Research Tools and Methods

How to Be a Better Animal Advocate

Carol L. Glasser — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:30:00 -0800

If you didn't receive our newsletter in your inbox today, here it is! If this is the first time you are seeing this, you may not be a registered user of HumaneSpot.org. If not, register today! Registration is free and comes with added perks, like access to the search feature in our research database and emails tailored to your personal preferences and interests. These useful emails provide updates of all the new research items and blog posts added to our database that address the specific topic(s) that you are interested in.

Reliability of Indicators of Sheep Welfare Assessed by a Group Observation Method

Carol L. Glasser — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:45:00 -0800

In this study researchers test eight indicators of sheep welfare that do not require people to physically handle sheep. They find that four of the measures--cleanliness of the breech area, lameness, demeanor, and wool loss--were reliable and suggest these findings indicate that the welfare of farmed sheep can be assessed without physical intervention.

Coming Soon: Year Five of HRC's Animal Tracker

HRC Admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:45:00 -0800

We’re getting ready to launch year five of HRC’s Animal Tracker annual survey of the public opinions and behavior of adults in the U.S. This year’s survey, which will field in March, addresses opinions toward various social movements, who people trust to provide information about animal welfare, opinions about the adequacy of animal protection laws, attitudes toward the importance of animal welfare in various situations, and the frequency with which people discuss animal protection issues. We asked the exact same questions in 2008 and 2009 and will be able to analyze changes over time. When the results are available in April, we’ll also refresh the Animal Tracker graphing tool so that the results will be easy to access and interpret.

Christmas Bird Count--Historical Data

Carol L. Glasser — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:45:00 -0800

The Christmas Bird Count is thought to be the longest running citizen survey, currently in its 112th year. Each year, between December 14th and January 5th, bird watchers in the US and Canada count birds in their area, recording numbers and species. The Audubon Society takes this data and manages it. This website allows for users to access that data, organizing it by region or species.

The Development and Factor Structure of a Questionnaire Measure of the Strength of Attachment to Pet Dogs

Carol L. Glasser — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:45:00 -0800

This study describes the development of survey measures to evaluate people's attachment to their dogs. The authors test the scales and find that they are a reliable measure of degree of closeness to a companion animal, caring for and protecting a companion, and as a base measure of emotional comfort and well-being generally.

Making Superheroes out of Heroes

Che Green — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 22:17:29 -0800

2012 is nearly upon us, and everyone at the Humane Research Council would like to take a moment to thank our donors, volunteers, and clients, as well as everyone who uses our resources to help animals. With your support, in 2011 HRC made huge strides toward our mission of empowering animal advocates to use research to be more effective and help more animals.

Chimpanzees in Biomedical and Behavioral Research: Assessing the Necessity

Carol L. Glasser — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:45:00 -0800

This report was compiled for the National Institutes of Heath to assess the need for the use of chimpanzees in medical and scientific research. The committee that compiled the report did not suggest banning the use of chimpanzees, though they did determine that most current biomedical research use of chimpanzees is not necessary. The report presents a set of criteria to evaluate the necessity of using chimpanzees in future research.

Associations Between Variables of Routine Herd Data and Dairy Cattle Welfare Indicators

Carol L. Glasser — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 08:45:00 -0800

With an interest in identifying empirical measures for the welfare of farm animals that will not require in-person assessments, the authors of this study examine which routinely collected herd data variables are correlated with measures of animal welfare.

Speciesism, Altruism and the Economics of Animal Welfare

Carol L. Glasser — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:45:00 -0800

In this study, economists have tried to incorporate altruism and non utilitarian concerns into a cost-benefit analysis of farm animal welfare policies. They found that most people are unwilling to spend money for the improved welfare of animals. One-third of subjects were unwilling to pay any money to improve animal welfare, and of those who would pay, few would pay more than $3 to improve the lives of 1,000 animals. However, a small minority was willing to pay large sums of money, making $57 the average amount that US adults will pay to improve the lives of 1,000 farm animals.

Grassroots Research Fund Deadline Fast Approaching - Spread the Word

Che Green — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:45:00 -0800

As you may know, last year HRC launched our Grassroots Research Fund, which provides up to $5,000 of research services to small animal protection groups. Our goal is to help less-funded groups better understand their audience, measure their effectiveness, and generally improve their advocacy.