Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by SlimVirgin (talk | contribs) at 02:13, 26 October 2017 (not sure why this was changed here and elsewhere; adding footnote where he discusses it). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Chris Sherwin
Sherwin in 2009
Born	Christopher M. Sherwin 1962 Bradford, England
Died	18 July 2017(2017-07-18) (aged 54–55)
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Murdoch University, Perth, Australia
Known for	Animal behaviour and welfare
Awards	Hume Fellowship (2001)
Scientific career
Fields	Veterinary biology, Veterinary science, Animal welfare science
Institutions	University of Bristol Veterinary School
Doctoral advisor	Ken Johnson

Christopher M. Sherwin (1962 – 18 July 2017) was an English veterinary scientist and senior research fellow at the University of Bristol Veterinary School. He specialized in applied ethology, the study of the behaviour of animals in facilities such as zoos, laboratories and farms.

Sherwin became known for his work on animal welfare, and in particular for his research into the behaviour of laboratory mice. He created and chaired the Animal Ethics Committee of the International Society for Applied Ethology, and in 2003 was the lead author of its ethical guidelines. He also served as secretary of the Ethical Committee of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. A colleague at Bristol described Sherwin as a "stalwart advocate for animals and their welfare".

Early life and education

Sherwin was born in Bradford, England, and grew up in Australia, where he earned his BSc in veterinary biology from Murdoch University in Perth. In 1987 he obtained his PhD, also from Murdoch University, for a thesis entitled Shading behaviour in sheep: The influence of social and thermal factors.

Career

Research overview

Sherwin joined the University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales, as a junior research fellow, where he wrote about electronic tags and ear damage in pigs before returning to England in 1990. That year he joined the University of Bristol Veterinary School, and worked there until he retired in 2012. Over the following two decades, he became known for his research into animal welfare and his work developing ethical guidelines on animal use. He studied poultry in commercial facilities, mice in laboratories, elephants in zoos, insect consciousness, and the use of video to record farm animals' behaviour.

Poultry

Sherwin's studies included examining the housing for poultry used in meat and egg production. Christine Nicol, professor of animal welfare at Bristol, writes that Sherwin studied some of the last of the flocks of hens to be housed in conventional cages in the UK, and found that nearly 25 percent had broken bones when they were euthanized. Between 1998 and 2001 he published 11 papers on turkeys, which included examining the effect of lighting on their welfare; his research suggested that turkeys prefer brighter lights than those in commercial facilities. In a study for the RSPCA's "Freedom Food" label in 2009, he led a team from Bristol University that investigated stocking densities of hens used for eggs; he compared farms that stocked at 1,000 and 2,000 hens per hectare.

Elephants in zoos

From 2005 to 2007 Sherwin was part of a team funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the RSPCA, BIAZA, and IFAW to write a report, The Welfare, Housing and Husbandry of Elephants in UK Zoos (2008), about the 77 elephants then kept in 13 British zoos. Sherwin told the BBC that almost half the elephants engaged in behaviour not seen in the wild, such as pacing, retracing their steps, and repeatedly swaying their trunks, which "almost certainly indicates they're in an environment which is inappropriate for their needs". According to the report, 38 percent of the elephants the team examined performed these "stereotypies" for over one percent of the time during the day, and nearly half did so at night; during one 24-hour period, one elephant stereotyped over 60 percent of the time. In Sherwin's view, elephants could be kept in zoos with the correct housing and care, but not in the numbers seen at that time. An independent body established by Defra reviewed the report.

Insect pain

Another of Sherwin's research interests was invertebrate suffering. According to Jonathan Balcombe, Sherwin challenged the traditional view of the insect as a "spineless, pre-programmed automaton", suggesting that insects had preferences, habits, and memories, and could experience "negative mental states". That insects have different nervous systems and might perceive pain differently from vertebrates does not mean there is no consciousness. When deciding whether an animal can suffer, he wrote, we compare its responses to those of evolutionarily higher animals, an argument by analogy, and find that invertebrates "often behave in a strikingly analogous manner to vertebrates". He told a conference in 2000: "If a chimp pulls its hand away after an electric shock, we say she presumably must have felt an analogous subjective experience to what we call pain. But cockroaches, slugs and snails—which are not protected by legislation—also reacted in the same way, while tests on flies showed they could associate a smell with receiving an electric shock. If it is a chimp we say it feels pain, if a fly we don't. Why?"

