From: IN%"finklerh@post.tau.ac.il" "Hilit Finkler" 19-MAY-2004 11:58:21.79
To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: advise
Hello people,
I would like to use this vast platform to consult with you about my Ph.D
oppurtunities.
I have recently finished my M.Sc in zoology, concerning the efficacy of the
tnr method in free roaming domestic cat populations in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Tha subject of animal welfare and applied ethology in Israel is almost
non-existant.
Nonetheless, i am searching for an adviser on these subjects (i don't yet
have a research proposal).
i am thinking that maybe it would be better to take an adviser from
psychology, and maybe a co-adviser from biology (or even a third one from
abroad), in order to broaden my knowledge, and also because i cannot find
people from biology (but i'm still looking).
Do you think it is wise, or maybe i should stick with the biology people
(assuming i will find such)?. I am asking this because a psychology
professor told me that my main adviser should be a person who fully
understands animal behaviour, and a psychologist, specializing in human
behaviour will not be able to guide me, and this will cause setbacks in my
research.
What do you think?
Thanks in advance for your help,
Hilit Finkler
From: IN%"Rexxie1@aol.com" 20-MAY-2004 10:52:51.44
To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: question regarding harvesting elkhorn velvet
"Does anyone on the list have a scientific opinion on the welfare effects
of this method of "harvesting" velvet?
Thanks,
Marlene Halverson
"Velvet antler from elk and deer, a popular nutraceutical recognized
worldwide for healing and rejuvenation qualities, can now be harvested drug-free
and humanely with a sleek new device manufactured in the U.S.
The genius of the velvet antler bander is that it uses the firm
pressure of a taut rubber band to create a natural anesthetic. Once the animal
is restrained, the instrument is used to loop a band tightly around the base
of each pedicle, dulling any sensation, usually within four minutes. The
antlers, which are normally shed in the wild and regrow naturally every year, can
then be safely and painlessly removed.
An international team of experts spent the last three years
designing and field-testing the product.
"It's on the market for the first time ever and allows us to
harvest elk and deer velvet antler humanely without the use of chemicals that
could potentially be left in the velvet," says Mike Callicrate, owner of No-Bull
Enterprises, St. Francis, Kan. The business holds a worldwide patent on the
invention.
The product offers many positive benefits, says Dr. Terry Church,
veterinarian and manager of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch at Calgary, a
project cooperator charged with evaluating the technique.
"When the industry started out and people didn't have good
handling facilities, often the animals were restrained using immobilizing drugs,"
he says. "The downside is that the blood supply to the antlers could contain
these products prior to harvest."
Locally injected deadening agents such as lidocane could also
potentially leave traces.
"What we wanted was a drug-free, humane and painless method for
removing the antler," he explains. "The compression analgesic approach is an
alternative to fulfill those criteria and enhance food safety while at the same
time improving animal welfare. It is a very farmer-friendly approach. The
device takes very little training to use, and it provides the anesthetic and the
tourniquet all in one step."
On his ranch, which runs 450 elk and 120 reindeer, all antlers
are removed using the compression method, allowing the company to market its
velvet antler capsules as all-natural and drug-free.
In clinical studies around the world, velvet antler has been
shown to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, improve athletic performance, speed up
healing and increase testosterone levels. Active substances gleaned from the
antlers also contribute to energy enhancement, strong immunity and anti-aging
effects. These unique properties are attributed to the exceptionally rapid
nerve and blood vessel development that occurs in growing antlers.
More recently, antler velvet has been shown to alleviate symptoms
of arthritis and senility in dogs.
About 1,000 tons of deer antler are consumed in various forms
annually worldwide. About half of that is produced in New Zealand, which has
about 2.8 million deer on farms, and the rest comes mostly from farms in Russia,
China, Korea, Canada and the U.S. Harvested antlers now sell for about $15 per
pound (U.S.)
"North America is a real potential growth area," Church says.
From: IN%"mappleby@hsus.org" "Michael Appleby" 20-MAY-2004 13:33:09.92
To: IN%"Rexxie1@aol.com", IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC: IN%"d.j.mellor@massey.ac.nz", IN%"vincem@lab0.vet.ed.ac.uk", IN%"J.e.Kent@ed.ac.uk"
Subj: RE: question regarding harvesting elkhorn velvet
Marlene et al
> Does anyone on the list have a scientific opinion on the welfare
effects of this method of "harvesting" velvet?
I'm copying this to David Mellor, Vince Molony and Joyce Kent, who have
done most on elastration of calves and lambs and may have some
suggestions.
Velvet harvesting is done when the bone is fully formed but not yet
fully mineralized. One source of confusion is that "velvet" refers both
to the whole antler of bone and skin at this stage, and to the nutritive
skin alone (which dies, dries and peels off once the bone is
mineralized). The skin is highly vascularized and innervated, and I
think the nerves are only in the skin, not in the bone.
My guess is that this should be less of a welfare insult than banding
for castration, because in the latter there are nerves in the deep
tissue, which will not be cut off by the process, whereas in the velvet
antler the banding should be compressing all the nerves in the skin
against the hard bone beneath. I do not know, though, whether the
curtailed nerves below the band would continue to send any signals - or
even potentially grow neuromas and hence send "phantom limb" pain
signals subsequently.
In the UK, though, velvet harvesting was banned years ago, in the early
development of deer farming, on the grounds that it was unjustified to
remove living tissue from animals to produce a product of no proven
medicinal value. I note that the paragraph below claims a mixture of
medicinal and other properties have been proven - although my impression
is that more velvet is taken for the "other" properties than for
medicinal reasons, and I am not happy with the idea of amputating live
antlers if the unspoken justification is effects on testosterone levels.
And my scientific impression of this paragraph is not enhanced by the
last sentence: I can believe that hormones might have some of these
effects (although would hormone concentrations be higher within the
antler than elsewhere?) but why should "rapid nerve and blood vessel
development" confer any benefits on someone eating this tissue?
> In clinical studies around the world, velvet antler has been shown to
relieve the symptoms of arthritis, improve athletic performance, speed
up healing and increase testosterone levels. Active substances gleaned
from the antlers also contribute to energy enhancement, strong immunity
and anti-aging effects. These unique properties are attributed to the
exceptionally rapid nerve and blood vessel development that occurs in
growing antlers.
Mike
Michael C. Appleby (Dr)
Vice-President
Farm Animals and Sustainable Agriculture
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20037, USA
Switchboard 1 202 452 1100
Direct 1 301 258 3111
Fax 1 301 258 3081
Email mappleby@hsus.org
-----Original Message-----
From: Rexxie1@aol.com [mailto:Rexxie1@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2004 12:52 PM
To: applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca
Subject: question regarding harvesting elkhorn velvet
"Does anyone on the list have a scientific opinion on the welfare
effects of this method of "harvesting" velvet?
