rom: IN%"mike@m-tay.demon.co.uk" "Mike Taylor" 17-JUN-1996 16:59:13.22 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Pancreatic Deficiency & Unpredictable Behaviour in Dogs Does anybody out there have any experience or knowledge of Pancreatic Deficiency causing unpredictable behaviour in dogs, note I am not saying aggressive behaviour. Some years ago we saw GSD's with pancreatic defriciency whose temperaments were unreliable. Although we had no conclusive proof we felt there might be a link. I am told by my vet that there is no link between pancreatic deficiency and aggression but the dog I have is not aggressive. I have a two year old bitch puppy who was returned to me as the breeder because she arm grabbed and would occasionally nip legs and bottoms without warning, but not in an aggressive manner. She had never done this to her owners or their family and is normally very affectionate but can be very excitable. She was raised along with another older dog who was probably her pack leader. I am presently working with a behaviourist but we are unable to see any pattern or reason why she should do this, although I consider there were some deficiencies in her upbringing I had a faeces sample tested for pancreatic deficiency as I saw some symptons and one of her litter brothers has a slight deficiency. The results showed there was a likelyhood so I now have to have a blood test to confirm. Any input would be appreciated. --Mike Taylor-- From: IN%"robin@coape.win-uk.net" "Robin E Walker" 18-JUN-1996 03:05:09.56 To: IN%"mike@m-tay.demon.co.uk", IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: RE: Pancreatic Deficiency & Unpredictable Behaviour in Dogs >Does anybody out there have any experience or knowledge of Pancreatic >Deficiency causing unpredictable behaviour in dogs, note I am not saying >aggressive behaviour. > >Some years ago we saw GSD's with pancreatic defriciency whose >temperaments were unreliable. Although we had no conclusive proof we >felt there might be a link. > >I am told by my vet that there is no link between pancreatic deficiency >and aggression but the dog I have is not aggressive. > >I have a two year old bitch puppy who was returned to me as the breeder >because she arm grabbed and would occasionally nip legs and bottoms >without warning, but not in an aggressive manner. She had never done >this to her owners or their family and is normally very affectionate but >can be very excitable. She was raised along with another older dog who >was probably her pack leader. > >I am presently working with a behaviourist but we are unable to see any >pattern or reason why she should do this, although I consider there were >some deficiencies in her upbringing > >I had a faeces sample tested for pancreatic deficiency as I saw some >symptons and one of her litter brothers has a slight deficiency. The >results showed there was a likelyhood so I now have to have a blood test >to confirm. > >Any input would be appreciated. >--Mike Taylor-- > There is a well established co-relation between fear and fasting. Homer mentions the need to breakfast the troops, before battle, in the Iliad. Experimental work with rats shows a dramatically augmented startle reflex to revolver shots when the fasted individual hears the sound in a context where it is anxious (e.g. previously shocked there). Drastic dieters get edgy or jittery etc etc. If your GSD is effectively "fasting" or literally starving then I dont see why it should not be reactive in contexts where it is anxious --i.e with strangers. I have seen arm grabbing by dogs which are in fact frantic to "appease" or deflect owner pressure. The nipping sounds like a herding behaviour. But then fear and frustration are also linked by some authorities. Robin Walker From: IN%"D.B.MORTON@bham.ac.uk" 18-JUN-1996 05:57:03.08 To: IN%"robin@coape.win-uk.net", IN%"mike@m-tay.demon.co.uk", IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: RE: Pancreatic Deficiency & Unpredictable Behaviour in Dogs Dear Robin & Mike, Sometime ago (1980 - 1987) I was involved in some experimental work which involved pancreatectomising dogs as a model for diabetes and transplant cures with either pancreatic segments or with islet cells. In no case that I recall over a period of weeks did we have a temperament change in Beagles or greyhounds, whether the transplant failed or succeeded. In another study we diverted or blocked the pancreatic juices for several days and supplemented with Pancrax etc and again no behavioural changes were observe or reported by the animal technicians. David M. Prof.David.B.Morton | Janet: D.B.Morton@uk.ac.bham Biomedical Science and Ethics | Internet: D.B.Morton@bham.ac.uk The Medical School | University of Birmingham | Birmingham | Tel: +44 - (0)121 414 3616 B15 2TT, UK Fax: +44 - (0)121 414 6979 From: IN%"Petra.Mertens@lrz.uni-muenchen.de" 18-JUN-1996 10:39:06.01 To: IN%"applied.ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" Subj: RE: Pancreatic Deficiency & Unpredictable Behaviour in Dogs Canine behavior, asdescribed in this message, is usually not linked to pancreatic deficiency. However, there is evidence that dogs with LOW thyroid function (which is extremely rare) react in an aggressive manner. This behavior disappears after hormone supplementation. A case report has recently been published in the AVMA journal. Our experience shows, that the problem described is most likely "simple" fear related aggression. Although the message did not provide enough information needed for a proper diagnosis, the breed, the history of the dog and the "selection of victims" indicate that the dog is insecure in the presence of unfamiliar persons - which might eventually cause an aggressive response - typically nipping the extremeties or bottom .... Petra Mertens Dr. Petra A. Mertens Institute for Ethology and Animal Welfare Ludwig-Maximilians-University Behavior Clinic Schwere-Reiter-Str. 9 80797 Munich Germany Fax: 089 / 15 78 277 e-mail: petra.Mertens@lrz.uni-muenchen.de From: IN%"k9acad@iafrica.com" 18-JUN-1996 11:58:19.54 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Pancreatic deficiency and unpredictable behaviour in dogs. I was most interested in your query as I have treated several cases closely related to what you have described with very good results. Although I have seen problem behaviours linked to 'pancreatic deficiency' I have not interpreted them as unpredictable behaviour as such. In most cases the dog was hyperactive, very thin and extremely hungry - usually presenting other problem behaviours as well eg. digging, chewing, aggression etc. You did not mention whether your dog showed any of these symptoms. In my opinion nipping heels or bottoms in the non aggressive manner you describe could be attention seeking or maybe learned behaviour. Without knowing all the facts I would guess it is probably the former - perhaps in an attempt to draw your attention to a need ... possibly a feeding problem? I believe this behaviour could definately be linked to PD. However not all dogs that behave in this manner are PD. I would be interested to have your comments. Best regards GLYNNE ANDERSON k9acad@iafrica.com From: IN%"w.schoo@noldus.nl" 19-JUN-1996 02:54:12.69 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: RE: Handheld computers Dear Ramon Diaz-Uriarte and others! > With regard to the use of hand held computer in registrating behaviour we > have now extended experience with the use of several different types. > However, the use of Observer program (now windows based) from Noldus in the > Netherlands and the PSION Workabout has turned out to be a very easy to use > and versatile combination. We have used this system as part of the training > of students in our major ethology course since February this year and even > students with little or no experience with the use of computers, and I might > add, a rather hostile attitude towards them, now use the system with the > greatest naturalness. I can only encourage you and others to start using > this or similar systems. It makes observations less biased and has the great > advantage that you can put your observational data directly into the PC and > statistical analyse programs. We have encountered a few minor problems, but > most have been solved promptly by the hardware or software manufacturers. > The one draw back, of course, is that it is far from gratis. It is something > that should be purchased for student training and not for a single project. > Since Noldus use a dongle (a hard ware key) to protect their licenses it is > not possible to copy. I would like to clarify something about the protection of the software. The software contained in any package of The Observer falls apart in two categories: 1. Software to set up observational studies (Configuration) and to analyze observational data (Data Analysis). This is typically done at a central location. 2. Software to collect observational data (Event Recording). This is typically carried out at multiple locations, using PC's or hand-held computers. A license of The Observer restricts the use of the software in the first category to a single computer at a time (protected by a hardware key). The data collection software, however, can be used on multiple computers simultaneously without the need for additional licenses. This applies to the Base Package as well as the various Support Packages for hand-held computers. Yours sincerely, Wineke Schoo ______________________________________ Noldus Information Technology b.v. Costerweg 5 P.O. Box 268 6700 AG Wageningen The Netherlands Phone: +31-(0)317-497677 Fax: +31-(0)317-424496 E-mail: w.schoo@noldus.nl WWW: http://www.diva.nl/noldus/ From: IN%"bjarne.braastad@nlh10.nlh.no" "Bjarne O. Braastad" 19-JUN-1996 04:31:20.75 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Quality of articles from ISAE members Dear colleagues, It is some time ago that the issue of whether ISAE should make a new journal or not has been on the network. In order to put some fire to the discussion in advance of the Guelph congress, I will suggest a radical alternative if the main argument for a new journal is to publish articles of higher quality than in Appl.Anim.Behav.Sci. My suggestion could also be considered if a new journal will appear. 1. With more journals and more publishing possibilities, more articles will be published. Then the average quality would probably decrease. 2. It is too late to save a badly designed research project during the refereeing process. Some improvements in the presentation and omission of too much speculation etc. are the main tasks for the referees, in addition to having the possibility to totally reject the article. The possibility of having language corrections by ISAE members is also excellent. 3. If the ISAE wants articles of higher quality, and I welcome this aim, the ISAE should be involved in the design of the experiments BEFORE EXPERIMENTS OR OBSERVATIONS ARE STARTED! 4. This could be done e.g. by the ISAE organizing a list of 'Design and Method Reviewers' (DMR) with experts categorized by their expertise on different research methods, or types of research or research themes. When an ISAE member has carefully made clear research aims, hypotheses and predictions, and produced a well-described research design and methods, this could be sent to an organizing person appointed by ISAE, which then forwards it to the DMR expert. The expert comments on the design and methods. 5. Shouldn't the scientist himself be responsible for his/her research? Yes, of course. But perhaps it is due time for the scientific community also to take a cooperative responsibility. It would be important that the scientist responsible for the research has made clear research aims and hypotheses or predictions. This is the most important part of a scientific work. If not, the DMR expert should return the material and indicate that this should be improved before methods can be evaluated. It is also important that the scientist has made detailed suggestions for how the study could be done. The DMR expert should not be doing too much of the thinking for the scientist. Often there are practical limitations, like no. of animals or no. of rooms, pens etc. available. An important aspect of the DMR work would be to avoid having more parameters involved than appropriate for the available capacity. 6. The DMR expert should not expect to become a co-author, but be properly mentioned in Acknowledgements. The possibility of influencing the quality of research in his/her field should be rewarding by itself, as well as his/her even higher scientific status as a result of this work. In order not to standardize methods too much, the list of DMR experts should not be too small. 