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Institute of Animal Technology Bulletin G G G Delhi Dogs Let s Talk Mental Health The Emotional Cost of Caring G G G Situations Vacant AS ET News Diary Dates Vol 55 No 9 September 2019

Bulletin Vol 55 No 9 September 2019 EDITOR Carole Wilson bulletineditor iat org uk ASSISTANT EDITOR Karen Dunford bulletinassistant iat org uk ADVERTISEMENT MANAGERS PRC Associates Ltd mail prcassoc co uk Published monthly by the Institute of Animal Technology Registered Office 5 South Parade Summertown Oxford OX2 7JL ISSN 0263 2861 For enquiries other than Bulletin related contact IAT ADMINISTRATOR admin iat org uk or 0800 085 4380 Final copy date for November Bulletin 1st October The opinions expressed in the Bulletin do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or the Institute CONTENTS Dear Readers Council Meeting Let s Talk Mental Health 5 7 8 10 11 The Emotional Cost of Caring 15 17 LASA DOPS 19 20 AS ET News 24 26 Horses in the Shade 29 32 SSH Branch Ascot Event 33 Stray Dogs in Delhi 35 Branch News 39 44 Situations Vacant 44 46 Diary Dates 47

Bulletin September 2019 De ar Re aders I have to start this month with two apologies The first is to the people of Stirling which I constantly referred to as Sterling in Paul s and my piece about the ARCH Event held there in July I hope this error does not detract from the event and its relevance nor from the beauty of Stirling and the surrounding areas which are the perfect staycation destination I also owe another apology to Cambridge University when their website was incorrectly referred to as https www admin cam ac uk training centre cpdcourses train trainer course I believe that was the last train the trainer course of this year they were running but further information can be found at https www ubs admin cam ac uk in the training centre section Hopefully without any more errors or typos on to this month where we are investigating caring not just for animals but for ourselves and each other On pages 10 11 Hayley Daniels the IAT Equality and Diversity Officer discusses mental health at work I think this is an incredibly important issue that for many years was very overlooked and stigmatised Please read Hayley s piece as it contains some very good advice both for looking after yourself and how managers can look after their teams I think we all understand that working with animals in a research setting can be very emotionally demanding and the second article I would like to draw your attention to is the write up of a meeting about the emotional cost of caring and its impact on animals This was a meeting that I was very fortunate enough to attend myself and one I found fascinating There were some very diverse talks ranging from emotional labour and dissonance in Animal Technologists through to mental health resources open to vets and even a practical introduction to mindfulness which I really enjoyed See pages 15 17 The final article about caring I think worthy of reading is a short piece about dogs in Delhi on page 35 It is a great example of things not being quite as they first seem It was also a good reason to put another picture of my dogs on the front cover Happy R eadi ng Carole 5

Bulletin September 2019 7 IAT Council meeting Wednesday 10th July 2019 H olidays and travel disruption resulted in many Council members being unable to attend the July meeting and making the meeting non quorate Therefore it could not be regarded as official and consequently no votes could be held or decisions taken However those Council members present did give updates and reports UAR Openness Award It was reported that the IAT had applied for the UAR Leaders in Openness award but had been unsuccessful in their application The feedback on the application reported that the website was not sufficiently public facing even though it achieves its aim of providing information to existing and prospective Animal Technologists It was felt that as the website accomplished that goal there was no need to alter it to be more public facing IAT Congress Branch Raffle AS ET had written to the IAT to thank them for the donation of the proceeds from the Branch Raffle held at Congress 2019 The raffle raised 1263 which Council agreed to round up to 1500 European Federation of Animal Technology EFAT Members of the IAT attended the FELASA meeting in Prague in June 2019 representing EFAT The stand was very busy with enquiries about IAT qualifications and how they can be studied in Europe IAT Ethical Statement The IAT Ethical Statement has been standardised across the IAT publications and website Different versions were being used and so a definitive version has been circulated and was also highlighted in the July Bulletin Andrew Blake Tribute Award A new dedicated webpage has been set up for the Andrew Blake Tribute Award www iat org uk abta Details of the award and a link to the new electronic application form can be found on that page IAT 70th Anniversary Celebration 2020 The IAT s 70th Anniversary will be highlighted in ATW during 2020 Other events are being planned culminating in the Anniversary Ball in November 2020 which celebrates both the IAT 70th Anniversary and 10th Anniversary of AS ET Branches will also be encouraged to get involved with the celebrations

