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Corbani TL, Martin JE, Healy SD. The Impact of Acute Loud Noise on the Behavior of Laboratory Birds. Front Vet Sci 2021; 7:607632. [PMID: 33490135 PMCID: PMC7815526 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.607632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Husbandry procedures and facility settings, such as low-frequency fire alarms, can produce noises in a laboratory environment that cause stress to animals used in research. However, most of the data demonstrating harmful effects that have, consequently, led to adaptations to management, have largely come from laboratory rodents with little known of the impacts on avian behavior and physiology. Here we examined whether exposure to a routine laboratory noise, a low-frequency fire alarm test, induced behavioral changes in laboratory zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Twenty-four breeding pairs of zebra finches were randomly selected and exposed to the low-frequency fire alarm (sounding for 10-20 s) or no noise (control) on separate test days. All birds were filmed before and after the alarm sounded and on a control day (without the alarm). The zebra finches decreased their general activity and increased stationary and social behaviors after exposure to the alarm. Brief exposure to a low-frequency alarm disrupted the birds' behavior for at least 15 min. The induction of this behavioral stress response suggests that low-frequency sound alarms in laboratory facilities have the potential to compromise the welfare of laboratory birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tayanne L. Corbani
- The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Jessica E. Martin
- The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Susan D. Healy
- School of Biology, Harold Mitchell Building, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, United Kingdom
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Low welfare impact of noise: assessment in an experimental model of mice infected by Herpes simplex-1. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2018.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Orban DA, Soltis J, Perkins L, Mellen JD. Sound at the zoo: Using animal monitoring, sound measurement, and noise reduction in zoo animal management. Zoo Biol 2017; 36:231-236. [PMID: 28543739 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Revised: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 03/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
A clear need for evidence-based animal management in zoos and aquariums has been expressed by industry leaders. Here, we show how individual animal welfare monitoring can be combined with measurement of environmental conditions to inform science-based animal management decisions. Over the last several years, Disney's Animal Kingdom® has been undergoing significant construction and exhibit renovation, warranting institution-wide animal welfare monitoring. Animal care and science staff developed a model that tracked animal keepers' daily assessments of an animal's physical health, behavior, and responses to husbandry activity; these data were matched to different external stimuli and environmental conditions, including sound levels. A case study of a female giant anteater and her environment is presented to illustrate how this process worked. Associated with this case, several sound-reducing barriers were tested for efficacy in mitigating sound. Integrating daily animal welfare assessment with environmental monitoring can lead to a better understanding of animals and their sensory environment and positively impact animal welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joseph Soltis
- Disney's Animals, Science, and Environment, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
| | - Lori Perkins
- Disney's Animals, Science, and Environment, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
| | - Jill D Mellen
- Disney's Animals, Science, and Environment, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
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McBride EA. Small prey species’ behaviour and welfare: implications for veterinary professionals. J Small Anim Pract 2017; 58:423-436. [DOI: 10.1111/jsap.12681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2015] [Revised: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E. Anne McBride
- School of Psychology; University of Southampton; Southampton, SO17 1BJ UK
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Houser DS, Yost W, Burkard R, Finneran JJ, Reichmuth C, Mulsow J. A review of the history, development and application of auditory weighting functions in humans and marine mammals. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 141:1371. [PMID: 28372133 DOI: 10.1121/1.4976086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This document reviews the history, development, and use of auditory weighting functions for noise impact assessment in humans and marine mammals. Advances from the modern era of electroacoustics, psychophysical studies of loudness, and other related hearing studies are reviewed with respect to the development and application of human auditory weighting functions, particularly A-weighting. The use of auditory weighting functions to assess the effects of environmental noise on humans-such as hearing damage-risk criteria-are presented, as well as lower-level effects such as annoyance and masking. The article also reviews marine mammal auditory weighting functions, the development of which has been fundamentally directed by the objective of predicting and preventing noise-induced hearing loss. Compared to the development of human auditory weighting functions, the development of marine mammal auditory weighting functions have faced additional challenges, including a large number of species that must be considered, a lack of audiometric information on most species, and small sample sizes for nearly all species for which auditory data are available. The review concludes with research recommendations to address data gaps and assumptions underlying marine mammal auditory weighting function design and application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorian S Houser
