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Improving the Psychological Wellbeing of Captive Animals

Summary of the impact

Thousands of animals are housed in captive conditions worldwide, often to the detriment of their mental well-being. Scientists at Queen's Animal Behaviour Centre have spent the last 20 years developing new ways of improving the psychological welfare of animals housed in captivity. Their research has shown that classical music and scents such as lavender in dog shelters calms the animals, and that shielding zoo-housed gorillas from visitors with camouflage netting over the viewing windows, prevents great apes from becoming agitated. The impact of this research extends to guidelines and regulations set by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Australian Government's National Health and Medical Research Council. Commercial impact includes CDs of music composed specifically for dogs, now widely available to buy on the open market, and being utilised in 1700+ rescue shelters and by over 150,000 pet owners around the globe.

Submitting Institution

Queen's University Belfast

Unit of Assessment

Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences: Veterinary Sciences
Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences

Animal Protection: Ethics and Politics

Summary of the impact

The use and treatment of animals in the provision of our food, clothing and other raw materials, as well as in the areas of medical research, sport and entertainment, polarises public opinion and provokes extreme views. Research by Professor Robert Garner on the ethics and politics of animal protection has provided a springboard for political debate and decision making both in the UK and internationally. In particular, Garner's work has impacted upon the debate within the animal protection movement, and has helped to shape aspects of government policy on animal welfare issues in general, most notably on the UK Government's approach to the issue of whaling, and DEFRA's approach to the ethics of using wild animals in circuses.

Submitting Institution

University of Leicester

Unit of Assessment

Politics and International Studies

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Political Science
Law and Legal Studies: Law
Philosophy and Religious Studies: Philosophy

Improving Captive Animal Welfare through Cognition-Related Research

Summary of the impact

Research undertaken at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) studied habitat enrichment in captive coyotes (with the National Wildlife Research Center in Utah), and herd composition of donkeys, horses and mules (with the Donkey Sanctuary). These studies observed social and environmental interactions, addressing important welfare indicators in gregarious species. The work identified welfare issues in both sites and provided the necessary evidence to allow improvements to be made.

Specifically, this research has:

1) led to changes in the husbandry practice and policy in both partner institutions that have improved animal welfare;

2) improved how the Donkey Sanctuary trains international partners and undertakes welfare education.

Submitting Institution

Canterbury Christ Church University

Unit of Assessment

Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Ecology

The Gashaka Primate Project: Conserving the world's rarest chimpanzee

Summary of the impact

Volker Sommer's research focuses on behavioural ecology of non-human primates. Field studies of the Gashaka Primate Project in Nigeria highlighted the importance of saving the world's most endangered chimpanzee from extinction and facilitated sponsors in Europe and Africa to invest and engage in joint protection measures. These include providing educational, economic and infrastructural benefits to local communities, and significant support for national park rangers and their policing activities in this secluded highland region.

Submitting Institution

University College London

Unit of Assessment

Anthropology and Development Studies

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Environmental Sciences: Ecological Applications, Environmental Science and Management
Biological Sciences: Genetics

Giant Animals: evolution and biomechanics inspiring future science

Summary of the impact

Professor Hutchinson's team has pursued research into movement of large land animals, and how they have evolved under biomechanical constraints, such as gravity, which dominate their lifestyles. Their findings relating to elephants and to dinosaurs, applying physics, maths and computer science to study the natural world, have captured the public's imagination through a variety of engagement activities. The work has contributed to several major documentaries and interactive museum exhibits, (with Professor Hutchinson consulting), as well as featuring in a substantial number of print and online news stories. The research has had practical applications in foot health and welfare of elephants in captivity and, through examining constraints of growth on anatomy, has also led to applications in health of broiler chickens.

Submitting Institution

Royal Veterinary College

Unit of Assessment

Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Evolutionary Biology
Medical and Health Sciences: Clinical Sciences, Human Movement and Sports Science

2) Animal domestication and the spread of early farmers

Summary of the impact

The domestication of animals — some ten thousand years — ago has allowed important insights into the origins and spread of farming across the globe and the impact that had on human biology and culture. Research carried out by an international research group, led by Aberdeen and Durham Universities, has brought understanding of this fundamental change in human history to a broader public, resulting in impacts on culture and quality of life. The research findings have featured widely in TV and radio programmes, both in Britain and abroad. The main researcher was also invited to participate in a six-month (privately-funded) experimental sailing expedition that traced the migration route of ancient Austronesian settlers into the pacific, which led to the collection of unique samples for research. The voyage resulted in a film and a book.

Submitting Institution

University of Aberdeen

Unit of Assessment

Geography, Environmental Studies and Archaeology

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Genetics
History and Archaeology: Archaeology

Improved Methods of Handling Laboratory Mice to Increase Safety and Reduce Anxiety

Summary of the impact

The mouse is the most important laboratory animal used worldwide in biomedical research and for regulatory testing of products. Research at the University of Liverpool by Prof Hurst has led to a change in the methods universally recommended for routine handling of mice to minimize a well- recognized problem that handling can create high anxiety, stress and a risk of animals biting the handler. This has impacts for animal welfare, for practitioners, and for reliability in a broad range of research and testing using mice (e.g. in the pharmaceuticals industry) where responses can be confounded by uncontrolled anxiety responses. Mouse handling guidelines have been changed and are being implemented in animal research facilities.

Submitting Institution

University of Liverpool

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Political

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Clinical Sciences
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Psychology

1p. Minimising heat and other stresses during animal transportation improves animal welfare and has driven EU legislation

Summary of the impact

Impact: Policy / animal welfare / economic. European Directives on Animal Welfare have been changed to improve animal comfort during transport. Our research has provided a basis for establishing comfort/discomfort at an objective, physiological level through response modelling and the quantitative assessment of the effects of thermal conditions. The definition of optimum transport environments has underpinned improved transport vehicle design and operation and formed the basis of the development of regulations for improved animal welfare.

Significance: ~60 billion animals are transported world-wide each year.

Beneficiaries: EU policy makers (leading to revised Directives), UK Government departments (especially Defra), and animals during transport.

Attribution: Prof. Mitchell (SRUC).

Reach: All EU Member States, Canada, and the US.

Submitting Institutions

University of Edinburgh,SRUC

Unit of Assessment

Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science

Summary Impact Type

Political

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Applied Mathematics
Engineering: Civil Engineering
Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services: Transportation and Freight Services

2. Changing people’s perceptions of the human:animal relationship

Summary of the impact

The Cardiff Osteological Research Group (CORG) has researched the complex relationship between animals and people, across Britain, Europe and beyond. CORG has taken its research as the basis for a programme of activities that seeks to challenge modern attitudes to animals through archaeological studies, and to provoke reflection on the present relevance and future development of animals. Their impact has built on relationships developed with artists and practitioners in creative industries who have been influenced by the issues researched. By encouraging a range of audiences to consider the economic, social, ritual and symbolic roles of animals, CORG has enriched, informed and changed the perspectives of individuals who do not normally engage with the archaeological past, including target groups traditionally excluded from, or not aware of, academic research.

Submitting Institution

Cardiff University

Unit of Assessment

Geography, Environmental Studies and Archaeology

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Earth Sciences: Geology
Biological Sciences: Ecology
History and Archaeology: Archaeology

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