8 September 2019 Bulletin IAT e Newsletters IAT e Newsletters will be produced on a regular basis Initially this will be bi monthly working towards monthly The e Newsletters will be sent to IAT members only and will highlight upcoming events previews of publications and current vacancies etc To receive a newsletter you must let us have your e mail Diversity Officer The Diversity Officer will produce articles for the Bulletin three or four times a year to look at diversity issues and to highlight areas the IAT have engaged with AST2020 The AST2020 website is up to date and contains all the latest information on the event including key note speaker details and a provisional programme Please visit www ast2020 org to see what will be happening and to register for the event Bookings are being taken for delegates and trade exhibitors Open Access It had previously been agreed that Animal Technology and Welfare ATW would become open access under the new guidelines being introduced in 2020 The actual implementation date has now been pushed back to 2022 but the IAT will still go to open access from 1st January 2020 with the first issue being the April

10 September 2019 Bulletin Lets Talk Mental Health We all have mental health just as we all have physical health Both change throughout our lives and like our bodies our minds can become unwell The World Health Organisation describes mental health as a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises his or her own potential can cope with the normal stresses of life can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to her or his community 1 Whether you work in your facility with 3 people 30 people or 300 people paying attention to your mental health is extremely important The role and environment in which Animal Technologists work can have an impact on mental wellbeing Moreover poor employee wellbeing is linked to high sickness absence and turnover and poor performance whereas good employee wellbeing is linked to low sickness absence and turnover and high productivity Mental health is sometimes still viewed as being a taboo subject but there are simple steps that can be taken to ensure your facility is mentally healthier Moreover there is still a lack of understanding about mental health and misperceptions exist Mental health issues are often thought to be a sign of weakness which they are not 2 A better understanding of mental health at work is important because Mental ill health is very common 1 in 4 will experience it Staff with positive mental health are more likely to work productively interact well with colleagues and adapt to changes in the workplace Staff supported by their employer are more likely to stay in work or return to work after a period of absence reducing long term absences in the organisation Staff who feel unable to talk to their manager may attend work when they are too ill to safely carry out their duties which could be a health and safety risk If mental ill health is not treated the pressures of it can cause other secondary symptoms For example the strain of coping with depression may cause someone to become dependent on alcohol or drugs 3

Bulletin September 2019 11 How can I help myself and my team G take simple steps to ensure work life balance is addressed G be open and encourage team discussions in tea rooms and team meetings G go for a walk or organise events as a team even lunch or breakfast outside the facility G eat well and drink sensibly G take a break G do something you are good at G accept who you are4 In addition a Manager could Ensure your staff understand and have some training in mental health awareness to remove any stigma associated with mental health Create a mental health policy and ensure your staff know where to go for support and further information when required Encourage named mental health champions in the workplace who can be approached if an employee does not feel comfortable talking to you as their line manager References 1 2 3 4 World Health Organisation Mental health a state of wellbeing Internet 2014 cited 2019 Aug 7 Available from https www who int features factfiles mental_health en https www mentalhealth org uk your mental health about mental health whatmental health https www cipd co uk knowledge culture well being mental health factsheet https www mentalhealth org uk publications how to mental health Haley Daniels IAT Equality and Diversity Officer

