News aggregator

WTOP.com reports German wild pig populations are up because of moderate weather and plentiful food. http://wtop.com/?nid=456&sid=1521435

The Washington Post reports Madeleine Pickens made known her intentions to adopt most or all of the 30,000 horses and burros kept in federal holding pens. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/17/AR2008111703680.html?hpid=topnews

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service reports Michigan State University animal scientists studied four hay feeder design types. http://cowcalfcorner.okstate.edu/Newsletter.htm

The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) is releasing a new Issue Paper, Poultry Carcass Disposal Options for Routine and Catastrophic Mortality, the second in a CAST three-part series on poultry and livestock carcass disposal. http://www.cast-science.org/displayProductDetails.asp?idProduct=158

The European Commission has launched a new website, the so-called 'Tracking System for Alternative test methods Review Validation and Approval (TSAR)', designed to track the development of new alternative test methods which should replace, reduce and refine current animal testing. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1676&type=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Society for Neuroscience (SFN) Annual Meeting Come see us in booth 2727! Nov 15 - 19, 2008 - Washington, DC

American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) National Meeting 2008 Please come see us at our booth! Nov 09 - 13, 2008 - Indianapolis, IN

University of Illinois -- DNA determines a lot about who we are and how we play with others, but recent studies of social animals (birds and bees, among others) show that the interaction between genes and behavior is more of a two-way street than most of us realize. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-11/uoia-sic110608.php

ABC News -- White House Dogs Have Served as Companions, Playmates, Publicity Props. http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=6192603&page=2

BBC News reports scientists from the Zoological Society of London and the University of Copenhagen said to demonstrate their sexual prowess eland antelope click their knees. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7707141.stm

7thSpace Interactive reports UK Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has today launched a consultation on new codes of practices for cats, dogs and horses, that will offer practical advice on pet ownership. http://7thspace.com/headlines/296892/defra_launches_consultation_on_animal_welfare_codes_of_practice.html

Reuters reports Europe's environment chief plans to ban laboratory tests on chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos and orangutans -- in a clampdown on animal testing by the drugs industry and other researchers. http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4A45TL20081105

Chemie.DE Information Service reports the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) agreed on a new alternative test method involving no animal experiments to determine the irritant properties of foreign substances on the skin. http://www.chemie.de/news/e/89127/

MarketWatch.com reports Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal protection organization, celebrates a landmark victory for farm animals: the passage of Proposition 2 in California. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Farm-Sanctuary-Releases-Statement-Passage/story.aspx?guid={41D53449-8A34-4FD5-851F-E2C22F232B36}

WTOP.com reports a Delta Airlines baggage worker found a cheetah running loose in the cargo hold. Two cheetahs were being flown from Portland, Ore., to Atlanta on Thursday when one escaped from its cage. http://wtop.com/?nid=456&sid=1508544

Rocky Mountain School of Animal Acupressure and Massage (RMSAAM) is now offering a First Aid Course on Horse and Dog for the animal practitioner and animal owner. http://www.pr.com/press-release/112988

WTOP.com reports animal feed producers in China commonly add the industrial chemical melamine to their products state media reported. http://wtop.com/?nid=105&sid=1507265

The 7th World Congress on alternatives and animal use in the life sciences will take place in Rome, Italy. The congress was given the motto 'Calling on Science' in order to emphasize that scientific progress today goes hand in hand with progress towards the reduction, refinement and replacement of experimental animals. The congress will address alternatives and the use of animals from different angels in specific day themes. Date and Place: 30 August - 3 September 2009, Rome, Italy More information is available on the Congress website.

A framework has been adopted to increase international cooperation, collaboration and communication on alternative test methods. The International Cooperation on Cosmetics Regulation (ICCR) invited the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM)- National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Methods (NICEATM), the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), the Japanese Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (JaCVAM) and a knowledgeable representative of the Government of Canada to address the issue of recognizing the importance of replacing, reducing, and refining animal testing and to propose options to ensure a collaborative approach in September 2007. Read more...

The New York Times reports that on Nov. 4, Californians will be asked voting on Proposition 2, an animal rights ballot measure that would grant the farm animals in California the opportunity to spread their hooves and claws, rather than being confined to restrictive cages, as many chickens, sows and veal cattle now are.http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/us/24egg.html