Refinement Database

Database on Refinement of Housing, Husbandry, Care, and Use of Animals in Research

This database, created in 2000, is updated every four months with newly published scientific articles, books, and other publications related to improving or safeguarding the welfare of animals used in research.

Tips for using the database:

  • This landing page displays all of the publications in the database.
  • Use the drop-down menus to filter these publications by Animal Type, Setting, and/or Topic.
  • Clicking on a parent category (e.g., Rodent) will include publications relating to all the items in that category (e.g., Chinchilla, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, etc.).
  • You may also add a keyword to further narrow your search.
  • Please note that at this time, only publications dated 2010 or later (with some exceptions) can be filtered by Animal Type and Topic, and only publications dated 2020 or later (with some exceptions) can be filtered by Setting. Most publications older than 2010 can only be searched by keyword. 
Henaut, Y., Delfour, F. 2023. Manatees in zoological parks throughout the world: History, state, and welfare. Animals 13(20), 3228.

The order Sirenia comprises several species of manatees and one species of dugong. These popular marine mammals are relatively recent acquisitions to zoological parks throughout the world. As far as we know, there are less...

Littlewood, K. E., Heslop, M. V., Cobb, M. L. 2023. The agency domain and behavioral interactions: Assessing positive animal welfare using the Five Domains Model. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 10.
Mooney, A., McCall, K., Bastow, S. et al. 2023. Changes in environment and management practices improve foot health in zoo-housed flamingos. Animals 13(15), 2483.

Foot lesions are a highly prevalent phenomenon among zoo-housed flamingos, with up to 99.8% of birds affected. These lesions are a recognized welfare concern, increasing the likelihood of bacterial infections, and even septicemia. Although several...

Rose, P. 2023. Identifying essential elements of good giraffe welfare—Can we use knowledge of a species’ fundamental needs to develop welfare-focussed husbandry? Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 4(3), 549–566.

Measurement of zoo animal welfare states enables improvement to husbandry and management to be evidence-based and implemented according to species’ needs. Theoretical welfare concepts are often discussed, and whilst it is helpful to ensure wide...

Smith, S. A. 2023. Fish welfare in public aquariums and zoological collections. Animals 13(16), 2548.

A wide variety of fish species have been displayed in public aquariums and zoological collections for over 150 years. Though the issue of pain perception in fish is still being debated, there is no disagreement...

Wang, Y., Wei, W., Yuan, F. et al. 2023. The science underlying giant panda conservation translocations. Animals 13(21), 3332.

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is the flagship species of animal conservation worldwide, and the number of captive pandas reached 673 in 2021. According to the Fourth National Survey Report on the Giant Panda, there...

Williams, E., Fulwell, T., Walsh, N. D. et al. 2023. The impacts of evening events in zoos: A christmas event at Knowsley Safari. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 4(1), 21–38.

It is important to examine the animal welfare implications of all aspects of zoo operations, including out-of-hours public events. Research to date has indicated variable responses across species and event types. The current research aimed...

Powell, J., Collins, T., Beaty, T. et al. 2023. A fat tailed what?!: Navigating husbandry for the fat tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata). Laboratory Animal Science Professional 11(4) (July/August), 46-48.

FTDs are Australian carnivorous nocturnal marsupials, whose diet, environmental needs, and enrichment vary from typical research species. Due to the limited working knowledge on the husbandry and care of this species in a biomedical setting...

Chikamura, Y., Takahashi, K., Masuda, R. 2023. A mixed-species shoal including fewer heterospecifics is preferred by jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus juveniles. Behavioural Processes 211, 104930.

Mixed-species shoals of fishes were reported from various environments such as coral reefs and temperate lakes. The driving mechanism of forming mixed-species shoal can be either haphazard or a preferential choice by an individual. Here...

Cordoni, G., Ciarcelluti, G., Pasqualotto, A. et al. 2023. Is it for real? Structural differences between play and real fighting in adult chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). American Journal of Primatology 85(9), e23537.

In primates, as well as in other mammals, play fighting (PF) is a complex form of playful activity that is structurally similar to real fighting (RF) and may also be used in a competitive way...

Depauw, S., Verbist, L., Stevens, J. et al. 2023. Feeding management of giraffe towards positive welfare. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 11(4), 400–413.

This study prioritised positive affective states while modifying the feeding management of five giraffes at Zoo Planckendael and monitored the impact on indicators of both negative and positive welfare. Observations were conducted day and night...

English, H., Harvey, L., Wilson, R. et al. 2023. Multi-sensor biologgers and innovative training allow data collection with high conservation and welfare value in zoos. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 11(1), 220–231.

Zoos are valuable resources for research, allowing scientists to observe rare and elusive species. Animal-attached loggers (biologgers) offer profound insight into animal behaviour. Their use in zoos has great yet largely untapped potential to collect...

