CHAPTER 3 
General Considerations 
This chapter summarizes overarching issues that apply to all of the specialized topics that 
follow. 
ROLE OF TRAINING, MONITORING, EVALUATIONS, TRACK RECORD 
As indicated in the introduction, scientists work at the edge of what is known and cannot fully 
predict the consequences of any given manipulation. An immediate implication of this 
inability to predict consequences is the critical role of periodic training, ongoing monitoring, 
evaluation, and track record for animal care and use. New procedures are necessary for 
science, but they also need to be monitored and evaluated so that negative outcomes can be 
quickly corrected. The track record of individual investigators is an important indicator of 
future performance. An investigator experienced with an unusual species is often a leading 
expert on the care and welfare of that species. 
OBSERVATION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS 
There is no substitute for the regular observation of animals by both researchers and animal- 
care staff as well as a clear mechanism for reporting abnormal observations. Observational 
findings can be used to reduce experimental variance and errors by detecting adverse effects, 
unexpected illness, errors in food or water delivery, or equipment malfunction. One aspect of 
obtaining stable baseline performance is to have the same person conduct the experimental 
session from day to day (and to have consistency in the person who serves as backup). 
Animals serving in behavioral experiments are observed and/or handled one or more times 
daily by an individual familiar with the animal. As a result, an animal often becomes 
relatively docile around the person it is familiar with. Concomitantly, this person becomes 
very familiar with the animal's normal behavior and is able to readily discern changes. In 
addition to regular informal or systematic visual observation of the animal's behavior on a 
daily basis, routine controls are placed on such variables as amount of food (and sometimes 
water) consumed, so that changes in intake can be readily noted. Frequency of observations 
should be adjusted according to the speed at which an animal can be compromised in the 
experimental situation. Ideally, records should be readily accessible to veterinarians and staff 
with a legitimate need to see them. 
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