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. 
Cohen, S., Kaplan, J. R., Cunnick, J. E. et al. 1992. Chronic social stress, affiliation, and cellular immune response in nonhuman primates. Psychological Science 3, 301-304.

Animals in the unstable [group-] condition also demonstrated relatively suppressed immune response. More affiliative animals showed enhanced immune response, with the beneficial effects of affiliation occurring primarily among unstable animals. The data are interpreted as...

Clark, B. 1992. Consideration of primate ecology as behavioral enricher. American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums/Canadian Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA/CAZPA) Annual Conference Proceedings, 557 (Abstract).

Review of early enrichment studies with very useful recommendations. Housing should be dynamic and entertaining in structure and function. Largest areas practical should be provided with appropriate perching in various configurations to reduce constant visual...

Clark, B. 1992. Enrichment options: Food dispensers. Animal Keepers' Forum 19(1), 15.

Drawings of a seed dispenser and a biscuit dispenser.

Clark, B. 1992. Sustaining captive primate `natural' behavior via psychological enrichment. Proceedings of the National Conference of the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) 17, 123-145.

Valuable recommendations for the enrichment of environment for captive primates.

Chopra, P. K., Seth, P. K., Seth, S. 1992. Behavioural profile of free-ranging rhesus monkeys. Primate Report 32, 75-105.

Arboreality was recorded at its maximum in the forest habitat (40.2%), followed by pond (34.1%) and temple (27.8%) habitats. ... When the group was threatened by external dangers, almost all animal responded by immediately climbing...

Choi, G. C., Canfield, R. W., Hall, E. C. et al. 1992. Environmental enrichment strategies for baboons. Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 31(4), 6 (Abstract).

Toys and swings were used predominantly by single-housed juveniles in gang cages.

Chambers, D. R., Gibson, T. E., Bindman, L. et al. 1992. Guidelines on the Handling and Training of Laboratory Animals. Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, Potters Bar, UK.

Very helpful outline of what has to be taken into consideration when training animals to cooperate during handling procedures. Non-human primates, particularly the larger macaques, vervets, baboons and apes, are readily trained to cooperate in...

Carbonaro, D. A., Friend, T. H., Dellmeier, G. R. et al. 1992. Behavioral and physiological responses of dairy goats to isolation. Physiology and Behavior 51, 297-301.

Goats show significant physiological [increased plasma norepinephrine] and behavioral responses [vocalization, trotting, rearing] to being kept alone without contact with other goats.

Bushong, D., Schapiro, S. J., Bloomsmith, M. A. 1992. Self-aggression in nonhuman primates: A review of its development/possible causes, methods of therapeutic treatment, and its relevance to the zoo situation. American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) Regional Conference Proceedings, 723-728.

Social enrichment appears to be the most effective method of reducing the development or frequency of abnormal behaviors.

Britt, A. 1992. Environmental enrichment for a captive group of Sulawesi macaques (Macaca nigra). Congress of the International Primatological Society , 304 (Abstract).

Examination of individual activity budgets suggests that these [feeding] enrichment devices do not benefit all individuals [of the group] and may lose effectiveness in the long term.

Britt, A. 1992. Problems in evaluating the success of environmental enrichment ideas for captive primates. Primate Eye 46, 9 (Abstract).

A plea will also be made for some standardization of methods for evaluating the success of enrichment devices and techniques.

Brent, L. 1992. Woodchip bedding as enrichment for captive chimpanzees in an outdoor enclosure. Animal Welfare 1(3), 161-170.

The use of woodchips as bedding for 16 juvenile chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) was evaluated for the effects on behaviour, health and husbandry practices. Woodchip bedding was placed in two outdoor play areas for five consecutive...

Brent, L. 1992. The effects of cage size and pair housing on the behavior of captive chimpanzees. American Journal of Primatology 27, 20 (Abstract).

Environmental manipulation was higher and inactivity lower in the [furnished] large single cage than in the [furnished] small single cage. The mean abnormal behaviors decreased in the larger cages but the difference was not significant...

Brent, L. 1992. Enriching the lives of captive primates. Humane Innovations and Alternatives in Animal Experimentation 6, 371-373.

