[BERG] This week's BERG: Prof Hannah Buchanan-Smith discusses primate welfare

Dear BERGers, This Wednesday (Jan 24th) we have Prof Hannah Buchanan-Smith giving a talk entitled: Welfare of Primates: Why Should we Care? She gave this presentation at the prestigious PSGB 50th anniversary meeting in London back in November 2017 - it will to be very interesting and informative. Abstract: Welfare of Primates: Why Should we Care? We are primatologists, and as such we are all ambassadors for these animals. Through our own research, action, and interactions we can influence the welfare of primates, directly and indirectly, and both positively and negatively. The 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement - the basic principles underpinning humane science) are generally considered with invasive research but they apply beyond the laboratory. In this presentation, I shall describe how primatologists from a range of backgrounds have informed welfare-related legislation and practice. For example, findings from cognitive research on primates has positively impacted on legislation (e.g. great apes are no longer used in invasive research - with few exceptions globally); understanding natural adaptations from field research has informed how we treat primates, their enclosure design and husbandry. Studying primate welfare is also of interest in its own right. There is a range of exciting new technologies and methodologies to explore affective states, the links between welfare and biological markers, and how these are connected over the lifespan. We look forward to seeing you there at 5:30pm sharp! Best, Paxton ______________________________ Paxton Culpepper, BSc, MSc PhD Candidate | Psychology Department of Psychology Behaviour and Evolution Research Group Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, UK Office: 3B134 Cottrell Building Phone: +44 (0) 1786 466852 Fax: +44 (0) 1786 467641 Email: p.d.culpepper@stir.ac.uk<mailto:p.d.culpepper@stir.ac.uk>