Thanks,
Marlene Halverson
"Velvet antler from elk and deer, a popular nutraceutical recognized
worldwide for healing and rejuvenation qualities, can now be harvested
drug-free and humanely with a sleek new device manufactured in the U.S.
The genius of the velvet antler bander is that it uses the
firm pressure of a taut rubber band to create a natural anesthetic. Once
the animal is restrained, the instrument is used to loop a band tightly
around the base of each pedicle, dulling any sensation, usually within
four minutes. The antlers, which are normally shed in the wild and
regrow naturally every year, can then be safely and painlessly removed.
An international team of experts spent the last three years
designing and field-testing the product.
"It's on the market for the first time ever and allows us to
harvest elk and deer velvet antler humanely without the use of chemicals
that could potentially be left in the velvet," says Mike Callicrate,
owner of No-Bull Enterprises, St. Francis, Kan. The business holds a
worldwide patent on the invention.
The product offers many positive benefits, says Dr. Terry
Church, veterinarian and manager of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch at
Calgary, a project cooperator charged with evaluating the technique.
"When the industry started out and people didn't have good
handling facilities, often the animals were restrained using
immobilizing drugs," he says. "The downside is that the blood supply to
the antlers could contain these products prior to harvest."
Locally injected deadening agents such as lidocane could
also potentially leave traces.
"What we wanted was a drug-free, humane and painless method
for removing the antler," he explains. "The compression analgesic
approach is an alternative to fulfill those criteria and enhance food
safety while at the same time improving animal welfare. It is a very
farmer-friendly approach. The device takes very little training to use,
and it provides the anesthetic and the tourniquet all in one step."
On his ranch, which runs 450 elk and 120 reindeer, all
antlers are removed using the compression method, allowing the company
to market its velvet antler capsules as all-natural and drug-free.
In clinical studies around the world, velvet antler has been
shown to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, improve athletic
performance, speed up healing and increase testosterone levels. Active
substances gleaned from the antlers also contribute to energy
enhancement, strong immunity and anti-aging effects. These unique
properties are attributed to the exceptionally rapid nerve and blood
vessel development that occurs in growing antlers.
More recently, antler velvet has been shown to alleviate
symptoms of arthritis and senility in dogs.
About 1,000 tons of deer antler are consumed in various
forms annually worldwide. About half of that is produced in New Zealand,
which has about 2.8 million deer on farms, and the rest comes mostly
from farms in Russia, China, Korea, Canada and the U.S. Harvested
antlers now sell for about $15 per pound (U.S.)
"North America is a real potential growth area," Church
says.
From: IN%"Rexxie1@aol.com" 20-MAY-2004 15:05:24.26
To: IN%"mappleby@hsus.org", IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC: IN%"d.j.mellor@massey.ac.nz", IN%"vincem@lab0.vet.ed.ac.uk", IN%"J.e.Kent@ed.ac.uk"
Subj: RE: question regarding harvesting elkhorn velvet
Thank you, Mike, for a thorough response. I look forward to the comments of
your colleagues.
Marlene
From: IN%"Carol.Petherick@dpi.qld.gov.au" "Petherick, Carol" 20-MAY-2004 16:06:20.24
To: IN%"mappleby@hsus.org" "Michael Appleby", IN%"Rexxie1@aol.com", IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC: IN%"d.j.mellor@massey.ac.nz", IN%"vincem@lab0.vet.ed.ac.uk", IN%"J.e.Kent@ed.ac.uk"
Subj: RE: question regarding harvesting elkhorn velvet
I believe Lindsay Matthews (NZ) has done some work on this in deer and found banding to be more effective in some deer species than others. I believe he also found that it appeared to be a better method (welfare perspective) than the conventional amputation - but Lindsay really needs to respond to confirm if I have the story correct. I also thought that Lindsay did this work some time back, so it seems odd that Mike Callicrate seems to be promoting this as a new technique.
Carol
Carol Petherick
Principal Scientist (Animal Behaviour and Welfare)
Agency for Food and Fibre Sciences
Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries
Telephone +61 (0)7 4936 0331; Fax +61 (0)7 4936 0390
Email carol.petherick@dpi.qld.gov.au
-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Appleby [mailto:mappleby@hsus.org]
Sent: Friday, 21 May 2004 5:31 AM
To: Rexxie1@aol.com; applied-ethology@skyway.usask.ca
Cc: d.j.mellor@massey.ac.nz; vincem@lab0.vet.ed.ac.uk; J.e.Kent@ed.ac.uk
Subject: RE: question regarding harvesting elkhorn velvet
Marlene et al
> Does anyone on the list have a scientific opinion on the welfare effects of this method of "harvesting" velvet?
I'm copying this to David Mellor, Vince Molony and Joyce Kent, who have done most on elastration of calves and lambs and may have some suggestions.
Velvet harvesting is done when the bone is fully formed but not yet fully mineralized. One source of confusion is that "velvet" refers both to the whole antler of bone and skin at this stage, and to the nutritive skin alone (which dies, dries and peels off once the bone is mineralized). The skin is highly vascularized and innervated, and I think the nerves are only in the skin, not in the bone.
My guess is that this should be less of a welfare insult than banding for castration, because in the latter there are nerves in the deep tissue, which will not be cut off by the process, whereas in the velvet antler the banding should be compressing all the nerves in the skin against the hard bone beneath. I do not know, though, whether the curtailed nerves below the band would continue to send any signals - or even potentially grow neuromas and hence send "phantom limb" pain signals subsequently.
In the UK, though, velvet harvesting was banned years ago, in the early development of deer farming, on the grounds that it was unjustified to remove living tissue from animals to produce a product of no proven medicinal value. I note that the paragraph below claims a mixture of medicinal and other properties have been proven - although my impression is that more velvet is taken for the "other" properties than for medicinal reasons, and I am not happy with the idea of amputating live antlers if the unspoken justification is effects on testosterone levels. And my scientific impression of this paragraph is not enhanced by the last sentence: I can believe that hormones might have some of these effects (although would hormone concentrations be higher within the antler than elsewhere?) but why should "rapid nerve and blood vessel development" confer any benefits on someone eating this tissue?
> In clinical studies around the world, velvet antler has been shown to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, improve athletic performance, speed up healing and increase testosterone levels. Active substances gleaned from the antlers also contribute to energy enhancement, strong immunity and anti-aging effects. These unique properties are attributed to the exceptionally rapid nerve and blood vessel development that occurs in growing antlers.
Mike
Michael C. Appleby (Dr)
Vice-President
Farm Animals and Sustainable Agriculture
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20037, USA
Switchboard 1 202 452 1100
Direct 1 301 258 3111
Fax 1 301 258 3081
Email mappleby@hsus.org
-----Original Message-----
From: Rexxie1@aol.com [mailto:Rexxie1@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2004 12:52 PM
To: applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca
Subject: question regarding harvesting elkhorn velvet
"Does anyone on the list have a scientific opinion on the welfare effects of this method of "harvesting" velvet?