Laboratory mice

Sherwin's most influential research was on the behaviour and welfare of laboratory mice. In one highly cited study, published in 1998, he built a device that allowed five mice to leave their cages—by pressing levers to open the door—for a loop that they could run around, a series of tunnels, or a wheel. Over time, they had to press the lever more often, up to 80 times, to gain access. Of the three options, the loop was the least preferred, and the wheel was "least affected by increasing the cost of access". As a result of that research, Sherwin was awarded a Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) Hume Research Fellowship in 2001.

He went on to conduct extensive studies on laboratory cage design, showing that mice kept in ordinary cages chose to drink more of an anxiety-reducing drug than mice housed in larger cages with nesting material, a nest box, and a running wheel, where they could burrow and be with other mice. He found that cage colour affected body weight; the mice liked white and disliked red.

In another study, he demonstrated that mice need to engage in burrowing behaviour. Laboratory mice spent the same amount of time burrowing whether or not they were supplied with ready-made burrows. Sherwin used burrows constructed by the same mouse in an earlier part of the experiment, thereby addressing the argument that the mouse continued to burrow only because the ready-made burrows were inadequate.

Other work

Sherwin served on the editorial board of Animal Sentience: An Interdisciplanary Journal On Animal Feeling. He chaired the Animal Ethics Committee of the International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE), and was the lead author of their ethical guidelines. In 2006 he was the lead organizer of the 40th International Congress of the ISAE at Bristol. He also served as a member of the working group that drafted the scientific risk assessment which was reviewed by the Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW) panel. The draft was adopted as their scientific opinion on the “Aspects of the biology and welfare of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes” published in the 2005 EFSA Journal. He was the author of chapter 25, "The Husbandry and Welfare of Non-Traditional Laboratory Rodents", of The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals, 8th edition (2010).

Misplaced Pages

After his retirement, Sherwin became an editor with Misplaced Pages, where he wrote nearly fifty articles.

Selected works

Sherwin published over 62 works, including:

Book and book chapters

• Sherwin, Chris (2012) . "Farm Animals", in Stephen D. Wratten (ed.). Video Techniques in Animal Ecology and Behaviour. Springer Science & Business Media, pp. 125–144.
• Sherwin, Chris (2010). "The Husbandry and Welfare of Non-Traditional Laboratory Rodents", in R. Hubrecht and J. Kirkwood (eds.). The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals, 8th edition. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 359–369. ISBN 9781405175234
• Sherwin, Chris M. (2010). "The Welfare and Ethical Assessment of Housing for Egg Production". In Duncan, Ian J. H.; Hawkins, Penny (eds.). The Welfare of Domestic Fowl and Other Captive Birds. Dordrecht: Springer. pp. 237–258. doi:10.1007/978-90-481-3650-6_10. ISBN 9789048136506.
• Sherwin, C. M. (2004). "Turkeys: Behavior, Management and Well-Being", in Wilson G. Pond (ed.). Encyclopedia of Animal Science. CRC Press, pp. 847–852.
• Sherwin, Chris M. (2002). "Comfortable quarters for mice in research institutions". In V. Reinhardt & A. Reinhardt (eds.). Comfortable Quarters for Laboratory Animals, 9th edition. Washington, DC: Animal Welfare Institute, pp. 6–7.
• Sherwin, C. M. (ed.) (1994). Modified Cages for Laying Hens. Proceedings of a Symposium Held at Nobel House. London: Universities Federation for Animal Welfare. ISBN 978-0900767852