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, Suite 200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - William Yost
- Speech and Hearing Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
| | - Robert Burkard
- Department of Rehabilitation Science, University at Buffalo, 510 Kimball Tower, Buffalo, New York 14214, USA
| | - James J Finneran
- United States Navy Marine Mammal Program, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, Code 71510, 53560 Hull Street, San Diego, California 92152, USA
| | - Colleen Reichmuth
- Institute of Marine Sciences, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95060, USA
| | - Jason Mulsow
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, Suite 200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
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Abstract
If the scientist needs to contact the animal facility after any study to inquire about husbandry details, this represents a lost opportunity, which can ultimately interfere with the study results and their interpretation. There is a clear tendency for authors to describe methodological procedures down to the smallest detail, but at the same time to provide minimal information on animals and their husbandry. Controlling all major variables as far as possible is the key issue when establishing an experimental design. The other common mechanism affecting study results is a change in the variation. Factors causing bias or variation changes are also detectable within husbandry. Our lives and the lives of animals are governed by cycles: the seasons, the reproductive cycle, the weekend-working days, the cage change/room sanitation cycle, and the diurnal rhythm. Some of these may be attributable to routine husbandry, and the rest are cycles, which may be affected by husbandry procedures. Other issues to be considered are consequences of in-house transport, restrictions caused by caging, randomization of cage location, the physical environment inside the cage, the acoustic environment audible to animals, olfactory environment, materials in the cage, cage complexity, feeding regimens, kinship, and humans. Laboratory animal husbandry issues are an integral but underappreciated part of investigators' experimental design, which if ignored can cause major interference with the results. All researchers should familiarize themselves with the current routine animal care of the facility serving them, including their capabilities for the monitoring of biological and physicochemical environment.
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Toth LA. The influence of the cage environment on rodent physiology and behavior: Implications for reproducibility of pre-clinical rodent research. Exp Neurol 2015; 270:72-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2015.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2015] [Revised: 04/13/2015] [Accepted: 04/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Pate W, Charlton M, Wellington C. Measurement and analysis of 8-hour time-weighted average sound pressure levels in a vivarium decontamination facility. ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH 2013; 68:173-179. [PMID: 23566325 DOI: 10.1080/19338244.2012.676104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Occupational noise exposure is a recognized hazard for employees working near equipment and processes that generate high levels of sound pressure. High sound pressure levels have the potential to result in temporary or permanent alteration in hearing perception. The cleaning of cages used to house laboratory research animals is a process that uses equipment capable of generating high sound pressure levels. The purpose of this research study was to assess occupational exposure to sound pressure levels for employees operating cage decontamination equipment. This study reveals the potential for overexposure to hazardous noise as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit and consistent surpassing of the OSHA action level. These results emphasize the importance of evaluating equipment and room design when acquiring new cage decontamination equipment in order to minimize employee exposure to potentially hazardous noise pressure levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Pate
- Department of Environmental Health and Safety, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78229, USA.
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Huppertz-Kessler CJ, Poeschl J, Hertel R, Unsicker K, Schenkel J. Effects of a new postnatal stress model on monoaminergic neurotransmitters in rat brains. Brain Dev 2012; 34:274-9. [PMID: 21862272 DOI: 10.1016/j.braindev.2011.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2011] [Revised: 06/17/2011] [Accepted: 07/20/2011] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Stress and environmental perturbations influence postnatal brain development and may account for the high disability rates of preterm survivors following intensive care treatment. This study aims to investigate the impact of early environmental factors on the monoaminergic neurotransmitter system in the developing rat brain by using an innovative neonatal stress model. MATERIALS AND METHODS After birth, in the experimental groups newborn rats were separated from their mothers and exposed to different stressful stimuli four times a day on day P0 to P6 for 10 min each. To mimic intensive care treatment, the stress protocol applied environmental factors like bright light, noise, and low temperature alternating with pain and handling stress at day- and night-time in a varying sequence. The non-stressed control mothers and litters were left completely undisturbed until sacrificing on day P7 or P20. RESULTS Brains of stressed animals revealed significantly higher levels of norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) as determined by HPLC-ED and electrochemical detection at day P7 as compared to controls. When returned to their mothers' undisturbed care, juvenile rats at day P20 still showed higher (yet statistically not significant) concentrations of NE and DA in brain. The stressed animals gained less weight with significantly lower body weights at day P7 compared to controls. Their mothers developed various forms of stressed behaviour. CONCLUSIONS A novel animal model for postnatal intensive care stress was established leading to changes in brain monoamine levels of newborn rats, while undisturbed maternal care seems to moderate the stress effects subsequently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina J Huppertz-Kessler
