Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.

Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

Tribute paid to Dr Sherwin   
Dr Sherwin was 'a stalwart advocate for animals and their welfare'.
Bristol’s senior research fellow passes away

Dr Christopher Sherwin, a former senior research fellow at Bristol veterinary school, passed away on 18 July, aged 55, the university has announced.

His colleague Mike Mendl wrote: ‘Chris was for many years a very active member of the applied ethology community, carrying out influential studies on the behaviour and welfare of laboratory mice and the effects of lighting on turkey welfare. As many will remember, he also contributed greatly to the two main academic societies in his field.’

Mr Mendl describes him as a ‘stalwart advocate for animals and their welfare’. He was born in Bradford, England, but spent his formative years in Australia, gaining his BSc(Hons) in Veterinary Biology from Murdoch University in Perth. Later he did a PhD in social and thermal influences on shading behaviour in sheep, then took a junior research fellowship at the University of New England. It was there that his interest in animal welfare became evident. He published a paper on the effects of electronic tags on ear damage and related behaviour in pigs.

Moving back to England in 1990, Dr Sherwin joined a research group at the University of Bristol, where he would spend the rest of his academic career. Initially he worked on broiler chicken and laying hen welfare, making significant inroads into our understanding of turkey welfare and behaviour.

He received the prestigious UFAW Hume Fellowship in 2001, which he used to fund further work into laboratory mouse welfare. His final experimental studies included work on free-ranging chickens and zoo-housed elephants.

His paper on invertebrate suffering preceded current interests in insect emotions and consciousness by well over a decade. He also wrote a highly cited review of voluntary wheel running by captive rodents and an article on the possibility that standard rodent housing may have detrimental effects on the quality of scientific research.

After retiring in 2012, Dr Sherwin continued to publish for another year and was very active on Wikipedia - producing nearly 50 articles and contributing to many more.

Professor Mendl said he presented ‘the fields of animal welfare and behaviour with a clarity and authority that will without doubt inform and influence many interested students, school children, and members of the wider public.’

His many contributions and articles, ‘will be his continuing contribution and lasting legacy to our discipline and the wider scientific community,’ he added.

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Prof Joanne Webster elected as Fellow of the Royal Society

News Story 1
 Joanne Webster, a professor of parasitic diseases at the RVC, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).

An infectious disease expert, Prof Webster is known for promoting a One Health approach to disease control.

She completed her doctoral research in zoonotic disease and parasite-host interactions, and has since earned widespread recognition for contributions to parasitology and global health.

Prof Webster said: "I am truly honoured, and somewhat stunned, to be recognised alongside such an exceptional group of scientists." 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Germany FMD import restrictions eased

The UK government has lifted the import restrictions placed on FMD-susceptible commodities from Germany.

The decision comes after the country was recognised as foot-and-mouth disease free without vaccination on 14 May.

Imports of FMD-susceptible animals and their by-products from Germany were originally banned, after the country reported a case of FMD near Brandenburg in January. In March, the UK government permitted imports from outside of the outbreak zone.

Germany will now be able to import FMD-susceptible animals and their by-products into the UK, providing they meet other import conditions.

The decision follows rigorous technical assessment of measures in Germany. Defra says it will not hesitate respond to FMD outbreaks.