Thanks,
Marlene Halverson
"Velvet antler from elk and deer, a popular nutraceutical recognized worldwide for healing and rejuvenation qualities, can now be harvested drug-free and humanely with a sleek new device manufactured in the U.S.
The genius of the velvet antler bander is that it uses the firm pressure of a taut rubber band to create a natural anesthetic. Once the animal is restrained, the instrument is used to loop a band tightly around the base of each pedicle, dulling any sensation, usually within four minutes. The antlers, which are normally shed in the wild and regrow naturally every year, can then be safely and painlessly removed.
An international team of experts spent the last three years designing and field-testing the product.
"It's on the market for the first time ever and allows us to harvest elk and deer velvet antler humanely without the use of chemicals that could potentially be left in the velvet," says Mike Callicrate, owner of No-Bull Enterprises, St. Francis, Kan. The business holds a worldwide patent on the invention.
The product offers many positive benefits, says Dr. Terry Church, veterinarian and manager of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch at Calgary, a project cooperator charged with evaluating the technique.
"When the industry started out and people didn't have good handling facilities, often the animals were restrained using immobilizing drugs," he says. "The downside is that the blood supply to the antlers could contain these products prior to harvest."
Locally injected deadening agents such as lidocane could also potentially leave traces.
"What we wanted was a drug-free, humane and painless method for removing the antler," he explains. "The compression analgesic approach is an alternative to fulfill those criteria and enhance food safety while at the same time improving animal welfare. It is a very farmer-friendly approach. The device takes very little training to use, and it provides the anesthetic and the tourniquet all in one step."
On his ranch, which runs 450 elk and 120 reindeer, all antlers are removed using the compression method, allowing the company to market its velvet antler capsules as all-natural and drug-free.
In clinical studies around the world, velvet antler has been shown to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, improve athletic performance, speed up healing and increase testosterone levels. Active substances gleaned from the antlers also contribute to energy enhancement, strong immunity and anti-aging effects. These unique properties are attributed to the exceptionally rapid nerve and blood vessel development that occurs in growing antlers.
More recently, antler velvet has been shown to alleviate symptoms of arthritis and senility in dogs.
About 1,000 tons of deer antler are consumed in various forms annually worldwide. About half of that is produced in New Zealand, which has about 2.8 million deer on farms, and the rest comes mostly from farms in Russia, China, Korea, Canada and the U.S. Harvested antlers now sell for about $15 per pound (U.S.)
"North America is a real potential growth area," Church says.
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From: IN%"michael.zechmann@panthera.cc" "Michael Zechmann" 21-MAY-2004 02:52:38.32
To: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: Ph.D.
Hi!
My name is Michael Zechmann, I've studied Zoology at the University of Innsbruck, Austria and I'm new in this discussion list. I did my diploma thesis about hierarchical structures, stress- and aggression behaviour of overcrowded domestic cats.
(Abstract here: http://lunarsat.uibk.ac.at/zecke/zechmann.htm)
I'm looking for anyone, who is seeking for a Ph.D. candidate and if anyone would be willing to serve as my advisor ?
My interests are covering all ethological fields.
If you are interested please check my CV: http://lunarsat.uibk.ac.at/zecke/zechmann.htm
or wirite me an email if you want more details about myprevious work.
Thank you very much for your reply,
kind regards
Michael
******************************************************************
* *
* Mag.Michael Zechmann *
* email: michael.zechmann@panthera.cc *
* phone: +43 (0)650 40 20 307 *
* more info at: http://lunarsat.uibk.ac.at/zecke/zechmann.htm *
* *
******************************************************************
From: IN%"randihelene@tillung.no" 24-MAY-2004 03:25:41.62
To: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: Dogs, wlves and scientists
Hi everybody! I am a student at the Agricultural University of Norway
where I will finish my master in ethology this year. For my thesis I am
looking for a quote I briefly remember. It was something about how many
scientists there existed pr. wolf, and how many pr. dog. Can anybody
help me, please? And if you mean anything about the quote I would be
glad to hear. Thank you!
Yours,
Randi Helene Tillung
From: IN%"finklerh@post.tau.ac.il" "Hilit Finkler" 24-MAY-2004 12:15:07.87
To: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj:
Does anyone know of any country where it is mandatory by law for a dog owner
to pass tests in order to prove that he is able to control his dog?
Hilit
From: IN%"mappleby@hsus.org" "Michael Appleby" 25-MAY-2004 08:22:59.90
To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: FW: question regarding harvesting elkhorn velvet
-----Original Message-----
From: Vincent Molony [mailto:vincem@staffmail.ed.ac.uk]
Sent: Friday, May 21, 2004 4:04 AM
To: Michael Appleby
Subject: RE: question regarding harvesting elkhorn velvet
Dear Mike,
A quick reply:
You have outlined the essence in your comments below. The cost (distress
and pain) suffered by the animals in the harvesting process cannot be
justified by the benefit.
Regards
Yours sincerely
Vince
Prof. V. Molony BVSc, MSc, PhD, MRCVS.
Veterinary Biomedical Sciences
Royal (Dick) School Veterinary Studies
University of Edinburgh
Summerhall
Edinburgh
Scotland EH9 1QH.
e-mail < V.Molony@ed.ac.uk>
Tel: +44-(0)131-650-6104
Fax: +44-(0)131-650-6576
http://www.vet.ed.ac.uk/animalpain
-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Appleby [mailto:mappleby@hsus.org]
Sent: 20 May 2004 20:31
To: Rexxie1@aol.com; applied-ethology@skyway.usask.ca
Cc: d.j.mellor@massey.ac.nz; vincem@lab0.vet.ed.ac.uk; J.e.Kent@ed.ac.uk
Subject: RE: question regarding harvesting elkhorn velvet
Marlene et al
> Does anyone on the list have a scientific opinion on the welfare
effects of this method of "harvesting" velvet?
I'm copying this to David Mellor, Vince Molony and Joyce Kent, who have
done most on elastration of calves and lambs and may have some
suggestions.
Velvet harvesting is done when the bone is fully formed but not yet
fully mineralized. One source of confusion is that "velvet" refers both
to the whole antler of bone and skin at this stage, and to the nutritive
skin alone (which dies, dries and peels off once the bone is
mineralized). The skin is highly vascularized and innervated, and I
think the nerves are only in the skin, not in the bone.
My guess is that this should be less of a welfare insult than banding
for castration, because in the latter there are nerves in the deep
tissue, which will not be cut off by the process, whereas in the velvet
antler the banding should be compressing all the nerves in the skin
against the hard bone beneath. I do not know, though, whether the
curtailed nerves below the band would continue to send any signals - or
even potentially grow neuromas and hence send "phantom limb" pain
signals subsequently.
