Into the wild: IACUCs and field studies

Animals studies done in the field are unlike other institutional animal research projects—the environment is extensive and often unfamiliar, the research variables are legion, and danger is (potentially) lurking in every forest, swamp, ocean, road, meadow, or mountain. Still, IACUCs are responsible for regulating and evaluating animal research conducted by researchers at their parent institution, even if that research is done far from the friendly confines of the campus or institutional facilities. Kennedy and his colleagues provide practical guidance to IACUCs faced with evaluating field study research proposals by sampling the questions a responsible IACUC might ask and outlining six essential principles that guide humane wildlife studies. The authors also explore the issues of occupational health and safety as they relate to animal research conducted in that unpredictable realm of 'the field.' See page 27

Mealtime matters in a regurgitating chimp

In some captive nonhuman primates, most notably gorillas and chimpanzees, persistent regurgitation and reingestion of food can be a concern for caretakers. Browse, in the form of branches and leaves, has been shown to reduce the incidence of this behavior in captive gorillas, as has feeding the gorillas continuously throughout the day. Videan and coworkers test these same methods in a 15-year-old chimpanzee with a seven-year history of regurgitation and reingestion by alternately providing additional opportunities to forage or giving daily browse. Surprisingly, unlike the previous studies in gorillas, increased foraging actually correlated to more regurgitation and reingestion. The browse, however, significantly reduced this behavior, suggesting that a successful way to reduce regurgitation and reingestion in a chimpanzee that fails to respond to other dietary changes is to provide daily browse. See page 35