7. Are the 'experts' in the various fields willing to do this job? It should not take much time. Since the same persons also probably are referees, they would benefit by receiving better article manuscripts which will take less time to review (even if another person was the DMR expert for this research work). Some more practical and scientific matters should be discussed, e.g. who should evaluate the candidates for the DMR panel? I could suggest a way of doing this, but first I would like some feedback from ISAE members. Is this idea interesting, feasible, unrealistic, unscientific, or what? Best regards, Bjarne O. Braastad Bjarne O. Braastad Dept. of Animal Science, Agricultural University of Norway, P.O. Box 5025, N-1432 Aas, Norway e-mail: bjarne.braastad@ihf.nlh.no fax: +47 64 94 79 60 phone: +47 64 94 79 80 From: IN%"apn6mav@south-01.novell.leeds.ac.uk" "M.A. VARLEY" 19-JUN-1996 07:53:33.33 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Barbyrussa Pigs Dear All Does anyone out there have any references to hand on the Indonesian Barbyrussa Pigs ??? I seem to remember some discussion of this a while back on this net. Mike Varley Dr Mike Varley B.Sc.,Ph.D.,C.Biol.,F.I.Biol. Department of Animal Physiology and Nutrition The University of Leeds Leeds LS2 9JT; tel 01132 333062, Fax 01132 333072 Mobile 0864 102531; apn6mav@leeds.ac.uk Visit with us at: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/apn/apn.html From: IN%"LPINHEIRO@APS.UoGuelph.CA" 19-JUN-1996 08:18:48.22 To: IN%"bjarne.braastad@nlh10.nlh.no" "Bjarne O. Braastad", IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: RE: Quality of articles from ISAE members Dear Bjarne: As you ask for feedback. I think your intention is the best, to help in the very beginning of the research process. But there are some risks on having a DMR that make me disagree with your suggestion. Asking for ADVISE and discussing a research project with others, is always a good idea. SUBMITTING a research proposal for a DMR can generate more problems than solutions. A "DMR" would inevitably impose their views, with good faith of course, to other researchers. Besides, a novice scientist would become probably compelled to accept the views of the "experts". The very risky consequence is limiting freedom of research and creativity. Every where there are institutional mechanisms to assess quality of research projects - when you apply for grants, or need the approval of your Department. There is also the risk of building a "unique" research orientation. Plurality is good in science, and there are so many different views among any scientific group, that we probably would not be able to agree in a very starting concept: what is science? Best wishes, Luiz Carlos. Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho Univ. Federal de Santa Catarina University of Guelph CCA - Dep. de Zootecnia Dep. of Animal & Poultry Sci. Florianopolis, SC - BRASIL 88040-900 Guelph, ONT - CANADA N1G 2W1 FAX:(55-48) 234-2014 FAX:(519) 836-9873 Bolsista CNPq - Brasil Sponsored by CNPq - Brazil From: IN%"tsutton@ilink.nis.za" "Tim Sutton" 19-JUN-1996 10:30:40.77 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: 'Sailing' behaviour in Southern Right Whales Hi all. I was watching a group of southern right whales which come to our marine reserve every year to breed and calve today. In addition to the usual breaching and blowing activities, I noted on whale in particular was holding it's tail out of the water for long periods of time (probably 5 minutes or more) this behaviour continued periodically for at least two hours. This is not to be confused with 'tail thumping' or other more usual behaviour seen in these whales. One explanation that I was given for this behaviour is 'tail sailing', where the whale uses it's tail as a sail to gently drift through the water. Has anyone heard of or observed this behaviour before? Does anyone have a different explanation for this behaviour? I would appreciate any other comments about interesting behaviour patterns observed in southern right whales. Regards, Tim Sutton De Hoop Nature Reserve Cape Province South Africa email: tsutton@ilink.nis.za From: IN%"Bob.Kilgour@smtpgwy.agric.nsw.gov.au" 19-JUN-1996 18:46:20.03 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Quality of articles Dear Bjarne, I am not aware of the discussion that provoked your radical suggestion for ensuring the quality of articles published in a proposed ISAE journal, so I do not know whether your comments relate to the craft or the art of articles published in Appl Anim Behav Sci. By "craft" I mean the construction of hypotheses from the questions to be answered, the design of the experiment which should include the analysis to be used, the measurements to be made, measurement protocol, species to be used etc. By "art" I mean the imagination and inductive reasoning of the investigators. If there is a problem with the craft of articles that appear in Appl Anim Behav Sci, there must be a world-wide malaise with the control of the quality of the articles that appear. This malaise would have to pervade not only the institutional mechanisms in place to ensure scientific output of high quality but also the refereeing process of the journal itself. Rather than duplicating the mechanisms in place with DMR experts who would have to be people with a strong biometrical grounding, surely a tightening of refereeing standards would result in rejection of "low-quality" articles with a resultant tightening of standards of papers submitted for publication. However, if the problem is with the art of the experiments reported, there is not much that can be done about this. Knowledge is a bit like a mosaic in which most of the tiles are missing. What we, as scientists do, is have a guess at what the mosaic looks like and hypothesise about what the next few tiles will be. To leave decisions like this to a panel of DMR experts runs the risk of stifling imagination and channelling it into a limited number of well-worn ruts. I therefore cannot support your suggestion but, in order for the discussion to proceed further, I would like to know whether you think poor quality of articles is due to the art, the craft or both. Bob Kilgour NSW Agriculture Agricultural Research Centre Trangie NSW 2823 AUSTRALIA. Bob.Kilgour@smtpgwy.agric.nsw.gov.au From: IN%"AJ.Rook@bbsrc.ac.uk" "Andrew Rook" 20-JUN-1996 02:11:38.78 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: RE: Quality of articles I think that Bob Kilgour's distinction between 'the art' and 'the craft' of scientific investigation is useful. However, experience as a statistical consultant shows that the two are often closely intermingled and a lot of work is needed to help the experimenter refine his 'art' before the appropriate 'craft' can be addressed. It seems therefore that what is needed is a closely knit team in which the contribution of both 'artist' and 'craftsman' are appreciated and rewarded. (i.e. authorships where appropriate). I don't believe that the lack of integration inherent in the proposed DMR expert approach is workable, practically or politically. Unfortunately, many people don't work in teams of the type mentioned above. Indeed many 'artists' cannot see the value of 'craftsmen' (witness the comments about 'statistical police' in an earlier thread in this group). It seems to me therefore that there is a need for the 'craft' aspects to be addressed very directly at the refereeing stage. Perhaps in the context of the proposed new journal a solution would be to ensure that every paper was refereed both by an 'artist' and by a 'craftsman'. One could even go as far as appointing a statistical editor. Some journals (e.g. J. Ag. Sci. Camb.) already have policies of this type. PS No, I'm not looking for a job :-) Andrew Rook Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research North Wyke Okehampton Devon EX20 2SB UK Tel +44 1837 82558 Fax +44 1837 82139 e-mail aj.rook@bbsrc.ac.uk From: IN%"alastair@lab0.vet.ed.ac.uk" "Dr A A Macdonald, PVS" 20-JUN-1996 03:06:01.35 To: IN%"apn6mav@south-01.novell.leeds.ac.uk" "M.A. VARLEY" CC: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca", IN%"ian@lab0.vet.ed.ac.uk" Subj: babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) Dear Mike, One of my students found your message. I have been working on the babirusa for the last decade or so, and have gathered most of the information that is available. You will gain access to a summary of that information on the Edinburgh vet school Web pages at http://www.vet.ed.ac.uk/tol/ A fairly good bibliography is contained in the IUCN Action Plan for Pigs and Peccaries (editor W.L.R. Oliver) which is mentioned on the babirusa pages of the "taxonomy". Another list of references is to be found at the back of the review article I published in German some years ago in Bongo (1991) 18, 69-84. Shortly, there is will be a more up-to-date bibliography associated with the Population and Habitat Viability Assessment being held for the babirusa in Indonesia next month. The report of that meeting should contain it, and is likely to be published before the end of the year. Please let me know of anyspecific requests for information. Alastair Alastair A Macdonald Preclinical Veterinary Sciences The University of Edinburgh Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1QH Scotland, UK tel: +44 (0)131-650 6120 fax: +44 (0)131-650 6576 email: alastair@lab0.vet.ed.ac.uk From: IN%"bjarne.braastad@nlh10.nlh.no" "Bjarne O. Braastad" 20-JUN-1996 03:36:56.27 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: RE: Quality of articles At 10:03 20.06.1996 -0500, Bob Kilgour wrote: > Dear Bjarne, > I am not aware of the discussion that provoked your radical suggestion > for ensuring the quality of articles published in a proposed ISAE > journal, so I do not know whether your comments relate to the craft or > the art of articles published in Appl Anim Behav Sci. By "craft" I > mean the construction of hypotheses from the questions to be > answered, the design of the experiment which should include the > analysis to be used, the measurements to be made, measurement > protocol, species to be used etc. By "art" I mean the imagination and > inductive reasoning of the investigators. Reply: I definitely mean the "craft" of the articles, and especially the research design, methods and statistical analyses. The aims and hypotheses must be produced by the scientist, not the Design and Methods Reviewer (DMR). One problem with my suggestion might be that it may not stimulate development of new methods, but the scientist is supposed to produce a detailed idea of the methods and this ideas could well be new ones. > If there is a problem with the craft of articles that appear in Appl > Anim Behav Sci, there must be a world-wide malaise with the control of > the quality of the articles that appear. This malaise would have to > pervade not only the institutional mechanisms in place to ensure > scientific output of high quality but also the refereeing process of > the journal itself. Rather than duplicating the mechanisms in place > with DMR experts who would have to be people with a strong biometrical > grounding, surely a tightening of refereeing standards would result in > rejection of "low-quality" articles with a resultant tightening of > standards of papers submitted for publication. Reply: I will not emphasize quality problems in Appl.Anim.Behav.Sci. very much, since a number of articles are quite excellent. The suggested DMR reviewing should of course be independent on to which journal the work will be submitted. My main point was to get some early reviewing before research is started, to save time and money which should not be spent on unpublishable work or work which could have been much more valuable with slight modification of the design or methods. Research funding from research councils and the industry not always guarantee the best scientific methods. Bjarne Bjarne O. Braastad Dept. of Animal Science, Agricultural University of Norway, P.O. Box 5025, N-1432 Aas, Norway e-mail: bjarne.braastad@ihf.nlh.no fax: +47 64 94 79 60 phone: +47 64 94 79 80 From: IN%"APPLEBYM@NCCCOT.AGR.CA" 20-JUN-1996 07:00:37.61 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" "applied-ethology" CC: Subj: quality of articles and road rage Dear Bjarne I considered a scheme for giving advice on experimental plans when I suggested the scheme for helping non-English-speaking authors with their English (non- English-speaking-non-ISAE-members might be interested to know that this scheme exists in ISAE). I decided against it at that stage for several reasons. First I thought we shouldn't try 'to run before we could walk' - we should see if the English scheme would work before trying anything more complicated. In fact I think take-up of the English scheme has been relatively low, although it would be good to have an update on that from Lindsay Matthews or whoever. Second there was a danger of implying that non-English-speakers were particularly in need of experimental advice, whereas I know plenty of Brits and so on who have conducted poor experiments! Third and most important, the scheme would obviously have to be voluntary and I think very very few of the people who needed help would actually use it - because they thought they didn't need help, or because they didn't think, or because they were too impatient to get on with the work or whatever. By contrast, people concerned enough to write for help would probably do more thinking about their planning anyway! So I'm afraid I don't think this well-intentioned idea would work. The British Automobile Association has established a resident psychiatrist at one of the Service Stations on the M25 near London so that motorists who are getting stressed-out by driving can go for counselling. What a bizarre thought - that anyone so stressed would want to add an hour or so to their journey (even if they happen to be passing those services and know about the scheme) or that anyone likely to get involved in road rage would be the sort of person to seek out a psychiatrist without being carried there in a strait-jacket! All the best Mike From: IN%"IDUNCAN@APS.UoGuelph.CA" 20-JUN-1996 08:41:09.43 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Guelph96 Dear All, Here is the program for the spoken papers at the 30th Congress of ISAE to be held in Guelph, Ontario, Canada from 14th to 17th August 1996. I am a little concerned that some of the presenters have not yet registered; if you are a presenter, please check that you have done so. In addition, there will be about 90 poster papers (I have refrained from giving you the titles of these - since that would make this message too long). Also remember that at the AGM of the Society, the question of a journal will be debated; this is directly connected to the interchange on "quality of publications in AABS" that is taking place at present. I'm looking forward to seeing many of you in Guelph in August. Yours sincerely, Ian J.H. Duncan __________________________________________________________________ GUELPH96 Program of the 30th Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology Wednesday 14th August 0800 - 0900h Registration 0900 - 0915h Welcome 0915 - 1015h Wood-Gush Memorial Lecture - Animal ethics and animal welfare science: bridging the two solitudes. D. Fraser (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa) 1015 - 1045h COFFEE Plenary Session The Behaviour and Welfare of Laboratory Animals 1045 - 1115h Experiential and environmental effects on the laboratory animal: The neuroscience perspective. B.A. Pappas (Carleton University, Ottawa) 1115 - 1145h Housing and welfare in rats. D.M. Broom (University of Cambridge) and C.E. Manser 1145 - 1215h Recognition and assessment of adverse effects and humane endpoints in animal research. D.B. Morton (University of Birmingham) 1215 - 1345h LUNCH 1345 - 1415h Scientist - animal interactions: Are they an inevitable source of research confounding? H. Davis (University of Guelph) 1415 - 1445h Improving the welfare of laboratory animals: What can animal care staff do? D. Benn (University of Guelph) 1445 - 1515h COFFEE Wednesday 14th August Parallel Session A Stress and Stereotypy 1515 - 1535h Early weaning enhances the later development of stereotypy in mink. G. Mason (Oxford University) 1540 - 1600h Weaning weight affects weaning stress and the development of stereotypy in laboratory mice. H. Wuerbel (Institut fuer Nutzierwissenschaften, Zurich) and M. Stauffacher 1605 - 1625h Opioid peptides and dairy cows' behavioural and physiological responses to social isolation. J. Rushen (Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, Lennoxville), A. Boissy, C. Terlow and A.M. de Passille Parallel Session B Communication 1515 - 1535h Vocal cues reflect physiological stress response in domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domestica). L. Schrader (Institut fuer Verhaltensbiologie, Berlin) and D. Todt 1540 - 1600h The vocal response of piglets to weaning: the effect of piglet age. D. Weary (Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, Ottawa), D. Fraser, E. Pajor and B. Thompson 1605 - 1625h Effect of food deprivation on crowing in the domestic cock. P. Koene (Wageningen Agricultural University) 1630 - 1800h AGM of Society 1930 - 2230h POSTERS Whole evening devoted to Posters + coffee and dessert + cash bar. Posters on show for rest of meeting. Thursday 15th August Parallel Session A Stress and Stereotypy 0830 - 0850h A cross-sectional study on compulsive behaviour (stable vices) in horses. A. Luescher (University of Guelph), D.B. Mckeown and H. Dean 0855 - 0915h Stress in farrowing sows: evidence from behaviour, the pituitary-adrenal axis and posterior-pituitary release of oxytocin. A.B. Lawrence (Scottish Agricultural College, Edinburgh), K.A. McLean, S. Jarvis, C.L. Gilbert and J.C. Petherick 0920 - 0940h The potential use of naloxone, an opiate antagonist, for the treatment of a stereotyped behaviour in the horse. S.D. McBride (University of Edinburgh) and D.Cuddeford 0945 - 1005h COFFEE 1010 - 1030h Stereotypic behaviour in circus elephants and the effect of "anticipation" of feeding, watering and performing. T. Friend (Texas A&M University) and D. Bushong 1035 - 1055h Changes in thermal threshold, heart rate and plasma - endorphin associated with cribbing behaviour in horses. D. Lebelt (University of Munich), A.J. Zanella and J. Unshelm Parallel session B Mini-Symposium "Design" 0830 - 0850h A model for the application of science to animal welfare problems. M. Baxter (Brunel University, Surrey, U.K.), C. Allan and T. Inns 0855 - 0915h Integration of design methodologies and applied scientific research to provide practicable solutions to animal welfare problems. C. Allan (Brunel University, Surrey, U.K.) and M. Baxter 0920 - 0940h Use of animal behaviour in equipment design and evaluation. H. Gonyou (Prairie Swine Centre, Saskatchewan), B. Pedersen and Z. Lou 0945 - 1005h COFFEE 1010 - 1030h Implications of semi-intensive management on the breeding of black rhino (Diceros bicornis). H.D. Randle (University of Plymouth) 1035 - 1055h The birthing room: farrowing accommodation and behaviour in gilts. M. Harris (Prairie Swine Centre, Saskatchewan) and H. Gonyou 1110 - 1900h "Social excursion" to the Niagara area. Picnic lunch at the historic site of Fort George, then Niagara Falls, etc. Buses return to the campus. 1900 - 2200h BARBECUE at the Arboretum (within walking distance of the dorms). Friday 16th August Parallel Session A Social Studies 0830 - 0850h The use of artificial-life in the study of social and spacing behaviour of confined animals. W.R. Stricklin (University of Maryland), J.Z. Zhou, P. DeBourcier and H.W. Gonyou 0855 - 0915h The influence of group size and floor area space on social organization of growing-finishing pigs. C.M. Moore (University of Maryland), J.Z. Zhou, W.R. Stricklin and H.W. Gonyou 0920 - 0940h Group size and anti-predator behaviour in domestic fowl. R.C. Newberry (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Agassiz), L. Keeling and I. Estevez 0945 - 1005h Social preferences in laying hens. J.A. Mench (University of California, Davis) 1010 - 1030h COFFEE 1035 - 1055h Social preferences in adult female swine. J.M. Stookey (University of Saskatchewan), C.S. Waltz and J.M. Watts 1100 - 1120h Mixed-sex rearing influences hen reproductive biology. T.M. Widowski (University of Guelph), I.J.H. Duncan and D. Lo Fo Wong 1125 - 1145h Social recognition in hens, a video study. R. D'eath (Oxford University) and M.S. Dawkins Parallel Session B Housing and the Environment 0830 - 0850h Individual differences and housing effects on the response of sows to weaning. E.A. Pajor (Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, Ottawa), D.M. Weary, D. Fraser and D.L. Kramer 0855 - 0915h The effect of feed type and location on the voluntary attendance to, and the behaviour in, an automatic milking system. N.B. Prescott (Silsoe Research Institute, Bedford, U.K.), T.T.F. Mottram and A.J.F. Webster 0920 - 0940h Environmental requirements in mink (Mustela vison). J. Cooper (Oxford University) and G. Mason 0945 - 1005h Effect of housing type on canine behaviour and adoptability. K.A. Houpt (Cornell University), S. Juarbe-Diaz and M. Suwara 1010 - 1030h COFFEE 1035 - 1055h The influence of sow lying behaviour on piglet mortality in an open farrowing system. J.N. Marchant (University of Cambridge), D.M. Broom and S. Corning 1100 - 1120h Influence of unsuccessful nursings on piglets milk intake and weight gain. G. Illmann (Research Institute of Animal Production, Prague), M. Spinka and Z. Stetkova 1125 - 1145h Control of the thermal environment: influences of operant heat on the well-being of weaned pigs. R. Jones (University of Bristol) and C.J. Nicol 1145 - 1300h LUNCH Parallel Session A Aggression 1300 - 1320h Assessment in pig conflicts. P. Jensen (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skara), B. Forkman, J. Yngvesson and I.-L. Furuhaug 1325 - 1345h Dynamics of aggression in the domestic fowl. I. Estevez (University of Cordoba, Spain), R.C. Newberry and L. Keeling 1350 - 1410h Sexual aggression in broiler breeder roosters. S.T. Millman (University of Guelph), I.J.H. Duncan and T.M. Widowski 1415 - 1435h Factors modulating aggression received by pigs mixed individually into groups. M.J. Kennedy (University of Cambridge) and D.M. Broom Parallel Session B Fear 1300 - 1320h Using observation, strain gauges & load cells to objectively measure the behavioural response of cattle to a routine management procedure (branding). K.S. Schwartzkopf (University of Saskatchewan) and J.M. Stookey 1325 - 1345h Training antelope to cooperate with veterinary procedures. T. Grandin (Colorado State University), M. Phillips and N. Irebeck 1350 - 1410h Reduction in fear reactions of isolated ewes and lambs by photographic images of conspecifics. M.F. Bouissou (INRA, Tours, France), M. Vandenheede and R.H. Porter 1415 - 1435h The effect of presence of a stockperson on behaviour of livestock under stress. S. Sato (Tohoku University, Japan) and N. Okamoto 1435 - 1800h "Technical excursions" 1900 - 2300h BANQUET Saturday 17th August Parallel Session A Motivation 0830 - 0850h Assessing behavioural demand functions: issues. L.R. Matthews (Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand) and J.H. Chandler 0855 - 0915h In search of the motivation underlying feather pecking behaviour. L. Keeling (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skara) and K. Eriksson 0920 - 0940h Quantity of milk in the udder, the level of hunger, and sucking behaviour of the nursing calf. A.M. de Pasille (Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, Lennoxville), G. Richer, J. Morissette and J. Rushen 0945 - 1005h An increase in nutritive sucking duration reduces, but does not eliminate non-nutritive sucking by the calf. D. Haley (University of Guelph), I.J.H. Duncan, J. Rushen and A.M. de Passille 1010 - 1030h COFFEE 1035 - 1055h Effects of bulky diets on feed motivation and hunger of sows. S. Robert (Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, Lennnoxville), J. Rushen and C. Farmer 1100 - 1120h Environmental temperature, radiant heat, and illumination affect occurence of dust- bathing in hens. I.J.H. Duncan (University of Guelph), T.M. Widowski, A. Malleau and J.C. Petherick 1125 - 1145h Wallowing behaviour in fattening pigs. K.S. Vestergaard (The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen) and B. Bjerg 1150 - 1210h Comparing the importance of environmental enrichments: strength of motivation for a running-wheel, complex tunnel system and loop tunnel by laboratory mice. C.M. Sherwin (University of Bristol) Parallel Session B Applied Studies 0830 - 0850h Reduction in pain: its effect on lamb behaviour and plasma cortisol. J.E. Kent (Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh), V. Molony and M.J. Graham 0855 - 0915h A pain assay to measure the nociceptive response in cows. L.C. Pinheiro Machado (University of Guelph), J.F. Hurnik and K. Ewing 0920 - 0940h Genetic variability of psychobiological reactivity in lambs reared under open-range management. A. Boissy (INRA, Saint-Genes-Champanelle, France), P. Le Neindre, P. Orgeur and J. Bouix 0945 - 1005h Dust bathing in modified cages. A.C. Lindberg (University of Bristol) 1010 - 1030h COFFEE 1035 - 1055h Manipulating familiar lamb-associated odour cues facilitates add-on fostering in sheep. E.O. Price (University of California, Davis), M.R. Dally, H. Erhard, M. Gerzevske, K. Gursky, M. Kelly, N. Moore, A. Schultze and C. Topper 1100 - 1120h The consequences of nose-ringing for the behaviour and welfare of pigs maintained on pasture. P.J. A'Ness (University of Hull), R.J. Horrell, S.A. Edwards and J. Eddison 1125 - 1145h Behaviour of male laboratory rabbits given environmental enrichment in a preference test and in an individual cage. L. Lidfors (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skara) 1150 - 1210h The effect of housing with or without substrate on responsiveness to novelty in growing pigs. F. Wemelsfelder (Scottish Agricultural College, Edinburgh), M. Haskell, M. Mendl, S. Calvert and A.B. Lawrence From: IN%"wattsjon@duke.usask.ca" "Jon Watts" 20-JUN-1996 09:23:56.53 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" "Applied Ethology" CC: Subj: "Quality" of articles Being a dumb graduate student is an occupation fraught with hazards and frustrations. Hazards include the risk of say, being stomped on by a cow or not being able to return to the homeland in time to prevent your unborn child from growing up with a Canadian accent. Frustrations are many, but definitely include aspects of the literature you have to struggle through. I once read a Peanuts cartoon where the little girl asked why scientists had to give the planets difficult names like Jupiter and Saturn when they could have "proper American" names like Chuck or Marjorie. I think I was just inebriated enough to find this very profound. (Though to this day I haven't figured out why the first and sixth planets are named for cars, the fourth for a candy bar and the ninth planet is named after a cartoon dog). Anyhow, to continue the ramble..... When I got my Bachelors degree in psychology I went to a photo studio to get a picture taken for my Mum of me in mortar board and gown clutching degree certificate. The photographer wanted to know what was the "correct" costume I should be wearing and therefore asked me whether psychology was an "art" or a "science". I responded that this was an extremely philosophical question and not at all straightforward to answer but that the degree title was Bachelor of Science and the Psychology department was part of the School of Life Sciences and we took a lot of statistics classes, therefore he should kit me out in the "science" costume. Psycholgy seems to have soaked itself in statistics in some sort of bid to achieve "scientific" status, to an extent unparalleled by any of the so-called "hard sciences". This is true, I believe, of behavioural science in general, including applied ethology. I hate reading papers that look as though the design and procedures used in the experiment were influenced more by the anticipated demands of statisticians than a desire to reproduce some production situation and find the effect of a different treatment. I categorically do NOT believe that having a statistics "enforcer" reviewing articles will improve the "quality" of papers published in any journal. At least the quality will not be improved in any meaningful sense, only perhaps in an arcane technical sense. The result of such an "improvement" will actually be a diminution of the validity, relevance and imaginativeness of the research and a stifling of creativity. I want to read papers where the researchers had an interesting idea, did an experiment or made observations under conditions that bore some relationship to real life and reported results with whatever level of statistical rigour was practicable given the circumstances. In other words they would tell me something I want to know and I can figure out for myself how much faith I want to put in it. Judging quality of papers by peer commentary in the journal, like BBS for example doesn't tell us much about quality either, as long as for a given paper every other "expert" in the field just gets to recite their own dogmas and puff up their own chests on the subject to contradict what the researcher has just said or otherwise pooh pooh the paper. "Quality" for me will be determined by the following criteria: 1. Was it an interesting, meaningful question? 