In the UK, though, velvet harvesting was banned years ago, in the early
development of deer farming, on the grounds that it was unjustified to
remove living tissue from animals to produce a product of no proven
medicinal value. I note that the paragraph below claims a mixture of
medicinal and other properties have been proven - although my impression
is that more velvet is taken for the "other" properties than for
medicinal reasons, and I am not happy with the idea of amputating live
antlers if the unspoken justification is effects on testosterone levels.
And my scientific impression of this paragraph is not enhanced by the
last sentence: I can believe that hormones might have some of these
effects (although would hormone concentrations be higher within the
antler than elsewhere?) but why should "rapid nerve and blood vessel
development" confer any benefits on someone eating this tissue?
> In clinical studies around the world, velvet antler has been shown to
relieve the symptoms of arthritis, improve athletic performance, speed
up healing and increase testosterone levels. Active substances gleaned
from the antlers also contribute to energy enhancement, strong immunity
and anti-aging effects. These unique properties are attributed to the
exceptionally rapid nerve and blood vessel development that occurs in
growing antlers.
Mike
Michael C. Appleby (Dr)
Vice-President
Farm Animals and Sustainable Agriculture
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20037, USA
Switchboard 1 202 452 1100
Direct 1 301 258 3111
Fax 1 301 258 3081
Email mappleby@hsus.org
-----Original Message-----
From: Rexxie1@aol.com [mailto:Rexxie1@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2004 12:52 PM
To: applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca
Subject: question regarding harvesting elkhorn velvet
"Does anyone on the list have a scientific opinion on the welfare
effects of this method of "harvesting" velvet?
Thanks,
Marlene Halverson
"Velvet antler from elk and deer, a popular nutraceutical recognized
worldwide for healing and rejuvenation qualities, can now be harvested
drug-free and humanely with a sleek new device manufactured in the U.S.
The genius of the velvet antler bander is that it uses the
firm pressure of a taut rubber band to create a natural anesthetic. Once
the animal is restrained, the instrument is used to loop a band tightly
around the base of each pedicle, dulling any sensation, usually within
four minutes. The antlers, which are normally shed in the wild and
regrow naturally every year, can then be safely and painlessly removed.
An international team of experts spent the last three years
designing and field-testing the product.
"It's on the market for the first time ever and allows us to
harvest elk and deer velvet antler humanely without the use of chemicals
that could potentially be left in the velvet," says Mike Callicrate,
owner of No-Bull Enterprises, St. Francis, Kan. The business holds a
worldwide patent on the invention.
The product offers many positive benefits, says Dr. Terry
Church, veterinarian and manager of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch at
Calgary, a project cooperator charged with evaluating the technique.
"When the industry started out and people didn't have good
handling facilities, often the animals were restrained using
immobilizing drugs," he says. "The downside is that the blood supply to
the antlers could contain these products prior to harvest."
Locally injected deadening agents such as lidocane could
also potentially leave traces.
"What we wanted was a drug-free, humane and painless method
for removing the antler," he explains. "The compression analgesic
approach is an alternative to fulfill those criteria and enhance food
safety while at the same time improving animal welfare. It is a very
farmer-friendly approach. The device takes very little training to use,
and it provides the anesthetic and the tourniquet all in one step."
On his ranch, which runs 450 elk and 120 reindeer, all
antlers are removed using the compression method, allowing the company
to market its velvet antler capsules as all-natural and drug-free.
In clinical studies around the world, velvet antler has been
shown to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, improve athletic
performance, speed up healing and increase testosterone levels. Active
substances gleaned from the antlers also contribute to energy
enhancement, strong immunity and anti-aging effects. These unique
properties are attributed to the exceptionally rapid nerve and blood
vessel development that occurs in growing antlers.
More recently, antler velvet has been shown to alleviate
symptoms of arthritis and senility in dogs.
About 1,000 tons of deer antler are consumed in various
forms annually worldwide. About half of that is produced in New Zealand,
which has about 2.8 million deer on farms, and the rest comes mostly
from farms in Russia, China, Korea, Canada and the U.S. Harvested
antlers now sell for about $15 per pound (U.S.)
"North America is a real potential growth area," Church
says.
From: IN%"mappleby@hsus.org" "Michael Appleby" 25-MAY-2004 08:23:55.63
To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: FW: question regarding harvesting elkhorn velvet
-----Original Message-----
From: Professor David Mellor [mailto:D.J.Mellor@massey.ac.nz]
Sent: Monday, May 24, 2004 4:38 PM
To: Michael Appleby
Subject: RE: question regarding harvesting elkhorn velvet
Dear Mike,
I note the reference to evaluation of the band method by an
international team of experts. This matter is of some interest to us in
NZ. I would be most interested to know of any published or unpublished
studies of the impact of the calicrate band method applied to velvet
removal from elk or deer.
I hope all is well with you.
Warm regards,
David
Marlene et al
> Does anyone on the list have a scientific opinion on the
welfare effects of this method of "harvesting" velvet?
I'm copying this to David Mellor, Vince Molony and Joyce Kent,
who have done most on elastration of calves and lambs and may have some
suggestions.
Velvet harvesting is done when the bone is fully formed but not
yet fully mineralized. One source of confusion is that "velvet" refers
both to the whole antler of bone and skin at this stage, and to the
nutritive skin alone (which dies, dries and peels off once the bone is
mineralized). The skin is highly vascularized and innervated, and I
think the nerves are only in the skin, not in the bone.
My guess is that this should be less of a welfare insult than
banding for castration, because in the latter there are nerves in the
deep tissue, which will not be cut off by the process, whereas in the
velvet antler the banding should be compressing all the nerves in the
skin against the hard bone beneath. I do not know, though, whether the
curtailed nerves below the band would continue to send any signals - or
even potentially grow neuromas and hence send "phantom limb" pain
signals subsequently.
In the UK, though, velvet harvesting was banned years ago, in
the early development of deer farming, on the grounds that it was
unjustified to remove living tissue from animals to produce a product of
no proven medicinal value. I note that the paragraph below claims a
mixture of medicinal and other properties have been proven - although my
impression is that more velvet is taken for the "other" properties than
for medicinal reasons, and I am not happy with the idea of amputating
live antlers if the unspoken justification is effects on testosterone
levels. And my scientific impression of this paragraph is not enhanced
by the last sentence: I can believe that hormones might have some of
these effects (although would hormone concentrations be higher within
the antler than elsewhere?) but why should "rapid nerve and blood vessel
development" confer any benefits on someone eating this tissue?
> In clinical studies around the world, velvet antler has been
shown to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, improve athletic
performance, speed up healing and increase testosterone levels. Active
substances gleaned from the antlers also contribute to energy
enhancement, strong immunity and anti-aging effects. These unique
properties are attributed to the exceptionally rapid nerve and blood
vessel development that occurs in growing antlers.