Fazekas, G., Müller, T., Stanivuk, J. et al. 2023. Evaluation of applying environmental enrichment to sterlets (Acipenser ruthenus L.) in early life stages. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 268, 106090.

Traditional aquaculture farming conditions favour the development of maladaptive traits of reared fish. The hatchery releases are a crucial part of the population recovery action in sturgeon species. The manipulation of the environment could be...

Gendron, M. E., Buston, P. M. 2023. Review of housing and husbandry of anemonefishes for use in research. Journal of Fish Biology 103(5), 924–938.

Anemonefishes of the genus Amphiprion are emerging as a model organism for marine science, so there is potentially a lot for the research community to gain by optimizing and standardizing housing and husbandry protocols. Here...

Island, H. D., Smith, B., Winn, E. M. et al. 2023. A longitudinal study of parenting conditions on two adult, North American river otters’ (Lontra Canadensis) repetitive behavior. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 26(1), 15–28.

Captive animal welfare research focuses on husbandry, enrichment, enclosure space, visitor effects, and opportunities for species-typical behavior (e.g., foraging, territoriality, and social interaction). And yet, one of the most biologically relevant opportunities for species-typical behavior...

Keeley, T., Ritky, K., Russell, T. 2023. A retrospective examination of factors associated with breeding success of Tasmanian devils in captivity (2006 to 2012). Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 11(1), 211–219.

The captive Tasmanian devil Sarcophilus harrisii insurance population was initiated in 2005 in response to rapid wild population declines due to a fatal, transmissible cancer. Wild-caught founders were sourced at the age of dispersal from...

Kleinlugtenbelt, C., Clauss, M., Burkevica, A. et al. 2023. Fasted and furious? Considerations on the use of fasting days in large carnivore husbandry. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 11(3), 318–323.

Many large mammalian terrestrial carnivores do not hunt every day in their natural habitats, because given the right prey, they can gorge-feed more than their daily energy and nutrient requirements. At the same time, there...

Kottmann, J. S., Berge, G. M., Kousoulaki, K. et al. 2023. Welfare and performance of ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta) reared at two different temperatures after a preparatory feeding trial with enhanced dietary eicosapentaenoic acid. Journal of Fish Biology 103(5), 906–923.

Concerns have long been raised about the welfare of ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta) used for the biological control of sea lice in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) aquaculture. This study assessed the effect of increased dietary...

Nyqvist, D., Schiavon, A., Candiotto, A. et al. 2023. PIT-tagging Italian spined loach (Cobitis bilineata): Methodology, survival and behavioural effects. Journal of Fish Biology 102(3), 575–580.

The Italian spined loach (Cobitis bilineata) is an elongated, small-sized (

Okabe, K., Fukuizumi, H., Kawamura, A. et al. 2023. An investigation of browsing enrichment, especially non-leaf foraging, on giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) at Kyoto City Zoo in Japan. Zoo Biology 42(1), 157–161.

Browsing enrichment may aid in developing species-specific behaviors for giraffes managed in zoos as a means of improving animal welfare. By nature, giraffes are tree-feeding animals, including tree bark, but the extent of food other...

Rosati, A. G., Sabbi, K. H., Bryer, M. A. H. et al. 2023. Observational approaches to chimpanzee behavior in an African sanctuary: Implications for research, welfare, and capacity-building. American Journal of Primatology 85(9), e23534.

Research in African ape sanctuaries has emerged as an important context for our understanding of comparative cognition and behavior. While much of this work has focused on experimental studies of cognition, these animals semi-free-range in...

Saito, M., Matsunaga, M., Fukuizumi, H. et al. 2023. Factors affecting captive female giraffe stress response: Male presence, small enclosure, and low temperature. Zoo Biology 42(5), 632–643.

To improve animal welfare based on suitable social housing conditions, it is important to understand the factors that trigger high-stress responses. Wild giraffes live in a fission–fusion society and males and females are rarely in...

Trelfa-Stewart, E., Cox, L. 2023. Battle of the enrichments: Comparing the impact of nutritional and sensory enrichment on the behaviour of captive lowland tapirs Tapirus terrestris. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 11(3), 336–344.

Environmental enrichment is used to improve the welfare of captive animals by providing increased environmental variety, the provision of choice, and the opportunity to develop competency. The efficacy of a range of environmental enrichment should...

Walldén, W. 2023. Giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis feeding: How stereotypies and other behaviours changed at Kolmårdens djurpark in Sweden. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 11(4), 393–399.

Kolmården djurpark keeps one of the most northern living giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis groups in the world, and this comes with its challenges. For a long part of the year, the outside temperature is too cold...

Williams, B., Campbell, J., Kendall, C. et al. 2023. Exploring the behaviors and social preferences of a large, multigenerational herd of zoo-housed southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum). Zoo Biology 42(4), 476–489.

The zoo-housed southern white rhinoceros (SWR) population is of special concern due to their lack of consistent breeding success. An enhanced understanding of SWR social preferences could better inform management planning by promoting natural social...