2. Did the researchers tackle it in a creative relevant way? 3. Do the findings mean anything worth knowing about? 4. Does it have validity in a qualitative sense? . . 7. Can we have some statistical confidence in it? This may be heresy, but I stand by it. Jon Watts From: IN%"dmills@dmu.ac.uk" "Daniel Simon Mills" 21-JUN-1996 05:10:07.82 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" "applied-ethology" CC: Subj: Integrating species in enclosures Can anyone help me with scientific references on integrating different species of mammals in zoo/ wildlife enclosures? I am particularly interested in carnivore-herbivore projects which are not necessarily predator-prey relationships or temporary exhibits such as introducing juvenile wolves to healthy adult bison to demonstrate stages of prey investigation/ assessment. I know this latter technique is used by some wolf park managers Daniel Mills From: IN%"STOOKEY@sask.usask.ca" 21-JUN-1996 08:39:24.21 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Congresses on Applied Ethology and Farm Animal Welfare I have forwarded this message to Applied-ethology on behalf of Dr. F. Mulkens. If you have any information on this topic, please send it directly to Dr. Mulkens. His e-mail address is listed below. Joe Stookey ============================================================================= Dear All, I'm looking for all the information about congresses on Applied Ethology and/or Farm Animal Welfare that were organized or will be organized during the period 1993-1997 in Europe and the entire World. More specific I'm interested in the congress programs and the name(s) of the organizations of these congresses. Does anybody know where I can find this information? (Maybe somewhere on the internet?) Thanks, F. Mulkens, DVM Laboratory for Agricultural Buildings Research Faculty of Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences Catholic University of Leuven Kardinaal Mercierlaan, 92 B-3001 HEVERLEE BELGIUM Fax: +32-(0)16-32 19 77 E-mail: filip.mulkens@agr.kuleuven.ac.be From: IN%"gonyou@sask.usask.ca" "Harold Gonyou" 21-JUN-1996 09:23:16.97 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: ISAE and AABS (Elsevier) Over the past few months there has been considerable discussion on the network concerning the possibility of an ISAE journal. Recently, Jeff Rushen e-mailed the results of his survey of members concerning their interest in a Society journal. The topic will be discussed at the upcoming meeting in Guelph. No specific proposal has been developed at this point, although several publishers have expressed interest. Ken Plaxton from Elsevier, the publisher of Applied Animal Behaviour Science, has contacted us and I think it would be useful to review our current arrangement with Elsevier and their interest in future cooperation. Elsevier began publishing Applied Animal Behaviour Science (AABS, originally Applied Animal Ethology) shortly after the ISAE (formally SVE) was formed. Although Andrew Fraser was both the first President of the ISAE and the first Editor of AABS, there were no formal arrangements between the society and the publisher until recently. As would be expected, the editorial board of AABS includes many members of the ISAE, but their selection is under control of the publisher. Several years ago the ISAE contacted its members to determine their interest in a special members-only subscription rate to AABS. Elsevier provided several quotes, depending upon the number of subscribers to the offer. Only about 10% of the membership have subscribed. A lower rate was available if more members subscribed. The ISAE had the option at that time to include a subscription in membership dues, but there was not sufficient interest among the members. Elsevier has indicated that they are interested in negotiating with the ISAE if we decide to proceed with a Society journal. They believe that a re-negotiation of the existing arrngements with the ISAE, in relation to the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science, could lead to a new collaboration in which the Society's main needs and Elsevier's could be matched. They have indicated three areas of consideration: Elsevier has indicated that a substantially lower subscription price would be available if all members were to receive the journal. Elsevier is also willing to reconsider the degree of editorial involvement of the ISAE. Scientific societies usually set editorial policy and name the editorial board of 'society' journals. Editorial control is one of the key points in our discussion of a society journal, but we have not yet set specific requirements which will be necessary before we begin negotiations. A third point raised in our discussions is the possibility of an electronic journal. Elsevier has several electronic journals, as well as a number which are published in both electronic and paper form. All Elsevier's journals are searchable via Internet, and they are creating home pages for them as well. Although it has been necessary to discuss the financial implications and feasibility of having a 'society' journal with some publishers, it is a two step process for the society. The first is to decide if we should have our own journal. The second is to negotiate with several publishers to obtain the best arrangement. Come prepared to discuss these issues at the meeting in Guelph. If you cannot attend the conference, send your comments to Jeff Rushen, myself, or any other members of the ISAE Council. Harold Gonyou Research Scientist - Ethology Prairie Swine Centre Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, CANADA phone 306-477-7452 fax 306-955-2510 gonyou@sask.usask.ca From: IN%"beaugrand.jacques@uqam.ca" "Beaugrand Jacques" 21-JUN-1996 12:30:52.30 To: IN%"ar-talk@cygnus.com", IN%"lpn-l@brownvm.brown.edu", IN%"ar-disc@anat.umsmed.edu", IN%"rat-talk@nic.surfnet.nl", IN%"ar-news@cygnus.com", IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca", IN%"vetmed-1@uga.cc.uga.edu", IN%"ETHOLOGY@SEARN.SUNET.SE", IN%"absnet-post CC: Subj: 21st SQEBC meeting, Sherbrooke Que. 18-20 oct 1996 21th Annual Congres of the SQ=C9BC, Sherbrooke U., Qu=E9bec, 18-20 ocotber= 1996 The Soci=E9t=E9 Qu=E9b=E9coise pour l'=C9tude Biologique du Comportement,= the D=E9partement de biologie, Universit=E9 de Sherbrooke, and the= Lennoxville Dairy and Swine Research and Development Centre of Agriculture= and Agri-food Canada invite all persons interested in the study of ethology= and behavioral ecology to attend the 21st meeting of the SQ=C9BC. This= meeting will be held at the Universit=E9 de Sherbrooke over the weekend of= 18-20 October. The meeting will begin with a special symposium entitled "The applications= of animal behavior research", in which four invited speakers will report on= how their long-term research on the behavior of wild and domestic animals= has resulted in changes in wildlife management and animal husbandry. For more details, visit the website of the SQEBC: http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/r20370/sqebc.htm =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D 21e Congr=E8s annuel de la SQ=C9BC, U de Sherbrooke, Qu=E9bec, 18-20 octobre= 1996 La Soci=E9t=E9 Qu=E9b=E9coise pour l'=C9tude Biologique du Comportement, le= D=E9partement de biologie de l'Universit=E9 de Sherbrooke et le Centre de= recherche et de d=E9veloppement sur le bovin et le porc d'Agriculture et= Agro-alimentaire Canada =E0 Lennoxville invitent toutes les personnes= int=E9ress=E9es =E0 l'=E9tude du comportement ou de l'=E9cologie= comportementale =E0 venir assister au 21e colloque annuel de la SQ=C9BC. = Cette rencontre se tiendra du 18 au 20 octobre =E0 l'Universit=E9 de= Sherbrooke. Le colloque d=E9butera par un symposium traitant de "Les applications= pratiques de la recherche en comportement animal", o=F9 une conf=E9renci=E8= re invit=E9e et trois conf=E9renciers invit=E9s nous parleront de leurs= travaux =E0 long terme sur le comportement des animaux sauvages et= domestiques et comment ils ont donn=E9 lieu =E0 des changements dans la= fa=E7on d'am=E9nager ces animaux.=20 Pour plus de renseignements, visiter le site WWW de la SQ=C9BC: http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/r20370/sqebc.htm From: IN%"terryk@juno.com" 22-JUN-1996 14:35:43.35 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Introduction Hello, My name is Terry. I am an interested amateur and animal lover. I own many animals and have been fascinated by their behaviors and interaction with people and with each other. I look forward to learning and possibly sharing my empirical observations. From: IN%"dcanderson@ucdavis.edu" "David Anderson" 25-JUN-1996 09:07:59.38 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Alberta Exotic Animals Law I'm looking for a copy of the Alberta legislation, revised in 1994, governing the keeping of exotic animals. Apparently it is possible, under this law, to keep such animals as the African pygmy hedgehog as a pet. Is there a separate publication of the legislation or of regulations govening the keeping of exotic pets in Alberta? I'm hoping someone on the list will know and respond directly to me, as I am not presently subscribing to applied-ethology list. Thank you! David C Anderson, Information Specialist UC Center for Animal Alternatives School of Veterinary Medicine University of California, Davis Davis CA 95616-8683 USA dcanderson@ucdavis.edu (916) 752 9016 (w part time) (916) 663 3294 (h) From: IN%"RDIAZ@macc.wisc.edu" "Ramon Diaz-Uriarte" 25-JUN-1996 15:24:18.06 To: IN%"APPLIED-ETHOLOGY@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Hand held computers in behavioral research: summary Hi, Recently, I posted a question about hand held computers as alternatives to traditional paper checksheets in field behavioral observations. I have included below all the answers I got. Thank you very much to all for your information (and sorry I didn't thank each of you individually). Let me summarize what I have learned: -if you have the money, The Observer, in Psion machines, could be to be the way to go (at the end are several messages from Noldus, the makers of the observer). - if you can use a "normal" computer (say you work in the lab, and can use a laptop), a cheaper alternative is to use EthoLog, a Windows application. EthoLog is very nice freeware, and can be found in the Web (see below for addresses). - In terms of hardware, you can use Psion or the HP 200 LX; in these cases, is up to you to do the programming (or you can use spreadsheets). - much more inexpensive, if you can find them, are old machines like the Atari porfolio or the Tandy (can be found in used market?); again, the programming is up to you. As none of the above worked for me, I have been looking at different programable calculators (mainly HP and TI; a few Casio and Sharp); pocket organizers do not seem appropriate (most do not connect to a PC; programming is not available; awkward data entrance, etc., etc.). I have decided to use the HP- 48G family of calculators. The HP-48G comes with 32K of RAM, and costs about $100; the HP-48GX comes with 128K of RAM (easily expandable) and goes for $200 (I found the best prices in Educalc: 1-800-395-1000). You can connect these machines to your PC (also Mac) and transfer data at the end of the day as ASCII files (you can also transfer programs), by using a connectivity kit ($50). The use of these calculators for behavioral data recording can be very flexible [I don't own any shares in HP!]