Mike
Michael C. Appleby (Dr)
Vice-President
Farm Animals and Sustainable Agriculture
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20037, USA
Switchboard 1 202 452 1100
Direct 1 301 258 3111
Fax 1 301 258 3081
Email mappleby@hsus.org
-----Original Message-----
From: Rexxie1@aol.com [mailto:Rexxie1@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2004 12:52 PM
To: applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca
Subject: question regarding harvesting elkhorn velvet
"Does anyone on the list have a scientific opinion on the
welfare effects of this method of "harvesting" velvet?
Thanks,
Marlene Halverson
"Velvet antler from elk and deer, a popular nutraceutical
recognized worldwide for healing and rejuvenation qualities, can now be
harvested drug-free and humanely with a sleek new device manufactured in
the U.S.
The genius of the velvet antler bander is that it
uses the firm pressure of a taut rubber band to create a natural
anesthetic. Once the animal is restrained, the instrument is used to
loop a band tightly around the base of each pedicle, dulling any
sensation, usually within four minutes. The antlers, which are normally
shed in the wild and regrow naturally every year, can then be safely and
painlessly removed.
An international team of experts spent the last
three years designing and field-testing the product.
"It's on the market for the first time ever and
allows us to harvest elk and deer velvet antler humanely without the use
of chemicals that could potentially be left in the velvet," says Mike
Callicrate, owner of No-Bull Enterprises, St. Francis, Kan. The business
holds a worldwide patent on the invention.
The product offers many positive benefits, says Dr.
Terry Church, veterinarian and manager of the Canadian Rocky Mountain
Ranch at Calgary, a project cooperator charged with evaluating the
technique.
"When the industry started out and people didn't
have good handling facilities, often the animals were restrained using
immobilizing drugs," he says. "The downside is that the blood supply to
the antlers could contain these products prior to harvest."
Locally injected deadening agents such as lidocane
could also potentially leave traces.
"What we wanted was a drug-free, humane and painless
method for removing the antler," he explains. "The compression analgesic
approach is an alternative to fulfill those criteria and enhance food
safety while at the same time improving animal welfare. It is a very
farmer-friendly approach. The device takes very little training to use,
and it provides the anesthetic and the tourniquet all in one step."
On his ranch, which runs 450 elk and 120 reindeer,
all antlers are removed using the compression method, allowing the
company to market its velvet antler capsules as all-natural and
drug-free.
In clinical studies around the world, velvet antler
has been shown to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, improve athletic
performance, speed up healing and increase testosterone levels. Active
substances gleaned from the antlers also contribute to energy
enhancement, strong immunity and anti-aging effects. These unique
properties are attributed to the exceptionally rapid nerve and blood
vessel development that occurs in growing antlers.
More recently, antler velvet has been shown to
alleviate symptoms of arthritis and senility in dogs.
About 1,000 tons of deer antler are consumed in
various forms annually worldwide. About half of that is produced in New
Zealand, which has about 2.8 million deer on farms, and the rest comes
mostly from farms in Russia, China, Korea, Canada and the U.S. Harvested
antlers now sell for about $15 per pound (U.S.)
"North America is a real potential growth area,"
Church says.
--
Professor David J. Mellor
Director, Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre,
Institute for Food, Nutrition and Human Health (Rm 271),
College of Sciences, Massey University,
Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Phone:
International +64 6 350 4807; National 06 350 4807 (Office)
International +64 6 356 9099; National 06 356 9099 (Switch Brd)
Fax:
International +64 6 350 5657; National 06 350 5657.
E-mail:
D.J.Mellor@massey.ac.nz
Web site:
http://animalwelfare.massey.ac.nz
WARNING:
This email contains information which is CONFIDENTIAL and may be subject
to LEGAL PRIVILEGE. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not
peruse, use, disseminate, distribute, or copy this email or attachments.
If you have received this in error, please notify us immediately by
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Any opinions or advice contained in email messages addressed to our
clients are subject to the terms and conditions expressed in the
governing client engagement contract. Any views expressed in the
absence of such a contract are those of the individual sender and may
not necessarily reflect the views of Massey University.
From: IN%"gooddog@dodo.com.au" "Geiger" 26-MAY-2004 02:16:13.99
To: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: what a yawn
Hi everyone, the yawning video clip is available for viewing from the
applied ethology home page. A friend of mine has a Bickington Islander dog
from Bikington Island in the Torres straights. The dog is named Habari and
is essentially a camp dog. He looks like a red dingo. Habari now too yawns
on command. He goes through a more elaborate ritual than my Staffies; Habari
stretches first then cranks out a nice big wide yawn. I have some video
footage of Habari and will take some more.
I am taking membership exams for entry to the Australian College of
Veterinary Science (animal behaviour) on 8/6/04 so will "disappear" now till
10/6/04. I look forward to some yawning conversations then.
Regards,
Jackie Perkins
Veterinary Behaviour Consulting
Australia
From: IN%"olsson@ibmc.up.pt" "Anna Olsson" 26-MAY-2004 03:08:02.69
To: IN%"Rexxie1@aol.com", IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: on how to represent animal protection initiatives such as bans on gestation crates
Is animal protection legislation primarily in the interest of animal-rights' activists or is possibly there to protect the interest of animals?, the ethologist humbly asks.
----- Original Message -----
From: Rexxie1@aol.com
To: applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 1:35 AM
Subject: from Pork Alert appropos recent discussion on gestation crates
MASSACHUSETTS AMENDMENT TO BAN GESTATION CRATES
Pork Alert, May 25, 2004
Last week, Massachusetts's General Court received an amendment to imprison
in a county jail for a period of one-year, or implement a fine up to $1,000
to anyone who "confines or tethers a pregnant pig on a farm in a manner that
prevents the pig from turning around freely."
Since Florida's ban a couple of years ago, animal-rights' activists have
tried to find similar success in other states with low pork production. So
far, the efforts have fallen short. However, there are several strong
animal-activist groups in and around Massachusetts, which will make this a
real challenge. These are always costly events for the pork industry in
terms of money and personnel time. The National Pork Producers Council will
be tracking it closely.
From: IN%"Moira.Harris@bristol.ac.uk" "Moira Harris" 26-MAY-2004 07:01:23.55
To: IN%"gooddog@dodo.com.au" "Geiger", IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: RE: what a yawn
Hi Jackie,
Which applied ethology home page?
Thanks,
- Moira
--On 26 May 2004 18:15 +1000 Geiger wrote:
> Hi everyone, the yawning video clip is available for viewing from the
> applied ethology home page. A friend of mine has a Bickington Islander dog
> from Bikington Island in the Torres straights. The dog is named Habari and
> is essentially a camp dog. He looks like a red dingo. Habari now too yawns
> on command. He goes through a more elaborate ritual than my Staffies;
> Habari stretches first then cranks out a nice big wide yawn. I have some
> video footage of Habari and will take some more.
