einige Mäuse nutzten die Pappröhre weniger als erwartet, was darauf schließen lässt, dass sie den für die Mäuse zur Verfügung stehenden Platz einschränkte. Bei für das Handling geöffnetem Käfig war die Wahrscheinlichkeit bei vorhandenem Iglu geringer, dass Mäuse spontan den Handling-Tunnel aufsuchten (P < 0,001), sodass das Iglu vor dem Tunnel-Handling der Mäuse kurz entfernt werden musste. Der Handling-Tunnel erwies sich als Unterschlupf als nicht ausreichend, und es sollte zusätzlich ein Unterschlupf zur Verfügung gestellt werden, der groß genug für eine gleichzeitige Nutzung durch die Mäuse ist.Schlagwörter: Verbesserung, Stress, Trächtigkeit, Tierschutz, emulgierte Gele, Lipidverabreichung ★ ★ ★Beitrag zu Ihrer Kultur der FürsorgeSALLY ROBINSON1 und ANGELA KERTON2 Korrespondenz: sally.robinson@astrazeneca.com Abstract Es wird zunehmend anerkannt, dass die Förderung einer Kultur der Fürsorge zu mehr Personalzufriedenheit und zu einer Verbesserung des Tierschutzes führen kann. Der Begriff „Kultur der Fürsorge“ ist nicht genau definiert und kann unterschiedlich gedeutet werden. Eine Kultur der Fürsorge erstreckt sich zunächst auf alle Mitarbeiter, die direkt und indirekt mit Tieren arbeiten, es ist jedoch auch wichtig, jene anzuerkennen und zu unterstützen, die die Bürde für Fürsorge und Pflege tragen, d. h. die Mitarbeiter, die Verfahren an den für Forschungszwecke verwendeten Tieren durchführen und sie betreuen. Diese Mitarbeiter haben je nach Einrichtung und Rolle unterschiedliche Tätigkeitsbezeichnungen, werden aber im Allgemeinen als Tiertechnologen, Tiertechniker, Tierwissenschaftler oder Tierpfleger bezeichnet. Dieser Artikel enthält praktische Beispiele und Ideen, wie Sie zu einer Kultur der Fürsorge an Ihrem Arbeitsplatz beitragen können, sowie Methoden, die Sie dabei unterstützen können. Schlagwörter: Kultur der Fürsorge, Tierschutz, Wissenschaft, Mitgefühl, Management.

224Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Paper Summary TranslationsINDICE DELLA REVISTAUn tunnel non è sufficiente: i topi traggono beneficio dall’aggiunta di un rifugio comune all’interno della gabbia e di un tunnel CHARLOTTE C. BURN e RIA POPAT Corrispondenza: cburn@rvc.ac.ukAbstract I rifugi per topi possono fornire loro sicurezza, aiutarli a termoregolarsi, offrire un luogo buio per prevenire danni oculari e creare opportunità per arrampicarsi e rosicchiare. Per i topi da laboratorio, è presente una vasta gamma di arredamento per gabbie disponibile sul mercato e scegliere il rifugio adatto può rivelarsi difficile. Abbiamo valutato se l’uso esclusivo di un tunnel all’interno di una gabbia sia sufficiente come rifugio o se l’effetto sia più positivo con un ulteriore tubo di cartone o un rifugio a forma di iglù. Tramite l’utilizzo di dodici gabbie contenenti topi adulti C57BL/6 (5 femmine e 7 maschi), abbiamo condotto un esperimento con misurazione ripetuta, includendo solo il tunnel o aggiungendo un tubo di cartone o una cupola color ambra in ordine casuale per una durata di una settimana per gabbia. Le gabbie contenevano anche lettiera, materiale per la nidificazione e un blocco da rosicchiare. Si è potuto constatare che, rispetto all’uso esclusivo di un tunnel, i topi con la cupola aggiuntiva si sono rifugiati tre volte in più (P<0,001), probabilmente perché permetteva a più topi di rifugiarsi contemporaneamente. La cupola ha ridotto notevolmente il tempo trascorso a utilizzare il materiale di nidificazione (P<0,001), pertanto, potrebbe aver sostituito in parte il luogo di nidificazione. Alcuni topi hanno utilizzato a caso e meno del previsto il tubo di cartone, implicando che riduce lo spazio a disposizione dei topi. Quando la gabbia è stata aperta per la gestione, i topi stabulati in gabbie contenenti una cupola erano meno propensi ad entrare spontaneamente nel tunnel (P<0,001), pertanto, è stata necessaria la breve rimozione della cupola prima che essi si dirigessero nel tunnel. Il tunnel non è stato sufficiente come rifugio ed è necessario fornire un rifugio aggiuntivo dalle dimensioni abbastanza ampie da essere occupato simultaneamente da più topi.Parole chiave: benessere animale; arricchimento ambientale; animali da laboratorio; topi; perfezionamento; rifugio★ ★ ★Contribuire alla cultura della curaSALLY ROBINSON1 e ANGELA KERTON2 Corrispondenza: sally.robinson@astrazeneca.com Abstract È ampiamente riconosciuto che la promozione di una cultura della cura possa portare alla soddisfazione del personale e a un migliore benessere degli animali. Il concetto di cultura della cura non è ancora ben definito e può avere significati diversi in base alla persona. Sebbene una cultura della cura implichi un’interazione diretta e indiretta tra personale e animali, è fondamentale riconoscere e sostenere le figure che si fanno carico della cura, ovvero il personale che esegue procedure e si occupa della cura degli animali utilizzati ai fini sperimentali. La denominazione di tali collaboratori potrebbe variare in base all’istituto di appartenenza e al ruolo, tuttavia, possono essere comunemente denominati stabularisti, tecnici di stabulario, scienziati addetti agli animali o personale addetto alla cura. Il presente articolo fornisce esempi pratici e idee di come contribuire alla cultura della cura sul posto di lavoro e metodi di sostegno da adottare.Parole chiave: cultura della cura, benessere animale, scienza, compassione, gestione

225August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePaper Summary TranslationsINDICE DE LA REVISTAUn túnel no es suficiente: los ratones se benefician de la provisión de un refugio colectivo en la jaula, así como de un túnel de manipulaciónCHARLOTTE C. BURN y RIA POPATCorrespondencia: cburn@rvc.ac.uk Resumen Los refugios para ratones pueden aportar a estos animales seguridad, les ayuda a termorregularse y les proporciona oscuridad para prevenir lesiones oculares, así como un lugar donde trepar y roer. En el caso de los ratones de laboratorio, en el mercado hay una gran variedad de mobiliario para jaulas, por lo que decidirse por un refugio u otro puede resultar complicado. Hemos llevado a cabo una investigación sobre si con un túnel de manipulación en la jaula es suficiente para proporcionar refugio o si un tubo de cartón o un refugio de tipo iglú adicionales aportan beneficios. Realizamos un experimento de medidas repetidas con 12 jaulas de ratones C57BL/6 adultos (cinco hembras y siete machos) en el que colocamos solo el túnel de manipulación o junto con un tubo de cartón o una cúpula ámbar en orden aleatorizado durante una semana en cada jaula. Igualmente, las jaulas contenían una cama, material de nido y un bloque de roer. Pudimos observar que, en comparación con solo un tubo de manipulación, los ratones con la cúpula adicional se refugiaban tres veces más (P<0,001), lo que probablemente se debía a que, con la cúpula, se podían refugiar más ratones a la vez. Con la cúpula se redujo considerablemente el tiempo de uso de material de nido (P<0,001), por lo que puede haberse sustituido parcialmente la nidificación. Algunos ratones usaron el tubo de cartón menos de lo esperado por casualidad, reduciendo así el espacio utilizable disponible para ellos. Al abrir la jaula para la manipulación, era menos probable que los ratones con cúpula entraran de manera espontánea en el túnel de manipulación (P<0,001), por lo que hubo de retirarse brevemente la cúpula antes de manipular los ratones con el tubo de manipulación. El túnel de manipulación no fue suficiente como refugio, por lo que debería colocarse un refugio adicional donde cupieran varios ratones a la vez.Palabras clave: bienestar animal; enriquecimiento ambiental; animales de laboratorio; ratones; refinamiento; refugio ★ ★ ★La contribución a la cultura del cuidado SALLY ROBINSON1 y ANGELA KERTON2Correspondencia: sally.robinson@astrazeneca.com Resumen Cada vez goza de mayor reconocimiento la idea de que la promoción de la cultura del cuidado puede dar lugar a la satisfacción del personal y a mejorar el bienestar animal. El concepto «cultura del cuidado» no está bien definido y puede significar algo diferente para cada persona. Mientras que la cultura del cuidado implica a todo el personal que trabaja directa e indirectamente con animales, es importante reconocer y respaldar a quienes se ocupan de la responsabilidad que supone el cuidado, es decir, al personal que lleva a cabo procedimientos con animales de investigación y que los cuida. Es posible referirse a este personal de formas diferentes según la institución y el papel que desempeñen, pero es posible referirse a ellos habitualmente como tecnólogos animales, técnicos animales, zootécnicos o personal de cuidado. En el presente artículo, se aportan ejemplos e ideas prácticos sobre cómo contribuir a la cultura del cuidado en el lugar de trabajo y métodos con los que obtener ayuda para hacerlo. Palabras clave: cultura del cuidado, bienestar animal, ciencia, compasión, gestión

226Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020From the latest innovations in animal husbandry, to the most trusted systems for customer care and support, Allentown leaves no stone unturned in our mission to improve lives. Through integrity, care, and advanced product engineering we continue to set the high watermark in convenience, cost- management, and enhanced animal welfare.Improving Life – it’s in our DNA. LEARN MORE AT WWW.ALLENTOWNINC.COM Global challenges requireglobal solutions. In the realm of biomedical research, no company outranks Allentown in delivering complete services to the full range of facilities all over the world. GlobalSolutionsProviderANIMAL HOUSINGWORKSTATIONSWASHING & STERILIZATIONVIVARIUM SOLUTIONSCOLONY HEALTH MONITORINGSolutions_Ad_IAT_Bulletin_Nov2021.pdf 1 10/5/21 11:44 AM

227August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAbstractAutoclavable bags serve an important role in contamination control and reducing the bioburden in the animal housing environment, especially when working in a gnotobiotic setting. Depending on how autoclave bags are used, they can be a helpful tool or a hindrance. During testing of autoclave bag products, it was observed that incorrect use of autoclave bags can lead to cage breaking or bag breakage. Both effects can be mitigated with proper validation of the bagging process and proper protocols when using autoclave bags. Testing showed promising results for a new sealable autoclave bag. The sealable bag is designed to conveniently ensure proper sterilisation as well as prevent biological load from being reintroduced into the housing environment after cages leave the autoclave area. Features of new autoclavable bagThe sealable autoclave bag (Allentown Inc) was developed in clear material for visibility of the bag contents (see Figure 1). The bag includes a temperature sensitive ink that will indicate if the contents have been autoclaved. The ink colour change will activate when a temperature of 116°C is reached for a period of at least 20 minutes. Bag are sealed with a specially marked zip-tie. When inserting the bag into the chamber, the zip tie is left partially cinched to the marked area to allow steam to enter and exit the bag (see Figure 2). After being autoclaved, the zip-tie is completely cinched to ensure sterility of the bag contents remains intact after leaving the cage wash/autoclave area.49Haven’t the time to write a paper but want to have something published? Then read on!This section offers readers the opportunity to submit informal contributions about anyaspects of Animal Technology. Comments, observations, descriptions of new or refinedtechniques, new products or equipment, old products or equipment adapted to new use,any subject that may be useful to technicians in other institutions. Submissions can bepresented as technical notes and do not need to be structured and can be as short or aslong as is necessary. Accompanying illustrations and/or photos should be high resolution.NB. Descriptions of new products or equipment submitted by manufacturers are welcomebut should be a factual account of the pr oduct. However, the Editorial Board gives nowarranty as to the accuracy or fitness for purpose of the product.What 3Rs idea have you developed?EMMA FILBYMira Building, University of Cambridge, University Biomedical Services,Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FSCorrespondence: emma.filby@admin.cam.ac.ukBased on an article written for the National Centre for the 3RsApril 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareTECH-2-TECHBackgroundEmma was invited to write an article as a 3Rschampion in NC3Rs ‘Tech 3Rs’ Issue 5, November2019.Here is her response describing how she has used anautomated system to reduce how frequently mousecage bedding is changed without compromisingcleanliness.IntroductionOur unit opened in 2017, during the procurement ofnew equipment we had the opportunity to purchase adigital ventilated rack system from Tecniplast UK. Thecages are referred to as the Digitally Ventilated Cage orDVC. This system uses the data collected by sensorsbelow the cage to flag when to clean out based on thechange in an electromagnetic signal. To have thisfunctionality we first needed to create an algorithmduring a learning phase.The learning phase: devising analgorithmWe held a meeting to agree what warranted a cage basechangebased on pictures to avoid being subjective. Wereferred to the Home Office Codes of Practice for thehousing and care of animals bred, supplied or used forscientific purposes (HOCoP) for advice on husbandrypractices to set our criteria, balancing hygiene and theimportance of olfactory cues to rodents and their needfor control over their environment.1We started the trial, noting when the cage reached thepoint it required a base change. We assessed airquality, what proportion of the cage base was wet andwhether the animals still had choice over theirenvironment and their ability to show spatial separationof different behaviours such as nesting and excretion,for example their nest was free of faeces. During the‘learning phase’ we asked our Named VeterinarySurgeon (NVS) and Home Office inspector (HOI) tocheck that they agreed with our assessment.APRIL_1-628207435_4-628196990.e$S:Animal Technology and Welfare 24/9/20 06:51 Page 49Use and development of sealable autoclave bagsGREG BAIRD Allentown LLC, 165 County Rd 526, Allentown, NJ 08501 USACorrespondence: gbaird@allentowninc.comTECH-2-TECHDecember 2021 Animal Technology and Welfare

228Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Use and development of sealable autoclave bagsValidation and use of autoclave bagsWhen introducing any new protocols into an autoclave process, it is critical to ensure proper function of the autoclave via regular validation of the machine. Only once the machine is confi rmed to operate normally, Figure 1. Clear bags allow visibility of contents.3 Figure 1. Clear bags allow visibility of contents. 5 Figure 2. Bag showing zip tie partially cinched. Validation and use of autoclave bags When introducing any new protocols into an autoclave process, it is critical to ensure proper function of the autoclave via regular validation of the machine. Only once the machine is confirmed to operate the process can be validated. When using autoclavable bags the most important features to validate includes testing effects of temperature and pressure on the bags for the most severe cycle that is to be used. Mechanical function of the autoclave can be tested using Bowie-dicks tests and the mechanical pressure gauges on the autoclave. To ensure the autoclave can properly sterilise equipment, biological indicators (BIs) are used. BIs are biologically alive samples of a strain of bacteria or spore chosen to be resistant to the process being tested. The gold standard for Autoclave sterilisation is 6-log reduction of Geobacillus stearothermophilusspores (Bls). During validation, live Bls are inserted into specifi c target areas such as inside bagged cages. After a cycle is run, the BIs are incubated in a special broth and tested for growth. Lack of growth indicates validation success and is indicated by a pH sensitive chemical in the broth.For use of the sealable bags, suffi cient space should be left above the cage and the cinched zip tie to allow for proper steam fl ow (See Figure 3). During regular use of any autoclave bags, process indicators should be used to test that the autoclave cycle has attained required temperature for a certain amount of time. After the cycle is complete, bags should be inspected and sealed by cinching the zip-tie fully. For the greatest level of contamination control, sterilisation bags must be opened under a biological safety cabinet using sterile laboratory techniques. ResultsDuring testing of other autoclave bags, it was found that improper use of autoclave bags can lead to cage breakage as shown in Figure 4. Bags that are too small for their contents or stacking cages too high may cause breakage. Stacking recommendations are made for the new autoclave bags to avoid cage breakage.Figure 3. Importance of proper rack spacing.7 the greatest level of contamination control, sterilisation bags must be opened under a biological safety cabinet using sterile laboratory techniques.