. You can enter the raw behavioral data by just typing at the command line (and then saving everything as a list of lists). You can also write programs, using a Lisp-like language (didn't you always wished you had the excuse to learn yet another language?). Any one of these approaches, or a combination, should allow you to get what you want. It is straightforward to get the time and the time elapsed between successive events, etc, so recording continuous data is very easy with simple programs (the TI-92, an otherwise apparently very nice machine, has no time or date functions; that immediately excluded it from my list of candidates). If you are going to write programs for the HP-48G series, you'll probably want to buy the "Advanced Users Reference manual" ($20), as the users manual that comes with the calculator does not say much about programming. (Check out p. 1-63: it is possible to lock the letter keyboard!) If you are not dealing with many behaviors, or you are not using very complicated observation schemes, these machines might suffice (within the limits of these being calculators, with small keyboards, etc, etc). It is true that, when buying one of these machines, you are paying for stuff you don't generally need in the field while recording behavioral data (e.g., plotting a 3D function or solving diff. eqs.); but I haven't found anything more appropriate or tailored to my intended use. A more serious problem could be the amount of memory; 32K might not always be enough for a day (for some of my data it would not be enough some days). If you can team up with someone that uses a similar system, one of you could have an HP-48G and the other a 48GX; the one with the 48G could transfer data to the 48GX in the field if her/his calculator's memory fills up (transfers between 48G series machines are a painless, easy, thing; no cables required, as it uses infrared). If you are going to use the machine in the field, you might want to protect if from accidents, in particular the display. You can use a transparent video plastic box (can buy 5 for less than $3); hold the machine in place, and protect the sides, by covering the inner lateral sides of the video box with weatherstrip (the foam stuff for windows and doors, that you buy at a hardware store). Then cut an oppening in the "door" of the video box, so that you can just access the keyboard, leaving the LCD protected, when the box is closed. If you are considering using these machines, look around in the Web for discussion groups, their FAQs, etc; there are plenty of them. There are also some utility programs that will allow you to write programs for the HP in your PC (using a real-sized keyboard!), and then transfer the programs to your HP (for example, look for the files tools.exe and sysrplpc.zip at the site: ftp://hpcvbbs.external.hp.com/dist/). As a final suggestion, if you are going to write your own programs, take a look a the paper in TREE, 1988, vol 3, pp. 146-148, by Whiten & Barton. It's got some very interesting ideas. Hope this helps. I am leaving for the field: I'll let you know a year from now how it worked. Ramon Diaz-Uriarte Dept. Zoology, Birge Hall 430 Lincoln Drv. Madison, WI 53706 *********************************** Sorry that I can't give you any definite information, but you might want to try asking sci.bio.ecology or the ECOLOG mailing list your question about field data recorders -- this topic was discussed there very recently (February or so). If you have world wide web access, you might try looking up the messages using the DejaNews archives (http://www.dejanews.com) or AltaVista (sorry, don't remember the URL). I think the topic title was "Vegetation field data & handheld computers" or some permutation thereof. If you need more information about using DejaNews, I'd be happy to fill your screen with more. David Fleck (dfleck@uog9.uog.edu) Division of Natural Sciences (671)735-2795/2780 fax:734-1299 University of Guam 13.5N lat. 144.7E long. Mangilao, Guam 96923 USA Time : GMT+10 EST+15 ************************************* Dear Ramon, Supongo con este nombre que hablas castillano, pero como no estoy seguro voy a adelantar en ingles (ademas es mas facil para mi). We use Psions LZ64 since several years loaded with the Observer 3.0 program. I don't own shares in the Noldus information technology company but I can tell you that their software is very useful and that they are extremely helpful to support their customers when learning the program or when a problem arises. (I saw you had a response from that company). One disadvantage of that model of the Psion is the small size of the keys. So you must be careful while recording when you have wrestler's fingers instead of pianist's ones. One way of decreasing errors is to cover the keyboard with a cardboard punched with holes above the keys which are in use. But Noldus can advise you eventually other small computers. Another important point we learned through (bad) experience. You must download the program from a PC to the Psion initially. After the recordings in the field you must upload your results to the PC for analysis. Now, be careful to connect the Psion to the mains when uploading because if you get the "battery low" message while uploading you loose all your data harvest (and tend to commit suicide...). That's something that should be mentioned in big letters in the manual instead of casually in a given paragraph. I hope this is of some help. Good luck. Frank Prof.Dr. F.O. Odberg Dpt. of Animal Nutrition, Genetics, Breeding and Ethology University of Ghent Heidestraat 19 B-9820 Merelbeke Belgium ****************************************** Contact: Noldus Information Technology b.v. Costerweg 5 P.O. Box 268 6700 AG Wageningen The Netherlands Phone:+31-(0)317-497677 FAX:+31-(0)317-424496 E-mail: info@noldus.nl WWW: http://www.diva.nl/noldus/ Noldus develops software, integrates systems, and conducts training for behaviorial researchers. Good Luck. ************************************ Dear Ramon Diaz-Uriarte and others! With regard to the use of hand held computer in registrating behaviour we have now extended experience with the use of several different types. However, the use of Observer program (now windows based) from Noldus in the Netherlands and the PSION Workabout has turned out to be a very easy to use and versatile combination. We have used this system as part of the training of students in our major ethology course since February this year and even students with little or no experience with the use of computers, and I might add, a rather hostile attitude towards them, now use the system with the greatest naturalness. I can only encourage you and others to start using this or similar systems. It makes observations less biased and has the great advantage that you can put your observational data directly into the PC and statistical analyse programs. We have encountered a few minor problems, but most have been solved promptly by the hardware or software manufacturers. The one draw back, of course, is that it is far from gratis. It is something that should be purchased for student training and not for a single project. Since Noldus use a dongle (a hard ware key) to protect their licenses it is not possible to copy. Yours Anders Lund ################################################## ########################## ##### Anders Lund e-mail: ALund@ZI.KU.DK Copenhagen University Phone: (+45) 35321306 Zoological Institute Fax: (+45) 35321299 Dept. of Population Biology Tagensvej 16 DK-2200 Copenhagen DENMARK ************************************** Hi Last summer I used a Psion Series 3 to collect tree data in the field in south Madagascar, and found it most satisfactory, though perhaps it is priced a little high for your purposes. This handheld machine is made in the UK, calls itself a palmtop computer, and includes a basic spreadsheet and a basic wordprocessing package as well as the standard calculator, address book, and world time convertor. It takes ordinary AA batteries (sadly, not rechargeable ones), it has an optional PC link, and its output files are compatible with standard Microsoft programs. Its very lightweight and I liked the spreadsheet very much - not so keen on using the tiny keyboard for typing. As I recall, in June 1995 the computer, cable and extra RAM card cost around 220 UK pounds: I'd expect prices to have dropped by now. Its also worth looking round the 2nd hand market if you've time. The only thing I missed was a square number pad for data entry. Best of luck Lera Miles Centro de Ecologia Aplicada, Universidade de Evora, Portugal ************************************************** * An expensive but excellent solution would be the "Observer" software by Noldus. They have a WWW site at: http://www.diva.nl/Noldus The software is written by behavioral biologists specifically for field and lab recording of behavior such as you will be doing. You design a sampling protocol in a simple form format. The possible designs are very flexible, allowing for the recording of events, states, specific actors, and modifiers to the events and states (for reciprocal behaviors, etc.). Basically, once you've designed the protocol, the computer becomes a dedicated behavioral recording device - the keys are linked to the various events and states. The software will also do various analyses of the data or export it to a number of formats. The datafiles are in straight ASCII, so it's easy to write alternative analysis programs. Most interesting for field applications, they have written drivers that will translate the data collection programs into versions that run on a broad range of handheld computers and pocket organizers. So you can design the protocol in the lab, collect in the field, then download and analyze the data back at the lab. There is also a module that allows you to use it with videotapes in the lab. It controls the VCR, and uses a timecode (VITC) on the videotape, so the software can keep track of the videotape time as you flip back and forth on the tape or use different playback speeds. The downside, of course, is that it isn't cheap: about US$1,375 for the DOS base package (ouch). They're just releasing a Windows version, so maybe they'll lower the price on the DOS version. You might be able to convince your professor to get it, or get some communal department funds together if there are some other people who could use it. I've been using it to do a rather intricate set of behavioral recordings from videotape, and I highly recommend it. (No, I have no connection with the company - I'm just a happy customer). The other alternative may be to find a buddy who could do a little programming for you (if you don't program yourself). Designing and programming a simple dedicated behavioral recorder shouldn't be too difficult a business. It helps a lot that you know your requirements clearly. That makes it possible to quickly arrive at a "final" version. (The flexibility of a package like the Observer allows you to easily tinker around with different configurations, but that's more important when you're beginning observations, rather than when you are well into them, as you currently are). Good luck! -Dean -- N. Dean Pentcheff WWW: http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/~dean/ Biological Sciences, Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia SC 29208 (803-777-3936) PGP ID=768/22A1A015 Keyprint=2D 53 87 53 72 4A F2 83 A0 BF CB C0 D1 0E 76 C0 Get PGP keys and information with the command: "finger dean@tbone.biol.sc.edu" ************************************ Hi, Someone recently asked about hand held computers for use in their research. I lost this mailing, but I hope this information is of help. I use a palmtop in my work and find it invaluable. The one I use is a Psion and it seems to fit all the requirements. Most importantly, apart from a full word processor, spreadsheet etc., it comes with its own programming program so it should be possible to create what you need. See http://www.psioninc.com David ============================================ Name:David Appleby Address:The Pet Behaviour Centre, Upper street, Defford, Worcestershire. WR8 9AB.England. Phone and fax:+44(0)1386 750615 E-mail:appleby@petbcent.demon.co.uk WWW: http://webzone1.co.uk/www/apbc/pbc.htm ============================================ ******************************************* From: IN%"fronzuto@wsunix.wsu.edu" "Julie A. Fronzuto" 14- JUN-1996 22:30:22.16 To: rdiaz@macc.wisc.edu Subject: ethology software Ramon, I don't know anything about handheld computers but have used the following program for ethological data on a PC. It is freeware and easy to use. A url where you can download it is under the info below. I originally found it on the ABS homepage. Julie Fronzuto Dept of Zoology Washington State University Pullman, Washington EthoLog v1.0 Ethological transcription tool ************************************************** ******************** EthoLog is a tool for the transcription of behavior observation sessions. The behavioral categories and their key codes are defined by the user in a text file. EthoLog is designed to deal with two kinds of events: State Events, which have durations, and Instant Events, which have times of occurrence (and are embedded in State Events). You can add Labels to any registered event, which can act as notes or modifiers. The transcription sessions can be paused and resumed. EthoLog generates two text files with a session summary and the full sequential and timing data. These files can be loaded to a spreadsheet for further analyses. EthoLog 1.0 is FreeWare, and may be freely distributed. The file etholog1.zip contains the following files: - etho10.exe (the program) - etho.hlp (the winhelp file) - example.ctg (an example of categories table) - cmdialog.vbx (VB library) - toolhelp.dll (the dll with the TIMERINFO routine) - readme.txt (this file) Copy them to any directory you want and create EthoLog Program Manager icon manually (with the "new" option in the File menu). This program was created with Visual Basic 3.0 Professional, so be sure you have the file VBRUN300.DLL in your system (it can be found in all Windows repositories in the Net; look for vbrun300.exe or vbrun300.zip...). ** Eduardo B. Ottoni Dept. of Experimental Psychology University of Sao Paulo Av. Mello Moraes 1721, Bl.A, Cid. Universitaria CEP 05508-900 Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil e-mail: ebottoni@usp.br *** you can down load it from here: http://www.jumbo.com/home/win/biology/ ************************************************* Dear Ramon, a very cheap software alternative to the "'Observer" would