> I am taking membership exams for entry to the Australian College of
> Veterinary Science (animal behaviour) on 8/6/04 so will "disappear" now
> till 10/6/04. I look forward to some yawning conversations then.
> Regards,
> Jackie Perkins
> Veterinary Behaviour Consulting
> Australia
>
>
-------------------------------------
Dr. Moira Harris
Dept. of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol
Moira.Harris@bristol.ac.uk
Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick
Moira.Harris@warwick.ac.uk
From: IN%"Canidresearch@aol.com" 26-MAY-2004 08:04:16.05
To: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: RE: what a yawn
I am confused about the issue of training a dog to yawn on cue. Why would
one think that you could not capture such a behavior?
I would like to point out that it is a behavior that indicates conflict - and
some caution should be taken in cueing the behavior when there are other
canines around - as it could cause increased anxiety in a pack...
Emily Weiss, Ph.D.
Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist
www.emilyweiss.com
From: IN%"iddoodles@qwest.net" "Paula & The Pack" 26-MAY-2004 08:44:25.18
To: IN%"APPLIED-ETHOLOGY@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: Yawning on Cue
I have had this discussion before on a dog training list.
Yawning in a calming signal and calming signals are innate to a dog. They
are
instinctive, even if in some dogs that instinct has become dulled. A dog
produces these signals to facilitate interaction with other dogs, ease
tension between himself and other dogs, and so forth. If they are coming
on cue rather than innately, they are not calming signals for the simple
reason that the dog is not producing the behavior with the requisite intent.
While the behaviour is cute, I hesitate to take away a communication tool
that the dog should be able to understand and rely on.
P DeVaney
From: IN%"stammwood@rcn.com" 26-MAY-2004 08:45:27.28
To: IN%"Canidresearch@aol.com"
CC: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
Subj: RE: what a yawn
I haven't been able to find the referenced info, so I haven't seen the clip.
That said, it's my understanding and observation that yawning indicates
stress/anxiety not conflict with another being. It's used to indicate
that the yawning dog isn't looking for trouble. A calming action on the
part of the dog, I've often seen it follow a head turn. And it's also a
means to relieve internal stress; in my service dog it's mostly the
stress of being in one place for a long period of time.
It can sometimes be quite hilarious - in a meeting or lecture, it's
frequently interpreted as a comment on the speaker.
I, too, would think one could capture the behavior and put in cue.
Cissy
Canidresearch@aol.com wrote:
> I am confused about the issue of training a dog to yawn on cue. Why
> would one think that you could not capture such a behavior?
>
> I would like to point out that it is a behavior that indicates conflict
> - and some caution should be taken in cueing the behavior when there are
> other canines around - as it could cause increased anxiety in a pack...
>
> Emily Weiss, Ph.D.
> Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist
> www.emilyweiss.com
From: IN%"shetts@msn.com" "Suzanne Hetts" 26-MAY-2004 10:48:27.83
To: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: RE: what a yawn
Can someone please point me to the research (other than Turid Rugaas's writings) that prove that yawning has communicative value? I would be most interested in these references.
While yawning is well documented as a displacement behavior, and dogs and other animals do it in conflict situations, I have never seen any research that shows that the behavior communicates anxiety to other dogs and therefore elicits anxiety in them. Similarly, "calming signal" is a popular term, not a scientific one.
Suzanne Hetts, Ph.D.
Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist
Subscribe to our online newsletter at
www.AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
From: IN%"stammwood@rcn.com" 26-MAY-2004 15:08:21.17
To: IN%"APPLIED-ETHOLOGY@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: RE: Yawning on Cue
Paula, are you saying that if the behavior is put on cue (which I have
no intention of doing) that doing that will extinguish the innate way
that yawning is "used" by a dog?
I've not seen a discussion like this with regard to yawning, but I have
seen it as a recommendation for eliminating unwanted barking. The
reports are a real mixed bag in terms of success for unwanted barking.
I had a dog that barked on cue. He also barked whenever he wanted. He
didn't seem to confuse the two barks, and others have said the same.
Cissy
Paula & The Pack wrote:
> I have had this discussion before on a dog training list.
>
>
>
> Yawning in a calming signal and calming signals are innate to a dog.
> They are
>
> instinctive, even if in some dogs that instinct has become dulled. A dog
>
> produces these signals to facilitate interaction with other dogs, ease
>
> tension between himself and other dogs, and so forth. If they are coming
>
> on cue rather than innately, they are not calming signals for the simple
>
> reason that the dog is not producing the behavior with the requisite intent.
>
>
>
> While the behaviour is cute, I hesitate to take away a communication
> tool that the dog should be able to understand and rely on.
>
>
>
> P DeVaney
From: IN%"k9.college_napier@xtra.co.nz" "John R Lane" 26-MAY-2004 18:12:30.25
To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca" "Applied Ethology List address"
CC:
Subj: RE: Yawning on Cue/ Jackie's reason for the experiment
Hi all,
It has been asked by some why it would be thought that it would be hard to train this behaviour for food. As Jackie is absent temprarily (She indicated this in her last post)and as one who has an interest in this question I refer those enquirers back to her original post on the subject as copied below.
To break this theory down to non scientific language I think Seligman and others claimed that it means that if a behaviour is an external indicator of an internal state. e.g. Anxiety then it cannot be trained to indicate a contary state.
Please feel free to correct me if you feel I have misinterprated the practical application of this theory.
There was excellent discussion between Simon and Jackie on this matter further to this post. I refer those enquirers to go to the archives and follow this up to understand the background to Jackies experiment.
Regards John Lane
K9 College ~ Hawkes Bay
Napier
Aotearoa (New Zealand)
START OF ARCHIVE POST COPY:
From: IN%"gooddog@dodo.com.au" "Geiger" 14-MAR-2004 15:26:09.72
To: IN%"Michalchik@aol.com", IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: RE: Instinct vs Cognition
If you source and read a psychology paper by Seligman titled "On the
generality of the laws of learning" in the psychological review vol77 1970,
he defines a theory called "preparedness". According to preparedness dogs
are unable to learn to yawn on command for food because they lack a
voluntary circuit for it. Preparedness theory puts up all kinds of baseless
boundaries to training. It is an old hat theory, and it is time we laid it
to rest. I believe almost anything is possible, especially in a species as
various as canids. My dogs never cease to amaze me.
Preparedness is a given, when you read any training text or academic
article. Why????? Both of my dogs now yawn well for food. The younger dog,
Blade, has eclipsed Sargie now, to my surprise, though she hardly ever
yawned before; ie her baseline levels of yawning were very very low. The
footage will be available soon, when Robert Holmes is satisfied with the
footage.
