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. 
Hamilton, J., Fuller, G., Allard, S. 2020. Evaluation of the impact of behavioral opportunities on four zoo-housed aardvarks (Orycteropus afer). Animals 10(8), 1433.

Evaluations of enrichment are critical to determine if an enrichment program is meeting stated goals. However, nocturnal species can present a challenge if their active periods do not align with caretakers’ schedules. To evaluate enrichment...

Riggio, G., Mariti, C., Boncompagni, C. et al. 2019. Feeding enrichment in a captive pack of European wolves (Canis lupus lupus): Assessing the effects on welfare and on a zoo's recreational, educational and conservational role. Animals 9(6), 331.

This study investigated the effects of two feeding enrichment programs on the behaviour of a captive pack of European wolves (Canis lupus lupus) and their correlation with both zoo visitors' interest towards the exhibit and...

Fernandez, E. J., Timberlake, W. 2019. Foraging devices as enrichment in captive walruses (Odobenus rosmarus). Behavioural Processes 168, 103943.

Stereotypies in captive animals are typically defined as repetitive, invariant behavioral patterns with no obvious goal or function. They are often attributed to boredom or fear and treated by introducing occupational stimuli. The present work...

Egelkamp, C. L., Ross, S. R. 2019. A review of zoo-based cognitive research using touchscreen interfaces. Zoo Biology 38(2), 220-235.

In the past few decades, there has been an increase in the number of zoo-based touchscreen studies of animal cognition around the world. Such studies have contributed to the field of comparative cognition despite the...

Cox, R. J., Nol, P., Ellis, C. K. et al. 2019. Research with agricultural animals and wildlife. ILAR Journal 60(1), 66-73.

In fiscal year 2016, agricultural animals such as swine, sheep, goats, and cattle represented 10% of the 820 812 animals used in USDA-regulated research. In addition to traditional agricultural animals, research studies using captive wildlife...

Koistinen, T., Raatikainen, S., Sepponen, J. et al. 2018. Resting preferences and welfare of Finnraccoon (Nyctereutes procyonoides ussuriensis) females housed in various housing conditions in winter. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 207, 129-137.

Raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides ussuriensis) is the only canid species using facultative passive wintering strategy. The aim of the present study is to document the behaviour and welfare of the farmed variant of the species...

Freling, S. 2018. Learning about tree shrews. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 5(4) (December), 14-17.

This article describes the natural behaviors of tree shrews and how to accommodate for their care and welfare in a laboratory, including information on infant rearing and diet, caging, environmental enrichment, and mitigation of stressors.

Alligood, C. A., Dorey, N. R., Mehrkam, L. R. et al. 2017. Applying behavior-analytic methodology to the science and practice of environmental enrichment in zoos and aquariums. Zoo Biology 36(3), 175–185.

Environmental enrichment in zoos and aquariums is often evaluated at two overlapping levels: published research and day‐to‐day institutional record keeping. Several authors have discussed ongoing challenges with small sample sizes in between‐groups zoological research and...

Ferrecchia, C., Pincolini, K., Chum, H. et al. 2017. Husbandry of laboratory-housed Egyptian (Rousettus aegyptiacus) fruit bats. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 5(2) (June), 18-23.

The University of California, Berkeley, houses a variety of unique species, each requiring their own specific husbandry protocols, as well as additional enrichment and safety protocols. While housing of bats in zoological parks is common...

Skrinyer, A. J., Faure, P. A., Dannemiller, S. et al. 2017. Care and husbandry of the world’s only flying mammals. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 5(2) (June), 24-27.

Husbandry of these unusual and complicated creatures requires creativity and attention to species-specific needs. Authors from the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), SUNY Downstate, and McMaster University formed a collaboration aimed at optimizing the health...

Krebs, B., Watters, J. 2017. Simple but temporally unpredictable puzzles are cognitive enrichment. Animal Behavior and Cognition 4(1), 119–134.

Provision of problem solving opportunities as enrichment for animals considered highly intelligent has increased over the last twenty years, but this emphasis on animals considered intelligent may overlook the need for cognitive challenge in species...