Bulletin September 2019 15 The Emotional Cost of Caring Impact on Animal Welfare I n May a workshop entitled The Emotional Cost of Caring Impact on Animal Welfare was delivered at Queen Mary University in London QMUL The day was organised by Jordi L Tremoleda of QMUL and Angela Kerton from Learning Curve The day set out to tackle some relatively new topics in animal welfare the mental wellbeing of those who work directly with the animals Working with animals particularly in a laboratory or research setting can be emotionally difficult as the animals seen on a daily basis can be suffering or it can be their responsibility to humanely administer a euthanasia technique The talks provided looked at this concept from different facets including an ethnographic view of animal technicians a project that specifically investigated potential direct impacts on the animals a psychological view towards animal technicians a mindfulness session and a mental wellbeing initiative for veterinarians The first presenter of the day was Dr Beth Greenhough from the University of Oxford who is a part of the Animal Research Nexus project She gave a background on her research and the project which is a large scale jointdisciplinary and social scientific approach to understanding animal research and its place in society As their approach has included interviewing those who work in the industry the work of Animal Research Nexus has already amassed an extensive and potentially exhaustive amount of data on the emotional experience of animal technicians Dr Greenhough went on to discuss emotional labour in animal research She defined this as being in an emotional state that is in direct opposition to external appearances in order to either complete a task or to represent the social expectations of one performing said task Emotional labour can vary for each person but also within a context Some have found that working with different species can increase or decrease the experience fish for example can be an easier model for people to work with as people can feel more attached to mammals particularly those that are also companion species The context can also vary between people the emotional labour of someone who does not have as much contact with animals can be less than those who do A notable example here is that animal technicians have reported more emotional labour for animals that are in pain and suffering as the direct care givers than researchers despite the fact that pain and suffering is a result of regulated procedures

16 September 2019 Bulletin Dr Greenhough suggested a division of labour can help to minimise emotional labour By sharing the responsibilities those who work with animals can also share the emotional labour and have to perform less work that can cause distress The second talk was presented by Alison Hopkins from the company a tune Software she discussed her work on whether human mood affects animal behaviour in laboratory research She had conducted multiple experiments using rats one had them handled by different technicians who then selfreported on mood The time it took for the cessation of stress related behaviours expressed by the rats was recorded and analysed The project was found to be inconclusive but Alison intends to re examine the hypothesis Perhaps one of the issues related to the inconclusive results was the use of selfreported mood identification the subjectivity of self reporting may have been skewed Mood cannot only affect how you might be feeling but also how you would report it as well The speaker did go on to provide some recommendations on a healthy balance particularly being emotionally intelligent and aware of one s own emotions I would definitely be interested in seeing Alison s results from her next experiment Dr Keith Davies from Cardiff University spoke next on emotional dissonance in animal technology Although it initially seemed similar to the first speaker s topic emotional dissonance appears to be something that surpasses emotional labour The former is more controllable whereas the latter can be harder to control leaving a person more than conflicted with a feeling of their identity being under threat Dr Davies gave many examples of emotional dissonance in the industry but the most common was euthanasia Animal technicians pride themselves on their ability to provide care for animals yet are typically the ones who perform euthanasia which on the surface can appear to be paradoxical This can affect work performance unfortunately as individuals try to cope with this emotional state by unhealthy means increasing use of alcohol and higher frequency of sick days are typical warning signs Individuals find themselves unable to care as much as they once had Dr Davies did provide some examples of how animal technicians have tried to cope with this issue in the past One notable example was an American institution that created and curated a garden of remembrance dedicated to some of each team members favourite animals Other more practical suggestions were also offered up such as sharing workloads or rotations

Bulletin September 2019 17 similar to Dr Greenhough s suggestion creating an emotional support system and even raising money for animal based charities Another form of suggestion that seemed rather novel was the concept of biophilic design which comes from architectural design this refers to the connecting individuals back to the natural environment which is typically considered to be good for mental health This is usually the incorporation of more natural light access to fresh air and comfort However the constraints of working in older buildings may negate this option The next section was one of the more unusual sessions I have encountered at a seminar and that was a practical introduction to mindfulness The audience was led in a meditation centred on visualising a tree I have to admit I am not entirely convinced about this practice and I was not able to see how this is meant to help with mental wellbeing However I believe I was the anomaly in this as the rest of the audience gave positive feedback about the practical session The final talk of the day was a last minute fill in from Dr Aurelie Thomas She gave a different presentation to what was scheduled giving a background on her work as an NVS in different parts of the UK as well as working for a donkey charity in Africa She spoke on how that role can affect one s mental wellbeing and how that can lead to professional exhaustion Dr Thomas also gave information that the original speaker Dr Lizzie Lockett from the Mind Matters Initiative MMI was to present This is a mental wellbeing resource specifically designed for vets at any level and is supported by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons The MMI is structured in three main areas prevention protection and support to those who may need it https www vetmindmatters org Much of the focus of the presentation was about perspective or reframing and trying to see a situation in another light Multiple examples of this were provided with a personal favourite being a video of what looks like a small crying child clutching onto a rope to avoid drowning however the arrival of his mother wading through the water now reveals to both the child and the audience that the water is less than knee high and comically safe The child stands and immediately stops crying check it out yourself https youtu be f1XSUQD2c8w The whole day was very well organised and presented material on topics that until recently are not typically discussed It gave a lot of food for thought and hopefully some practical suggestions for those working with animals Many thanks to the organisers Jordi L Tremoleda and Angela Kerton for the day Reporter Karen Dunford

