Digital Commons Network^™

Chimpanzee Theory Of Mind: Looking In All The Wrong Places?, Kristin Andrews

Sentience Collection

I respond to an argument presented by Daniel Povinelli and Jennifer Vonk that the current generation of experiments on chimpanzee theory of mind cannot decide whether chimpanzees have the ability to reason about mental states. I argue that Povinelli and Vonk’s proposed experiment is subject to their own criticisms and that there should be a more radical shift away from experiments that ask subjects to predict behavior. Further, I argue that Povinelli and Vonk’s theoretical commitments should lead them to accept this new approach, and that experiments which offer subjects the opportunity to look for explanations for anomalous behavior should …

Cortical Complexity In Cetacean Brains, Patrick R. Hof, Rebecca Chanis, Lori Marino

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

Cetaceans (dolphins, whales, and porpoises) have a long, dramatically divergent evolutionary history compared with terrestrial mammals. Throughout their 55–60 million years of evolution, cetaceans acquired a compelling set of characteristics that include echolocation ability (in odontocetes), complex auditory and communicative capacities, and complex social organization. Moreover, although cetaceans have not shared a common ancestor with primates for over 90 million years, they possess a set of cognitive attributes that are strikingly convergent with those of many primates, including great apes and humans. In contrast, cetaceans have evolved a highly unusual combination of neurobiological features different from that of primates. As …

In Situ Examination Of Boldness–Shyness Traits In The Tropical Poeciliid, Brachyraphis Episcopi, Culum Brown, Felicity Jones, Victoria Braithwaite

Sentience Collection

Explaining consistent variation in the behaviour of individuals in terms of personality differences is one of the cornerstones of understanding human behaviour but is seldom discussed in behavioural ecology for fear of invoking anthropomorphism. Recently, however, interest has begun to focus on identifying personality traits in animals and examining their possible evolutionary consequences. One major axis used to define personality traits is the shyness–boldness continuum. We examined boldness in an in situ experiment using fish from eight populations of the poeciliid Brachyraphis episcopi (also referred to as Brachyrhaphis episcopi). Fish from high- and low-predation regions within four streams that run …

Which Drugs Cause Cancer?, Andrew Knight, Jarrod Bailey, Jonathan Balcombe

Experimentation Collection

Animal tests yield misleading results.

Csro Fall 2005

Central States Regional Office

• HSUS helps in Katrina's wake
• Animal hoarding exposed by CSRO, RAVS team
• Indiana, Michigan, Ohio: welcome to the region!
• "Off the Chain" reveals betrayal of man's best friend
• How to get involved in animal protection
• Illinois legislative update: H.B. 315 / S.B. 2078 (create the Illinois Public Health and Safety Animal Population Control Act), H.B. 3787 (amends the Humane Care for Animals Act)
• Indiana legislative update: S.B. 159 (requires that individuals convicted of committing animal cruelty receive psychological, behavioral, or other counseling)
• Kentucky legislative update
• Michigan legislative update: H.B. 4254 (requires schools to provide alternatives for students with a moral …

Maro Fall 2005

Mid-Atlantic Regional Office

• HSUS helps in Katrina's wake
• Red Lobster protest in Times Square
• NY license plate reduces pet overpopulation
• NJ program honored
• Paws up for PAWS!
• Celebrating Earth Day
• Deer deterrents work!
• WV animals win!
• "Off the Chain" reveals betrayal of man's best friend
• NJ bear hunt may be back
• Send a message to Trader Joe's
• Are we winning the battles but losing the war? (Nina Austenberg)

Mwro Fall 2005

Midwest Regional Office

• HSUS helps in Katrina's wake
• Big cruelty bust
• Taking issue with exotics
• "Off the Chain" reveals betrayal of man's best friend
• With a little help from our friends (Diane Webber)
• Send a message to Trader Joe's

Nero Fall 2005

New England Regional Office

• HSUS helps in Katrina's wake
• HSUS exposes Vermont coyote kill
• Teaming up for disaster training
• RAVS' New England debut
• Legislative Update
• Send a message to Trader Joe's
• Campaigns are coming (Joanne Bourbeau)

Nrro Fall 2005

Northern Rockies Regional Office

• HSUS helps in Katrina's wake
• NRRO is protecting Yellowstone bison
• Improving crow rodeo
• "Off the Chain" reveals betrayal of man's best friend
• Rezdogs: adopting the best of both worlds
• What have I done for animals today? (Dave Pauli)
• 2005-2006 Law Goals

Pnro Fall 2005

Pacific Northwest Regional Office

• HSUS helps Katrina's wake
• PNRO bucks deadly tradition in Omak
• "Off the Chain" reveals betrayal of man's best friend
• Animal fighting in WA a felony offense
• Taking a bite out of Idaho dogfighting
• Get ready for the next disaster
• The HSUS and factory farming (Robert Reder)
• Send a message to Trader Joe's

Sero Fall 2005

Southeast Regional Office

• HSUS helps FBI in raid
• HSUS's massive rescue effort in wake of Hurricane Katrina
• Hurricane Dennis proves a menace
• SERO aids in TN hoarding case
• Natural Foods chain puts the chicken before the egg
• FL Animal Friend plate available
• Protecting FL black bears
• "Godfather" of Louisiana dogfighting goes down
• "Off the Chain" reveals betrayal of man's best friend
• More goodbyes (Laura Bevan)

