Biological Services Unit in RVC Camden

The Biological Services Unit’s objectives are centered around maintaining animal welfare as a top priority. We are routinely involved in training and advising RVC researchers, new members of husbandry staff, external clients and delegates on how to use animals appropriately to highest ethical standards.

Educating veterinary students and the public, about the use and care of animal in research has become permanently embedded in our curriculum in the form of animal handling sessions, workshops and presentations on the importance of animal environmental enrichment for summer school participants.

BSU Mission Statement

Research

• To provide efficient support facilities to internal (RVC) and external research workers who need to use animals in their research work.
• To provide the most up to date conditions for the housing and care of the animals to be used in research protocols.
• To provide expert technical assistance for procedures conducted in the research programmes.

Teaching

• To assist with undergraduate training in the handling and care of animals as part of their first-year teaching programme.
• To provide practical training on animal handling and basic procedures for Home Office Licensee Training Courses.
• To provide facilities for training for outside bodies where the facilities at the College are appropriate.

Clinical Activities

• To provide a Named Veterinary Surgeon Service to the College and other external organisations.
• To provide expert veterinary advice to the College Ethical Review Process and that of other organisations.

Importance of Enrichment

Background-minimum requirements for animals in captivity

• Caring for animals in captivity requires time, money and knowledge to provide everything the animal needs, such as food, water and the correct environment, to prevent suffering and ensure good welfare.
• Anyone keeping an animal in captivity in England and Wales has a legal obligation to meet that animal’s needs under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Animals in Captivity

• Some examples included Zoos, working animals, wildlife reserves, assistance animals, pets, aquariums, petting Zoos
• The purpose of environmental enrichment is to enhance the quality of captive animal care by identifying and providing the environmental stimuli necessary for optimal psychological and physiological wellbeing.
• The intention is to effectively manipulate an animal’s environment to increase normal species behaviour and physical activity.
• Enrichment needs to be NOVEL to the animal
• To be enrichment, it cannot inspire fear in the animal
• Can be in the form of auditory, olfactory, habitat factors, food, training and physical objects.
• Environmental enrichment can be active (foraging by finding/hunting/working for items, olfactory, cognitive, social, human interaction) or passive (visual, auditory)

Rodent natural behaviours

All the members of an animal species can behave very similar to each other, but they can also display unique traits and personalities which are important when deciding what to provide for your animals-’’One size does not fit all’’