Bulletin September 2019 19 LASA DOPS T hanks to the kind donation of a considerable number of existing DOPS by three of LASA s ETES members LASA is pleased to be able to announce the launch of this resource containing 250 DOPS sheets for procedural and practical skills in July 2019 What are DOPS DOPS Direct Observation of Procedural Practical Skills are a well defined mechanism to measure the competence of an individual in a procedure or practical task The individual s performance is assessed against predetermined criteria for the task using a checklist type format The DOPS assessment takes account of the integration of knowledge skills and attitude that are necessary in carrying out any task For example the individual must understand why they are undertaking the procedure and the legal constraints that apply knowledge the individual must have the appropriate dexterity and skill to carry out the task skills and they must demonstrate working within the culture of care showing appropriate respect for the animals and persons involved attitude The successful individual meets expectations in respect of the criteria that are outlined for each technique and which provide transparency of expectations and standards DOPS can be used both in training formatively and as a final sign off assessment summatively Feedback is an integral part of the assessment and should be given at the end of each training session in order both to reward good performance and to encourage learning How to use DOPS The DOPS are listed in a spreadsheet which can be filtered to enable users to find the DOPS they need Filtering can be done by species type of procedure etc and once found the relevant DOPS can be downloaded for use in the assessment or training of staff for the relevant procedure or practical skill The mechanism by which this is done and the results recorded is subject to the processes that your Establishment has adopted The DOPS can be saved as Word files to be adapted to be appropriate for local use note some of the formatting may be lost when converting to another format Improving existing DOPS and proposing new DOPS The LASA DOPS are intended to reflect current good practice However they are living documents and we are keen to hear from those in the laboratory animal science community who might have suggestions for improvements To

20 September 2019 Bulletin do so please amend the relevant section s of the DOPS and email an electronic copy to DOPS lasa co uk Please use track changes when proposing any modifications to the relevant DOPS document We are keen to expand the LASA DOPS library with new documents on additional procedures practical skills and species If you would like to contribute a new DOPS document download the blank template complete the relevant sections and email an electronic copy to DOPS lasa co uk Amended and new DOPS will be assessed by the LASA DOPS Review Panel If approved new and amended DOPS will be uploaded to the website New DOPS will carry the LASA logo but can be jointly branded with the originator s institution if requested LASA hopes that trainers and NTCOs will make full use of this resource and help it to grow Your feedback is welcome so if you have any comments or suggestions please email DOPS lasa co uk Submitted by Beverley Marczcha

24 September 2019 Bulletin Patron Professor Lord Naren Patel KT Chair of Trustees Professor Sir Richard Gardner FIAT Hon FRS Secretary to the Trust Ken Applebee OBE FIAT FRSB Trustees Stephen Barnett MSc Hon FRSB Jasmine Barley MSc FIAT Karen J Gardner Wendy Steel BSc Hons FIAT Registered Charity Number 113319 Registered Office 5 South Parade Summertown Oxford OX2 7JL AS ET Congress Bursary Competition The Animals in Science Education Trust is pleased to announce the fourth bursary competition to attend AST2020 The intention of the bursary is to encourage early career animal technical staff to extend their knowledge and experience by attending the largest animal technology meeting in the UK Applications are invited from animal technical staff based in the UK or the Republic of Ireland who are studying for or were awarded the IAT Level 2 Diploma in Laboratory Animal Science and Technology in 2017 2018 or 2019 The successful applicant will be selected on the basis of a 1000 word essay on the following Outline the responsibilities of the Named Animal Care and Welfare Officer in a facility licensed under the Animals Scientific Procedures Act 1986 as amended 2012 or the EU directive 2010 63 EU Discuss the ways in which you can assist the NACWO in ensuring the welfare of the animals in your care The essays must be received by AS ET by 20th October 2019 They should be sent by email together with the application form to contact as et org uk