229August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareUse and development of sealable autoclave bagsAcknowledgementsA special thank you goes to Caroline Giordano and Invivotek for use of their facility and cagewash. Figure 4. Example of cage damage. 9 Figure 5. Example of cage damage.

230Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020IntroductionIt is widely acknowledged that most procedures should not be carried out in the presence of other animals, due to stress caused by sight, sound and smell. As Animal Technologists, we are constantly asking ourselves the question, ‘what more can we do to refi ne the way we work?’ We began investigating ways we could improve the Culture of Care in the facility, reviewing possibilities of refi ning performance of procedures and promoting the 3Rs.Development of the screen Research shows that rodents are known to recognise and have emotional reactions (to show empathy) when exposed to cage-mates in pain (Langford, 2006) and which, in turn, could potentially contaminate data.1 By recycling an old CO2 chamber we were able to produce the Procedural Screen prototype. Reducing stress to rodents by use of a screenEMMA MUSTAFA Axovia Therapeutics Inc., London Bioscience Innovation Centre, 2 Royal College Street, London NW1 0NH UK Correspondence: emustafa@axoviatherapeutics.comAs mice and rats are less sensitive to red light2,3 the unused CO2 box was a perfect opportunity to build the prototype, as the red tinted plastic hinders those in the home cage from observing the procedure when in situ. Further research showed that scientists in Canada were already utilising similar screens between animal cages undergoing experiments to mitigate this risk.4The prototype gave an opportunity for feedback from a small pool of Animal Technologists in the fi rst instance, the main points being;– Could it be made foldable?– Could it also be made from an opaque material?– Can it be easily cleaned, washed, sterilised?With these notes to work on, I began a collaboration with North Kent Plastics-Isotec (NKP-Isotec) to improve the screen and to make this widely available to all. Together we were able to add durable hinges to allow use where space was limited i.e., Containment Level 2 cabinets, cage change station and laminar fl ow workstations. This addition also streamlined storage capabilities. We were also able to make the screen available in a range of materials to include red tinted and opaque in a variety of colours as well as in two different sizes. The real challenge came with ensuring the product was sterilisable to be compatible with the various health status barriers, areas and rooms in each institute. While autoclaving is not possible with this product due to the shape and size of the plastic, we have been able to confi rm that cage washing and use of a cold sterilant such as F10, VHP and formaldehyde can be utilised. With these modifi cations, the Procedural Screen can now be used in a variety of ways during procedures and bench separation in unlimited locations such as IVC downfl ow hoods, bench tops and isolators. For example, as shown below between the home cage and a procedural area:Figure 1. The procedural screen.3 Figure 1. The procedural screen. The prototype gave an opportunity for feedback from a small pool of Animal Technologists in the first instance, the main points being; - Could it be made foldable? - Could it also be made from an opaque material? - Can it be cage-washed / autoclaved? With these notes to work on, I began a collaboration with North Kent Plastics-Isotec (NKP-Isotec) to improve the screen and to make this widely available to all. Together we were able to add durable hinges Animal Technology and Welfare December 2021

231August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareBenefi ts of use include;– Blockade of visual stimuli to home cage animals.– Ease of disinfecting/sterilising.– Ease of use for operators.– Ease of storage due to hinges implemented into design.– Translucent plastic allows the technologist to have uninterrupted viewing of animals at any given time, though opaque is available should this be a preference.Figure 2.Diagram showing positioning of screen when in use.4 to allow use where space was limited i.e., Containment Level 2 cabinets. This addition also streamlined storage capabilities. We were also able to make the screen available in a range of materials to include red tinted and opaque in a variety of colours as well as in two different sizes. The real challenge came with ensuring the product was sterilisable to be compatible with the various health status barriers, areas and rooms in each institute. While autoclaving is not possible with this product due to the shape and size of the plastic, we have been able to confirm that cage washing and use of a cold sterilant such as F10, VHP and formaldehyde can be utilised. With these modifications, the Procedural Screen can now be used in a variety of ways during procedures and bench separation in unlimited locations such as IVC downflow hoods, bench tops and isolators. For example, as shown below between the home cage and a procedural area: Figure 3. Screen positioned for use. 5 Figure 2. Diagram showing positioning of screen when in useBenefits of use include;- Blockade of visual stimuli to home cage animals. - Ease of disinfecting/sterilising- Ease of use for operators- Ease of storage due to hinges implemented into design- Translucent plastic allows technologist to have uninterrupted viewing of animals at any given time, though opaque is available should this be a preferenceFigure 3. Screen positioned for use. Additional improvements will include combating autoclaving diffi culties to make the screen compatible to the all-barrier restrictions. Finally, we aim to undertake a study to quantify the effects of the screens further. References1Langford, D.J. (2006). Social Modulation of Pain asEvidence for Empathy in Mice. Science, [online] 312(5782), pp.1967–1970 Available at: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/312/5782/1967.full[Accessed 24 Oct. 2019].2. 2Key, D. and Hewett, A. (2002). The Development of a Novel Form of Mouse Cage Enrichment. In: Animal Technology and Welfare.3The Scientist Magazine®. (n.d.). Mice show evidence of empathy. [online] Available at: https://www.the-scientist.com/daily-news/mice-show-evidence-of-empathy-47440 [Accessed online February 2017]BibliographyRatbehavior.org. What Do Rats See? [online] Available at: http://www.ratbehavior.org/RatVision.htm. [AccessedFebruary 2017] www.f10products.co.uk. (n.d.). Table of Contents – F10Cold Sterilant. [online] Available at: http://www.f10products.co.uk/ebooks/F10coldsterilant/files/assets/basic-html/index.html#page1 [Accessed 7 Sep. 2021].Future GoalsThis screen is fully protective of visual stimulation; however, it is important to consider how sound and smell can cause stress and this will be a consideration in future work. Reducing stress to rodents by use of a screen

232Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020BOOK via www.iat.org.uk EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT ENDS ON31st DECEMBER 2021 Range of conference attendance options available- full conference (three day)*- individual days**lunch included- evening meals and entertainment(individually bookable) Once you have registeredbook your own accommodation- and download the Congress 2022 App for all up to date information Closing dates to note- Poster Presentations 17th December- Poster Displays 4th February 2022 Scientific Programme- A provisional running order appears on the website (subject to change) Trade Exhibition Participation- Flash Trade Presentations- Trade Passport CompetitionINVITATION TO PARTICIPATEWe’ve missed you – come and see us in 2022ONLINE REGISTRATION Venue: HARROGATE North YorkshireAll enquiries to congress@iat.org.ukCheck out all updates - www.iat.org.uk

233August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2021 Animal Technology and WelfareWhy, how, what happened next: an introduction to scientifi c writingJASMINE BARLEYInstitute of Animal Technology, 5 South Parade, Summertown, Oxford OX2 7JL UK Correspondence: atweditor@iat.org.uk Based on a workshop presented at the IAT Virtual Congress 2021Introduction Scientifi c writing and writing about science, does not come naturally to most people but it is a skill, some would say an art, that can be learnt. From deciding on your audience through to checking the proofs, this article will cover the fundamentals of an Animal Technologist’s fi rst ventures in scientifi c reporting. Scientifi c writing takes many forms, from posters, reports, articles and formal scientifi c papers amongst others and all have a different format and purpose. All are distinctive in style which needs to be precise, succinct and logical. What is the difference between scientifi c writing and writing about science? Scientifi c writing involves writing for scientists and technologists who can be expected to have some familiarity with the topic under discussion (although some may be novices). Writing about science is concerned with explaining science to a non-science/technology audience. Most of this article is dedicated to scientifi c writing but Animal Technologists do have to write for the general public from time to time so it is sensible to start with that.Writing about ScienceIn my experience this is science journalism, you do not necessarily need to be a journalist but you do need to understand how publications work and know your subject inside out and back to front. There is nothing worse than to read something in the popular press that is inaccurate and patronising. The style of writing required is usually Informal but may be formal.The aim is to explain science in terms a lay person will understand – something that many scientists fi nd diffi cult (you only have to listen to or read some of the reporting of the COVID-19 pandemic to appreciate this). The Institute of Animal Technology (IAT) regularly producescommunications in the category of writing about science. This was particularly important at the height of the animal rights campaign, there were many articles in the press, magazines etc., for and against the use of animals in medical research. Many from the anti-vivisection lobby repeated ill-informed ideas about how animals were used and the degree of suffering animals underwent, which meant that it became vital to be able to explain to the general public what animal research meant for animals and people, particularly to children and young people. Resources were provided to teachers in an attempt to redress the balance, an example of this was the IAT bespoke website called Medical Micky which not only explained about research but also provided animal care articles. The information included in Medical Micky was provided by Animal Technologists – producing it was a massive learning curve for those involved as not only did they have to understand their subject but also understand how to write clearly in non-technical language and to be politically correct e.g. not to refer to mum and dad, as a reader may be a member of a single parent family or where the family includes same sex parents.Scientifi c writing Writing for a scientifi c audience usually comes at the end of an extensive period of study, experimental work and thought which starts with an idea or observation. It is important to discuss the idea with more experienced colleagues as they can provide advice on how to proceed and they may know if the idea has been tried before.

234Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Why, how, what happened next: an introduction to scientific writingPlanning the StudyAt an early stage it is important to carry out a literature search for reports of closely related studies already published. A good source of these articles is PubMed, a free to use database that contains 32 million citations (references) for biomedical literature mainly from MEDLINE (a more detailed database), life science journals and online books. The citations may include links to the full text content from PubMed Central and publisher websites. People working in scientific institutes will probably have access to other databases and library resources who will be able to obtain any articles that are required. Scientific literature is being published all the time so it is important to keep checking for articles throughout the study and to keep accurate records of them to include in the reference section of your written report.After reviewing the literature the study itself can be planned. All experimental studies will take time and most will cost money so permission will need to be gained to go further. This process will be helped if a detailed proposal is submitted stating the aim of the study, why it is necessary, how it will be carried out and benefits that will accrue from it. Before planning the study it is necessary to read the PREPARE guidelines (Planning Research and Experimental Procedures on Animals: Recommendations for Excellence (see submissions at www.atwjournal.com).1 This will ensure the study will be meaningful and avoid animals being wasted. It will also help when writing the report as following the guidelines will ensure all the required data for the various elements of the paper have been collected.As well as the PREPARE guidelines1 it is useful to read the NC3Rs Animal Research Reporting on in Vivo Experiments (ARRIVE) guidelines (https://arriveguidelines.org).2 Although these are more relevant to writing the report it is good practice to be aware of them at the planning stage to ensure all relevant information needed for the report is recorded during the study.Accurate records of the study must be kept, including details of what does not work as well as that what does. Notes of observations should be kept as the project proceeds and results must be recorded accurately so that statistics can be carried out and tables, graphs, etc can be produced.It is important to back up computer data in at least two different places every day so that if something unforeseen happens the data is safe and efforts have not been wasted – this is the voice of experience writing! Starting to Write the ReportUsually each journal will have its own set of Instructions to Authors (see www.atwjournal.com) and articles generally have to conform to these instructions. However not all papers will contain every element of the instructions for example some ATW papers do not relate to experimental situations for example those about management, health and safety etc, so possibly will have no method or results section. If in doubt the editor should be contacted for guidance.As has been said before being familiar with the ARRIVE guidelines is important.2 Adherence to these guidelines ensures transparent and thorough reporting. This enables readers and reviewers to scrutinise the research adequately, evaluate its methodological rigour and reproduce the methods or findings. The guidelines contain a useful checklist for ensuring all the elements of accurate reporting of studies are included. When writing a manuscript, the checklist can be used as an aide memoire to ensure that the manuscript contains all relevant information.Being familiar with the journal the article will be published in will make the writing process easier. In the IAT Journal Animal Technology and Welfare (ATW) papers, articles and posters that have won prizes are good guides as to what is expected. The scientific report about identifying mice from the team at the Royal Veterinary College, which was a winner of the Marjorie Whittingham Journal Article Prize (2019) is recommended.3Divisions in a scientific paperAbstract/Summary Although published papers usually start with an abstract it is in fact written last. They should be relatively short, around one or two paragraphs and should provide a brief outline of what the paper is about without regurgitating chunks of the paper. At the end of the abstract you should provide key words, usually a maximum of 6, which can be used by someone searching for papers on a particular subject or species. For example, key words for a paper on comparison of environmental enrichment in mice might be Mice, Environmental Enrichment, Bedding, Refinement, Welfare. Formal paper abstracts in ATW are translated into 4 European languages enabling non-English speakers (particularly Animal Technologists) to decide if a paper is of interest and if to go for a full translation. Why = Background/IntroductionAn introduction is a way of familiarising the reader with you work. For example, why was study undertaken and what you hoped to achieve – this can be varied, to answer a question, establishing a condition observed etc. Lerner, N. (2007) considers that the content of an introduction varies according to its purpose and the

235August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareWhy, how, what happened next: an introduction to scientific writingaudience.5 Avoid giving unnecessary background or repeating yourself. One of the common failures of an introduction is that it fails to focus on a clear research question or hypothesis. State which legislation you were working under if appropriate e.g. this work was carried out under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). When study was conducted and general time frame. Do not forget to reference as you go. How = Method The Method section gives the experimental design, basically what you did and used. The method section should include animals used, source strain, age number, sex, etc., cages, cage furniture and diet fed. Timing of observations, precautions taken, etc. Give names of sources of equipment, etc. “The key to a successful Methods section is to include the right amount of detail -- too much, and it begins to sound like a laboratory manual; too little, and no one can repeat what was done.” Successful Scientific Writing, 2nd ed.5Provide enough detail for readers to be able to reproduce the work in their own facility. Results Use graphs to explain the data collected and state statistical method used (if used) e.g. Student t, ANNOVA, etc. Ask for help before you start the study as you need a statiscally viable number of animals and to collect the correct type of data.Include Observations – anything unexpected or went wrong – this is sometimes more helpful than what worked and allows other studies to avoid the pitfalls you encounteredDiscussion/conclusion Fundamentally what you have decided your results mean. Include suggestions for future work and recommendations as to how you think the study could have been improved pointing out any shortcomings. It is an opportunity to compare the results you achieved with those you expected, including consideration of unexpected results and how you might test these explanations. Acknowledgements This where you can thank the team that helped you with the work. Only need names (given and family unless they prefer initials).References/ BibliographyCheck the referencing method the journal uses – Harvard or Vancouver are the usual systems. ATW uses the Vancouver system i.e numeric in order of appearance. References to sources such as guidelines should include the date accessed as these may change in future versions and readers will then know which version was used. Proof reading Make corrections as you go and add words that your computer does not recognise to its internal dictionary first making sure that they are spelt correctly. It will save you a lot of work in the long run. Read through the paper several times, preferably with a day in between what you think is the final draft and what will be the final draft. Read it out loud at least once, ask someone else to read it and then ask someone with experience to read it again, make any corrections and do not forget to save them and give the file a version number. Authors with a great deal of experience still follow this rule, this particular article has been read by at least 3 other people all of whom either have experience in either writing papers and articles or proof-reading. So far, we have been concerned with preparing scientific papers which report experimental studies. The next part deals with short communications featured in ATW.Tech-2-Tech articlesThese articles lend themselves to a more relaxed style of writing and are often produced from presentations for college courses, in house meetings, etc., and of course Congress posters/workshops. They are a good introduction to publishing for first time authors but not exclusively so. Subjects covered are often about practical aspects such as new systems of cage cleaning, husbandry of unusual species, observations of characteristics of strains particularly adverse effects in GA animals, challenges presented by a new role, etc. They tend to be very visual with lots of photos or graphics. Presentations can be converted into a Tech-2-Tech article as long as the notes of the narrative that accompanies the slides are kept. Usually Tech-2-Tech articles are relatively short and as a guideline are not more than 2600 words (3 pages in ATW) including pictures/graphics (each one equals 250 words) and references. However, there are no hard and fast rules as to length – submit a manuscript, it can always be edited or a longer article published. A good example of a Tech-2-Tech article is the study on cryopreservation in Zebrafish which won the AS-ET Tech-2-Tech prize.4

236Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020General Rules of Scientific Writing1. Before you start writing you must obtain permission of your employer who will probably require you to go through an internal approval. There is nothing worse than to spend time writing to find out bosses will not let you publish. Similarly if you are reporting on a finding of someone else’s study you must check with them that it is OK to publish as you may find that they are intending to use some of the data in their own paper and many journals insist that material has not been published before and are therefore original pages. Most journals will require you to sign that you have authority to publish. 2. Read the Instructions to Authors before you start writing – use the ARRIVE guideline checklist or possibly develop your own including the required elements so that you do not unintentionally omit somethings important.2 3. Check referencing method stated in Instructions. ATW uses the Vancouver system which is numeric – citations are numbered in the order they appear in the text. 4. Set proofing language to English (UK) but some international journals will specify the language papers must use e.g. English (USA). 5. Turn on spell check but when changing spellings check that the word is being used in the correct context and double check technical language. 6. Usually report in the past tense if appropriate but not always – you may be writing about some proposed changes, etc. Uses formal English grammar and punctuation. If using acronyms then the full name must be given at least once, the first time it is used with the acronym in brackets immediately afterwards e.g. Institute of Animal Technology (IAT).7. Latin terms such as in vivo or a species name e.g. Homo sapien and foreign language words are usually written in italics. 8. If you use someone else’s photograph/quote etc., you must check about copyright and ask the copyright owner for permission to use it – they will usually say yes if you acknowledge their ownership. This is usually given in brackets after the legend. To make life easier for authors using material published in ATW, copyright is held by the IAT and anybody wanting to use it can contact the Editor and we will say yes or no – we always protect the author and will refuse permission if we feel the use of something is not appropriate. Copyright in the UK usually lapses 70 years after the death of the author so you can use a quote from a classical author such as Keats but not one by Ted Hughes unless you contacted the copyright owner. Also, product names may be Trademarked or have a registered mark in which case the symbols, superscript TM or R in a circle, that must follow the word e.g. ™ ® the first time it is used. 9. If you lack confidence about using English grammar obtain a copy of a good book on English grammar and punctuation – an Editor will help but if the English is very poor your manuscript may be sent back to you. Editors can usually recognise authors with conditons such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia etc., and we will help correct any errors if we can but there is no excuse for laziness. Acknowledgements My thanks goes to Stephen Barnett and Patrick Hayes for reviewing this article and providing suggestions which have greatly improved the quality of my writing. Producing issues of Animal Technology and Welfare would not be achieved without a team of reviewers and people I call on for advice and technical advice and of course all the authors who submit material for publication. Special thanks must go to PRC Associates together with the typesetters of Warwick Printing, without whom ATW would never be produced or be the quality publication I believe it to be. I must also thank all the past editors of the IAT Journal Animal Technology and Welfare who have over the last 70 years continued to produce an official publication for the Institute. I have learnt so much both as an Animal Technologist and as an Editor - even things I was not aware that I had learnt! References1 PREPARE guidelines https://norecopa.no/prepare 2 ARRIVE guidelines https://arriveguidelines.org3 Mazlan, N., Lopez-Salesanky, N. Burn, C., and Wells, D. (2014). Mouse identification methods and potential welfare issues: a survey of current practices in the UK. Animal Technology and Welfare Vol 13.1 pp1-10.4 Mantzorou, D., Berriman, T., Havelange, W., Glover, J., Berry, S., Correia de Silva, B.(2019). Sperm cryopreservation and in vitro fertilisation in Zebrafish facilities at King’s College London. Animal Technology and Welfare Vol 18.3 pp194-1985 Lerner, N. Ogren-Balkama. A Guide to Scientific Writing Neal Lerner Marilee Ogren-Balkama Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Microsoft Word - Guide_to_Scientific_Writing.doc (mit.edu)6 Matthews, J.R., Bowen, J.M., Matthews, R.W. (2000). 2nd edition. Successful Scientific Writing: A step-by-step guide for the biological and medical sciences. Cambridge University Press.Why, how, what happened next: an introduction to scientific writing

237August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2021 Animal Technology and WelfareBackground – The Institute of Animal Technology as it is known today was founded in 1950 by a group of Animal Technicians. – Animal Technology is a specialist profession responsible for the care and Welfare of laboratory animals. – The IAT Career Pathway was developed to ensure that the UK continues to lead the way when it comes to standards for laboratory animal care and welfare.– The Career Pathway is designed to promote the highest standards of training and development for Animal Technologists.– A career in Animal Technology allows you to work with animals every single day and be part of crucial advances in science and medicines.Careers for Animal Technologists – The raison d’être for Animal Technologists, is the animals and ensuring that the highest standards for their care and welfare are upheld.– Animal Technology helps scientific research to be carried out, new treatments for diseases to be developed and new methods of diagnosis be identified.– Animal Technology is an essential and integral part of our science sector.– Laboratory Animal Technologists (LAT) are responsible for: teaching researchers/scientists to perform procedures on laboratory animals used in research. – The day-to-day needs of laboratory animals.– Ensuring good Animal Welfare.– Assisting researchers/scientists. – Where can one find employment in South Africa? Universities, Teaching Hospital, Veterinary College or Pharmaceutical companies. Experiences of IAT training in South AfricaBUSISIWE MOGODIUniversity of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa Correspondence: busisiwe.mogodi@uct.ac.za Based on a presentation to the South African Association for Laboratory Animal Science (SAALAS)If you love animals, have an interest in scientific research and would enjoy working in a laboratory, the IAT’s Career Pathway can help develop your career from a trainee to a Facility Manager or Specialist, read on:Laboratory Animal Technologists (LAT) training in South Africa Currently there is no formal training for LATs in the Republic of South Africa. – Aspiring LATs have made use of the IAT online course. – The IAT training programme culminates in a diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and Technology. – The programme is divided into 5 levels (level 2 - 6). – Level 2 focusses on the importance of high standards of routine care, animal husbandry and legal responsibilities. – Level 3 equips experienced LATs with a thorough understanding of the principles and practices of good animal welfare and scientific practice. 3 • Animal Technology helps scientific research to be carried out, new treatments for diseases to be developed and new methods of diagnosis be identified. • Animal Technology is an essential and integral part of our science sector. • Laboratory Animal Technologists (LAT) are responsible for: teaching researchers/scientists to perform procedures on laboratory animals used in research . • The day-to-day needs of laboratory animals. • Ensuring good animal welfare. • Assisting researchers/scientists. • Where can one find employment in South Africa? Universities, Teaching Hospital, Veterinary College or Pharmaceutical companies.

238Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Career Pathway for Animal Technologists 5 Career Pathway for Animal Technologists “This Laboratory Animal Science and Technology Career Pathway will importantly enable animal facility staff, both in industry and academia, to achieve high standards of competence and professionalism within Home Office licensed establishments”.“This Laboratory Animal Science and Technology Career Pathway will importantly enable animal facility staff, both in industry and academia, to achieve high standards of competence and professionalism within Home Offi ce licensed establishments.”Dr Judy MacArthur Clark CBE FRCVS Head, Animals in Science Regulation Unit, December 2014Institute ofAnimal TechnologyExperiences of IAT training in South Africa

239August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareIAT LEVEL 2 Diploma in Laboratory Animal HusbandryIAT LEVEL 2 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and Technology Qualifi cation Unit titleCredit No:Guidance on assessment methodologyIAT Level2 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Husbandry600/0558/0Laboratory animal housing and routines12 Competency or written assessmentThe production of Laboratory animals8 Unit testLaboratory animal nutrition4 Competency or written assessmentIntroduction to laboratory animal facility ethics4 Written assessmentIntroduction to laboratory animal facility legislation8 Unit testLaboratory animal health and husbandry12 Competency or written assessmentIAT LEVEL 2 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and TechnologyCredit Value1 credit = 10hrs of learningGuidance on assessment methodologyLaboratory animal housing and routines12 Competency or written assessmentThe production of laboratory animals8 Unit testLaboratory animal nutrition4 Competency or written assessmentIntroduction to laboratory animal facility ethics4 Written assessmentIntroduction to laboratory animal facility legislation8 Unit testLaboratory animal health and husbandry12 Competency or written assessmentIAT LEVEL 2 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and Technology IAT LEVEL 3 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and TechnologyCredit Value1 credit = 10hrs of learningGuidance on assessment methodologyHousing and biosecurity barriers in laboratory animal facilities8 Written assessmentDisease control 12 Written assessmentLaboratory animal welfare8 Unit testManagement of breeding colonies12 Written assessmentThe use of genetically altered animals in research8 Written assessmentScientifi c procedures 12 Written assessmentEthics 4 Written assessmentLaboratory animal facility legislation8 Unit testAnimal transport 8 Written assessmentAnimal cell biology 8 Written assessmentLaboratory animal physiology12 Unit testIAT LEVEL 3 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Scienceand TechnologyLearning Outcomes Management of Breeding ColoniesPass Merit Distinction1. Devise appropriate breeding programmes for laboratory animals given specifi ed conditions1.1 Summarise the basic breeding data of common laboratory animals1.2 Describe in detail suitable breeding programmes for named species under specifi ed conditionsDiscuss the options available when breeding laboratory animalsJustify the choice of the most appropriate method given specifi ed conditionsExperiences of IAT training in South Africa

240Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020IAT challenges in the Republic of South AfricaLAT training in South Africa – National Diploma in Laboratory Animal Technology was offered by Technikon RSA.– Initiated in 1981.– Diploma qualified for automatic registration South African Veterinary Council (SAVC) to practice as an LAT. – LAT was discontinued in 1996. – 1998 – 2002: South African Association for Laboratory Animal Sciences (SAALAS) and South African Qualification Authority (SAQA) attempted to form a Standard Generating Body responsible for drafting standards for outcome-based training of LATs at TUT but was not successful. National shortage and training– LAT was listed as a scarce skill: by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) classified (2015) as an Occupation in High Demand.– Currently Only ~ 14 registered LATs remain in South Africa today from the former training institution as a result we have (many authorised personnel) from other professions e.g. Veterinary Nurses; Veterinary Technologist and Animal Health Technicians occupying the jobs of LATs.IAT Level 4 – 6IAT Level 4IAT Level 5LEVEL 5 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and TechnologyTypical admission criteria full qualificationIAT Level 4 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and TechnologyUnits • Animal law and Ethics• Experimental design• Toxicology• Reproduction and GACredit points Level 4 (120)Level 5 (120)Exit qualification IAT Level 5 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and Technology(601/4156/6)LEVEL 4 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and TechnologyTypical admission criteria full qualificationIAT Level 3 Diploma Laboratory Animal Science and TechnologyRelevant work experienceUnits • Applied learning and development skills for science• Animal Facility Supervisory management skills• Biological Sciences• Control and identification of diseaseCredit points Level 4 120Exit qualification IAT Level 4 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and Technology(601/4151/7)IAT Level 6LEVEL 6 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and TechnologyTypical admission criteria full qualificationIAT Level 5 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and TechnologyUnits • Project planning• Project• Animal facility management and design• Physiology stress and painCredit points Level 4 (120)Level 5 (120)Level 6 (120)Exit qualification IAT Level 6 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and Technology(601/4157/8)Experiences of IAT training in South Africa

241August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and Welfare– LAT training/registration needs expanding nationwide: > 50 laboratory animal facilities; > 100,000 animals p.a.– Major mismatch in supply and demand for profession which is a ethical and scientific concern– In RSA, IAT has helped many students interested in starting a career in LAT. – Currently there are +25 students enrolled for IAT level 3 and many more on other levels. These students face a lot of challenges ranging from: • financial • internet access • balancing work and study • lack of facilities with all laboratory animal species they will be studying The major challenge is that on completion, the IAT course is not recognised by the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC) the Regulatory Body and Custodian of the Veterinary and Para -Veterinary professions for automatic registration as an LAT. Training solution found (SAALAS and SAVC)– UK-based Institute for Animal Technology (IAT) 3-year diploma (distance learning).– Followed by education in South African jurisprudence, pharmacology (UNISA).– Practical training: Work-Integrated Learnership (day 1 skills) in South African facilities.– SAVC registration examination (theory and practical).– SAVC registration thereafter.– and identifying animal research facilities willing to offer practical training e.g., University of Cape Town- Research Animal Facility (UCT-RAF).Conclusion • Linda Howells LAT Working group chairperson: linda.Howells@uct.ac.za • SAALAS website: www.saalas.org • Students with relevant HNC, HND or degrees should contact brian@venture4ward.com for advice on any exemptions they may be eligible for.• Contact admin@clast.org or progdir@clast.org for details on Level 4, 5 and 6 registration• To enrol for any of the qualifications or units you need to complete the form at http://www.iatforms.org.uk/view.php?id=7159:• Bursary information: contact@as-et.org.uk Editors note. There is a new website dedicated to IAT Education https://iateducation.co.uk/ or if you go to education on the IAT main website www.iat.org.uk it will take you to the education site. Revised Level 2 and Level 3 syllabuses were circulated in 2021 and can be found on the new website under qualifications.Experiences of IAT training in South Africa

242Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020

243August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2021 Animal Technology and WelfarePOSTER PRESENTATIONSOriginally presented at:IAT Virtual Congress 2021Improving welfare of cattle housed in a high-containment facility using behavioural analysisJOE GARTHWAITE, LAILA AL-ADWANI and AIMEE BAINBRIDGE The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Woking GU24 0NF UKCorrespondence: Aimee.bainbridge@apha.gov.ukIntroductionAnimal behaviour is an observable measure of the effects the external environment has on an animal. The relatively non-invasive nature of behavioural analysis minimises the infl uence of human presence. Appropriate acclimatisation to a novel experience or environment is an important refi nement technique adopted by animal research facilities to improve welfare.Miguel-Pacheco et al (2014) used CCTV to investigate the impact of cattle lameness on eating and milking behaviour.1 They found lame cattle fed less and volunteered themselves less frequently for milking compared to their able-bodied conspecifi cs suggesting that lameness impacts behaviour and willingness to be milked. Using human observation, Grandin (2010)demonstrated habituating naive antelope and bison to restraint crates and regulated procedures (e.g. blood sampling) improved handling and reduced cortisol levels as the animals were overall calmer and less fl ighty.2Through habituation, Grandin was able to improve the animal’s welfare during regulated procedures by reducing the overall stress caused by the restraining process.Figure 1. The CCTV camera angle used for video footage.3 Figure 1. The CCTV camera angle used for video footagePhase 1: ObservationObjective: To determine the length of time needed for acclimatisation by analysing the voluntary entry rate of cattle intoyokes recorded through human observation. - During phase one,17 cattle were yoked (see figure 2.) in the morning over 12 days as part of the feeding routine, 7 of those were additionally yoked in the afternoon.The Pirbright Institute (TPI) has been trialling the use of behavioural analysis through CCTV usage and human observation to measure cattle acclimatisation to a high-containment SAPO4 facility.

244Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Phase 1: ObservationObjective: To determine the length of time needed for acclimatisation by analysing the voluntary entry rate of cattle into yokes recorded through human observation. – During phase one, 17 cattle were yoked (see fi gure 2) in the morning over 12 days as part of the feeding routine, 7 of those were additionally yoked in the afternoon.– Feed buckets were placed out, the yokes opened and the staff members then waited out of sight for the cattle to enter.– The cattle were initially allowed six minutes to enter the yokes by themselves. It was then decided this was too long and the time then reduced to three minutes.– After the time allowed, if they had not entered, coaxing them in with the feed bucket was permitted.– The number of cattle entering voluntarily, being coaxed or refusing to yoke were recorded on the data collection sheet. A comments box was available for any additional information e.g. a full health check, blood sampling, vaccination.Figure 2. Cattle in the yokes during feeding time.4 - Feed buckets were placed out, the yokes opened and the staff members then waited out of sight for the cattle to enter.- The cattle were initially allowed six minutes to enter the yokes by themselves. It was then decided this was too long and the time then reduced to three minutes- After the time allowed, if they had not entered, coaxing them in with the feed bucket was permitted.- The number of cattle entering voluntarily, being coaxed or refusing to yoke were recorded on the data collection sheet. A comments box was available for any additional information e.g., a full health check, blood sampling, vaccination.Figure 3. Phase 1: Yoking frequencies of 17 cattle at TPI during the combined AM(N=17) and PM(N=7) yoke over the acclimatisation period from 28/10/2019-09/11/2019.IntroductionAnimal behaviour is an observable measure of the effects the external environment has on an animal. The relatively non-invasive nature of behavioural analysis minimises the influence of human presence.Appropriate acclimatisation to a novel experience or environment is an important refinement technique adopted by animal research facilities to improve welfare.Miguel-Pacheco et al. (2014)1used CCTV to investigate the impact of cattle lameness on eating and milking behaviour. They found lame cattle fed less and volunteered themselves less frequently for milkingcompared to their able-bodied conspecifics suggesting lameness impacts behaviour and willingness to be milked. Using human observation, Temple Grandin (2010)2demonstrated habituating naïve antelopeand bison to restraint crates and regulated procedures (e.g. blood sampling) improved handling and reduced cortisol levels as the animals were overall calmer and less flighty. Through habituation, Grandin wasable to improve the animal’s welfare during regulated procedure s by reducing the overall stress caused by the restraining process.The Pirbright Institute (TPI) has been trialling the use of behavioural analysis through CCTV usage and human observation to measure cattle acclimatisation to a high-containment SAPO4 facility.Phase 1: Observation Objective: To determine the length of time needed for acclimatisation by analysing the voluntary entry rate of cattle into yokes recorded through human observation.• During phase one, 17 cattle were yoked (see figure 2.) in themorning over 12 days as part of the feeding routine, 7 of thosewere additionally yoked in the afternoon.• Feed buckets were placed out, the yokes were opened, and thestaff members then waited out of sight for the cattle to enter.• The cattle were initially allowed six minutes to enter the yokes bythemselves. It was then decided this was too long and reducedthe time down to three minutes.• After the time allowed, if they had not entered coaxing them inwith the feed bucket was permitted.• The number of cattle entering voluntarily, being coaxed orrefusing to yoke were recorded on the data collection sheet. Acomments box was available for any additional information e.g. afull health check, blood sampling, vaccination.ConclusionsThese pilot studies indicate complete acclimatisation occurs around days four to six yet further study is needed to confirm this. From the data generated, behavioural analysis and CCTV use appear to be very usefulin helping determine and further improve the appropriate acclimatisation period for cattle in a high-containment environment. This is essential in aiding refinement to improve both animal welfare and scientificintegrity.Future StudiesData collected from IceRobotics motion tracking bracelets and additional Noldus collar tracking software will help expand the current locomotion data. Ongoing studies into the use of animal mounted accelerometers andlocation tracking systems are also being conducted. The present yoking study will also be including more CCTV footage and timings. This will be used to determine how long it takes the cattle to enter the yokes usingthe premise that stressed cattle will enter slower than those that are fully habituated.Ethical statement: All legal and ethical aspects were considered when conducting this study, including the use of animals. Those participating in this study consented to take part and were aware of any imagerecording that took place.Figure 1. The CCTV camera angle used for video footagePhase 2: Time TrialObjective: To determine the length of time needed for acclimatisationby analysing the voluntary entry rate of cattle into yokes recorded through cattle yoking timings.• During phase two, 44 cattle were yoked (see figure 4.) in themorning over 7 days as part of the feeding routine.• Feed buckets were placed out, the yokes were opened, and thestaff members then waited out of sight for the cattle to enter.• As a result of phase one, the cattle were allowed three minutes toenter the yokes by themselves.• After the time allowed, if they had not entered coaxing them inwith the feed bucket was permitted.• The number of cattle entering voluntarily, being coaxed orrefusing to yoke were recorded on the aforementioned datacollection sheet.• The CCTV cameras were then consulted and, using Waveview,the amount of time it took each animal from three study groups(study one N=5, study two N=2, study three N=4) to enter theyokes was determined. This was then analysed.Improving welfare of cattle housed in a high-containment facility using behavioural analysis References1. Miguel-Pacheco, G. G., Kaler, J., Remnant, J., Cheyne, L., Abbott, C., French, A. P., Pridmore, T. P. and Huxley, J. N. (2014) Behavioural changes in dairy cows with lameness in an automatic milking system, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Vol 150, pages 1-82. Grandin, T. (2010) Habituating Antelope and Bison to Cooperate With Veterinary Procedures, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, vol 3 (3), pages 253-261Results• Between days four and six the number of cattle voluntarilyyoking plateaued with a minor decrease seen on day five (figure3) which is yet unexplained.• A decrease in voluntary yoking was seen on day three possiblyas a result of being health checked and having their feetinspected whilst in the yokes the previous day. They may havenot been fully habituated to the yokes and environment at thispoint.• No decrease in the number of cattle entering the yokes wasobserved the day after their first regulated procedure (day eight)suggesting full acclimation.• Being yoked PM as well as AM did not seem to have anoticeable positive or negative effect on the cattle entering theyokesFigure 2 . Cattle in the yokes during feeding timeFigure 4. Phase 2: Total number of cattle (N=44) observed entering the yokes during the AMyoke of the acclimatisation period collated from three studies (17/02/2020 - 18/07/2020)Results• Through human observation, the cattle voluntarily yoking plateauson day four (see figure 4). A reduction in numbers can be seen atday six onwards where two were euthanized due to the studyending.• When analysing the timings, the cattle voluntarily self-yoke thequickest on day six, with a large reduction in time seen betweendays four and six for both groups one and two (see figure 5).• The amount of time reduces from day four and continues to do sosuggesting around this time they are more comfortable in a novelenvironment and being yoked.00:00:0000:00:1700:00:3500:00:5200:01:0900:01:2600:01:4400:02:0100:02:1800:02:361 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11Time taken (hh:mm:ss)DayStudy 1 Study 2 Study 3Figure 5. Phase 2: The average amount of time taken per day for cattle (N=11) to self-yoke across three separate studies (17/02/2020 – 18/07/2020)0510152025303540450 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Number of cattleDayVoluntary Coaxed Refused Linear (Voluntary)Figure 3. Phase 1: Yoking frequencies of 17 cattle at TPI during the combined AM (N=17)and PM (N=7) yoke over the acclimatisation period from 28/10/2019 - 09/11/2019*Day 0 - day of arrival**Day 2 - Feet and health check***Day 7 - Blood sampling and vaccination0246810121416180* 1 2** 3 4 5 6 7*** 8 9 10 11 12Number of cattleDayVoluntary AM Coaxed AM Voluntary PM Coaxed PMPhase 1 ResultsBetween days 4 and 6 the number of cattle voluntarily yoking plateaued with a minor decrease seen on day 5 (Figure 3) which is as yet unexplained.– A decrease in voluntary yoking was seen on day 3 possibly as a result of being health checked and having their feet inspected whilst in the yokes the previous day. They may have not been fully habituated to the yokes and environment at this point. Poster Presentations

245August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePoster Presentations– No decrease in the number of cattle entering the yokes was observed the day after their fi rst regulated procedure (day 8) suggesting full acclimation. – Being yoked PM as well as AM did not seem to have a noticeable positive or negative effect on the cattle entering the yokes. Phase 2: Time Trial Objective: To determine the length of time needed for acclimatisation by analysing the voluntary entry rate of cattle into yokes recorded through cattle yoking timings. – During phase 2, 44 cattle were yoked (see Figure 4) in the morning over 7 days as part of the feeding routine. – Feed buckets were placed out; the yokes were opened and the staff members then waited out of sight for the cattle to enter.– As a result of phase one, the cattle were allowed three minutes to enter the yokes by themselves.– After the time allowed, if they had not entered, coaxing them in with the feed bucket was permitted.– The number of cattle entering voluntarily being coaxed or refusing to yoke were recorded on the aforementioned data collection sheet.– The CCTV cameras were then consulted and, using Waveview, the amount of time it took each animal from three study groups (study one N=5, study two N=2, study three N=4) to enter the yokes was determined. This was then analysed. Phase 2 Results– Through human observation, the cattle voluntarily yoking plateaus on day 4 (see Figure 4). A reduction in numbers can be seen from day 6 onwards where two were euthanised due to the study ending.– When analysing the timings, the cattle voluntarily self-yoke the quickest on day 6 with a large reduction in time seen between days 4 and 6 for both groups one and two (see fi gure 5).– The amount of time reduces from day 4 and continuesto do so suggesting around this time they are more comfortable in a novel environment and being yoked.– These pilot studies indicate complete acclimatisation occurs around days four to six yet further study is Figure 4. Phase 2: Total number of cattle (N=44) observed entering the yokes during the AM yoke of the acclimatisation period collated from three studies (17/02/2020-18/07/2020).IntroductionAnimal behaviour is an observable measure of the effects the external environment has on an animal. The relatively non-invasive nature of behavioural analysis minimises the influence of human presence.Appropriate acclimatisation to a novel experience or environment is an important refinement technique adopted by animal research facilities to improve welfare.Miguel-Pacheco et al. (2014)1used CCTV to investigate the impact of cattle lameness on eating and milking behaviour. They found lame cattle fed less and volunteered themselves less frequently for milkingcompared to their able-bodied conspecifics suggesting lameness impacts behaviour and willingness to be milked. Using human observation, Temple Grandin (2010)2demonstrated habituating naïve antelopeand bison to restraint crates and regulated procedures (e.g. blood sampling) improved handling and reduced cortisol levels as the animals were overall calmer and less flighty. Through habituation, Grandin wasable to improve the animal’s welfare during regulated procedure s by reducing the overall stress caused by the restraining process.The Pirbright Institute (TPI) has been trialling the use of behavioural analysis through CCTV usage and human observation to measure cattle acclimatisation to a high-containment SAPO4 facility.Phase 1: Observation Objective: To determine the length of time needed for acclimatisation by analysing the voluntary entry rate of cattle into yokes recorded through human observation.• During phase one, 17 cattle were yoked (see figure 2.) in themorning over 12 days as part of the feeding routine, 7 of thosewere additionally yoked in the afternoon.• Feed buckets were placed out, the yokes were opened, and thestaff members then waited out of sight for the cattle to enter.• The cattle were initially allowed six minutes to enter the yokes bythemselves. It was then decided this was too long and reducedthe time down to three minutes.• After the time allowed, if they had not entered coaxing them inwith the feed bucket was permitted.• The number of cattle entering voluntarily, being coaxed orrefusing to yoke were recorded on the data collection sheet. Acomments box was available for any additional information e.g. afull health check, blood sampling, vaccination.ConclusionsThese pilot studies indicate complete acclimatisation occurs around days four to six yet further study is needed to confirm this. From the data generated, behavioural analysis and CCTV use appear to be very usefulin helping determine and further improve the appropriate acclimatisation period for cattle in a high-containment environment. This is essential in aiding refinement to improve both animal welfare and scientificintegrity.Future StudiesData collected from IceRobotics motion tracking bracelets and additional Noldus collar tracking software will help expand the current locomotion data. Ongoing studies into the use of animal mounted accelerometers andlocation tracking systems are also being conducted. The present yoking study will also be including more CCTV footage and timings. This will be used to determine how long it takes the cattle to enter the yokes usingthe premise that stressed cattle will enter slower than those that are fully habituated.Ethical statement: All legal and ethical aspects were considered when conducting this study, including the use of animals. Those participating in this study consented to take part and were aware of any imagerecording that took place.Figure 1. The CCTV camera angle used for video footagePhase 2: Time TrialObjective: To determine the length of time needed for acclimatisationby analysing the voluntary entry rate of cattle into yokes recorded through cattle yoking timings.• During phase two, 44 cattle were yoked (see figure 4.) in themorning over 7 days as part of the feeding routine.• Feed buckets were placed out, the yokes were opened, and thestaff members then waited out of sight for the cattle to enter.• As a result of phase one, the cattle were allowed three minutes toenter the yokes by themselves.• After the time allowed, if they had not entered coaxing them inwith the feed bucket was permitted.• The number of cattle entering voluntarily, being coaxed orrefusing to yoke were recorded on the aforementioned datacollection sheet.• The CCTV cameras were then consulted and, using Waveview,the amount of time it took each animal from three study groups(study one N=5, study two N=2, study three N=4) to enter theyokes was determined. This was then analysed.Improving welfare of cattle housed in a high-containment facility using behavioural analysis References1. Miguel-Pacheco, G. G., Kaler, J., Remnant, J., Cheyne, L., Abbott, C., French, A. P., Pridmore, T. P. and Huxley, J. N. (2014) Behavioural changes in dairy cows with lameness in an automatic milking system, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Vol 150, pages 1-82. Grandin, T. (2010) Habituating Antelope and Bison to Cooperate With Veterinary Procedures, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, vol 3 (3), pages 253-261Results• Between days four and six the number of cattle voluntarilyyoking plateaued with a minor decrease seen on day five (figure3) which is yet unexplained.• A decrease in voluntary yoking was seen on day three possiblyas a result of being health checked and having their feetinspected whilst in the yokes the previous day. They may havenot been fully habituated to the yokes and environment at thispoint.• No decrease in the number of cattle entering the yokes wasobserved the day after their first regulated procedure (day eight)suggesting full acclimation.• Being yoked PM as well as AM did not seem to have anoticeable positive or negative effect on the cattle entering theyokesFigure 2 . Cattle in the yokes during feeding timeFigure 4. Phase 2: Total number of cattle (N=44) observed entering the yokes during the AMyoke of the acclimatisation period collated from three studies (17/02/2020 - 18/07/2020)Results• Through human observation, the cattle voluntarily yoking plateauson day four (see figure 4). A reduction in numbers can be seen atday six onwards where two were euthanized due to the studyending.• When analysing the timings, the cattle voluntarily self-yoke thequickest on day six, with a large reduction in time seen betweendays four and six for both groups one and two (see figure 5).• The amount of time reduces from day four and continues to do sosuggesting around this time they are more comfortable in a novelenvironment and being yoked.00:00:0000:00:1700:00:3500:00:5200:01:0900:01:2600:01:4400:02:0100:02:1800:02:361 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11Time taken (hh:mm:ss)DayStudy 1 Study 2 Study 3Figure 5. Phase 2: The average amount of time taken per day for cattle (N=11) to self-yoke across three separate studies (17/02/2020 – 18/07/2020)0510152025303540450 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Number of cattleDayVoluntary Coaxed Refused Linear (Voluntary)Figure 3. Phase 1: Yoking frequencies of 17 cattle at TPI during the combined AM (N=17)and PM (N=7) yoke over the acclimatisation period from 28/10/2019 - 09/11/2019*Day 0 - day of arrival**Day 2 - Feet and health check***Day 7 - Blood sampling and vaccination0246810121416180* 1 2** 3 4 5 6 7*** 8 9 10 11 12Number of cattleDayVoluntary AM Coaxed AM Voluntary PM Coaxed PM

246Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020needed to confi rm this. From the data generated, behavioural analysis and CCTV use appear to be very useful in helping determine and further improve the appropriate acclimatisation period for cattle in a high-containment environment. This is essential in aiding refi nement to improve both animal welfare and scientifi c integrity.Future studies Data collected from IceRobotics motion tracking bracelets and additional Noldous collar tracking softwarewill help expand the current locomotion data. Ongoing studies into the use of animal mounted animal accelerometers and location tracking systems are also being conducted. The present yoking study will also be including more CCTV footage and timings. This will be used to determine how long it takes the cattle to enter the yokes using the premise that stress cattle will enter slower than those that are fully habituated.Ethical statement: all legal and ethical aspects were considered when conducting this study including the use of animals. Those participating in this study consented to take part and were aware of any image recording that took place.References1Miguel-Pacheco, G.G., Kaler, J., Remnant, J., Cheyne, L., Abbott, C., French, A.P., Pridmore, T.P. and Huxley, J.N. (2014). Behavioural changes in dairy cows with lameness In an automatic milking system, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Vol 150, pp 1-8.2Grandin, T. (2010). Habituating Antelope and Bison to Cooperate With Veterinary Procedures, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, vol 3 (3), pages pp 253-261.Poster PresentationsFigure 5. Phase 2: The average amount of time taken per day for cattle (N=11) to self-yoke across three separate studies (17/02/2020 –18/07/2020). IntroductionAnimal behaviour is an observable measure of the effects the external environment has on an animal. The relatively non-invasive nature of behavioural analysis minimises the influence of human presence.Appropriate acclimatisation to a novel experience or environment is an important refinement technique adopted by animal research facilities to improve welfare.Miguel-Pacheco et al. (2014)1used CCTV to investigate the impact of cattle lameness on eating and milking behaviour. They found lame cattle fed less and volunteered themselves less frequently for milkingcompared to their able-bodied conspecifics suggesting lameness impacts behaviour and willingness to be milked. Using human observation, Temple Grandin (2010)2demonstrated habituating naïve antelopeand bison to restraint crates and regulated procedures (e.g. blood sampling) improved handling and reduced cortisol levels as the animals were overall calmer and less flighty. Through habituation, Grandin wasable to improve the animal’s welfare during regulated procedure s by reducing the overall stress caused by the restraining process.The Pirbright Institute (TPI) has been trialling the use of behavioural analysis through CCTV usage and human observation to measure cattle acclimatisation to a high-containment SAPO4 facility.Phase 1: Observation Objective: To determine the length of time needed for acclimatisation by analysing the voluntary entry rate of cattle into yokes recorded through human observation.• During phase one, 17 cattle were yoked (see figure 2.) in themorning over 12 days as part of the feeding routine, 7 of thosewere additionally yoked in the afternoon.• Feed buckets were placed out, the yokes were opened, and thestaff members then waited out of sight for the cattle to enter.• The cattle were initially allowed six minutes to enter the yokes bythemselves. It was then decided this was too long and reducedthe time down to three minutes.• After the time allowed, if they had not entered coaxing them inwith the feed bucket was permitted.• The number of cattle entering voluntarily, being coaxed orrefusing to yoke were recorded on the data collection sheet. Acomments box was available for any additional information e.g. afull health check, blood sampling, vaccination.ConclusionsThese pilot studies indicate complete acclimatisation occurs around days four to six yet further study is needed to confirm this. From the data generated, behavioural analysis and CCTV use appear to be very usefulin helping determine and further improve the appropriate acclimatisation period for cattle in a high-containment environment. This is essential in aiding refinement to improve both animal welfare and scientificintegrity.Future StudiesData collected from IceRobotics motion tracking bracelets and additional Noldus collar tracking software will help expand the current locomotion data. Ongoing studies into the use of animal mounted accelerometers andlocation tracking systems are also being conducted. The present yoking study will also be including more CCTV footage and timings. This will be used to determine how long it takes the cattle to enter the yokes usingthe premise that stressed cattle will enter slower than those that are fully habituated.Ethical statement: All legal and ethical aspects were considered when conducting this study, including the use of animals. Those participating in this study consented to take part and were aware of any imagerecording that took place.Figure 1. The CCTV camera angle used for video footagePhase 2: Time TrialObjective: To determine the length of time needed for acclimatisationby analysing the voluntary entry rate of cattle into yokes recorded through cattle yoking timings.• During phase two, 44 cattle were yoked (see figure 4.) in themorning over 7 days as part of the feeding routine.• Feed buckets were placed out, the yokes were opened, and thestaff members then waited out of sight for the cattle to enter.• As a result of phase one, the cattle were allowed three minutes toenter the yokes by themselves.• After the time allowed, if they had not entered coaxing them inwith the feed bucket was permitted.• The number of cattle entering voluntarily, being coaxed orrefusing to yoke were recorded on the aforementioned datacollection sheet.• The CCTV cameras were then consulted and, using Waveview,the amount of time it took each animal from three study groups(study one N=5, study two N=2, study three N=4) to enter theyokes was determined. This was then analysed.Improving welfare of cattle housed in a high-containment facility using behavioural analysis References1. Miguel-Pacheco, G. G., Kaler, J., Remnant, J., Cheyne, L., Abbott, C., French, A. P., Pridmore, T. P. and Huxley, J. N. (2014) Behavioural changes in dairy cows with lameness in an automatic milking system, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Vol 150, pages 1-82. Grandin, T. (2010) Habituating Antelope and Bison to Cooperate With Veterinary Procedures, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, vol 3 (3), pages 253-261Results• Between days four and six the number of cattle voluntarilyyoking plateaued with a minor decrease seen on day five (figure3) which is yet unexplained.• A decrease in voluntary yoking was seen on day three possiblyas a result of being health checked and having their feetinspected whilst in the yokes the previous day. They may havenot been fully habituated to the yokes and environment at thispoint.• No decrease in the number of cattle entering the yokes wasobserved the day after their first regulated procedure (day eight)suggesting full acclimation.• Being yoked PM as well as AM did not seem to have anoticeable positive or negative effect on the cattle entering theyokesFigure 2 . Cattle in the yokes during feeding timeFigure 4. Phase 2: Total number of cattle (N=44) observed entering the yokes during the AMyoke of the acclimatisation period collated from three studies (17/02/2020 - 18/07/2020)Results• Through human observation, the cattle voluntarily yoking plateauson day four (see figure 4). A reduction in numbers can be seen atday six onwards where two were euthanized due to the studyending.• When analysing the timings, the cattle voluntarily self-yoke thequickest on day six, with a large reduction in time seen betweendays four and six for both groups one and two (see figure 5).• The amount of time reduces from day four and continues to do sosuggesting around this time they are more comfortable in a novelenvironment and being yoked.00:00:0000:00:1700:00:3500:00:5200:01:0900:01:2600:01:4400:02:0100:02:1800:02:361 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11Time taken (hh:mm:ss)DayStudy 1 Study 2 Study 3Figure 5. Phase 2: The average amount of time taken per day for cattle (N=11) to self-yoke across three separate studies (17/02/2020 – 18/07/2020)0510152025303540450 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Number of cattleDayVoluntary Coaxed Refused Linear (Voluntary)Figure 3. Phase 1: Yoking frequencies of 17 cattle at TPI during the combined AM (N=17)and PM (N=7) yoke over the acclimatisation period from 28/10/2019 - 09/11/2019*Day 0 - day of arrival**Day 2 - Feet and health check***Day 7 - Blood sampling and vaccination0246810121416180* 1 2** 3 4 5 6 7*** 8 9 10 11 12Number of cattleDayVoluntary AM Coaxed AM Voluntary PM Coaxed PM

247August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareIntroduction Syphacia muris (Nematoda: Oxyuridae); commonly known as the rat pinworm, is a parasite of rodents.This ubiquitous nematode commonly infects laboratory rodents, primarily rats, via direct and indirect transmission routes. Daily shedding of pinworm ova in the host results in ingestion of the ova and contamination of water, food and bedding. This provides a continual inoculum that results in frequent re-exposure of the host to the parasite making the control of pinworms difficult (Meade & Watson. 2014).1 The assessment of S. muris ova viability following the disinfection of an infested facility with an effective ovicidal agent can be costly and time consuming. Both viable and non-viable ova will persist following treatment. It is not possible to visually assess the viability of ova using standard microscopy. Therefore to test the viability of ova following treatment with an ovicidal agent traditionally ova are subjected to hatching analysis using a suitable hatching media.Most hatching media have a short shelf life and to ensure that unhatched pinworm ova are truly non-viable, it is advisable to test the hatching media on viable pinworm ova before analysing treated ova. Further to this, using hatching media for the visual assessment of hatched ova is not ideal as juvenile nematodes are digested in the hatching media within 30 minutes of hatching. Therefore, assessment is purely based on ova being correctly orientated on a Sellotape slide to allow the break in the ova cell wall that the juvenile nematode has vacated to be visible.Medola’s blue stain has been used in the viability assessment of plant-parasitic nematode ova for many years. We propose that this stain is a useful tool in determining the viability of S. muris ova in environmental and rodent samples when determining treatment/decontamination efficacy in rodent facilities.Method – A total of 20 Homozygous Scottish (HS) rats of known health status with an established S. muris infection were sampled. The animals were group housed 3-4 rats with husbandry procedures carried out in accordance with ASPA (1986).2– Ova were collected by Sellotape impressions of the anal area. Samples were taken in the afternoon to optimise collection as demonstrated by Van de Gulden (1967).3 The Sellotape impressions were dissected at 40x magnification into sections containing 25 viable ova and placed sticky side up and fixed to glass slides using 10 mm acid free craft dots. Non-viable ova were identified by the presence of degradation of the lipids inside the infective juveniles, this indicated that the nematodes within the ova were unable to hatch. These ova were omitted from the tapes.– Viable control: 10 replicates of 25 viable ova were immersed in a 0.05% solution of Medola’s blue stain in an 0.85% saline solution for 30 minutes at room temperature before being de-stained by immersion in distilled water for 30 minutes at room temperature and hatched following the hatching procedure.– Non-viable control: 10 replicates of 25 viable ova were heat killed by immersing the sellotape slides in distilled water at 65°C for 5 minutes. Once air dried the 10 replicates of 25 viable ova were immersed in a 0.05% solution of Medola’s blue stain in an 0.85% saline solution for 30 minutes at room temperature before being de-stained by immersion in distilled water for 30 minutes at room temperature and hatched following the hatching procedure.– Chemical control: 10 replicates of 25 viable ova were chemically killed by immersing the Sellotape slides in 2% Neopredisan solution for 2 hours. Once Efficacy of Medola’s Blue Stain for the assessment of Syphacia muris egg viabilityLORNA CLEVERLEY, REBECCA LAWSON, CALLUM LOGAN and MICHELLE POWELLFera Science Ltd, NAFIC, Sand Hutton, York, North Yorkshire YO41 1LZ UK Correspondence: Lorna.cleverley@fera.co.ukDecember 2021 Animal Technology and Welfare

248Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020air dried the 10 replicates of 25 viable ova were immersed in a 0.05% solution of Medola’s blue stain in an 0.85% saline solution for 30 minutes at room temperature before being de-stained by immersion in distilled water for 30 minutes at room temperature and hatched following the hatching procedure. – Hatching: The hatching medium used was prepared according to the method previously reported by Dix et al: 2004.4 Viable, non-viable and chemical control ova were covered in hatching medium and incubated in ambient air at 37°C overnight. Slides were scanned x60 magnifi cation and the number of hatched and non-hatched ova recorded. Ova were considered nonviable if the operculum was intact or the ova contained larva. An ova without larva or those with an open operculum were considered viable. Data was recorded for each replicate.Results The results can be found in table 1.Figure 1. Anal tapes mounted on glue spot slides before staining. Non-viable control is heat control. 6 FFiigguurree 11. Anal tapes mounted on glue spot slides before staining. Non-viable control is heat control Figure 2. Anal tapes mounted on glue spot slides with Medola’s blue stain. Non-viable control is heat control. 7 FFiigguurree 22. Anal tapes mounted on glue spot slides with Medola’s blue stain. Non-viable control is heat control Table 1.Syphacia muris Medola’s blue assessment resultsFera Science Ltd, NAFIC, Sand Hutton, York, North Yorkshire, YO41 1LZ, UKChemical Control 2% Neopredisan for 2 hours.Replicate number1 2Number of S. muris ova stained with 0.05% Medola's blue2525Number of S. muris ova stained after destaining for 30 mins2525Number of S. muris ova hatched in hatching media00Heat Control 65°C for 5 mins in a water bath.Replicate number1 2Number of S. muris ova stained with 0.05% Medola's blue 2525Number of S. muris ova stained after destaining for 30 mins 2525Number of S. muris ova hatched in hatching media00Untreated ovaReplicate number1 2Number of S. muris ova stained with 0.05% Medola's blue 00Number of S. muris ova stained after destaining for 30 mins 0 0Number of S. muris ova hatched in hatching media25 25 13 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Average2525252525252525252525252525252525250000000003 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Average2525252525252525252525252525252525250000000003 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Average0000000000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 025 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 2Total2502500Total2502500Total00250 3Table 1. Syphacia muris Medola’s blue assessment resultsAUTHORSLorna Cleverley1, Rebecca Lawson1, Callum Logan1& Michelle Powell1Effi cacy of Medola’s Blue Stain for the Assessment of Syphacia muris egg viabilitySyphaciamuris (Nematoda: Oxyuridae); commonly known as the rat pinworm, is a parasite of rodents. This ubiquitous nematode commonly infects laboratory rodents; primarily rats, via direct and indirect transmission routes. Daily shedding of pinworm ova in the host results in ingestion of the ova and contamination of water, food and bedding. This provides a continual inoculum that results in frequent re-exposure of the host to the parasite making the control of pinworms diffi cult (Meade & Watson. 2014).The assessment of S. muris ova viability following the disinfection of an infested facility with an effective ovicidal agent can be costly and time consuming. Both viable and non-viable ova will persist following treatment. It is not possible to visually assess the viability of ova using standard microscopy. Therefore, to test the viability of ova following treatment with an ovicidal agent, traditionally, ova are subjected to hatching analysis using a suitable hatching media. Most hatching media have a short shelf life and to ensure that unhatched pinworm ova are truly non-viable, it is advisable to test the hatching media on viable pinworm ova before analysing treated ova. Further to this, using hatching media for the visual assessment of hatched ova is not ideal as juvenile nematodes are digested in the hatching media within 30 minutes of hatching. Therefore, assessment is purely based on ova being correctly orientated on a Sellotape slide to allow the break in the ova cell wall that the juvenile nematode has vacated to be visible. Medola’s blue stain has been used in the viability assessment of plant-parasitic nematode ova for many years. We propose that this stain is a useful tool in determining the viability of S. muris ova in environmental and rodent samples when determining treatment/decontamination effi cacy in rodent facilities.• A total of 20 HS rats (Homozygous Scottish) of known health status with an established S. muris infection were sampled. The animals were group housed 3-4 rats with husbandry procedures carried out in accordance with ASPA (1986). • Ova were collected by Sellotape impressions of the anal area. Samples were taken in the afternoon in order to optimise collection as demonstrated by Van de Gulden (1967). The Sellotape impressions were dissected at 40x magnifi cation into sections containing 25 viable ova and placed sticky side up and fi xed to glass slides using 10 mm acid free craft dots. Non-viable ova were identifi ed by the presence of degradation of the lipids inside the infective juveniles, this indicated that the nematodes within the ova were unable to hatch. These ova were omitted from the tapes. • Viable control: 10 replicates of 25 viable ova were immersed in a 0.05% solution of Medola’s blue stain in an 0.85% saline solution for 30 minutes at room temperature before being de-stained by immersion in distilled water for 30 minutes at room temperature and hatched following the hatching procedure. • Non-viable control: 10 replicates of 25 viable ova were heat killed by immersing the sellotape slides in distilled water at 65°C for 5 minutes. Once air dried the 10 replicates of 25 viable ova were immersed in a 0.05% solution of Medola’s blue stain in an 0.85% saline solution for 30 minutes at room temperature before being de-stained by immersion in distilled water for 30 minutes at room temperature and hatched following the hatching procedure.• Chemical control: 10 replicates of 25 viable ova were chemically killed by immersing the Sellotape slides in 2% Neopredisan solution for 2 hours. Once air dried the 10 replicates of 25 viable ova were immersed in a 0.05% solution of Medola’s blue stain in an 0.85% saline solution for 30 minutes at room temperature before being de-stained by immersion in distilled water for 30 minutes at room temperature and hatched following the hatching procedure.• Hatching: The hatching medium used was prepared according to the method previously reported by Dix et al: 2004. Viable, non-viable and chemical control ova were covered in hatching medium and incubated in ambient air at 37°C overnight. Slides were scanned x60 magnifi cation and the number of hatched and non-hatched ova recorded. Ova were considered nonviable if the operculum was intact or the ova contained larva. An ova without larva or those with an open operculum were considered viable. Data was recorded for each replicate.INTRODUCTIONMETHODRESULTSREFERENCESASPA. 1986. Guidance on the operation of the Animals (Scientifi c Procedures) Act 1986. Home Offi ce 01.12.2017Dix J, Astill J, Whelan G. 2004 Assessment of methods of destruction of Syphacia muris ova. Laboratory Animals 38:11-16Meade TM, Watson J. 2014. Characterisation of rat pinworm (Syphacia muris) epidemiology as a means to increase detection and elimination. Journal of American Association of Laboratory Animal Science. Nov;53(6):661-7Van der Gulden WJ. 1967. Diurnal rhythm in egg production by Syphacia muris. Experimental Parasitology 21:344–347.Figure 1. Anal tapes mounted on glue spot slides before staining. Non-viable control is heat controlFigure 2. Anal tapes mounted on glue spot slides with Medola’s blue stain. Non-viable control is heat controlThe results can be found in table 1. All heat killed ova and all Neopredisan killed ova took up the Medola’s blue stain. There was a minor difference in the intensity of staining observed between the heat killed and Neopredisan killed ova. Heat killed ova presented with a blue colour whereas Neopredisan killed ova presented as a blue/purple colour. None of the 250 untreated ova took up the Medola’s blue stain.The heat treated and Neopredisan treated ova could not be successfully hatched demonstrating that the stained ova were non-viable as expected. All untreated ova were successfully hatched demonstrating that the unstained ova remained viable. The Medola’s blue stain did not have any effect in the ability of viable ova to hatch. Figure 3. Syphacia muris non-viable ova stained with Medola’s blue a er Neopredisan treatmentFigure 4. Syphacia muris non-viable ova stained with Medola’s blue a er heat treatmentFigure 5. Syphacia muris viable ova, stained with Medola’s blueCONCLUSIONThe exact mechanism of uptake of this stain is not known for this organism. However, we observed that viable nematode ova with an intact operculum did not allow the stain to pass the outer cuticle of the infective juvenile. In non-viable ova or those without an intact operculum, the stain was readily observed in the juveniles. It is possible that upon death, the permeability of the infective juvenile nematode cuticle may have changed allowing the stain to enter and permanently bind with the dead nematodes.Irrespective of the mechanism of action, this study confi rms that Medola’s blue stain is a useful tool in determining the viability of Syphacia muris ova, which has historically been impossible without the use of hatching media. This is a more cost-effective, technically simplifi ed and less time-consuming method of determining ova viability which could be adopted by animal facility personnel.This method could be used in facilities to confi rm effective decontamination where ova may still be present in the environment after chemical treatment. This stain could also provide a useful tool to determine the effi cacy of disinfectants for use in animal facilities. All heat killed ova and all Neopredisan killed ova took up the Medola’s blue stain. There was a minor difference in the intensity of staining observed between the heat killed and Neopredisan killed ova. Heat killed ova presented with a blue colour whereas Neopredisan killed ova presented as a blue/purple colour. None of the 250 untreated ova took up the Medola’s blue stain.Figure 3. A Syphacia muris non-viable ova stained with Medola’s blue after Neopredisan treatment.9 FFiigguurree 33. Syphacia muris non-viable ova stained with Medola’s blue after Neopredisan treatment Poster Presentations