Articles

• Olsson, I. Anna S.; Sherwin, Chris M. (23 June 2016). "Behaviour of laboratory mice in different housing conditions when allowed to self-administer an anxiolytic". Laboratory Animals. 40 (4): 392–399. doi:10.1258/002367706778476389.
• Sherwin, C. M.; Richards, G. J.; Nicol, C. J. (August 2010). "Comparison of the welfare of layer hens in 4 housing systems in the UK". British Poultry Science. 51 (4): 488–499. doi:10.1080/00071668.2010.502518.
• Littin, K.; Acevedo, A.; Browne, W.; Edgar, J.; Mendl, M.; Owen, D.; Sherwin, C.; Wurbel, H.; Nicol, C. (22 August 2008). "Towards humane end points: behavioural changes precede clinical signs of disease in a Huntington's disease model". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 275 (1645): 1865–1874. doi:10.1098/rspb.2008.0388.
• Sherwin, C. M. (19 July 2007). "Animal welfare: reporting details is good science". Nature. 448 (7151): 251–251. doi:10.1038/448251b.
• Sherwin C.M. 2004 The influences of standard laboratory cages on rodents and the validity of research data. Animal Welfare 13: 9-15.
• Sherwin, C. M.; Olsson, I. A. S. (1 February 2004). "Housing conditions affect self-administration of anxiolytic by laboratory mice". Animal Welfare. 13 (1): 33–38.
• Sherwin, Chris M.; Christiansen, Stine B; Duncan, Ian J.; Erhard, Hans W; Lay, Don C.; Mench, Joy A; O’Connor, Cheryl E; Petherick, J.Carol (May 2003). "Guidelines for the ethical use of animals in applied ethology studies". Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 81 (3): 291–305. doi:10.1016/S0168-1591(02)00288-5.
• Olsson, I.Anna S; Nevison, Charlotte M.; Patterson-Kane, Emily G.; Sherwin, Chris M; Van de Weerd, Heleen A.; Würbel, Hanno (May 2003). "Understanding behaviour: the relevance of ethological approaches in laboratory animal science". Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 81 (3): 245–264. doi:10.1016/S0168-1591(02)00285-X.
• Sherwin, C. M.; Heyes, C. M.; Nicol, C. J. (May 2002). "Social learning influences the preferences of domestic hens for novel food". Animal Behaviour. 63 (5): 933–942. doi:10.1006/anbe.2002.2000.
• Sherwin, C. M. (1 February 2001). "Can Invertebrates Suffer? Or, How Robust is Argument-by-Analogy?". Animal Welfare. 10 (1): 103–118.
• Maddocks, Sam A.; Cuthill, Innes C.; Goldsmith, Arthur R.; Sherwin, Chris M. (November 2001). "Behavioural and physiological effects of absence of ultraviolet wavelengths for domestic chicks". Animal Behaviour. 62 (5): 1013–1019. doi:10.1006/anbe.2001.1842.
• Sherwin, Chris M. (1 July 1999). "Environmental Enrichment for Captive Animals". Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. 2 (3): 243–245. doi:10.1207/s15327604jaws0203_7. ISSN 1088-8705.
• Sherwin, C. M (April 1999). "Domestic turkeys are not averse to compact fluorescent lighting". Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 64 (1): 47–55. doi:10.1016/s0168-1591(99)00024-6.
• Sherwin, C. M. (July 1998). "Voluntary wheel running: a review and novel interpretation". Animal Behaviour. 56 (1): 11–27. doi:10.1006/anbe.1998.0836.
• Sherwin, C. M.; Nicol, C. J. (January 1997). "Behavioural demand functions of caged laboratory mice for additional space". Animal Behaviour. 53 (1): 67–74. doi:10.1006/anbe.1996.0278.
• Weeks, C. A.; Nicol, C. J.; Sherwin, C. M.; Kestin, S. C. (1 August 1994). "Comparison of the Behaviour of Broiler Chickens in Indoor and Free-Range Environments". Animal Welfare. 3 (3): 179–192.
• Sherwin, Chris M.; Nicol, Christine J. (October 1992). "Behaviour and production of laying hens in three prototypes of cages incorporating nests". Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 35 (1): 41–54. doi:10.1016/0168-1591(92)90015-4.

Notes

1. Sherwin (2001): "Suffering is a negative mental state—a private experience—and, as such, it cannot be measured directly. When assessing the capacity of an animal to experience suffering, we often compare the similarity of its responses with those of 'higher' animals, conceptualized in the principle of argument-by-analogy. By closely examining the responses of invertebrates, it can be seen that they often behave in a strikingly analogous manner to vertebrates. In this paper, I discuss published studies that show that invertebrates such as cockroaches, flies and slugs have short- and long-term memory; have age effects on memory; have complex spatial, associative and social learning; perform appropriately in preference tests and consumer demand studies; exhibit behavioural and physiological responses indicative of pain; and, apparently, experience learned helplessness. The similarity of these responses to those of vertebrates may indicate a level of consciousness or suffering that is not normally attributed to invertebrates."