I put the onus back on preparedness theory supports to PROVE PREPAREDNESS.
I am running a Veterinary Behaviour Discussion Group at my home in Brisbane
7pm Tuesday 30th March for locals to view the footage, discuss the demise of
preparedness, and meet the dogs. I do not expect the dogs to perform with a
house full of strangers, though Blade has a better chance than Sargie. There
will be plenty of video footage being shown.
Regards,
Jackie Perkins
Veterinary Behaviour Consulting GOOD DOG
END OF ARCHIVE POST COPY
From: IN%"Michalchik@aol.com" 27-MAY-2004 13:47:18.84
To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: applying piaget to animals
I was wondering how much of piagets work on the stages of infantile
development has been applied to animals. To what extent do animals acquire schema's and
combine them in secondary and tertiary relationships. Have ethologists
identified assimilation and accommodation and decalage in animals?
From: IN%"daisyberthoud@yahoo.com" "daisy berthoud" 28-MAY-2004 05:52:01.04
To: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: RE: Yawning on Cue/ Jackie's reason for the experiment
dear all,
what is the difference between putting a yawn or any
other 'intrinsic' behaviour on cue ? with these i mean
things like sneezing, shaking (water off the coat), or
even barking. i have seen these on cue and am sure
there are more of these behaviours on cue out there.
it is however possible, that yawning does not have a
'voluntary circuit', that i don't know.
imo the behaviours performed on cue are
topographically not identical to when they are done
due to a physical stimulus (itch in nose, water on
fur). the sneezing dog was just blowing air through
his nose and doing the typical head movement.
even if these behaviours have a communicative value
(barking (?), yawning maybe) they can still be put on
cue. like the play bow, which sometimes occurs as a
'calming signal'. sitting and laying down are equally
mentioned as CS and can perfectly well be put on cue.
have a lovely weekend,
daisy
student member
anglia polytechnic university (U.K.)
--- John R Lane wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> It has been asked by some why it would be thought
> that it would be hard to train this behaviour for
> food. As Jackie is absent temprarily (She indicated
> this in her last post)and as one who has an interest
> in this question I refer those enquirers back to her
> original post on the subject as copied below.
>
> To break this theory down to non scientific
> language I think Seligman and others claimed that it
> means that if a behaviour is an external indicator
> of an internal state. e.g. Anxiety then it cannot be
> trained to indicate a contary state.
>
> Please feel free to correct me if you feel I have
> misinterprated the practical application of this
> theory.
>
> There was excellent discussion between Simon and
> Jackie on this matter further to this post. I refer
> those enquirers to go to the archives and follow
> this up to understand the background to Jackies
> experiment.
>
> Regards John Lane
> K9 College ~ Hawkes Bay
> Napier
> Aotearoa (New Zealand)
>
>
> START OF ARCHIVE POST COPY:
> From: IN%"gooddog@dodo.com.au" "Geiger" 14-MAR-2004
> 15:26:09.72
> To: IN%"Michalchik@aol.com",
> IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
> CC:
> Subj: RE: Instinct vs Cognition
> If you source and read a psychology paper by
> Seligman titled "On the
> generality of the laws of learning" in the
> psychological review vol77 1970,
> he defines a theory called "preparedness". According
> to preparedness dogs
> are unable to learn to yawn on command for food
> because they lack a
> voluntary circuit for it. Preparedness theory puts
> up all kinds of baseless
> boundaries to training. It is an old hat theory, and
> it is time we laid it
> to rest. I believe almost anything is possible,
> especially in a species as
> various as canids. My dogs never cease to amaze me.
> Preparedness is a given, when you read any training
> text or academic
> article. Why????? Both of my dogs now yawn well for
> food. The younger dog,
> Blade, has eclipsed Sargie now, to my surprise,
> though she hardly ever
> yawned before; ie her baseline levels of yawning
> were very very low. The
> footage will be available soon, when Robert Holmes
> is satisfied with the
> footage.
> I put the onus back on preparedness theory supports
> to PROVE PREPAREDNESS.
> I am running a Veterinary Behaviour Discussion Group
> at my home in Brisbane
> 7pm Tuesday 30th March for locals to view the
> footage, discuss the demise of
> preparedness, and meet the dogs. I do not expect the
> dogs to perform with a
> house full of strangers, though Blade has a better
> chance than Sargie. There
> will be plenty of video footage being shown.
> Regards,
> Jackie Perkins
> Veterinary Behaviour Consulting GOOD DOG
> END OF ARCHIVE POST COPY
>
=====
Between stimulus and response, there is a space.
In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and freedom.
Victor Frankl,Man's Search for Meaning
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Yahoo! Messenger.
http://messenger.yahoo.com/
From: IN%"Michalchik@aol.com" 28-MAY-2004 20:02:44.67
To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: What do animals use working memory for?
I know of a lot of research being done on working memory and its neural
substrates but most of the research (even in humans) use rather contrived and
artificial circumstances such as delayed non-matching to sample. Nevertheless I
know that the existence of ability has been robustly confirmed in animals ranging
from pigeons to dogs.
So can anybody describe ecologically plausible circumstances in which working
memory would have provided a fitness advantage. Why do pigeons and dogs need
to remember what they have recently seen and treat it differently than what
general knowledge and pattern recognition requires.
Thanks
Michael
From: IN%"chris.gotman@sympatico.ca" 28-MAY-2004 21:45:48.56
To:
CC: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
Subj: RE: What do animals use working memory for?
Michalchik@aol.com wrote:
> Why do pigeons
> and dogs need to remember what they have recently seen and treat it
> differently than what general knowledge and pattern recognition
> requires.
Not just dogs and pigeons. Deer and horses also show memory of their
spatial environment when they react to novel objects. General knowledge
and pattern recognition is insufficient to alert an organism to dangers
and opportunities. Crypsis is a response to fixed pattern recognition.
Memory of spatial environment allows an organism to detect novel objects
that would otherwise be invisible through crypsis or unfamilliarity.
Failure to detect cryptic or unfamilliar objects is deleterious. It
should be easy for you to imagine foraging strategies and predator/prey
relationships where this (working memory) is advantageous over fixed
pattern recognition.
Chris Gotman
Quebec, Canada
From: IN%"applied.ethology@katiestuff.com" "katie" 29-MAY-2004 00:05:52.75
To: IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: RE: What do animals use working memory for?
Again, please forgive me for being a layman here - I generally lurk, but
once in a while I feel a need to reply to something - so, please consider
the following as merely statements of observation, not any sort of
validated hypothesis.
As far as I know, working memory is essentially another term for short-term
memory, with a couple of component functions associated with the term
insofar as cognitive science goes. So my first point would be: how would
long-term (non-working) memory be developed *without* short-term
memory? It would seem to me that short-term memory is what creates
long-term memory - the brain selects important ingredients of any given
situation and - over time - creates a long-term memory record.