Troxell-Smith, S., Watters, J., Whelan, C. et al. 2017. Zoo foraging ecology: Preference and welfare assessment of two okapi (Okapia johnstoni) at the Brookfield Zoo. Animal Behavior and Cognition 4(2), 187–199.

Applying principles of foraging ecology to zoo-housed animals can positively influence animal behavior, and assist with evaluating exhibit space and design. In this study, we implemented zoo foraging ecology by measuring giving-up densities (GUDs) in...

Coelho, C. M., de Azevedo, C. S., de Barros Vaz Guimarães, M. A. et al. 2016. Environmental enrichment effect on fecal glucocorticoid metabolites and captive maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) behavior. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 19(4), 353-362.

Environmental enrichment is a technique that may reduce the stress of nonhuman animals in captivity. Stress may interfere with normal behavioral expression and affect cognitive decision making. Noninvasive hormonal studies can provide important information about...

Cortés Duarte, A., Trujillo, F., Superina, M. 2016. Behavioral responses of three armadillo species (Mammalia: Xenarthra) to an environmental enrichment program in Villavicencio, Colombia. Zoo Biology 35(4), 304-312.

Enrichment is a powerful tool to improve the welfare of animals under human care. Stress‐related health and behavioral problems, as well as reproductive failure, are frequent in armadillos (Xenarthra, Cingulata, Dasypodidae) under human care, which...

Bono, L., Mongillo, P., De Boni-Russo, G. et al. 2016. Effects of 2 forms of environmental enrichment on a group of captive blackbucks (Antilope cervicapra): A pilot study. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 12, 66-72.

The aim of this preliminary study was to assess the effects of 2 forms of environmental enrichment (i.e., branched tree trunk and brushes) on the behavior of a group of 8 captive blackbucks. Animals were...

Hanna, P., Frick, E., Kuczaj, S. 2016. A tool use task proves enriching for a captive sea otter (Enhydra lutris). Animal Behavior and Cognition 3(2), 88–94.

Environmental enrichment is used to improve an animal’s physical and psychological well-being while housed in a captive environment. Alligood and Leighty (2015) suggested that enrichment that emulates the natural and preferred behaviors of the species...

Fay, C., Miller, L. 2015. Utilizing scents as environmental enrichment: Preference assessment and application with Rothschild giraffe. Animal Behavior and Cognition 2(3), 285–291.

Zoological institutions use environmental enrichment to increase opportunities for animals to engage in species-appropriate behavior. In these facilities, enrichment for giraffe typically consists of different types of feeders to increase the percentage of time spent...

Melfi, V. 2013. Is training zoo animals enriching? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 147, 299-305.

Husbandry training of zoo animals (training) has been associated with many benefits, and indisputably is a valuable tool; training facilitates movement of animals within their environment, and participation in husbandry and medical procedures. Training has...

Grisa, R., Bertelé, M., Vaglio, S. et al. 2013. A therapeutic environmental enrichment programme for managing pathological behaviour in the fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox). Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 1(1), 41-43.

This study is based on an adult male fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) that arrived at Garda Zoological Park (Italy) exhibiting stereotyped and self-injuring behaviours and follows its subsequent rehabilitation through a long-term environmental enrichment programme. Data...

Hoy, J. M., Murray, P. J., Tribe, A. 2010. Thirty years later: Enrichment practices for captive mammals. Zoo Biology 29(3), 303-316.

Environmental enrichment of captive mammals has been steadily evolving over the past thirty years. For this process to continue, it is first necessary to define current enrichment practices and then identify the factors that limit...

Pecenko, N. 1997. Visitors as an environmental enrichment. In: Proceedings on the International Conference on Environmental Enrichment. Holst, B. (ed), 325-33. Copenhagen Zoo, Frederiksberg, DK.

Because of the influence in behaviour, we can say that visitors are a kind of environmental enrichment. .... Sometimes visitors have a negative effect (increase of aggressive behaviour, begging for food) and in some cases...