References

1. ^ "Past Hume Research Fellowships". Universities Federation for Animal Welfare. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
2. ^ Mendl, Mike (16 August 2017). "Dr Christopher Sherwin, 1962–2017". University of Bristol.
3. ^ "Chairperson of the Ethics Committee" (PDF). ISAE Newsletter. June 2006. p. 6. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
4. Jarvis, S.; Day, J. E. L.; Reed, B. (2005). "Ethical guidelines for research in animal science" (PDF). Animal: The International Journal of Animal Biosciences. p. 6. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
5. ^ Nelson, Laura (11 February 2004). "Curious Mice Need Room To Run". Nature. doi:10.1038/news040209-6.
6. ^ Fraser, David (2013) . Understanding Animal Welfare: The Science in its Cultural Context. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, p. 199.
7. ^ Sherwin, Chris M.; Christiansen, Stine B.; Duncan, Ian J.; Erhard, Hans W.; Lay, Don C.; Mench, Joy A.; O’Connor, Cheryl E.; Petherick, J. Carol (May 2003). "Guidelines for the ethical use of animals in applied ethology studies". Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 81 (3): 291–305. doi:10.1016/S0168-1591(02)00288-5.
8. ^ "Tribute Paid to Dr. Sherwin". MRCVSonline.com. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
9. "Shading behaviour in sheep: The influence of social and thermal factors", National Library of Australia.
10. ^ Nicol, Christine J. (2015). The Behavioural Biology of Chickens. Wallingford: CABI, p. 164.
11. ^ "Elephants 'die earlier in zoos'", BBC News, 11 December 2008.
12. ^ Highfield, Roger (11 May 2000). "Cockroach capable of feeling pain, says study", The Daily Telegraph.
13. Friend, Ted (2005). "Book reviews", Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 43(4), July 1995, p. 304.
14. Sherwin, Chris (2012) . "Farm Animals", in Stephen D. Wratten (ed.). Video Techniques in Animal Ecology and Behaviour. Springer Science & Business Media, pp. 125–144.
15. Sherwin, Chris M. (2010). "The Welfare and Ethical Assessment of Housing for Egg Production". In Duncan, Ian J. H.; Hawkins, Penny (eds.). The Welfare of Domestic Fowl and Other Captive Birds. Springer, Dordrecht. pp. 237–258. doi:10.1007/978-90-481-3650-6_10. ISBN 9789048136506.
16. "Light and behaviour", in D. S. Mills, Jeremy N. Marchant-Forde (eds.) (2010). The Encyclopedia of Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare. Wallingford: CABI, p. 387.
17. "British Free Range Egg Producers Association to help fund trials on stocking density", Ranger, 8 June 2009.
18. Harris, Moira; Sherwin, Chris; Harris, Stephen (10 November 2008). The Welfare, Housing and Husbandry of Elephants in UK Zoos: Final Report. University of Bristol.
19. "The Husbandry of Elephants in UK Zoos", Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
20. Harris, Sherwin and Harris 2008, p. 42.
21. "Elephants in UK Zoos", Zoos Forum, 7 July 2010.
22. Balcombe, Jonathan (2006). Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good. New York: St. Martin's Press, p. 193.
23. ^ Sherwin, C. M. (1 February 2001). "Can Invertebrates Suffer? Or, How Robust is Argument-by-Analogy?". Animal Welfare. 10 (1): 103–118.
24. Fagerlund, Richard; Lachnit, Johnna (2002). Ask The Bugman: Environmentally Safe Ways To Control Household Pests. University of New Mexico Press. p. 153. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
25. Tiffin, Helen (June 2016). "Do Insects Feel Pain?", Animal Studies Journal, 5(1), (pp. 80–96), p. 90.
26. Sherwin, C. M. (January 1998). "The use and perceived importance of three resources which provide caged laboratory mice the opportunity for extended locomotion", Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 55 (3–4), pp. 353–367. doi:10.1016/S0168-1591(97)00049-X
27. Sherwin, C. M.; Nicol, C. J. (May 1996). "Reorganization of behavior in laboratory mice, Mus musculus, with varying cost of access to resources". Animal Behavior. 51 (5): 1087–1093. doi:10.1006/anbe.1996.0110. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
28. "Vacation Scholars' Meeting", Universities Federation for Animal Welfare News-Sheet, March 2004, p. 6.
29. Olsson, Anna S.; Sherwin, Chris M. (3 January 2006). "Behaviour of laboratory mice in different housing conditions when allowed to self-administer an anxiolytic". Laboratory Animals. 40 (4): 392–399. doi:10.1258/002367706778476389. PMID 1701821. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
30. "Behavioural need", in D. S. Mills and Jeremy N. Marchant-Forde (eds.) (2010). The Encyclopedia of Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare. Wallingford: CABI, p. 52.
31. "Animal Sentience: An Interdisciplanary Journal On Animal Feeling". Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy (HSISP). Retrieved 23 October 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
32. "Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW) on a request from the Commission related to the aspects of the biology and welfare of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes". EFSA Journal. 3 (12): 292. 2005. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2005.292. ISSN 1831-4732.
33. Sherwin, Chris (2010). "The Husbandry and Welfare of Non-Traditional Laboratory Rodents", in R. Hubrecht and J. Kirkwood (eds.). The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals, 8th edition. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 359–369. ISBN 9781405175234 doi:10.1002/9781444318777.ch25
34. "Sherwin, Christopher M." ResearcherID. Retrieved 31 August 2017.

• English biologists
• Researchers
• 1962 births
• 2017 deaths
• Veterinary scientists