be "EthoLog" a shareware programm available on most software archives (e.g. SimTel). It is of course by far not as good as the observer but depending on what you want to it might serve your purposes. Cheers, Ruediger ************************************************** ******************** Ruediger Cordts E-mail: Arbeitsgruppe fuer Ruediger.Cordts@Rz.Ruhr-Uni- Bochum.de Verhaltensforschung Ruhr-Universitaet Tel.: XX49-(234)-700-2364 D-44780 Bochum Fax.: XX49-(2302)-77891 Germany ************************************************** ******************** ****************************************** Ramon I have no experience in the use of this method for behavioural studies, but i know of a product that might do what you want. I used to own an Atari Portfolio (no unfortunately stolen!) that was about the size of a large calculator, only a little thicker and heavier. I guess you could find one second hand for well under a $100. Although Atari no longer make them another company did continue making them under another badge and i have seen them for sale in the UK not to long ago, but i can't remember the brand name. Anyway the reson I think that they would be what you require is that they have a DOS compatable operating system (you need to buy a lead to plug into your PC), a standard ASCII text editor and more importantly a Lotus 123 compatable spread sheet so you would be able to take all your data and down load straight into 123 or any other spread sheet such as Exel. I can't remember how long the batteries used to last but it did have a socket for an external power supply or battery pack, so you should have no problem here! Anyway hope that was of some use, Neil Ambrose XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X Neil Ambrose X X Department of Biomedical Science and Ethics X X The University of Birmingham X X Edgabaston X X Birmingham X X B15 2TT X X 0121 414 5390 (W) 0121 427 9839 (H) 0589 236 345 (M) X X Email - N.Ambrose@bham.ac.uk - Main mail X X or - nxa585@isdugp.bham.ac.uk - Unix account X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX *********************************8 Dear Mr. Diaz-Uriarte, Thank you for your e-mail and your interest in The Observer The Observer 3.0, Base Package for Windows cost US$ 1,735 for academic institutions. We are working on a special Student Version of The Observer but I do not know the price at this moment yet. The Observer itself runs on a PC. Several hand-held computers are supported but you than need special software for translating your configuration file to a suitable file format for the hand-held computer you want to use. With the student version it is not possible to use a hand-held computer as event recorder. The Observational Research Kit contains all items for desktop and mobile collection of data. A mobile Kit includes: - The Observer 3.0, Base PAckage for Windows - The Observer 3.0, Support Package for hand-held computer - Hand-held computer - Event recording software on memory card - Communication cable and communication software - AC-adapter ORK with Psion LZ64 (64Kb) US$ 2,790 ORK with Psion Workabout 256Kb US$ 3,205 Please let me know if you have any further questions. I will keep you informed about the Student Version Best regards, Bart van Roekel ---------------------------------------- Bart van Roekel Noldus Information Technology P.O. Box 286 6700 AG Wageningen The Netherlands Tel: +31-317-497677 Fax: +31-317-424496 E-mail: B.van.Roekel@noldus.nl WWW: http://www.diva.nl/noldus/ Dear Dr. Diaz-Uriarte, I saw this posting on the Applied Ethology network and I would like to respond. But let me first introduve myself. My name is Wineke Schoo and I ma a biologist. I have studied chimpanzees when I was a student. Now I work as a consultant for a small software company in The Netherlands that is specialized in software (and hardware) for behavioral research. Among our products are hand-held computers with accompanying software. If you want I can send you some information about our products and if ypou are interested I could also send you some information on local users in your area.. You can also cekck out our Web page. The address is out the bottom of this message. Yours sincerely, Wineke Schoo Consultant ______________________________________ Noldus Information Technology b.v. Costerweg 5 P.O. Box 268 6700 AG Wageningen The Netherlands Phone: +31-(0)317-497677 Fax: +31-(0)317-424496 E-mail: w.schoo@noldus.nl WWW: http://www.diva.nl/noldus/ Dear Ramon Diaz-Uriarte and others! I would like to clarify something about the protection of the software. The software contained in any package of The Observer falls apart in two categories: 1. Software to set up observational studies (Configuration) and to analyze observational data (Data Analysis). This is typically done at a central location. 2. Software to collect observational data (Event Recording). This is typically carried out at multiple locations, using PC's or hand-held computers. A license of The Observer restricts the use of the software in the first category to a single computer at a time (protected by a hardware key). The data collection software, however, can be used on multiple computers simultaneously without the need for additional licenses. This applies to the Base Package as well as the various Support Packages for hand-held computers. Yours sincerely, Wineke Schoo ______________________________________ Noldus Information Technology b.v. Costerweg 5 P.O. Box 268 6700 AG Wageningen The Netherlands Phone: +31-(0)317-497677 Fax: +31-(0)317-424496 E-mail: w.schoo@noldus.nl WWW: http://www.diva.nl/noldus/ From: IN%"Maria.Wilson@arcb.us.astra.com" "Wilson Maria" 26-JUN-1996 11:16:22.25 To: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" "'To Applied Ethology b.b.'" CC: IN%"Maria.Wilson@arcb.us.astra.com" "Wilson Maria" Subj: Request for info about wolf hybrids I have been approached by friend of mine from Sweden doing a report on wolf hybrids (dog-wolf crosses) for the Swedish government. Although the hybrid exists in Sweden it is apparently much more common in the US (or elsewhere?) and I assume there is a lot of information out there however I don't know where to look. Does anyone either have access to information of any kind that you could pass on or give me any advice on where to go to find out more. The types of questions raised for the report is: The differences in behavior of a wolf hybrid as compared to a dog. Both when kept as pets and/or "working animals". What behavioral changes take place as the animal matures? Does sexual maturation induce changes not normally seen in the domestic dog? Earlier information implies that if there are problems they may not occur until the animal is 4-5 years of age. What happens when there are problems with these animals, are they euthanized or are there programs where they are "returned" to the wild? Are there any reports on free living wolf hybrids, either bred in or out of captivity? Are there any veterinary concerns in regards to vaccination programs etc.? Are there any regulatory issues regarding the cross or can anyone have or breed these animals? Is there a reason for breeding them other than the novelty? What do breeder and owner expect when they acquire a wolf hybrid? Thank you in advance for any information you might be able to give me. Maria Wilson Coordinator, Veterinary Services Astra Research Center Boston e-mail: maria.wilson@arcb.us.astra.com phone: 1 (617) 576-3900 fax: 1 (617) 576-3030 From: IN%"tsutton@ilink.nis.za" 26-JUN-1996 12:17:28.41 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: More comments on Southern Right Whales Thank you to all those who responded so enthusiastically to my request for information on 'Tail Sailing' behaviour in Southern Right Whales. It certainly was interesting to see how many people around the world have witnessed similar beahaviour. Because I had so many responses, I thought I would send this summary of the topic to the network. The first thing that came to light was that there is an absence of any hard factual (observation based) evidence as to what Southern Right whales are actually doing underneath the water when they are tail sailing. However, several interesting theories were produced which are summarised as follows: 1) The sail theory The behaviour is carried out in winds of between 5 to 45 km, with the tail held perpendicular to the oncoming wind direction. The theory is that this is used as a form of propulsion through the water. The counter theory to this is that the considerable mass of the whale beneath the water would render the 'sail' effect of the tail in the wind to negligible levels. 2) The anti-mating theory This hypothesis surmises that the 'tail sailing' behaviour is carried out by females as a mating avoidence behaviour. This certainly seems to be a feasible option, but requires direct observation to verify. Further it was noted that the females carrying out this mating avoidence behaviour tend to hold more of the body out of the water than was noted in other instances of tail sailing. 3) The thermoregulation theory It was suggested that evaporation of water from the flukes could play a role in thermoregulation of whales. 4) The tactile / play theory It was suggested that the behaviour could be carried out simply for the tactile sensation of the wind blowing over the flukes, or as a form of play. 5) The bottom feeding theory It was suggested that tail sailing, especially when carried out in shallow waters (10 - 15m) is carried out as a bottom feeding technique. However, certainly in my observations the 'tail sailing' behaviour was always carried out in deeper waters. 6) The grooming / parasite removal theory It was suggested that tail sailing might actually be the above water view of whales scratching barnacles or parasites off on rocks on the ocean floor. I was also informed of several papers that have been written that cover this topic in some detail. if anyone could advise me where to get copies of such papers, it would be most appreciated. Any more input on the topic would be most appreciated. From a personal 'gut feel' perspective, the anti-mating theory seems like a good possible explanation. I will continue my observations during the coming whale season to see which of these theories is / are most likely to be valid. Regards Tim Sutton Senior Nature Conservator Potberg Environmental Education Centre De Hoop Nature Reserve ND Nature Conservation From: IN%"kckissan@alpha.delta.edu" "Kelly Caithlin Kissane" 26-JUN-1996 12:29:02.97 To: IN%"Maria.Wilson@arcb.us.astra.com" "Wilson Maria" CC: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" "'To Applied Ethology b.b.'", IN%"applied-ethology-error@sask.usask.ca" Subj: RE: Request for info about wolf hybrids On Wed, 26 Jun 1996, Wilson Maria wrote: > > I have been approached by friend of mine from Sweden doing a report on > wolf hybrids (dog-wolf crosses) for the Swedish government. Although the > hybrid exists in Sweden it is apparently much more common in the US (or > elsewhere?) and I assume there is a lot of information out there however > I don't know where to look. Does anyone either have access to information > of any kind that you could pass on or give me any advice on where to go > to find out more. Maria, I can contact some wolf-hybrid breeders and see if they would ahve some information for you. You are correct, wolf hybrids are "popular" in the US, though this has led to some abuses. > > The types of questions raised for the report is: > > The differences in behavior of a wolf hybrid as compared to a dog. Both > when kept as pets and/or "working animals". > What behavioral changes take place as the animal matures? Does sexual > maturation induce changes not normally seen in the domestic dog? Earlier > information implies that if there are problems they may not occur until > the animal is 4-5 years of age. > What happens when there are problems with these animals, are they > euthanized or are there programs where they are "returned" to the wild? I can answer this question - when a wolf hybrid becomes "unmanageable" (usually do inexperience with training these dogs) or bites someone, these dogs are almost always euthanized. I have never heard of a wolf hyrid that was released in the wild, and believe that is would be illegal, since they were never wild in the beginning. > Are there any reports on free living wolf hybrids, either bred in or out > of captivity? > Are there any veterinary concerns in regards to vaccination programs > etc.? I believe that the vaccination requirements are the same for domestic dogs. > Are there any regulatory issues regarding the cross or can anyone have or > breed these animals? Some cities have restrictions, if not an outright ban on wolf hybrids, because of possible behavior problems. > Is there a reason for breeding them other than the novelty? What do > breeder and owner expect when they acquire a wolf hybrid? This is where some of the abuse lies - too often people buy wolf hybrid pups because they are popular, look beautiful, and unfortunately, because they think that the animal will be mean, a good guard dog, etc. This last group usually ends up killing the animals, or they end up in pounds, where they are put to sleep. From what I learned from breeders, this is almost always due to inexperience - the pack instinct is very strong in wolf hybrids, and if you dont' set yourself up early in the pups life as the alpha dog, behavior problems do arise. Kelly C. Kissane Grad student Central Michigan University arachnology/animal behavior From: IN%"kckissan@alpha.delta.edu" "Kelly Caithlin Kissane" 26-JUN-1996 12:31:12.10 To: IN%"Maria.Wilson@arcb.us.astra.com" "Wilson