Second, while I personally feel that our understanding of non-human
conceptualizations of time is barely begun, it's impossible not to realize
that to non-humans as well as to humans the "now" is, well, all there
is. I would doubt that many, if any, species have stayed around without
some mechanism for coping with immediate situations. If a species were
unable to prioritize recent information over older information, learning
would be basically impossible, since learning requires constantly adjusting
an initial mental model to adapt to given circumstances.
As an example, perhaps I, for my entire life, have always had
overwhelmingly positive interactions with tall blue men in hats. Until
now, I have always believed that tall blue men in hats are the producers of
wonderful things. Suddenly, a tall blue man in a hat calls me sweetly,
then punches me smack in the nose. Obviously, it has now been proven to me
that not all tall blue men in hats are absolute predictors of good
things. Were I not to be able to prioritize this new information over my
otherwise available knowledge, my first impression would remain my last
impression, presumably for the rest of my life. Meaning - how would
long-term memory be adapted without short-term memory and the
prioritization thereof? Without working memory, the only understanding I
would have of anything in the world would be the very first understanding I
ever had.
-Katie
At 11:45 PM 5/28/2004 -0400, chris gotman wrote:
>Michalchik@aol.com wrote:
>
> > Why do pigeons
>>and dogs need to remember what they have recently seen and treat it
>>differently than what general knowledge and pattern recognition
> > requires.
>
>
>Not just dogs and pigeons. Deer and horses also show memory of their
>spatial environment when they react to novel objects. General knowledge
>and pattern recognition is insufficient to alert an organism to dangers
>and opportunities. Crypsis is a response to fixed pattern recognition.
>Memory of spatial environment allows an organism to detect novel objects
>that would otherwise be invisible through crypsis or unfamilliarity.
>Failure to detect cryptic or unfamilliar objects is deleterious. It should
>be easy for you to imagine foraging strategies and predator/prey
>relationships where this (working memory) is advantageous over fixed
>pattern recognition.
>
>Chris Gotman
>Quebec, Canada
From: IN%"cristina.giacoma@unito.it" "Cristina Giacoma" 29-MAY-2004 08:44:49.30
To: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: Urgent grant for non european students of master in ethology
I'm coordinating a project for a European Master in Ethology.
We plan to start next year together with
Paris XXIII and
Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada of Lisboa (Portugal).
We will send an application with deadline 31st May to get funds for
mobility of third countries scholar and student.
I would like to ask you to send at your mailing list this request
I'm looking for students of third countries interested to apply for a
grant to
enter a European master program in ethology.
Students are supposed to spend 1 year
in one university, the second in another one of our consortium.
The Consortium is composed by
Torino University (Italy),
Paris XXIII (France) and
Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada of Lisboa (Portugal).
The grant is 16000 EUR per year lasting 2years.
If you are interested send your reply together with informations
( Family name, First name, country, Home institution, chosen institution
for your or the student
stay) before 31st May.
What does "third-country national" mean?
Nationals coming from all countries other than the 25 EU Member States
(Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Greece,
Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, the UK, Sweden,
Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Czech
Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia), the EEA-EFTA states (Island,
Liechtenstein and Norway) and the candidate countries for accession to
the EU (presently Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey), who are not residents
of any of the above countries, and who have not carried out their main
activities (studies, work, etc.) for more than a total of 12 months over
the last five years in any of the above countries are considered
"third-country nationals". Therefore, the term "third-country" does not
have anything to do with the term "third world".
Thanks a lot. Best wishes,
Cristina Giacoma
--
Prof. Cristina Giacoma
Dip. Biologia Animale e dell'Uomo
V. Accademia Albertina, 17
10125 Torino
Italy
Telephone:
Giacoma's Office +39 011 670 4767
collaborators' office +39 011 670 4762
laboratory +39 011 670 4761
Fax +39 011 670 4732
e-mail: cristina.giacoma@unito.it
--
Prof. Cristina Giacoma
Dip. Biologia Animale e dell'Uomo
V. Accademia Albertina, 17
10125 Torino
Italy
Telephone:
Giacoma's Office +39 011 670 4767
collaborators' office +39 011 670 4762
laboratory +39 011 670 4761
Fax +39 011 670 4732
e-mail: cristina.giacoma@unito.it
_____________________________________________________________________
For your security, this mail has been scanned and protected by Inflex
From: IN%"gooddog@dodo.com.au" "Geiger" 29-MAY-2004 16:03:26.20
To: IN%"Moira.Harris@bristol.ac.uk" "'Moira Harris'", IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: RE: what a yawn
Derek who takes care of certain technical matters for the applied ethology
discussion list has kindly offered to attach it to the applied ethology
website via the home page; it was on for a time a week or two a go but I
could not make it run so I did not let everyone know. Bear in mind that this
is the first time they have done this.
Derek again offered to put it back (accessed via the home page) and let
people access it, thinking some of them would be able to make it run even
though I could not. Perhaps Derek has not quite put it back, but should soon
so please keep checking and comment on whether you can make it run, so Derek
has some feedback.
I suspect my problem is with my security settings. I need to work on that
but am going into voluntary exile for the next 10 days in final preparations
for membership exams. I look forward to logging back on then. Cheers,
Jackie Perkins
-----Original Message-----
From: Moira Harris [mailto:Moira.Harris@bristol.ac.uk]
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 11:01 PM
To: Geiger; Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca
Subject: Re: what a yawn
Hi Jackie,
Which applied ethology home page?
Thanks,
- Moira
--On 26 May 2004 18:15 +1000 Geiger wrote:
> Hi everyone, the yawning video clip is available for viewing from the
> applied ethology home page. A friend of mine has a Bickington Islander dog
> from Bikington Island in the Torres straights. The dog is named Habari and
> is essentially a camp dog. He looks like a red dingo. Habari now too yawns
> on command. He goes through a more elaborate ritual than my Staffies;
> Habari stretches first then cranks out a nice big wide yawn. I have some
> video footage of Habari and will take some more.
> I am taking membership exams for entry to the Australian College of
> Veterinary Science (animal behaviour) on 8/6/04 so will "disappear" now
> till 10/6/04. I look forward to some yawning conversations then.
> Regards,
> Jackie Perkins
> Veterinary Behaviour Consulting
> Australia
>
>
-------------------------------------
Dr. Moira Harris
Dept. of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol
Moira.Harris@bristol.ac.uk
Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick
Moira.Harris@warwick.ac.uk
From: IN%"fred_sb@ibest.com.br" "Warrior Spirit" 29-MAY-2004 20:44:00.80
To: IN%"Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:
Subj: bees behaviour
Hi, I=B4m a Biologic Science graduating student and I=B4d like to know =
about sites, books and news about bees behavior.
And I=B4d like to do some foreing stage too.
Thanks a lot