- Division of Neonatology, Center for Child and Adolescent Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
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Meller A, Kasanen I, Ruksenas O, Apanaviciene N, Baturaite Z, Voipio HM, Nevalainen T. Refining cage change routines: comparison of cardiovascular responses to three different ways of cage change in rats. Lab Anim 2011; 45:167-73. [PMID: 21498640 DOI: 10.1258/la.2011.010134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Cage change is one of the unavoidable routines in laboratory rodent care. However, cage change disrupts the rodents' olfactory environment and can evoke stress reactions. In this study, the short-term cardiovascular responses to three different cage change procedures were compared with telemetric monitoring. These procedures were: placing the rats into a new, clean cage (NEW), transferring the old cage lid into the clean cage (LID) and transferring an enrichment object into the clean cage (ENR) with the animals. Seven outbred rats (four Hsd:Sprague-Dawley and three HsdBrlHan:WIST) were instrumented with telemetric transmitters. The reactions were recorded during the 24 h following the cage change procedures. All cage change procedures (and also simple handling) caused elevated heart rate and mean arterial pressure levels for up to 5 h after the procedure, with the largest effect seen during the first hour. The reactions observed after cage change were significantly (P < 0.05) greater than those observed after simple handling. The reactions after NEW were significantly higher than the reactions after ENR or LID, though the results were dependent on the stock. In Wistar rats the LID procedure resulted in smaller reactions than ENR. In Sprague-Dawley rats, the differences between ENR and LID were not so clear, but the transfer of scent-marked material into the new cage decreased the reactions compared with the NEW procedure also in this stock. Based on these results, using the old cage lid on the new cage could reduce the disturbance of cage change in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Meller
- Laboratory Animal Centre, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Lauer AM, May BJ, Hao ZJ, Watson J. Analysis of environmental sound levels in modern rodent housing rooms. Lab Anim (NY) 2009; 38:154-60. [PMID: 19384312 DOI: 10.1038/laban0509-154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2008] [Accepted: 12/31/2008] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Noise in animal housing facilities is an environmental variable that can affect hearing, behavior and physiology in mice. The authors measured sound levels in two rodent housing rooms (room 1 and room 2) during several 24-h periods. Room 1, which was subject to heavy personnel traffic, contained ventilated racks and static cages that housed large numbers of mice. Room 2 was accessed by only a few staff members, contained static cages only and housed fewer mice. In both rooms, background sound levels were usually about 80 dB, and transient noises caused sound levels to temporarily rise 30-40 dB above the baseline level; such peaks occurred frequently during work hours (8:30 AM to 4:30 PM) and infrequently during non-work hours. Noise peaks during work hours in room 1 occurred about two times as often as in room 2 (P = 0.01). Use of changing stations located in the rooms caused background noise to increase by about 10 dB. Loud noise and noise variability were attributed mainly to personnel activity. Attempts to reduce noise should concentrate on controlling sounds produced by in-room activities and experimenter traffic; this may reduce the variability of research outcomes and improve animal welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Lauer
- Department of Otolaryngology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Castelhano-Carlos MJ, Baumans V. The impact of light, noise, cage cleaning and in-house transport on welfare and stress of laboratory rats. Lab Anim 2009; 43:311-27. [PMID: 19505937 DOI: 10.1258/la.2009.0080098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Human interaction and physical environmental factors are part of the stimuli presented to laboratory animals everyday, influencing their behaviour and physiology and contributing to their welfare. Certain environmental conditions and routine procedures in the animal facility might induce stress responses and when the animal is unable to maintain its homeostasis in the presence of a particular stressor, the animal's wellbeing is threatened. This review article summarizes several published studies on the impact of environmental factors such as light, noise, cage cleaning and in-house transport on welfare and stress of laboratory rats. The behaviour and physiological responses of laboratory rats to different environmental housing conditions and routine procedures are reviewed. Recommendations on the welfare of laboratory rats and refinements in experimental design are discussed and how these can influence and improve the quality of scientific data.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Castelhano-Carlos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
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Burn CC, Mason GJ. Effects of cage-cleaning frequency on laboratory rat reproduction, cannibalism, and welfare. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2008.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Burn CC. What is it like to be a rat? Rat sensory perception and its implications for experimental design and rat welfare. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2008.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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