Maria" CC: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" "'To Applied Ethology b.b.'", IN%"applied-ethology-error@sask.usask.ca" Subj: RE: Request for info about wolf hybrids On Wed, 26 Jun 1996, Wilson Maria wrote: > > I have been approached by friend of mine from Sweden doing a report on > wolf hybrids (dog-wolf crosses) for the Swedish government. Although the > hybrid exists in Sweden it is apparently much more common in the US (or > elsewhere?) and I assume there is a lot of information out there however > I don't know where to look. Does anyone either have access to information > of any kind that you could pass on or give me any advice on where to go > to find out more. Maria, I can contact some wolf-hybrid breeders and see if they would ahve some information for you. You are correct, wolf hybrids are "popular" in the US, though this has led to some abuses. > > The types of questions raised for the report is: > > The differences in behavior of a wolf hybrid as compared to a dog. Both > when kept as pets and/or "working animals". > What behavioral changes take place as the animal matures? Does sexual > maturation induce changes not normally seen in the domestic dog? Earlier > information implies that if there are problems they may not occur until > the animal is 4-5 years of age. > What happens when there are problems with these animals, are they > euthanized or are there programs where they are "returned" to the wild? I can answer this question - when a wolf hybrid becomes "unmanageable" (usually do inexperience with training these dogs) or bites someone, these dogs are almost always euthanized. I have never heard of a wolf hyrid that was released in the wild, and believe that is would be illegal, since they were never wild in the beginning. > Are there any reports on free living wolf hybrids, either bred in or out > of captivity? > Are there any veterinary concerns in regards to vaccination programs > etc.? I believe that the vaccination requirements are the same for domestic dogs. > Are there any regulatory issues regarding the cross or can anyone have or > breed these animals? Some cities have restrictions, if not an outright ban on wolf hybrids, because of possible behavior problems. > Is there a reason for breeding them other than the novelty? What do > breeder and owner expect when they acquire a wolf hybrid? This is where some of the abuse lies - too often people buy wolf hybrid pups because they are popular, look beautiful, and unfortunately, because they think that the animal will be mean, a good guard dog, etc. This last group usually ends up killing the animals, or they end up in pounds, where they are put to sleep. From what I learned from breeders, this is almost always due to inexperience - the pack instinct is very strong in wolf hybrids, and if you dont' set yourself up early in the pups life as the alpha dog, behavior problems do arise. Kelly C. Kissane Grad student Central Michigan University arachnology/animal behavior From: IN%"lhenley@sunmuw1.MUW.Edu" "Lani Lyman-Henley" 26-JUN-1996 13:53:49.25 To: IN%"Maria.Wilson@arcb.us.astra.com" "Wilson Maria" CC: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" "'To Applied Ethology b.b.'", IN%"applied-ethology-error@sask.usask.ca" Subj: RE: Request for info about wolf hybrids Maria, I'd be interested also in hearing (basically) what you find. The information about wolf hybrids I've seen tends to be very negative (I've really only read review articles, I'm not sure if I still have copies). I own a wolf hybrid, however, who has adjusted quite well..though I can see where many dog owners would have trouble if they didn't know what they were getting. His behavior does differ from "standard dog" mainly in the dominance-testing area. I'd be happy to tell you about *my* experiences with this animal, if you want that kind of information. I *did* have him neutered at 6 months age, so I don't know anything about that angle.... :) *********************************************************************** Lani Lyman-Henley, PhD email: lhenley@sunmuw1.muw.edu Division of Science & Math phone: (601) 329-7245 (office) Mississippi University for Women P.O.Box W 100 Columbus, MS 39701 FAX: (601) 329-7238 WWW: http://www.msstate.edu/Dept/Psychology/lplh.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "More than iron, more than lead, more than gold I need electricity. I need it more than I need lamb or pork or lettuce or cucumber. I need it for my dreams." -Poetry by Ractor (computer) *********************************************************************** From: IN%"lhenley@sunmuw1.MUW.Edu" "Lani Lyman-Henley" 26-JUN-1996 13:56:20.24 To: IN%"Maria.Wilson@arcb.us.astra.com" "Wilson Maria" CC: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" "'To Applied Ethology b.b.'", IN%"applied-ethology-error@sask.usask.ca" Subj: RE: Request for info about wolf hybrids Maria, I'd be interested also in hearing (basically) what you find. The information about wolf hybrids I've seen tends to be very negative (I've really only read review articles, I'm not sure if I still have copies). I own a wolf hybrid, however, who has adjusted quite well..though I can see where many dog owners would have trouble if they didn't know what they were getting. His behavior does differ from "standard dog" mainly in the dominance-testing area. I'd be happy to tell you about *my* experiences with this animal, if you want that kind of information. I *did* have him neutered at 6 months age, so I don't know anything about that angle.... :) *********************************************************************** Lani Lyman-Henley, PhD email: lhenley@sunmuw1.muw.edu Division of Science & Math phone: (601) 329-7245 (office) Mississippi University for Women P.O.Box W 100 Columbus, MS 39701 FAX: (601) 329-7238 WWW: http://www.msstate.edu/Dept/Psychology/lplh.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "More than iron, more than lead, more than gold I need electricity. I need it more than I need lamb or pork or lettuce or cucumber. I need it for my dreams." -Poetry by Ractor (computer) *********************************************************************** From: IN%"ilsmith@utkux.utcc.utk.edu" "Ione Smith" 26-JUN-1996 18:30:43.55 To: IN%"Maria.Wilson@arcb.us.astra.com" "Wilson Maria" CC: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" "'To Applied Ethology b.b.'", IN%"Maria.Wilson@arcb.us.astra.com" "Wilson Maria" Subj: RE: Request for info about wolf hybrids Maria-- I'm sending you some miscellaneous hybrid info that I've gathered over time. I'm sending it privately to avoid boring the list--if anyone else would like the info, I'll be glad to send it. Hope this helps. You should also try a search on the web; and, as the file I'm sending mentions, there's a Usenet group which discusses wolves and hybrids which ought to have good information for you. Ione ================================================== http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~ilsmith/ethics.html for all sides of the AR/AW/anti-AR debate http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~ilsmith/stereo.html the stereotypical behaviors database ================================================== From: IN%"k9acad@iafrica.com" 27-JUN-1996 10:21:18.66 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Request for info about wolf hybrids. So-called wolf hybrids may not always be what they seem. Claims are often made here by breeders that the animal is anything from 1% to 99% wolf - I guess to impress the buyer?! The Kennel Union Of South Africa will not register the wolf hybrid on the Working/Obedience reg. but will however register all other cross breeds. In my opinion the whole thing falls apart as no one in this country can proove wolf mix or not ... let alone percentage wolf!! Maybe DNA? If in fact there are any genuine wolf hybrids around I would be most interested in knowing more about their behaviour. There was a study done in this country some years ago (introducing the wolf back into the GSD) The whole project failed and I do not know what happended to the vet involved. If you would like me to try and track him down I will certainly do my best. Hope I've been of some help. GLYNNE ANDERSON k9acad@iafrica.com From: IN%"John.Linnell@osir.hihm.no" "John Linnell" 27-JUN-1996 10:46:47.30 To: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Weather atlas ? Does anybody know of a good worldwide weather atlas which gives temperature and rainfall / snowdepth data, either as detailed contours (thermoclines, "rainoclines", "snowclines") or as tabulated data for all weather stations. I need it for a series of literature reviews where I am comparing different study sites and where a more sensitive measure of site climate than lattitude is required. Thanks in advance, John Linnell ******************************************************************* John Linnell Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA.NIKU) Deset 2450 Rena Norway Phone ++ 47 62 44 35 59 / ++47 62 44 35 11 / ++ 47 62 46 30 00 Fax ++ 47 62 44 17 54 / ++ 47 62 46 32 30 email John.Linnell@osir.hihm.no ******************************************************************** From: IN%"haussman@rs4703.ansc1.uni-hohenheim.de" "HANS HAUSSMANN" 27-JUN-1996 10:53:38.97 To: IN%"breeders@chuck.AgSci.ColoState.EDU", IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: How to mark and identify animals from a distance of 5-20 meters? A herd of cows and bulls, about 150 heads altogether, is kept as nearly wild. The animals are never touched by man except during some days after birth. Is there a system of identification (probably transponders) by which an animal can always be identified from a certain distance? We are hesitating to think about ear tags because the animals should look as they naturally look and not as manipulated by man and because ear tags will probably be lost by some animals by the years. ___________________ ,--¬_ Hans Haussmann haussman@hh.as.uni-hohenheim.de ,;;,_ ____/ /|/ Institute for Animal Husbandry and Animal Breeding ;; ( )___, ) ' (Institut fuer Tierhaltung und Tierzuechtung) ,' // V\__ University of Hohenheim, Germany _ / \ / \ Fax 0711-459-3290 ¬ ¬ ' Fon 0711-459-2476 (-3006) ___________________ Mail Uni Hohenheim, 470/HG, D-70593 Stuttgart From: IN%"IDUNCAN@APS.UoGuelph.CA" 27-JUN-1996 16:09:15.21 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Guelph96 To all attendees of the ISAE International Congress at the University of Guelph in August: We are offering a meal package for those delegates wishing to partake in meals while staying off campus during the conference. This package will allow you to eat with your fellow delegates for on campus meals during the conference (other than the special meals included on the registraiton form ie. the Barbecue and Banquet). You should also note that there will be nowhere else to eat on campus. The total price for this package is $45.14 (including taxes) and includes this following meals: Date Lunch Dinner August 13 not included Creelman Hall August 14 Creelman Hall Creelman Hall August 15 not included See note 1 August 16 Creelman Hall See note 2 Note 1 Tickets available for the Barbecue on the Ethology registration form. Note 2 Tickets available for the Banquet on the Ethology registration form. It will also be possible to purchase individual meals. Should you be interested in purchasing this package, please complete the following information and email it back to me I will ensure you receive a meal package upon your arrival. Payment: Payment is required by July 26th and may be made by international money order, or credit card (VISA, Mastercard, or American Express only). Personal cheques will be accepted for Canadian Registrants only and should be made payable to The University of Guelph. Name: Institution: Address: Telephone Number: Email Address: Fax Number: If you wish to pay be credit card, please contact our office directly at 1-519-824-4120 x 2057, we will then take your card number over the phone in order to ensure confidentality or fax us at 1-519-767-0758. If your intention is to pay by cheque, please make the payment out to The University Of Guelph and mail it to: Office of Open Learning/Conference Planning Unit Johnston Hall Room 159 University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Regards, Sarah Builder Conference Planning Unit =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Office of Open Learning--Conference Planning Unit Voice: (519) 824-4120 extension 4903 Email: sbuilder@oac.uoguelph.ca From: IN%"kmcn@flyball.org.uk" 27-JUN-1996 17:16:21.44 To: IN%"haussman@rs4703.ansc1.uni-hohenheim.de" "HANS HAUSSMANN" CC: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" Subj: RE: How to mark and identify animals from a distance of 5-20 meters? >A herd of cows and bulls, about 150 heads altogether, is kept as nearly >wild. The animals are never touched by man except during some days after >birth. Is there a system of identification (probably transponders) by >which an animal can always be identified from a certain distance? > >We are hesitating to think about ear tags because the animals should >look as they naturally look and not as manipulated by man and because >ear tags will probably be lost by some animals by the years. From recent enquiries the best distance for (microchip) transponders to relay information is only a few feet. There is a gateway walk past system which I beleive will log the chip numbers of all the animals that walk past. I will try to find the name of the manufacturer for you. Regards Kevin Mc Nicholas jkm294@soton.ac.uk From: IN%"ilsmith@utkux.utcc.utk.edu" "Ione Smith" 27-JUN-1996 19:26:35.62 To: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: animal ID Speaking of marking animals... I need a long-lasting, waterproof, non-toxic coloring agent for white fur. I've tried Sharpie pens, permanent cloth markers, food coloring, etc. to no avail. I'm sure there's something simple that I'm not thinking of--anybody want to give me some ideas? I would very much appreciate it! (methylene blue and picric acid have been suggested to me previously--any comments on these?) Ione ================================================== http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~ilsmith/ethics.html for all sides of the AR/AW/anti-AR debate http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~ilsmith/stereo.html the stereotypical behaviors database ================================================== From: IN%"MSPINKA@APS.UoGuelph.CA" "Marek Spinka" 27-JUN-1996 19:32:34.77 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Questions about pig housing and transport regulation Hi all, Could anybody give me a rough information about the two following points: 1. What is the proportion of pregnant sows housed in individual crates and in group pens in the US and in Canada? To what extent bedding is used for this cathegory of animals? 