Animal Suffering: An Invertebrate Perspective

Consideration of the welfare of other animals often is anthropocentric, focusing usually on mammals similar to humans. This article argues the necessity of evaluating the extension of such consideration more widely to invertebrates. Although unlike humans, some groups such as cephalopod molluscs probably have the potential for pain and suffering. In addition, a morality of care, rather than one of rights, and the damage humans do to themselves by cruel treatment of animals both argue for the extension of consideration to all animal species. This consideration predicts extension of basic care of cephalopods from simple housing and feeding into areas such as behavioral enrichment.     

Cardiorespiratory Stimuli: Receptor Cell Versus Whole Animal

SYNOPSIS. Research on the sensory inputs regulating ventilationand perfusion in vertebrates has slowly moved from studies ofreceptor cells to studies of the receptor proteins on receptorcells involved in signal transduction. With this new emphasisand the insights gained from this work, questions arise aboutthe significance of specific transduction mechanisms and theirlink to whole animal responses to various stimuli. This is illustratedin the present chapter using two examples. The first describespulmonary mechanoreceptors in identical locations but with differentorientations. As a result of the differences in their orientation,although the receptors have identical signal transduction mechanismsand identical roles in terms of the reflex effects they elicit,they respond to different stimuli at the whole animal level.The second example suggests that different populations of O₂sensitive chemoreceptors may exist that have identical signaltransduction mechanisms but, because of differences in theirbalance of oxygen supply to demand, may respond to differentstimuli at the whole animal level. The lesson to be learnedfrom these examples is that accompanying the growing knowledgeof receptor cell function at the molecular level is a growingneed to integrate this knowledge with empirical observationsof whole animal responses.     

The Media's Response to Animal Rights Activism

ABSTRACT

Two recently published projects documented a peak in print coverage of animal-related topics in the late 1980s with a subsequent decline in coverage. One of the studies specifically tracked media coverage of activism on behalf of animals and documented a similar trend in the number of stories on the subject. Those observations are confirmed by the findings of a study, reported in this paper, that tracked print coverage of three annual animal rights events in the USA over a period of 13 years. In addition to charting trends in coverage, the study attempted to compare the level of media coverage with the level of activist participation. Differences are also noted between media attention to protest and nonprotest events. This is the third in a series of articles on the role of the media in animal protection; the fourth and final paper will discuss the use of advertising to promote animal protection.     

Weismann Versus Morgan Revisited: Clashing Interpretations on Animal Regeneration

This paper has three principal aims: first, through a detailed analysis of the hypotheses and assumptions underlying Weismann’s and Morgan’s disagreement on the nature of animal regeneration, it seeks to readdress the imbalance in coverage of their discussion, providing, at the same time, a fascinating case-study for those interested in general issues related to controversies in science. Second, contrary to Morgan’s beliefs according to which Weismann employed a speculative and unempirical method of scientific investigation, the article shows that Weismann performed experiments, made observations and proposed ‘undogmatic’ theories open to refutation. Third, through the reconstruction of Weismann’s and Morgan’s disagreement, this study illustrates how biology, during the very late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, was undergoing important changes. I argue that this controversy clearly and convincingly demonstrates how some important epistemic assumptions became increasingly problematic for some members of the younger generations of biologists. At the end of my discussion I will also argue that Weismann and Morgan both had strong well-grounded arguments supporting their conclusions; for this reason I suggest a few factors (“taken-for-granted” beliefs or assumptions) that could explain why their disagreement was doomed to remain unresolved. In particular, I will analyze their diverse explicative interests, their different theoretical concerns and their distinct use of the available evidence.     

Response to novelty inSaimiri andCallicebus: Influence of social context

Responses to novel objects by pair-livingSaimiri andCallicebus and grouplivingSaimiri were investigated in two experiments. In the first, titis and squirrel monkeys were tested in the presence and absence of an opposite-sexed pairmate. The species were differentially affected by the absence of the pairmate: titis of both sexes were distressed and object interest was attenuated; squirrel monkeys were not distressed and object scores (particularly females') increased. Nonsocial differences in object exploration principally involved the tempo and mode of investigation; squirrel monkeys were quicker and more vigorous than titis. In the second experiment, presence of a novel object was found to attract and arouse grouplivingSaimiri, as indicated by the change in the frequency and nature of social interactions and spatial distribution. Within- and between-sex social interactions reflected the typical female nucleus-peripheral male pattern seen inSaimiri groups in other environments. Species differences in investigatory patterns were considered to be contributing elements in the maintenance of distinctive life-styles.     

Animal Adoption as Negotiated Order: A Comparison of Open Versus Traditional Shelter Approaches

ABSTRACT

Recently, the sheltering community has begun to reevaluate its adoption policies and the attitudes that shelter workers have towards adopters. Some shelters are now implementing what have been termed “open” adoptions as a way of increasing the number of animals adopted into good homes, moving away from more “traditional,” protective approaches. Based on in-depth interviews with, and observation of, the staff at two such shelters, this study examines how the adoption process is a negotiated order; namely, that workers in concert with each other and potential adopters figure out on a case-by-case basis how to interpret and implement formal adoption policies. Workers at both shelters similarly sorted potential adopters into various categories but relied on different strategies for influencing the outcome of the adoption process.     

Experimental Control for the Ovariectomized Rat Model: Use of Sham Versus Nonmanipulated Animal

One of 2 models required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for registration of a treatment for osteoporosis, the ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, is widely used in scientific studies investigating sex hormone-deficient bone loss. The use of control nonhuman animals is critical because bone turnover may be affected by animal stress, use of anesthetic, and the mechanisms involved in wound healing. Historically, researchers have used sham-operated animals who undergo the same manipulations as the OVX rats, but ethical concerns require consideration of unmanipulated (unoperated) control animals to minimize animal distress and unnecessary procedures. Herein, we report the results of 3 studies including OVX, sham, and unmanipulated rats and the effects on bone mineral density and content (BMD/BMC) during 2 to 6 months postsurgery. Our data indicate that while OVX animals generally had lower BMD and BMC than animals in either of the control groups, no differences were observed between sham and unmanipulated animals at any of the time points assessed. However, because bone turnover is a long-term process, studies with longer duration and multiple endpoints are warranted to confirm these results.