Telemetry and data logging can be used to refine both experimental procedures and animal housing and husbandry. The primary advantage of these techniques is that interference with 'normal' behavior and physiology can be greatly reduced, thereby improving animal welfare and enabling more valid, reproducible and relevant data to be obtained. Other potential benefits include reducing the number of animals used in individual projects, and the ability to use telemetry data to monitor animal wellbeing more effectively, thereby assisting with the definition and implementation of humane endpoints.

However, implantation surgery and the presence of a telemetry device still have the potential to impair animal wellbeing [1]. It is thus essential that any impact on animals is minimised, while maximising the potential benefits associated with the use of telemetry. The BVA(AWF)¹, FRAME², RSPCA³ and UFAW⁴ Joint Working Group on Refinement is currently producing a report on refinements in telemetry that aims to help achieve this by setting out current best practice in:

• Selecting a device
• External attachment or implantation
• Anaesthesia and surgery
• Post-operative pain management
• Monitoring animal wellbeing
• Housing and care of animals on telemetry studies
• Conducting field studies using wild animals
• Removing devices and rehoming or releasing animals
• Guidelines for ethics committees when assessing projects involving telemetry