Bulletin September 2019 25 Patron Professor Lord Naren Patel KT Chair of Trustees Professor Sir Richard Gardner FIAT Hon FRS Secretary to the Trust Ken Applebee OBE FIAT FRSB Trustees Stephen Barnett MSc Hon FRSB Jasmine Barley MSc FIAT Karen J Gardner Wendy Steel BSc Hons FIAT AS ET Fifth Annual Lecture Registered Charity Number 113319 Registered Office 5 South Parade Summertown Oxford OX2 7JL Sweetness and light studying the molecular basis of diabetes Professor Dame Frances Ashcroft DBE BA PhD ScD FRMedSci FRS Glaxo SmithKline Royal Society Research Professor and Fellow of Trinity College University of Oxford The lectures will take place from 5 pm 16th October London 28th October Manchester Each lecture will be followed by a wine reception Tickets 10 00 are available from www as et org uk The names of the people attending each lecture will be entered into a prize draw for a 100 Amazon gift voucher

AS ET is aBulletin charity set up to advance education and promote May 2014 excelle 15 the26 care and welfare of animals used in science Bulletin September 2019 To see how you can apply for a bursary visit our website www as et T is is a charity setset upup toto advance education and promote excellence in ET a charity advance education and promote excellence The companies listed below sponsor AS ET If you would like to join care and welfare ofof animals used in in science e care and welfare animals used science find out how to support us by looking at our website ee how you can apply forfor bursary visit our website www as et org u AS ET is ayou charity set up toa advance education and promote excellence in see how can apply a bursary visit our website www as et org set up to advance education andpromote promote excellence in AS ET charityset set up toadvance advance education excellence theAS ET care isand welfare ofup animals usededucation in science AS ET isisaaacharity charity to and excellence in in the of animals used science thecare careand andwelfare welfare ofanimals animalsused used inscience science the care and welfare of inin companies listed below sponsor AS ET If you would like to join them e companies listed If and youexcellence would excellence like join AS ETisisa acharity charitytobelow set up tosponsor advance AS ET education promote in the AS ET advance education and promote in theto care To see how you can apply for a bursary visit our website www as et org uk out how to support us by looking at our website the careto and welfare of animals used inatscience d out how support us by ourour website and welfare of animals used in looking science see howyou you canapply apply for bursary visit our www as et org uk ToTo see how can for aa bursary visit website www as et org uk To see how you can apply for a bursary visit our website www as et org uk TheSponsors companies listed below sponsor If you would like to join them To see how you can for a bursary visit website www as et org uk of AS ET areapply listed below and AS ET to find our out more please visitto the to join Thecompanies companies listed below sponsor AS ET Ifyou you join them The listed below sponsor AS ET If you would like them The companies listed below sponsor AS ET If would like to join them findwebsite out how to support us by looking at our website www as et org uk find out howto tosupport support usby by looking atour our website find how support us by looking our website find out how us looking atat Theout companies listed below sponsor AS ET If website you would like to join them find out how to support us by looking at our website

Bulletin September 2019 29 Paper Review Horses in the Shade by Karen Dunford A horse with outdoor stables visible in background MB298 2017 CC BY SA 4 0 https creativecommons org licenses by sa 4 0 Horses are not typically used as a scientific model although it is not unheard of However their care and welfare can be studied in a scientific method in order to determine best practices This is a common occurrence for the more popular laboratory species such as mice rats and zebrafish The paper Preference of domestic horses for shade in a hot sunny environment by Holcomb Tucker and Stull 2014 investigated horses preference for an environment that theoretically allowed for thermoregulation more concisely if horses liked to be in the shade when it was hot outside Whilst this may seem a