Swro Fall 2005

Southwest Regional Office

• Fighting cruelty here and yon
• HSUS's massive rescue effort in wake of Hurricane Katrina
• Internet hunting deleted
• Send a message to Trader Joe's
• Loopholes in state cruelty laws left open
• OK voters clear on cockfighting, again
• RAVS clinic reveals rural neglect
• "Off the Chain" reveals betrayal of man's best friend
• LA Dogfighting "Godfather" goes down
• Relationships forged in love (Lou Guyton)

Wcro Fall 2005

West Coast Regional Office

• HSUS helps in Katrina's wake
• Amador County cockfighting farm shut down
• Pai in the sky
• Legislative Update
• In Memorium: Frantz Dantzler, 1938-2005
• Preparing for disaster
• Tiger abuser finally sentenced
• "Off the Chain" reveals betrayal of man's best friend
• Is your cat safe at home?
• Actions speak louder than words (Eric Sakach)
• Call on Trader Joe's

The Use Of Transcriptomics To Address Questions In Behaviour: Production Of A Suppression Subtractive Hybridisation Library From Dominance Hierarchies Of Rainbow Trout, Lynne U. Sneddon, Javier Margareto, Andrew R. Cossins

Ethology Collection

Microarrays, or gene chips, are transforming the way that gene expression is measured by allowing us to determine the expression of thousands of genes from a sample. This gives immense power to examine gene expression on a global scale within individual animals and between animals. The scope for analysing complex animal functions at the molecular level is within our grasp. Relatively few studies have examined complex behaviours and correlated them with gene expression in the central nervous system. Here, we review the use of microarray technology in the dissection of behaviour and focus specifically on dominance status. A cDNA library …

Influence Of Neck-Rail Placement On Free-Stall Preference, Use, And Cleanliness, Cassandra B. Tucker, Daniel M. Weary, David Fraser

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

Three experiments examined how the presence of a neck rail at different heights and locations influenced dairy cattle behavior and stall cleanliness. Experiment 1 compared 4 levels of neck-rail height (102, 114, and 127 cm and no neck rail; presented at 160 or 180 cm from the curb) in a preference test. Cows (n = 10) showed no consistent preference based on neck-rail height, regardless of the horizontal position of the neck rail. When cows were restricted to each treatment in turn, however, time spent standing fully (with all 4 hooves) in the stall was least in the stall with …

Differential Stress Responses In Fish From Areas Of High- And Low-Predation Pressure, Culum Brown, Carolyn Gardner, Victoria Braithwaite

Aquaculture Collection

We subjected fish from regions of high and low levels of predation pressure in four independent streams to a mild stressor and recorded their opercular beat rates. Fish from low-predation areas showed higher maximum, minimum and mean opercular beat frequencies than fish from high-predation regions. The change in opercular beat frequency (scope) was also significantly greater in fish from low- than in fish from high-predation regions. Under normal activity levels, however, low predation fish showed a reduced opercular beat frequency, which may be indicative of reduced activity levels or metabolic rate. Opercular beat frequency was negatively correlated with standard length …

Animal Models Of Head Trauma, Ibolja Cernak

Biomedicine and Animal Models in Research Collection

Animal models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are used to elucidate primary and secondary sequelae underlying human head injury in an effort to identify potential neuroprotective therapies for developing and adult brains. The choice of experimental model depends upon both the research goal and underlying objectives. The intrinsic ability to study injuryinduced changes in behavior, physiology, metabolism, the blood/tissue interface, the blood brain barrier, and/or inflammatory- and immune-mediated responses, makes in vivo TBI models essential for neurotrauma research. Whereas human TBI is a highly complex multifactorial disorder, animal trauma models tend to replicate only single factors involved in the pathobiology …

Number Comprehension By A Grey Parrot (Psittacus Erithacus), Including A Zero-Like Concept, Irene M. Pepperberg, Jesse D. Gordon

Sentience Collection

A Grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) that was able to quantify 6 item sets (including subsets of heterogeneous groups, e.g., blue blocks within groupings of blue and green blocks and balls) using English labels (I. M. Pepperberg, 1994a) was tested on comprehension of these labels, which is crucial for numerical competence (K. C. Fuson, 1988). He was, without training, asked “What color/object [number]?” for collections of various simultaneously presented quantities (e.g., subsets of 4, 5, and 6 blocks of 3 different colors; subsets of 2, 4, and 6 keys, corks, and sticks). Accuracy was greater than 80% and was unaffected by …

Range Expansion By Moose Into Coastal Temperate Rainforests Of British Columbia, Canada, C. T. Darimont, P. C. Paquet, T. E. Reimchen, V. Crichton

Biogeography and Ecological Opportunity Collection

Ranges of species are dynamic and respond to long-term climate change and contemporary effects such as habitat modification. We report here that moose (Alces alces) have recently colonized coastal temperate rainforests of British Columbia, Canada. Contrary to recent publications, field observations of moose and their sign, combined with their occurrence in wolf (Canis lupus) faeces, suggest that moose are now widespread on the coastal mainland and occur on least three islands. Traditional ecological knowledge (information accumulated by aboriginal peoples about their environment) suggests that colonization occurred during the mid 1900s, concomitant with logging of major watersheds that bisect the Coast …

Big Brains Do Matter In New Environments, Lori Marino

Evolutionary Biology Collection

No abstract provided.