249August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePoster PresentationsThe heat treated and Neopredisan treated ova could not be successfully hatched demonstrating that the stained ova were non-viable as expected. All untreated ova were successfully hatched demonstrating that the unstained ova remained viable. The Medola’s blue stain did not have any effect in the ability of viable ova to hatch.ConclusionThe exact mechanism of uptake of this stain is not known for this organism. However, we observed that viable nematode ova with an intact operculum did not allow the stain to pass the outer cuticle of the infective juvenile. In nonviable ova or those without an intact operculum, the stain was readily observed in the juveniles. It is possible that upon death, the permeability of the infective juvenile nematode cuticle may have changed allowing the stain to enter and permanently bind with the dead nematodes.Irrespective of the mechanism of action, this study confi rms that Medola’s blue stain is a useful tool in determining the viability of Syphacia muris ova which has historically been impossible without the use of hatching media. This is a more cost-effective, technically simplifi ed and less time-consuming method of determining ova viability which could be adopted by animal facility personnel. This method could be used in facilities to confi rm effective decontamination where ova may still be present in the environment after chemical treatment. This stain could also provide a useful tool to determine the effi cacy of disinfectants for use in animal facilities.References1Meade, T.M., Watson, J. (2014). Characterisation of rat pinworm (Syphacia muris) epidemiology as ameans to increase detection and elimination. Journal of American Association of Laboratory Animal Science.Nov; 53(6):661-7.2ASPA. 1986. Guidance on the operation of the Animals (Scientifi c Procedures) Act 1986. Home Offi ce 01.12.2017.3Van der Gulden WJ. (1967). Diurnal rhythm in egg production by Syphacia muris. Experimental Parasitology 21:344–347.4Dix, J., Astill, J., Whelan, G. (2004). Assessment of methods of destruction of Syphacia muris ova. Laboratory Animals 38:11-16.Figure 4.Syphacia muris non-viable ova stained with Medola’s blue after heat treatment.9 FFiigguurree 33. Syphacia muris non-viable ova stained with Medola’s blue after Neopredisan treatmentFigure 5.Syphacia muris viable ova, stained with Medola’s blue. 10 FFiigguurree 44. Syphacia muris non-viable ova stained with Medola’s blue after heat treatment. FFiigguurree 55. Syphacia muris viable ova, stained with Medola’s blue. CCOONNCCLLUUSSIIOONN The exact mechanism of uptake of this stain is not known for this organism. However, we observed that viable nematode ova with an intact operculum did not allow the stain to pass the outer cuticle of the infective juvenile. In nonviable ova or those without an intact operculum, the stain was readily observed in the juveniles. It is possible that upon death, the permeability of the infective juvenile nematode cuticle may have changed allowing the stain to enter and permanently bind with the dead nematodes.

250Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Introduction Unexpected death of animals within a research facility can indicate underlying welfare issues, cause the loss of scientific data and potentially represents a compliance breach under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).Currently there is no validated scoring system to estimate the post-mortem interval in mice beyond rigor mortis.1 The aims of this preliminary study were to: 1. Document internal and external macroscopic post-mortem changes in wild-type mice between 0-48h. 2. Develop a simple visual cage-side scoring system to help technicians estimate the time of death.3. Inform and improve Home Office reporting of unexpected mouse deaths. Materials and methods30 male mice (C57BL/6c-/c-; 15-18 weeks old) were used in this prospective, randomised and ‘blind’ study. – The mice were euthanised in their home cage (CO2, 20% cage volume.min-1) and were randomly allocated to 1 of 5 groups: examination at 0, 3, 16, 24 and 48hr post-euthanasia (n=6 per group). – The cadavers were maintained in ventral recumbency at stable temperature (22 ± 2oC) and humidity (53 ± 5%), singly housed on aspen chips bedding within Tecniplast GM500 cages until post-mortem examination. – Rectal temperature was measured at the time of dissection.– Post-mortem examinations and dissections were performed as previously described by an operator unaware of the time of death of the animal.2 The operator scored the qualities of internal and external organs against a composite 3-points scoring system (Green, Amber, Red) developed during a pilot study.– Organs scored included: eyes (EE); skin and extremities (SE); abdominal cavity (AC); liver and gallbladder (LG); spleen (SP); intestines (IN). – Data was analysed using Fisher’s Exact test for categorical data with pairwise comparisons (for organs) and one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparison (rectal temperatures) to give results for statistical significance between all the time-points. – All analysis was performed using R version 3.6.03 with package R companion version 2.3.254.ResultsThe appearance of the abdominal cavity, liver/gallbladder, spleen and intestines changed significantly between 0 and 48 hour post-mortem. The changes observed on the skin, extremities and eyes were qualitatively identifiable but not statistically different by scoring. Changes between 0-3hr: No significant change was identified in any of the organs scored. However the rectal temperature decreased to 21.9 +/- 0.8 °C by 3 hour, in equilibrium with the room temperature. Changes between 0-16hr: the appearance of the abdominal cavity was the only statistically significant difference (p,0.5). Discolouration, the presence of free fluid, change in organ’s shape and odour were the 1st signs noted. Cage side determination of post-mortem interval in miceSELINA BALLANTYNE, MARIE HITCHAM, LENA HUGHES-HALLETT, CLAUDIA WATSON, OLGA WOOLMER, CAROLE FROST, DAVID LAFONT, RACHEL BUCKMASTER, EMMA CAMBRIDGE and AURELIE THOMAS Fera Science Ltd, NAFIC, Sand Hutton, York, North Yorkshire YO41 1LZ UK Correspondence: sb37@sanger.ac.ukAnimal Technology and Welfare December 2021

251August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePoster PresentationsChanges between 0-24hr: In addition to the abdominal cavity (p,0.05), the appearance of the intestines changed (p,0.05) with gaseous distension and occasional free fl uid bathing the abdominal cavity. Changes between 0-48hr: In addition to changes to the abdominal cavity and the intestines, the appearance of the liver/gallbladder (p,0.01) and the spleen (p,0.01) changed with gravitational blood pooling (livor mortis), swollen appearance and crumbly texture. The gallbladder was autolysed or broken.Proposed visual post-mortemscoring system Based on the experimental results outlined above, the proposed scoring tools aim to support technicians in their estimation of the post-mortem interval in mice. The tool also includes additional macroscopic trends that were not statistically signifi cant but may assist determination of timing. Abdominal CavityIntestinesLiver and Gallbladder SpleenFigure 1: Number of mice scoring Green, Amber or Red at each time point (0, 3, 16, 24 & 48hr) for the major organs: abdominal cavity; intestines; liver and gallbladder; spleen. * p<0.05, ** p<0.01. Due to the number of comparisons, signifi cant comparisons are only shown for;• 0hr and the earliest signifi cant following time point• 48hr and the closest signifi cant time point

252Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020S. Hopkins, M. Hitcham, L. Hughes-Hallett, C. Watson, O. Woolmer, C. Frost, D. Lafont, R. Buckmaster, E. Cambridge, A. Thomas.Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK. : sb37@sanger.ac.ukINTRODUCTIONUnexpected death of animals within a research facility can indicate underlying welfare issues, cause the loss of scientific data and potentially represents a compliance breach under A(SP)A. Currently there is no validated scoring system to estimate the post-mortem interval in mice beyond rigor mortis1. The aims of this preliminary study were to; 1. Document internal and external macroscopic post-mortem changes in wild-type mice between 0-48h; 2. Develop a simple visual cage-side scoring system, to help technicians estimate the time of death.3. Inform and improve Home Office reporting of unexpected mouse deaths. MATERIALS AND METHODS30 male mice (C57BL/6c-/c-; 15-18 weeks old) were used in this prospective, randomised and ‘blind’ study. • The mice were euthanised in their home cage (CO2, 20% cage volume.min-1) and were randomly allocated to 1 of 5 groups: examination at 0, 3, 16, 24 and 48hr post-euthanasia (n=6 per group). • The cadavers were maintained in ventral recumbency at stable temperature (22 ± 2oC) and humidity (53 ± 5%), singly housed on aspen chips bedding within Techniplast GM500 cages until post-mortem examination. • Rectal temperature was measured at the time of dissection.• Post-mortem examinations and dissections were performed as previously described2by an operator unaware of the time of death of the animal. The operator scored the qualities of internal and external organs against a composite 3-points scoring system (Green, Amber, Red) developed during a pilot study.• Organs scored included: eyes (EE); skin and extremities (SE); abdominal cavity (AC); liver and gallbladder (LG); spleen (SP); intestines (IN). • Data was analysed using Fisher’s Exact test for categorical data with pairwise comparisons (for organs) and one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparison (rectal temperatures) to give results for statistical significance between all the time-points. • All analysis was performed using R version 3.6.03with package R companion version 2.3.254.RESULTS:The appearance of the abdominal cavity; liver/gallbladder; spleen and intestines changed significantly between 0 and 48hr post-mortem. The changes observed on the skin, extremities and eyes were qualitatively identifiable but not statistically different by scoring. Changes between 0-3hr: No significant change was identified in any of the organs scored. However, the rectal temperature decreased to 21.9 +/- 0.8 degree Celsius by 3h, in equilibrium with the room temperature. Changes between 0-16hr: the appearance of the abdominal cavity was the only statistically significant difference (p<0.05). Discolouration, the presence of free fluid, change in organs shape and odour were the 1stsigns noted.Changes between 0-24hr: In addition to the abdominal cavity (p<0.05), the appearance of the intestines changed (p<0.05), with gaseous distension and occasional free fluid bathing the abdominal cavity. Changes between 0-48hr: In addition to changes to the abdominal cavity and the intestines, the appearance of the liver/gallbladder (p<0.01) and the spleen (p<0.01) changed, with gravitational blood pooling (livor mortis), swollen appearance and crumbly texture. The gallbladder was autolysed or broken. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: • This poster provides the foundation for a macroscopic scoring system for the determination of post-mortem interval in male mice.• Key tissues for examination include the abdominal cavity, intestines, liver, gallbladder and spleen.• However, this method was not sensitive enough to detect early changes (0-3h post-mortem). • External macroscopic changes of the skin, paws and extremities may be helpful indicators of the time of death, but would require further investigation. • To increase generalisability, this study can be expanded upon by varying the sex and strain of the mouse, the method of euthanasia and the animal’s post-mortem positioning.REFERENCES:1. Capas-Peneda C, Goncalves-Monterio S, Oliveira B, Duarte-Arajo M,. (2016) ‘How do you tell how long a mouse has been dead? Rigor mortis as a tool to estimate mice time of death in animal house facilities’2. Scudamore CL, Busk N and Vowell. K., Laboratory Animals 2014; 48: 342-344; ‘A simplified necropsy technique for mice’ 3. R Core Team, 2019 ‘R: A language and environment for statistical computing’4. Salvatore Mangiafico, 2020 rcompanion: Functions to support extension program evaluation’PROPOSED VISUAL POST-MORTEM SCORING SYSTEMFigure 1: Number of mice scoring Green, Amber or Red at each time point (0, 3, 16, 24 & 48hr) for the major organs: abdominal cavity; intestines; liver and gallbladder; spleen. * p<0.05, ** p<0.01. Due to the number of comparisons, significant comparisons are only shown for:• 0hr and the earliest significant following timepoint• 48hr and the closest significant timepointBased on the experimental results outlined above, the proposed scoring tools aim to support technicians in their estimation of the post-mortem interval in mice. The tool also includes additional macroscopic trends that were not statistically significant, but may assist determination of timing. ACNOWLEDGEMENTS:Chris Lelliott (Principal Manager, Experimental Delivery) Claire Rogerson (Area Manager)Hannah Spendlove (Animal Technician) Gary Stephens (Principal Animal Technician) 6540 hrs 3 hrs16 hrs 24 hrs48 hrs3210Liver & Gall Bladder540 hrs 3 hrs16 hrs 24 hrs 48 hrs3210Spleen6540 hrs3 hrs16 hrs24 hrs 48 hrs3210Abdominal Cavity66540 hrs 3 hrs16 hrs 24 hrs48 hrs3210IntestinesDiscussion and conclusion – This poster provides the foundation for a macroscopic scoring system for the determination of post-morteminterval in male mice. – Key tissues for examination include the abdominal cavity, intestines, liver, gallbladder and spleen.– However, this method was not sensitive enough to detect early changes (0-3h post-mortem). – External macroscopic changes of the skin, paws and extremities may be helpful indicators of the time of death but would require further investigation. –Microscopic changes of the skin, paws and extremitiesmay be helpful indicators of the time of death but would require further investigation. – To increase generalisability this study can be expanded upon by varying the sex and strain of the mouse, the method of euthanasia and the animal’s post-mortem positioning.Poster PresentationsS. Hopkins, M. Hitcham, L. Hughes-Hallett, C. Watson, O. Woolmer, C. Frost, D. Lafont, R. Buckmaster, E. Cambridge, A. Thomas.Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK. : sb37@sanger.ac.ukINTRODUCTIONUnexpected death of animals within a research facility can indicate underlying welfare issues, cause the loss of scientific data and potentially represents a compliance breach under A(SP)A. Currently there is no validated scoring system to estimate the post-mortem interval in mice beyond rigor mortis1. The aims of this preliminary study were to; 1. Document internal and external macroscopic post-mortem changes in wild-type mice between 0-48h; 2. Develop a simple visual cage-side scoring system, to help technicians estimate the time of death.3. Inform and improve Home Office reporting of unexpected mouse deaths. MATERIALS AND METHODS30 male mice (C57BL/6c-/c-; 15-18 weeks old) were used in this prospective, randomised and ‘blind’ study. • The mice were euthanised in their home cage (CO2, 20% cage volume.min-1) and were randomly allocated to 1 of 5 groups: examination at 0, 3, 16, 24 and 48hr post-euthanasia (n=6 per group). • The cadavers were maintained in ventral recumbency at stable temperature (22 ± 2oC) and humidity (53 ± 5%), singly housed on aspen chips bedding within Techniplast GM500 cages until post-mortem examination. • Rectal temperature was measured at the time of dissection.• Post-mortem examinations and dissections were performed as previously described2by an operator unaware of the time of death of the animal. The operator scored the qualities of internal and external organs against a composite 3-points scoring system (Green, Amber, Red) developed during a pilot study.• Organs scored included: eyes (EE); skin and extremities (SE); abdominal cavity (AC); liver and gallbladder (LG); spleen (SP); intestines (IN). • Data was analysed using Fisher’s Exact test for categorical data with pairwise comparisons (for organs) and one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparison (rectal temperatures) to give results for statistical significance between all the time-points. • All analysis was performed using R version 3.6.03with package R companion version 2.3.254.RESULTS:The appearance of the abdominal cavity; liver/gallbladder; spleen and intestines changed significantly between 0 and 48hr post-mortem. The changes observed on the skin, extremities and eyes were qualitatively identifiable but not statistically different by scoring. Changes between 0-3hr: No significant change was identified in any of the organs scored. However, the rectal temperature decreased to 21.9 +/- 0.8 degree Celsius by 3h, in equilibrium with the room temperature. Changes between 0-16hr: the appearance of the abdominal cavity was the only statistically significant difference (p<0.05). Discolouration, the presence of free fluid, change in organs shape and odour were the 1stsigns noted.Changes between 0-24hr: In addition to the abdominal cavity (p<0.05), the appearance of the intestines changed (p<0.05), with gaseous distension and occasional free fluid bathing the abdominal cavity. Changes between 0-48hr: In addition to changes to the abdominal cavity and the intestines, the appearance of the liver/gallbladder (p<0.01) and the spleen (p<0.01) changed, with gravitational blood pooling (livor mortis), swollen appearance and crumbly texture. The gallbladder was autolysed or broken. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: • This poster provides the foundation for a macroscopic scoring system for the determination of post-mortem interval in male mice.• Key tissues for examination include the abdominal cavity, intestines, liver, gallbladder and spleen.• However, this method was not sensitive enough to detect early changes (0-3h post-mortem). • External macroscopic changes of the skin, paws and extremities may be helpful indicators of the time of death, but would require further investigation. • To increase generalisability, this study can be expanded upon by varying the sex and strain of the mouse, the method of euthanasia and the animal’s post-mortem positioning.REFERENCES:1. Capas-Peneda C, Goncalves-Monterio S, Oliveira B, Duarte-Arajo M,. (2016) ‘How do you tell how long a mouse has been dead? Rigor mortis as a tool to estimate mice time of death in animal house facilities’2. Scudamore CL, Busk N and Vowell. K., Laboratory Animals 2014; 48: 342-344; ‘A simplified necropsy technique for mice’ 3. R Core Team, 2019 ‘R: A language and environment for statistical computing’4. Salvatore Mangiafico, 2020 rcompanion: Functions to support extension program evaluation’PROPOSED VISUAL POST-MORTEM SCORING SYSTEMFigure 1: Number of mice scoring Green, Amber or Red at each time point (0, 3, 16, 24 & 48hr) for the major organs: abdominal cavity; intestines; liver and gallbladder; spleen. * p<0.05, ** p<0.01. Due to the number of comparisons, significant comparisons are only shown for:• 0hr and the earliest significant following timepoint• 48hr and the closest significant timepointBased on the experimental results outlined above, the proposed scoring tools aim to support technicians in their estimation of the post-mortem interval in mice. The tool also includes additional macroscopic trends that were not statistically significant, but may assist determination of timing. ACNOWLEDGEMENTS:Chris Lelliott (Principal Manager, Experimental Delivery) Claire Rogerson (Area Manager)Hannah Spendlove (Animal Technician) Gary Stephens (Principal Animal Technician) 6540 hrs 3 hrs16 hrs 24 hrs48 hrs3210Liver & Gall Bladder540 hrs 3 hrs16 hrs 24 hrs 48 hrs3210Spleen6540 hrs3 hrs16 hrs24 hrs 48 hrs3210Abdominal Cavity66540 hrs 3 hrs16 hrs 24 hrs48 hrs3210IntestinesS. Hopkins, M. Hitcham, L. Hughes-Hallett, C. Watson, O. Woolmer, C. Frost, D. Lafont, R. Buckmaster, E. Cambridge, A. Thomas.Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK. : sb37@sanger.ac.ukINTRODUCTIONUnexpected death of animals within a research facility can indicate underlying welfare issues, cause the loss of scientific data and potentially represents a compliance breach under A(SP)A. Currently there is no validated scoring system to estimate the post-mortem interval in mice beyond rigor mortis1. The aims of this preliminary study were to; 1. Document internal and external macroscopic post-mortem changes in wild-type mice between 0-48h; 2. Develop a simple visual cage-side scoring system, to help technicians estimate the time of death.3. Inform and improve Home Office reporting of unexpected mouse deaths. MATERIALS AND METHODS30 male mice (C57BL/6c-/c-; 15-18 weeks old) were used in this prospective, randomised and ‘blind’ study. • The mice were euthanised in their home cage (CO2, 20% cage volume.min-1) and were randomly allocated to 1 of 5 groups: examination at 0, 3, 16, 24 and 48hr post-euthanasia (n=6 per group). • The cadavers were maintained in ventral recumbency at stable temperature (22 ± 2oC) and humidity (53 ± 5%), singly housed on aspen chips bedding within Techniplast GM500 cages until post-mortem examination. • Rectal temperature was measured at the time of dissection.• Post-mortem examinations and dissections were performed as previously described2by an operator unaware of the time of death of the animal. The operator scored the qualities of internal and external organs against a composite 3-points scoring system (Green, Amber, Red) developed during a pilot study.• Organs scored included: eyes (EE); skin and extremities (SE); abdominal cavity (AC); liver and gallbladder (LG); spleen (SP); intestines (IN). • Data was analysed using Fisher’s Exact test for categorical data with pairwise comparisons (for organs) and one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparison (rectal temperatures) to give results for statistical significance between all the time-points. • All analysis was performed using R version 3.6.03with package R companion version 2.3.254.RESULTS:The appearance of the abdominal cavity; liver/gallbladder; spleen and intestines changed significantly between 0 and 48hr post-mortem. The changes observed on the skin, extremities and eyes were qualitatively identifiable but not statistically different by scoring. Changes between 0-3hr: No significant change was identified in any of the organs scored. However, the rectal temperature decreased to 21.9 +/- 0.8 degree Celsius by 3h, in equilibrium with the room temperature. Changes between 0-16hr: the appearance of the abdominal cavity was the only statistically significant difference (p<0.05). Discolouration, the presence of free fluid, change in organs shape and odour were the 1stsigns noted.Changes between 0-24hr: In addition to the abdominal cavity (p<0.05), the appearance of the intestines changed (p<0.05), with gaseous distension and occasional free fluid bathing the abdominal cavity. Changes between 0-48hr: In addition to changes to the abdominal cavity and the intestines, the appearance of the liver/gallbladder (p<0.01) and the spleen (p<0.01) changed, with gravitational blood pooling (livor mortis), swollen appearance and crumbly texture. The gallbladder was autolysed or broken. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: • This poster provides the foundation for a macroscopic scoring system for the determination of post-mortem interval in male mice.• Key tissues for examination include the abdominal cavity, intestines, liver, gallbladder and spleen.• However, this method was not sensitive enough to detect early changes (0-3h post-mortem). • External macroscopic changes of the skin, paws and extremities may be helpful indicators of the time of death, but would require further investigation. • To increase generalisability, this study can be expanded upon by varying the sex and strain of the mouse, the method of euthanasia and the animal’s post-mortem positioning.REFERENCES:1. Capas-Peneda C, Goncalves-Monterio S, Oliveira B, Duarte-Arajo M,. (2016) ‘How do you tell how long a mouse has been dead? Rigor mortis as a tool to estimate mice time of death in animal house facilities’2. Scudamore CL, Busk N and Vowell. K., Laboratory Animals 2014; 48: 342-344; ‘A simplified necropsy technique for mice’ 3. R Core Team, 2019 ‘R: A language and environment for statistical computing’4. Salvatore Mangiafico, 2020 rcompanion: Functions to support extension program evaluation’PROPOSED VISUAL POST-MORTEM SCORING SYSTEMFigure 1: Number of mice scoring Green, Amber or Red at each time point (0, 3, 16, 24 & 48hr) for the major organs: abdominal cavity; intestines; liver and gallbladder; spleen. * p<0.05, ** p<0.01. Due to the number of comparisons, significant comparisons are only shown for:• 0hr and the earliest significant following timepoint• 48hr and the closest significant timepointBased on the experimental results outlined above, the proposed scoring tools aim to support technicians in their estimation of the post-mortem interval in mice. The tool also includes additional macroscopic trends that were not statistically significant, but may assist determination of timing. ACNOWLEDGEMENTS:Chris Lelliott (Principal Manager, Experimental Delivery) Claire Rogerson (Area Manager)Hannah Spendlove (Animal Technician) Gary Stephens (Principal Animal Technician) 6540 hrs 3 hrs16 hrs 24 hrs48 hrs3210Liver & Gall Bladder540 hrs 3 hrs16 hrs 24 hrs 48 hrs3210Spleen6540 hrs3 hrs16 hrs24 hrs 48 hrs3210Abdominal Cavity66540 hrs 3 hrs16 hrs 24 hrs48 hrs3210Intestines

253August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfarePoster PresentationsAcknowledgements Chris Lelliott, Claire Rogerson, Hannah Spendlove, Gary Stephens.References1Capas-Peneda, C., Goncalves-Monterio, S., Oliveira, B., Duarte-Arajo, M., (2016). ‘How do you tell how long a mouse has been dead? Rigor mortis as a tool to estimate mice time of death in animal house facilities.’ FELASA Confrence 2016. FELASA2016_SC_SM_MDA_BO_v2.pdf2Scudamore, C.L., Busk, N. and Vowell, K., (2014). A simplifi ed necropsy technique for mice Laborator y Animals 2014; 48: 342-344.3R Core Team, 2019 ‘R: A language and environmentfor statistical computing’ https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers.aspx?referenceid=26311264Salvatore, Mangiafi co, 2020. rcompanion: Functionsto support extension program evaluation’ https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=rcompanion

254Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020info@sdl.uk.netwww.sdl.uk.net+44(0)1483 268300Flexibility in Health and Environmental Monitoring

255August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareDecember 2021 Animal Technology and WelfareAbstract There are a multitude of health monitoring techniques/methods available. It can be diffi cult to know which of these to use and when to use them. This is an attempt to simplify, maximise the effi cacy of and ultimately reducethe number of animals used in Health Monitoring (HM) programmes. Whilst this is not exhaustive and may not suit all situations it may provide some information that allows you to optimise your current methods and give greater confi dence in HM results.Rolling sentinel programme This is where 2 to 4 sentinels are housed in a sentinel cage on each rack. For each screen interval (usually every quarter) 1 or 2 are sampled by necropsy. If results of the screen are clear, then 1 or 2 new sentinels are introduced to the sentinel cage. On the next screen, the older sentinels are used. Advantages…Using only 1 or 2 sentinels where there would have originally been 3 used in each screen. Maximising effi cacy of your health monitoring programmeANDY DICKINSONSurrey Diagnostics Ltd, PO Box 156, Cranleigh, Surrey GU6 8ZU UK Correspondence: andy@sdlab.co.uk 2 Abstract There are a multitude of health monitoring techniques/methods available. It can be difficult to know which of these to use and when to use them. This is an attempt to simplify, maximise the efficacy of and ultimately reduce the number of animals used in Health Monitoring (HM) programmes. Whilst this is not exhaustive and may not suit all situations it may provide some information that allows you to optimise your current methods and give greater confidence in HM results.

256Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020The sentinels left in the cage can be re-sampled and tested if there are any unexpected results, confirming or discounting the original result. By using non-destructive sampling (tail bleeds + PCR (polymerase chain reaction) for 2 of the quarterly screens at 3 and 9 months, alternating with the destructive screens, the numbers of sentinels used can be reduced by 50%. This method also increases the sentinel exposure time therefore increasing the likelihood of any infections being detected. Identifying ‘new’ and ‘old’ sentinels is essential for this to work.Appropriate sampling Wherever possible the samples taken for screening should be appropriate to the agents being screened for; faeces for Gastrointestinal infections (GI), throat swabs for respiratory infections and so on. PCR allows samples to be pooled (up to 10 individuals) so decreasing the cost of screening. Pooling large numbers of samples is tempting but can also be a problem. Faecal samples can vary in the amount of positive material present, so a weak signal can be diluted out in pools of large numbers, leading to false negative results. Conversely, a positive result from a large pool will require further tests to pinpoint the originator(s) of the positive material.Exhaust air dust screening A recent development in the application of PCR as a screening method is the use of exhaust air dust from the exhaust plenum filter of each rack/AHU. The main problem being that you cannot control for any background levels of nucleic acid from infectious agents originating from diet (from wild mice during manufacturing process or during storage) so its use as a primary method of screening is potentially problematic.Soiled bedding transfer protocol There are some basic changes that can be made here in order to maximise the transfer of any infectious agents. During each change, only 1 row on the IVC should be transferred to the sentinel cage e.g. Week 1 – Row 1 and so on until all rows have been transferred at least once. Only occupied cages should have their bedding transferred and the volume of bedding transferred should be adjusted to ensure maximum levels of exposure occurs. Once all rows on a rack have been transferred, there should be a period of 4 weeks where the sentinels have clean bedding to allow any sero-conversion to take place prior to screening. The transfer of dirty cage lids and dirty water bottles from stock cages to the sentinel cage on each soiled bedding transfer can help to increase the chance of transmission of any infectious agents to the sentinels, particularly those agents which do not transmit easily by soiled bedding alone. Any enrichment can also be transferred to the sentinel cage. Non-destructive sampling It is now possible to sample and screen animals effectively by using non-destructive methods: – Tail bleed for viral screening by serological testing. – Faecal, throat and fur-swab PCR for bacteria and parasites. By combining these methods with a rolling sentinel programme, we can reduce the numbers of animals used by up to 50% without compromising the robustness of your screening. There may even be an increase in the effectiveness of sentinels by increasing their overall exposure time to any infections.Limits of techniques used It is always worth bearing in mind that each technique used in health monitoring has its own limits. Such as, serology being indirect detection of viruses and PCR indicating only the presence/absence of nucleic acid of infectious agents with no information on infectivity. By combining these techniques with direct observation methods such as microbiological culture, parasitology by microscopy and gross morphology we increase the likelihood of zeroing in on genuine infections.Ask your screening provider for advice Health Monitoring is a complex process and it can be hard to know which techniques or which tests to use. Also the interpretation of results and the significance of any findings can be confusing. The laboratory that carries out your screening for you, should be able to provide any support and advice needed, free of charge.Discussion It is worth highlighting that all health monitoring assays currently available to us are not 100% perfect. That is to say that each method on its own will have certain limitations on the knowledge that can be gained from its Poster Presentations