30 September 2019 Bulletin simplistic experiment the authors were quick to point out that there is an assumption that horses prefer the shade in order to thermoregulate but also to reduce irritation from insects however very little scientific evidence exists to validate this assumption Horses looking for shade in New Forest Hampshire Clive Perrin 2006 Looking for shade New Forest Hampshire CC BY SA 2 0 Methods The experiment was conducted in the dry and hot environs of Davis California and included three separate trials each trialling four individuals All trials had the horses housed in individual outdoor pens that were half covered by an open roof i e no walls to provide shade in the daytime Each pen was specifically designed to eliminate as many variables as possible food water and salt blocks were provided in each section sunny and shaded each pen was bordered by empty ones no bedding was provided each trial included two males and two females The researchers collected data on G G three types of temperature ambient black globe and solar radiation wind speed

Bulletin G G G G G September 2019 31 behaviour and feeding position in the pen number of insects present physiological data rectal and skin temperature respiration and sweat serology haematocrit neutrophil to lymphocyte and cortisol A horse in a paddock Results The analysis of the results indicated that overall the assumption of preference for shade was correct The horses were recorded in the shade more often including at night and in the morning They also seemed to prefer to eat and forage in the shaded area although drinking occurred evenly in both areas Against expectations horses exhibited irritation from insects twitching and tail flicking more so in the shaded area The physiological data did not show any significant difference nor did the serological data Discussion The horses overall were found to prefer the shade to the sun although they

32 September 2019 Bulletin would spend time in both The horses were found to be more often inside shade when the recorded solar radiation was at its peak but interestingly were also found to be under the roof during the night as well But given that temperature lowers at night perhaps the animals moved here in order to raise their body temperature One of the parameters that was measured was the black globe temperature which is a way to measure what the conditions feel like to an individual The results suggested that the animal was responding more to this parameter rather than the other weather parameters measured Surprisingly the results suggest contrary to the previous held thought that insects were not a factor in horses choosing to move into a shaded area the number of insects recorded were actually equal in both the sunny areas and the shaded areas but irritation behaviours were identified more in the shaded areas This is particularly interesting as it is showing that whilst people have commonly held beliefs on what animals prefer whether lab or otherwise it may be necessary to test those theories with a scientifically conducted experiment This also raises the question of cost of preference consumer demand models are frequently used in animal preference tests to determine the value of a preference In these tests animals have to pay in order to obtain their preference is this what is possibly being seen with these horses and the insect irritation Is it possible that the animals have a preference for no insects and shade but the cost of the insects is worth the ability to be in the shade A particular useful aspect of this experiment is that it is addressing animal preference or choice Many preference tests provide animals a binary option with the preferred option then being applied or integrated into husbandry and welfare practices these will usually eliminate the other option that was provided in the preference test In this specific test the horses overall preferred the shade over the sun however the horses also spent time in the sun The recommendation of the authors is to continue to include a shaded area for horses in hot and sunny climates but they do not discuss further providing the opportunity for the animals to choose their preferred environment on an on going basis The paper is both an interesting one and exhibits the necessity of testing commonly held beliefs The authors were able to show quantifiably that horses prefer the shade although most people would assume that is true That assumption comes from humans almost constant inability to not anthropomorphise mammals when it is really hot most people will find shade to cool down so it stands to reason that horses would too However the other assumption about avoiding insects is not supported by the evidence put forward by this experiment These sorts of experiments can also inspire similar ones for animals in labs

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Bulletin September 2019 35 Stray Dogs in Delhi D uring a recent visit to Delhi one of the first things that struck us was the large numbers of stray dogs often running in packs My initial thought was how awful and why don t the local authorities control the numbers The following day I asked about the dogs and the local guide David said that they were community dogs and they belong to the local people who fed them David said that the saying goes The first chapati for breakfast was for the cow and the last one is for the dog Well this sounded all very comforting to us tourists so we went online and low and behold it was indeed true In 2001 a law was passed in India that made the killing of stray dogs illegal and confirmed residents often feed the animals with favourite dogs becoming in effect a free range pet Also it seems the dogs have local territories and in the event of a stranger wandering in at night they often bark or may even attack the intruder However as you can tell by the picture the dogs are generally well fed so breed prolifically with their numbers increasing despite a neutering programme We personally never experienced any problems with the dogs who generally looked on as if they didn t have a care in the world If I were a stray dog I think Delhi is a much more appealing home than most other cities Reporter Ken Applebee