Maro Spring 2005

Mid-Atlantic Regional Office

• Dogfighting figure convicted
• NJ Supreme Court stops Bear Hunt
• West Virginia: Welcome to the region!
• Bear contraception project underway
• Your help is still needed to protect bears
• Task force findings released
• Legislative Update
• Dog Behavior training for NJ police
• Thanks to disaster responders
• NYC joins Seal Protest
• Porsche helps pooches
• Training pays off after PetCo explosion
• State animal response teams
• HSUS, Fund for Animals join forces
• Billions of unseen farm animals need your compassion

Mwro Spring 2005

Midwest Regional Office

• Making a difference for even just a few (Diane Webber)
• Iowa: animal fighting haven no more
• Animals in Crisis Task Force
• Humane, homegrown options in the Corn Belt
• Don't chain dogs
• HSUS, Fund for Animals join forces
• Wildlife wonders (Diane Webber)

Nero Spring 2005

New England Regional Office

• Pro-Bear referendum narrowly defeated
• Safe Cats scores big at Worcester IceCats hockey game
• NH Animal Fighting Task Force debuts resources
• NERO staffers lend a hand outside the region
• HSUS, Fund for Animals join forces
• Wolves in New England?
• There are no rules to engagement (Joanne Bourbeau)

Nrro Spring 2005

Northern Rockies Regional Office

• Helping FL hurricane victims
• Billings to Sri Lanka: an incredible journey
• Dogs ordered out, NRRO rushes in
• Safe cats conference
• By the numbers
• Make your pet a star, win an original pet portrait
• Dear Friends of Northern Rockies Animals (Dave Pauli)
• HSUS, Fund for Animals join forces

Pnro Spring 2005

Pacific Northwest Regional Office

• PNRO brings training Alaska ACO
• PNRO responds to Florida hurricanes
• Seattle good project update
• Inmate Dog Alliance project of Idaho
• PNRO, RAVS visit Nez Perce
• HSUS, Fund for Animals join forces
• Legislative Update
• We need anti-animal-fighting laws with teeth (Robert Reder)

Sero Spring 2005

Southeast Regional Office

• The season of storms
• Horrors of hog dog fighting revealed in raid
• North Carolina and Tennessee: welcome to the region
• SC task force helps stop major dogfighter
• The HSUS, Fund for Animals join forces
• Cockfighting also exposed
• Ending the year investigating dogfighting
• FL Animal Friend plate available
• Racetracks win, greyhounds lose in Florida
• Changing lives in Terrell County, Georgia
• Changing time (Laura Bevan)

Swro Spring 2005

Southwest Regional Office

• Help for Haltom City cats
• Largest TX dogfighting raid in a decade
• The HSUS, Fund for Animals join forces
• Coyotes may be targeted for eradication
• The cleaning power of "dirty work" (Lou Guyton)

Wcro Spring 2005

West Coast Regional Office

• HSUS sues to restore La Jolla seal barrier
• "Sanctuary" horses find permanent homes
• WCRO aids during Florida hurricanes
• Preparing for disaster
• Arrest made in Sacramento cat burning
• First Strike in Palm Springs
• Contra Costa coyotes walk a fine line
• The HSUS and The Fund for Animals join forces
• WCRO, RAVS on the rez
• Legislative Update
• Two CA lawmakers get awards
• Helping animals is easier than you think (Eric Sakach)
• Training on a large scale

Carbon Dioxide For Euthanasia: Concerns Regarding Pain And Distress, With Special Reference To Mice And Rats, Kathleen Conlee, Martin Stephens, Andrew N. Rowan, Lesley A. King

Laboratory Experiments Collection

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the most commonly used agent for euthanasia of laboratory rodents, used on an estimated tens of millions of laboratory rodents per year worldwide, yet there is a growing body of evidence indicating that exposure to CO₂ causes more than momentary pain and distress in these and other animals. We reviewed the available literature on the use of CO₂ for euthanasia (as well as anaesthesia) and also informally canvassed laboratory animal personnel for their opinions regarding this topic. Our review addresses key issues such as CO₂ flow rate and final concentration, presence …

Reasonable Partiality And Animal Ethics, Bernard E. Rollin

Attitudes Towards Animals Collection

Moral psychology is often ignored in ethical theory, making applied ethics difficult to achieve in practice. This is particularly true in the new field of animal ethics. One key feature of moral psychology is recognition of the moral primacy of those with whom we enjoy relationships of love and friendship -philia in Aristotle's term. Although a radically new ethic for animal treatment is emerging in society, its full expression is severely limited by our exploitative uses of animals. At this historical moment, only the animals with whom we enjoy philia - companion animals - can be treated with unrestricted moral …