257August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and Welfareresults e.g., Serology will only tell you if an infection has occurred at some point in the past, rather than an active infection. PCR can only tell you if nucleic acid from a specific agent is present or absent, with no information on whether the agent is dead or alive or indeed a product of an active infection. The more direct methods available in health monitoring of microbiological culture and parasitology by microscopy can only be carried out effectively by necropsy, but these methods do demonstrate that an active/viable infection is happening at the time of sampling, along with providing opportunity to gain an overall picture of the animals general health. With these points in mind, the logical way forward, if we want to reduce the numbers of animals used in health monitoring programmes without compromising confidence in the results, it is recommended that a programme which uses a combination of the methods available to us is used. Relying on one or two methods for health monitoring potentially raises the likelihood of missing infections or the occurrence of false positives which may be acted upon without the possibility of checking results by another method. It could be said that the ‘gold standard’ in health monitoring should be to detect an infectious agent in the animals themselves by more than one method. The combined screening approach allows this to happen, as well as reduce the overall numbers of animals used. This approach also goes some way to fulfilling the recently proposed 5Rs (Reduce, Refine, Reuse, Robustness and Repeatability). Acknowledgements The author would like to thank Owen Hazelby, Samantha Lupton, James Salmons, Peter Scobie-Trumper, Mark Staplehurst, Alistair Thompson and Frank Ward for their support in the production of this work. References1 FELASA (2014). Recomendations for the health monitoring of mouse, rat, hamster, guinea pig and rabbit colonies in breeding and experimental units. Laboratory Animals 2014. Vol 48(3). 178-192. 2 Dickinson, A., et al (2016). Caveats of PCR. An overview of the caveats of PCR as a Primary Method of Laboratory Animal Health Monitoring. Dickinson. A, et al. LASA Forum, Summer 2016. 3 Leblanc, M. et al (2014). False Positive Results after Environmental Pinworm PCR Testing due to Rhabditid Nematodes in Corncob Bedding.. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. 2014 Nov; 53(6): 717-724. 4 Thompson, A. (2012). If PCR is always the answer, then perhaps you are asking the wrong questions. Thompson A. Guest Editorial, Lab Animals Europe Vol 12(8) Aug 2012. 5 Dickinson, A. et al (2015). Comparison of faecal PCR with traditional methods in the detection of Syphacia obvelata and Pasteurella pneumotropica. (Poster). Animal Technology and Welfare 2015 Dec: 14(3): 221-222. 6 Dickinson, A., et al (2016). Contaminating DNA can give false positives in “Sentinel Free” health monitoring by PCR on IVC exhaust air dust samples. (Poster) Laboratory Animal Science Association Annual Conference. November 2016. 7 Henderson, K.S. et al (2013). Efficacy of Direct Detection of Pathogens in Naturally Infected Mice by Using a High-Density PCR Array. JAALAS Nov 2013 Vol 52(6) p763-772. 8 Dickinson, A. (2017). Combined screening strategy to reduce the numbers of sentinel animals used, whilst maintaining confidence in results (Poster) Animal Technology and Welfare. Vol 16.3. pp 229-231.Poster Presentations

258Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Background and ObjectivesHistorically Study Protocols are paper based. At the Institute of Cancer Research each research group generated their own protocol template making documents difficult to follow for persons conducting out of hours support as well as the Home Office Inspector. Other additional disadvantages experienced with the paper systems such as potentially slow approval processes where study proposals are passed back and forth between submitter and approver, the lack of version control to approve documents or even the unnecessary flow of potentially ‘dirty’ documents into the animal facility. In an attempt to revolutionise and harmonise our Study Protocol design we have developed an online protocol and submission process. This has streamlined the process and eradicates many of ‘copy and paste’ errors associated with previous versions. An electronic based experimental protocol has ‘ARRIVEd’ IAN WILSON, JENNIS MARY-JOHN, KAREN DUNCAN, CLAIRE PRESTON, PETER JOHN-BAPTISTE, MARK ALLEN, LYNN DORSETT and ALLAN THORNHILL Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Belmont, Sutton SM2 5NG UK Correspondence: Ian.Wilson@icr.ac.uk Figure 1. BSU Study Protocol form Creating a document Protocols are initiated via the internal main intranet. It is possible for any member of staff to submit a protocol. Submitters are only permitted to view their own documents and each study must be assigned to one or more active Personal Licence (PIL) holders. This is made possible by the large volume of drop-down fields embedded within the document. To minimize data input errors Project and personal Figure 1. BSU Study Protocol form. Figure 1. BSU Study Protocol form Creating a document Protocols are initiated via the internal main intranet. It is possible for any member of staff to submit a protocol. Submitters are only permitted to view their own documents and each study must be assigned to one or more active Personal Licence (PIL) holders. This is made possible by the large volume of drop-down fields embedded within the document. To minimize data input errors Project and personal Figure 1. BSU Study Protocol form Creating a document Protocols are initiated via the internal main intranet. It is possible for any member of staff to submit a protocol. Submitters are only permitted to view their own documents and each study must be assigned to one or more active Personal Licence (PIL) holders. This is made possible by the large volume of drop-down fields embedded within the document. To minimize data input errors Project and personal Figure 1. BSU Study Protocol form Creating a document Protocols are initiated via the internal main intranet. It is possible for any member of staff to submit a protocol. Submitters are only permitted to view their own documents and each study must be assigned to one or more active Personal Licence (PIL) holders. This is made possible by the large volume of drop-down fields embedded within the document. To minimize data input errors Project and personal Animal Technology and Welfare December 2021

259August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareCreating a documentProtocols are initiated via the internal main intranet. It is possible for any member of staff to submit a protocol. Submitters are only permitted to view their own documents and each study must be assigned to one or more active Personal Licence (PIL) holders. This is made possible by the large volume of drop-down fields embedded within the document. To minimise data input errors Project and personal licence numbers along with PIL contact details have been uploaded to a separate database that links with the protocol and will fill in details automatically. ContentThe submitter is encouraged to be as detailed as possible when explaining their proposal. The protocols should be detailed enough to permit repeatability of study conditions as well as ensuring that other PIL holders involved with the study can follow. Particular attention is drawn to the objectives or hypotheses for the experiment to be clearly defined. A number of pre-populate drop down boxes are provide to ensure accuracy. Poster PresentationsFigure 2. Screen shot of the Objectives of Experiment section. licence numbers along with PIL contact details have been uploaded to a separate database that links with the protocol and will fill in details automatically. Figure 2. Screen shot of the Objectives of Experiment section Content The submitter is encouraged to be as detailed as possible when explaining their proposal. The protocols should be detailed enough to permit repeatability of study conditions as well as ensuring that other PIL holders involved with the study can follow. Particular attention is drawn to the objectives or hypotheses for the experiment to be clearly defined. A number of Pre-Populate drop down boxes are provide to ensure accuracy. Figure 3. Screen shot of the experimental animals section. . Figure 3. Screen shot of the experimental animals section. The ARRIVE Guidelines Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments guidelines are intended to improve the reporting of research using animals – maximising information published and minimising unnecessary studies. The Electronic protocol has been developed with full consideration to the ARRIVE guidelines, each title section has a direct link to the guidelines enabling the submitter to fully understand the requirements for each section. This places Animal Welfare at the core. The protocol template has been designed to capture the spirit of the 3Rs through the questions it poses the submitter, aiding the publishing of work or repeating experiments. The protocol is primarily a working document, so a balance was found as to the areas of ARRIVE to include in the study design and areas to include in the study design and areas to omit until the write up phase of the experiment.

260Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020The ARRIVE GuidelinesAnimal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments guidelines are intended to improve the reporting of research using animals – maximising information published and minimising unnecessary studies. The electronic protocol has been developed with full consideration to the ARRIVE guidelines, each title section has a direct link to the guidelines enabling the submitter to fully understand the requirements for each section. This places Animal Welfare at the core.The protocol template has been designed to capture the spirit of the 3Rs through the questions it poses the submitter, aiding the publishing of work or repeating experiments. The protocol is primarily a working document, so a balance was found as to the areas of ARRIVE to include in the study design and areas to include in the study design and areas to omit until the write up phase of the experiment. Poster Presentations

261August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareElectronic submission and version control Electronic submission and approval means that documents only require printing when approved, this eliminates the requirement to transfer paper items from outside of the facility reducing the risk of pathogen transferal and eradicates the risk of an unapproved version being used as the ‘official’ version. Version Control means that changes are more easily tracked and that the approved version is easily identified. Poster PresentationsElectronic submission and version control Electronic submission and approval means that documents only require printing when approved, this eliminates the requirement to transfer paper items from outside of the facility reducing the risk of pathogen transferal and eradicates the risk of an unapproved version being used as the ‘official’ version. Version Control means that changes are more easily tracked and that the approved version is easily identified.

262Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Poster Presentations Procedural Competency Study Proposers are required to declare all regulated Schedule 1 techniques to be performed within the study proposal in the procedural competency section of the submission. This will detail PIL holders whom are signed off within their Personal Training Record and those whom are working under supervision. In such cases a supervising PIL holder from the identified list must be indicated.

263August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareProcedural CompetencyStudy Proposers are required to declare all regulated Schedule 1 techniques to be performed within the study proposal in the procedural competency section of the submission. This will detail PIL holders whom are signed off within their Personal Training Record and those whom are working under supervision. In such cases a supervising PIL holder from the identified list must be indicated. AuditingCompetency Declarations are spot audited to Personal Training Records by the Named Training and Competency Officer (NTCO) and inaccuracies treated as a non-compliance. Auditing Competency Declarations are spot audited to Personal Training Records by the Named Training and Competency Officer and inaccuracies treated as a non-compliance. Submission Process At each stage of the submission process both submitter and approver will receive email notification of all status changes to the document. An approver will check the study proposal and either approve or reject it, when approved the document will be printed, signed and dated. Rejected submissions will be electronically redirected to the submitter with an explanation for editing and resubmission. Auditing Competency Declarations are spot audited to Personal Training Records by the Named Training and Competency Officer and inaccuracies treated as a non-compliance. Submission Process At each stage of the submission process both submitter and approver will receive email notification of all status changes to the document. An approver will check the study proposal and either approve or reject it, when approved the document will be printed, signed and dated. Rejected submissions will be electronically redirected to the submitter with an explanation for editing and resubmission. Poster Presentations

264Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020Submission ProcessAt each stage of the submission process both submitter and approver will receive email notification of all status changes to the document.An approver will check the study proposal and either approve or reject it, when approved the document will be printed, signed and dated. Rejected submissions will be electronically redirected to the submitter with an explanation for editing and resubmission. Approvers will be Named Animal Care and Welfare Officers (NACWO) or NACWO trained. The primary advantage of electronic approval is the ease and speed of ensuring the documents reaches the correct person, this allows the reviewer to check the study proposal at a time when they can give it full attention.Features and Benefits– Faster approval process.– Drop-down boxes employed within the template to aid accuracy of information. – Author can save document as draft to re-edit prior to submitting.– Submitters must declare full Project License authority for their study. – Training and Competency auditing may commence prior to the study commencing.– Version History allows both submitters and reviewers to track document changes and gives Quality Control as to the ‘Approved Version’.Approvers will be Named Animal Care and Welfare Officers (NACWO) or NACWO trained. The primary advantage of electronic approval is the ease and speed of ensuring the documents reaches the correct person, this allows the reviewer to check the study proposal at a time when they can give it full attention Features and Benefits - Faster approval process. Poster Presentations

265August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAt just under 1000 pages this is a hefty reference book that in my opinion most multi-discipline units, particularly those in universities and the like, would find a useful addition to the facility bookshelf and obviously it is also one for the Library. Divided into 4 parts namely: Principles of Laboratory Animal Science, Practises, Animal Models and Structures. Both editors have extensive experience with the Laboratory Animal world and the authors are drawn primarily from Europe and the USA although contributors are also based in Japan, Mexico and Australia.The first part of the book takes a generalised but logical approach to planning research with animals and includes topics such as ethical considerations, laboratory animal genetics, experimental design and statistics and alternatives amongst other subjects including a chapter on welfare assessment and humane endpoints which is often left until once the research has started! The authors discuss the argument for and against animals in research and a compromise on which standards can be established and the maximisation of benefits and minimising harm and endpoints. The chapter on alternatives provides a very good resource in that details of the international centres for alternative methods are given together with website addresses. Behavioural needs of laboratory animals consider not only the environment but also the different types of enrichment such as sensory, nutritional, occupation/cognitive, physical and social enrichment. Positive reinforcement training which is of increasing interest and importance is also discussed. The second part of the book discusses the more usual subjects seen in other books, such as facility design and laboratory animal nutrition but also includes more unusual topics such as the impact of the biotic and abiotic environment on animal experiments, applications of telemetry and physiological, haematological and clinical chemistery parameters. There is also a chapter on post-mortem procedures which I think is possibly unique in a ‘general’ book such as this. The third section of the book is particularly important in that it deals with animal models of human disease. In addition as the more common disease models for conditons such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and pharmacology/toxicology that we see used in multi-discipline animal facilities, the section also includes, amongst others, models of conditions affecting hearing (I must declare a personal interest here), psychological disorders, human behaviour, mycology and oral health sciences. The final section of the book is the most general and shortest. Titled ‘Structures’ it provides a global overview of legislation, Laboratory Animal science and service organisations, education and training, animal care and use programmes and Reduction and Refinement applied to animal models. I think one notable inclusion in the chapter on global legislation and policies is information on the regulatory situation in Latin American and Asian countries. The section is by its very nature very general and provides only an indication of organisations available to assist the scientists and those associated with research using laboratory animals although the role of the technical staff caring for the animals their role doesn’t appear to be addressed in any depth. As far as I can see there is one possible fault, in that there is no mention of Africa in any the chapters on legislation or that on training. I know from my own studies how difficult it is to obtain pertinent information of legislation and services in the African continent but it certainly exists, particularly in the Republic of South Africa. BOOK REVIEWHandbook of Laboratory Animal Science: Essential principles and practices 4th Edition Edited by Jann Hau and Steven SchapiroReviewed by Jas Barley December 2021 Animal Technology and Welfare

266Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020It is diffi cult to give a true indication of the depth of information provided in this book without writing the equivalent of a chapter in itself. It is not a light read but if you wish to understand more about the general background of how to conduct meaningful research then I would recommend an in-depth reading session of relevant chapters. This is very much a book for the researcher, particularly early career researchers who as we all know have much to learn. For researchers starting work in a country that they are not familiar with, the book would give a useful introduction to governance of research involving animals abut also some of the differing attitudes to animals worldwide. Illustrations, where used are high quality and the language used should be understood by all. It is an excellent volume and the amount of work that has gone into its production is to be commended.Book Review

03August 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareAugust 2020 Animal Technology and WelfareSupplying the Innovations of Modern ResearchIPS – working with leading industry brands and products to supply innovative research facilities worldwideTestDiet®Custom made Speciality DietsLabDiet®Leader in Research Animal NutritionBedding & NestingCreating Natural EnvironmentsEnvironmental EnrichmentCaring for your Laboratory AnimalsBenchGuard®& Tray LinersProtective &Absorbent PapersBiodegradable WipesBamboo based Wet & Dry WipesIrradiation ServicesTailored to your specic needsEco-Friendly OvershoesBiodegradable & Recyclablewww.ipsltd.biz

04Animal Technology and Welfare August 2020COMINGMARCH 2022www.iat.org.ukInstitute ofAnimal TechnologyGET READY FOR …