Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Transition of Farm Pigs to Research Pigs using a Designated Checklist followed by Initiation of Clicker Training - a Refinement Initiative
Published on: August 21, 2021
A user's guide to animal welfare science
1Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK. marian.dawkins@zoo.ac.uk
Abstract:
Here, I provide a guide for those new to the burgeoning field of animal welfare science as to what this comprehensive, relatively young discipline is all about. Drawing on all branches of biology, including behavioural ecology and neuroscience, the science of animal welfare asks three big questions: Are animals conscious? How can we assess good and bad welfare in animals? How can we use science to improve animal welfare in practice? I also provide guidelines for an evidence-based approach to welfare issues for policy makers and other users of animal welfare research.
Related Concept Videos
Ethics in Research
What is Conservation Biology?
The Central Dogma
Scientific Nature of Social Psychology
Tonicity in Animals
The Scientific Method