The author reviews improvements in the behavioral management of a colony of captive chimpanzees at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research. Environmental enrichment techniques, such as providing increased opportunities for physical, sensory, and feeding stimulation...

Bodamer, M. D. 1992. Signs of enrichment. ChimpanZoo Conference Proceedings, 77-90.

Chimpanzees were provided with a wide variety of things to do

Boccia, M. L., Broussard, C., Scanlan, J. et al. 1992. Practice makes predictable: The differential effect of repeated sampling on behavioral and physiological responses in monkeys. In: The Inevitable Bond: Examining Scientist-Animal Interactions. Davis, H. , Balfour, A. D. (eds), 153-170. Cambridge University Press, New York, NY.

In our laboratory, we have made it a point to minimize the human-animal interactions, assuming that by minimizing interactions, we optimize experimental conditions by eliminating confounding handling effects. The results presented here, however, suggest that...

Bloomsmith, M. A. 1992. Chimpanzee training and behavioural research: A symbiotic relationship. American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums/Canadian Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA/CAZPA) Annual Conference Proceedings, 403-410.

Training can offer some tremendous benefits to behavioral scientist working with nunhuman primates.

Bloomsmith, M. A. 1992. Environmental enrichment research in a chimpanzee laboratory: Relevance to the Chimpanzoo program. ChimpanZoo Conference Proceedings, 49-54.

A review of selected chimpanzee enrichment articles.

Bellinger, L. L., Hill, E. G., Wiggs, R. B. 1992. Inexpensive modifications to nonhuman primate cages that allow social grouping. Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 31(3), 10-12.

These two design modifications [PVC tunnels and stainless steel tunnels connecting two adjacent cages] allow us to inexpensively modify existing caging to meet the USDA regulations of social grouping.

Beirise, J. H., Reinhardt, V. 1992. Three inexpensive environmental enrichment options for group-housed Macaca mulatta. Laboratory Primate Newsletter 31(1), 7-8.

We distributed the following enrichment materials on the floor once a week, each on a different day: (1) 1 kg roasted peanuts in their shells; (2) 32 ears of hard corn; (3) one non-corrugated cardboard...

Bayne, K., Dexter, S. L., Mainzer H et al. 1992. The use of artificial turf as a foraging substrate for individually housed rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Animal Welfare 1, 39-53.

In this study artificial turf was used as the substrate for a particulate food given to the subjects as an environmental enrichment technique. When their cages were not enriched, eight single-caged subjects exhibited abnormal behaviors...

Bayne, K., Dexter, S., Suomi, S. 1992. A preliminary survey of the incidence of abnormal behavior in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) relative to housing condition. Lab Animal 21(5), 38-46.

To assess the behavioral status of individuals from one nonhuman primate species housed in different social [single vs group] and physical environments [corn crib vs indoor/outdoor run], we conducted a survey of abnormal behaviors in...

Bayne, K., Hurst, J. K., Dexter, S. L. 1992. Evaluation of the preference to and behavioral effects of an enriched environment on male rhesus monkeys. Laboratory Animal Science 42, 38-45.

With simultaneous exposure, the single-housed subjects spent the greatest portion of the interactive time [30 minute-observation sessions] on the perch [16.8%], the second greatest amount of time spent divided approximately equally between interacting with the...

Bayne, K. 1992. Enrichment strategies for nonhuman primates: Planning, implementation and monitoring. In: Implementation Strategies for Research Animal Well-Being: Institutional Compliance With Regulations. Krulisch, L. (ed), 131-135. Scientist Center for Animal Welfare and WARDS, Bethesda, MD.

An enrichment schedule for implementation and monitoring keeps the facility and visiting personnel alert to what is occurring in each animal room.

Bayne, K. , Dexter, S. 1992. Environmental enrichment for research chimpanzees. In: Chimpanzee Conservation and Public Health: Environments for the Future. Erwin, J. , Landon, J. C. (ed), 147-153. Diagnon/Bioqual, Rockville, MD.

Description of an enrichment plan for chimpanzees.