Charlotte Burn
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Charlotte is Research Fellow in Animal Welfare. Her research interests include how animals perceive the world, in terms of their sensory biases and in terms of how they evaluate experiences.
Biography
Charlotte joined the Royal Veterinary College as a Research Fellow in December 2008. Previously, she was a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Bristol in the animal welfare research group, led by Dr Helen (Becky) Whay.
Her D.Phil. was at the University of Oxford in the Department of Zoology, where she was supervised by Prof. Georgia Mason. She obtained an M.Sc. in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare from the University of Edinburgh, and a B.A. in Biological Sciences at the University of Oxford.
Research
Charlotte's current research project involves analysing 'evolutionary and cognitive risk factors that predict abnormal behaviour' in captive animal species. The aim is to be able to gain clues about why the animals perform these behaviours, and thus how we might be able to prevent the abnormal behaviour and associated poor welfare in future.
Her PhD students are: Rowena Packer, who will carry out a 'Quantitative investigation of healthy conformational limits in domestic dog breeds' (www.rvc.ac.uk/Staff/rpacker.cfm); and Liane Crowther, who will work on 'Quality of life assessment in equids' (www.rvc.ac.uk/Staff/lcrowther.cfm).
Charlotte anticipates that her research at the Royal Veterinary College will focus on positive welfare in animals, and on how animals perceive the lack of stimulation often experienced in captivity. She uses a multidisciplinary approach to investigating animal welfare, and employs a range of statistical techniques for data analysis. You can find out more about her research at her webpage, www.alexcharlie.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/charlotteburn.html.
Her previous research has investigated the welfare of horses and donkeys that work in developing countries (funded by the Brooke Hospital for animals), and the everyday welfare of laboratory rats (funded through the Animal Procedures Committee of the Home Office). Her smaller projects have investigated coping styles and aggression in farmed pigs, and inter-specific interactions between penguins in a zoo (sponsored by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).
Teaching
Charlotte is involved in teaching Animal Behaviour and Welfare to 3rd year Bioveterinary Science undergraduates.
Selected Publications
You will need a journal subscription to view the published papers (or you can ask the author), but where copyright allows, links to the author's own unedited pdfs are provided.
BURN, C.C., DENNISON, T.L., & WHAY, H.R. (in press) Environmental and demographic risk factors for poor welfare in working horses, donkeys and mules in developing countries. The Veterinary Journal. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2009.09.016
PRITCHARD, J.C., BURN, C.C., & WHAY, H.R. (2009) Haematological and serum biochemical reference values for apparently healthy working horses in Pakistan. Research in Veterinary Science 87: 389-395 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2009.05.003
BURN, C.C., PRITCHARD, J.C., & WHAY, H.R. (2009) Observer reliability for working equine welfare assessment: Problems with high prevalences of certain results. Animal Welfare 18: 177-187 [pdf]
BROSTER, C.E., BURN, C.C., BARR, A.R.S., & WHAY, H.R. (2008) The range and prevalence of pathological abnormalities associated with lameness in working horses from developing countries. Equine Veterinary Journal. 41: 474-481 http://dx.doi.org/10.2746/042516409X373907 or [pdf]
PRITCHARD, J.C., BURN, C.C., BARR, A.R.S., & WHAY, H.R. (2008) Validity of indicators of dehydration in working horses: a longitudinal study of changes in skin tent duration, mucous membrane dryness and drinking behaviour Equine Veterinary Journal 40: 558-564. PubMed ID 18356129 or [pdf]
BURN, C.C., PRITCHARD, J.C., FARAJAT, M., TWAISSI, A.A. M. & WHAY, H.R. (2008) Risk factors for strap-related lesions in working donkeys at the World Heritage site of Petra in Jordan. The Veterinary Journal 178: 261–269. PubMed ID 17869139 or [pdf]
BURN, C.C. (2008) What is it like to be a rat? Rat sensory perception and its implications for experimental design and rat welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 112: 1-32 http://dx.doi.org/j.applanim.2008.02.007 or [pdf]
BURN, C.C. & MASON, G.J. (2008) Effects of cage-cleaning frequency on laboratory rat reproduction, cannibalism, and welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 114: 235–247 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2008.02.005 or [pdf]
BURN, C.C. & MASON, G.J. (2008) Rats seem indifferent between their own scent-marked homecages and clean cages. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 115: 201–210 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2008.06.002 or [pdf]
BURN, C.C., DEACON, R.M.J. & MASON G.J. (2008) Marked for life? Effects of early cage cleaning frequency, delivery batch and identification tail-marking on adult rat anxiety profiles. Developmental Psychobiology 50: 266-277 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/dev.20279
BURN, C.C., DAY, M.J., PETERS, A. & MASON, G.J. (2006) Long-term effects of cage-cleaning frequency and bedding type on laboratory rat health, welfare, and handleability: a cross-laboratory study. Laboratory Animals, 40: 353-370 http://dx.doi.org/10.1258/002367706778476460 or [pdf]
BURN, C.C., PETERS, A. & MASON, G.J. (2006) Acute effects of cage-cleaning at different frequencies on laboratory rat behaviour and welfare. Animal Welfare, 15: 161-172 [pdf]
HAWKINS, P., NICHOLSON, J., BURN, C.C., et al. (2005) Report of the 2004 RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group meeting. Animal Technology and Welfare 4: 79-89
BURN, C.C. & MASON, G.J. (2005) Absorbencies of six different rodent beddings: commercially advertised absorbencies are potentially misleading. Laboratory Animals, 39: 68-74 http://dx.doi.org/10.1258/0023677052886592 or [pdf]
D'EATH, R.B. & BURN, C.C. (2002) Individual differences in behaviour: A test of 'coping style' does not predict resident-intruder aggressiveness in pigs. Behaviour, 139: 1175-1194 http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15685390260437326