2. Is there any US or Canadian enforceable legislation regulating the transport of live pigs, especially its duration and the obligatory frequency of watering, feeding and rest? Any info is highly appreciated. Many regards, Marek Marek Spinka Room 249 Dept. Anim. Poultry Sci. University of Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada E-mail:mspinka@aps.uoguelph.ca Fax: +1 519 836 9873 Phone: +1 519 824 4120 ext. 3689 From: IN%"ftrs1@aurora.alaska.edu" "STIMMELMAYR RAPHAELA _" 27-JUN-1996 23:50:13.77 To: IN%"wattsjon@duke.usask.ca" "Jon Watts" CC: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" "Applied Ethology" Subj: RE: "Quality" of articles All i can say is hear hear. thanks for putting it that way. science with out a creative spunk and imagination is nothing and on top off utterly boring. Rafaela Stimmelmayr; IAB,University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska On Thu, 20 Jun 1996, Jon Watts wrote: > Being a dumb graduate student is an occupation fraught with hazards and > frustrations. Hazards include the risk of say, being stomped on by a cow > or not being able to return to the homeland in time to prevent your unborn > child from growing up with a Canadian accent. > > Frustrations are many, but definitely include aspects of the literature > you have to struggle through. I once read a Peanuts cartoon where the > little girl asked why scientists had to give the planets difficult names > like Jupiter and Saturn when they could have "proper American" names like > Chuck or Marjorie. I think I was just inebriated enough to find this very > profound. (Though to this day I haven't figured out why the first and > sixth planets are named for cars, the fourth for a candy bar and the ninth > planet is named after a cartoon dog). Anyhow, to continue the ramble..... > When I got my Bachelors degree in psychology I went to a photo studio to > get a picture taken for my Mum of me in mortar board and gown clutching > degree certificate. The photographer wanted to know what was the "correct" > costume I should be wearing and therefore asked me whether psychology was > an "art" or a "science". I responded that this was an extremely > philosophical question and not at all straightforward to answer but that > the degree title was Bachelor of Science and the Psychology department was > part of the School of Life Sciences and we took a lot of statistics > classes, therefore he should kit me out in the "science" costume. > Psycholgy seems to have soaked itself in statistics in some sort of bid to > achieve "scientific" status, to an extent unparalleled by any of the > so-called "hard sciences". This is true, I believe, of behavioural science > in general, including applied ethology. I hate reading papers that look > as though the design and procedures used in the experiment were influenced > more by the anticipated demands of statisticians than a desire to > reproduce some production situation and find the effect of a different > treatment. I categorically do NOT believe that having a statistics > "enforcer" reviewing articles will improve the "quality" of papers > published in any journal. At least the quality will not be improved in any > meaningful sense, only perhaps in an arcane technical sense. The result of > such an "improvement" will actually be a diminution of the validity, > relevance and imaginativeness of the research and a stifling of > creativity. I want to read papers where the researchers had an > interesting idea, did an experiment or made observations under conditions > that bore some relationship to real life and reported results with > whatever level of statistical rigour was practicable given the > circumstances. In other words they would tell me something I want to know > and I can figure out for myself how much faith I want to put in it. > Judging quality of papers by peer commentary in the journal, like BBS for > example doesn't tell us much about quality either, as long as for a given > paper every other "expert" in the field just gets to recite their own > dogmas and puff up their own chests on the subject to contradict what the > researcher has just said or otherwise pooh pooh the paper. "Quality" for > me will be determined by the following criteria: > > 1. Was it an interesting, meaningful question? > 2. Did the researchers tackle it in a creative relevant way? > 3. Do the findings mean anything worth knowing about? > 4. Does it have validity in a qualitative sense? > . > . > 7. Can we have some statistical confidence in it? > > This may be heresy, but I stand by it. > > Jon Watts > > From: IN%"Michael.Mayntz@hhyg.slu.se" 28-JUN-1996 01:28:56.63 To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" "Applied Ethology" CC: Subj: quality of articles / new Journal for ISAE Congratulations to Jon Watts! Following the discussion "quality of articles / new Journal for ISAE" - this was one discussion in the beginning and it was the first dishonesty when the quality-argument entered the scene - I would like to give some inputs from the silent back benches: 1. Are there not already too much journals around? Does not the scientific society need another journal as urgent as mankind needed AIDS? Is there not a lot of Caesar's devise in many minds: "Better to be the first man in a small village than in Rome the second"? 2. "Quality" is not a mechanical thing. The right balance between craft and art is right only in relation to the actual topic! Why do formalists always forget the content? There is an expression for formally correct but totally content free scientific work: "Counting legs of flies". 3. It is true, the thinking before about "what do I want to know" is the utmost important part of scientific work and THE precondition for good quality (it does not exclude unexpected results!) but the real experimental design is in 999 of 1000 cases a compromise between what you want and what you can get. 4. Best solutions of that puzzle are achieved when you and your statistical adviser (could be one person!) do this job physically being at the experimental site - most other "advises" can't get rid of the smell of theory. 5. Whenever you select an experimental design, the primary ambition must be to fulfil the demands of the craft! To stand by this ambition may result in that you even may be forced to give up some of your objectives! 6. Skilled craftsmen among your readers will see whether you overexploited your material! Why is the reader's aspect of "quality" so easily forgotten? Michael Mayntz Department of Animal Hygiene Skara, Sweden From: IN%"haussman@rs4703.ansc1.uni-hohenheim.de" "HANS HAUSSMANN" 28-JUN-1996 01:36:43.10 To: IN%"kmcn@flyball.org.uk" CC: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" Subj: RE: How to mark and identify animals from a distance of 5-20 meters? | >A herd of cows and bulls, about 150 heads altogether, is kept as nearly | >wild. The animals are never touched by man except during some days after | >birth. Is there a system of identification (probably transponders) by | >which an animal can always be identified from a certain distance? | > | >We are hesitating to think about ear tags because the animals should | >look as they naturally look and not as manipulated by man and because | >ear tags will probably be lost by some animals by the years. | | From recent enquiries the best distance for (microchip) transponders to | relay information is only a few feet. There is a gateway walk past system | which I beleive will log the chip numbers of all the animals that walk | past. I will try to find the name of the manufacturer for you. | | | Regards | | Kevin Mc Nicholas | | jkm294@soton.ac.uk Thank you for your reply! The owner of the herd doesn't accept gateways for treatments of the animals but maybe he accepts a gateway just for identifying. So this might be a solution although the possibility to identify any animal at any time and any place would be better. Regards, Hans Haussmann From: IN%"tarongaz@mpx.com.au" 28-JUN-1996 02:20:24.44 To: IN%"APPLIED-ETHOLOGY@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: MIGRANT BIRDS IN CAPTIVITY Most of the long distance migrants held at Taronga Zoo are birds handed in injured and not suitable for release. However, we do have some short haul species in the collection that might be rehabilitated and released and we have some migrant species on the Plan that we would add if they were handed in: eg Dicrurus bracteatus Drongo is a member of a Family we would like to represent and part of the local fauna we would like to interpret. We have not noticed any behavioural changes in migrant species in the relevant migration periods. However, we are now logging activities formally and are looking for publications documenting similar observations. A cursory search turned up very little. We are already looking at obvious parameters like changes in weight, patterns of moult etc, but would be grateful for advice of any publication relevant to more subtle physiological changes, behavioural changes etc. and the possible ramifications to the welfare of migrant species held in captivity. Thanks Paul Paul Andrew Curator Taronga Zoo PO Box 20 Mosman NSW 2088 Australia From: IN%"BJORN.FORKMAN@bbsrc.ac.uk" "Bjorn Forkman" 28-JUN-1996 02:20:53.27 To: IN%"applied-ethology-error@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: RE: animal ID I have had good success marking gerbils with eye-brow colours/dye. You just mix a little pulver and some paste and then smear the part of the fur you want to mark, the longer you leave it on the darker it gets. The colour is permanent. Eye-brow colours is available in most super-markets/ chemists. The only problem is that they come in small packages so that if you are thinking of marking a polar bear... Bjorn Forkman e-mail: bjorn.forkman@bbsrc.ac.uk From: IN%"ba1resep@uco.es" "Pilar Recuerda Serrano" 28-JUN-1996 06:04:49.16 To: IN%"ilsmith@utkux.utcc.utk.edu" "Ione Smith" CC: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" Subj: RE: animal ID Marking animals I have use Aniline for marking one day broiler chickens. I works quite OK. if the animal does not change feathers or hair. It is quite long-lasting (much more than the methylene blue that I tryed first) although of course it goes pale with time. You can get Aniline in different colours (black, blue, red, green). The problem is that in some countries is not available but I do not know the reason why. Let me know if you need more information. Inma Estevez Departamento de Biologia Animal Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Cordoba, Cordoba Spain On Thu, 27 Jun 1996, Ione Smith wrote: > Speaking of marking animals... > > I need a long-lasting, waterproof, non-toxic coloring agent for white > fur. I've tried Sharpie pens, permanent cloth markers, food coloring, > etc. to no avail. I'm sure there's something simple that I'm not > thinking of--anybody want to give me some ideas? I would very much > appreciate it! > > (methylene blue and picric acid have been suggested to me previously--any > comments on these?) > > Ione > > ================================================== > http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~ilsmith/ethics.html > for all sides of the AR/AW/anti-AR debate > > http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~ilsmith/stereo.html > the stereotypical behaviors database > ================================================== > > From: IN%"gadagkar@is.dal.ca" "Sudhindra Gadagkar" 28-JUN-1996 13:37:38.73 To: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Re Animal ID First of all let me introduce myself. My name is Sudhindra Gadagkar, a Ph.D. student at Dalhousie University, Halifax, hoping to wind up this year. I joined this discussion group a few weeks ago, and believe it is a good thing. Am hoping to see more on a) methodology and b) the philosophy of the science (?). I myself am working on the social behaviour of aquaculture fish (tilapia), its genetics and relation to growth rate variation among the fish. I would be happy to correspond with kindred spirits. Anyway, the reason I got out of my lurking posture was to respond to Ione Smith's problem. Have you tried alcian blue? I have used it on my tilapia, shot it under the skin with a gun (that forces a jet of the dye through) and it stays for long time under water (the dye I mean, yeah and the fish too). Give me a shout if you need more info. It's been a while since I used it but I should be able to dig out some information for you. Good luck. Sudhindra