Small Project and Travel Awards
Laboratory mouse welfare and possible olfactory effects of routine husbandry procedures
This UFAW-supported project is aimed at improving the care of mice used in research. In the European Union alone, approximately 7 million mice were used for experimental and other scientific purposes in 2011* Refinements in mouse husbandry therefore have the potential to greatly impact the lives of many animals.
Mice have a well-developed sense of smell and use olfactory signals to communicate information about danger, sex, kinship, fertility and dominance. With this in mind, a team from the Royal Veterinary College, London are assessing whether standard laboratory handling and cleaning procedures, products and their associated smells, affect mouse welfare. Noelia Lopez-Salesansky, Dr Charlotte Burn and their team aim to provide recommendations, which may enhance the welfare of the many mice used in laboratories every year.
*Seventh Report on the Statistics on the Number of Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes in the Member States of the European Union, 2013