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40 September 2019 Bulletin A Day out at the York Maze with the IAT NEE Branch O n Saturday 13th July our group of 38 plus children made our way to the York Maze to enjoy what turned out to be a very sunny and enjoyable day The event was organised by the NEE Branch for IAT Members and their families and we met at the entrance before going through the gate to start our adventure There were many varied challenges to try for both adults and children alike including four very large mazes to explore and get lost in The challenge was to reach each of 6 outposts which although seemingly easy to find were not in reality You could of course have run through the corn however that would be a last resort and spoiled the fun The House of Even More Confusion was as the name implied just so very confusing All was not as it seemed people staggered through walls of

Bulletin September 2019 41 mirrors in an attempt to walk on a floor which seemed to roll around like a barrel throwing you off balance Everyone did finally manage to get out safely if not a little wobbly from the experience Pig racing was a feature where you could place non monetary bets on a chosen pig to race around a track following a treat This was a great source of amusement for animal technicians and their children alike Obviously Nathan and family felt pretty confident they would win by their broad smiles

42 September 2019 Adele and Tilly Bulletin

Bulletin September 2019 43 There were several types of birds of prey on display with an opportunity to handle them Adele took advantage of this by holding a barn owl called Tilly who was 8 years old We were told that owls live for 8 10 years in captivity but with a reduced lifespan of 5 10 years in the wild due to the dangers of predators Cakes and refreshments Everyone having a good time at the York maze

44 September 2019 Bulletin Delicious cakes and refreshments were welcome after finally making it safely out of the maze Of course the day wouldn t be complete without a visit to the Ivy Store a gift shop within the complex This was very well stocked with good quality gifts and gave us an opportunity to take home souvenirs after a lovely day out for all The NEE Branch would like to thank everyone who went along to have fun on the day and also to Rachel and Joanne who organised this very successful event Reporter Cathy Godfrey

Bulletin September 2019 47 DIARY Dates 30 September 1 October Mouse necropsy tissue cut in and processing practical training course Oxfordshire Details https www stem org uk cpd 455788 mousenecropsy tissue cut and processing practicaltraining course 30 September 4 October MRC Pathology Training Courses Details www har mrc ac uk careers andtraining training 2 October NC3Rs IAT Symposium London Details https www nc3rsiat animaltechnicians symposium 2019 2 October Introduction to tissue recognition and mouse pathology Details https www stem org uk cpd 455837 introdu ction tissue recognition and mousepathology 3 October Collection processing of blood urine samples from mice Details https www stem org uk cpd 455830 collecti on processing blood urine samples mice 4 October Severity and humane endpoints in fish research Bergen Norway Details https www fondazioneguidobernardini org en programs course severity and humaneendpoints in fish research html 5 October Surrey Sussex Hampshire Branch Event Ascot See page 33 10 11 October Focus on severe suffering Avoiding mortality Athens Greece Details https science rspca org uk documents 14949 35 9042554 Advert https www aalas org nationalmeeting general information registration FoSS Athens 2019 pdf 7e76bb5e d5bb 885fcaed 199c77598a3b t 1559554582826 10 October 11 November MRC Genetics Training Courses Details www har mrc ac uk careers andtraining training 12 October Revised Date Inter branch Fishing Match See page 37 13 17 October AALAS National Meeting Denver USA Details https www aalas org nationalmeeting general information registration 16 and 28 October AS ET Annual Lectures London and Manchester See pages 25 20 October AS ET Congress Competition closes See page 24 8 November Herts Essex Branch Event Halloween Ware See page 39 26 28 November LASA Conference Birmingham Details http www lasa co uk meetings Front cover Not Delhi dogs by Carole Wilson