Nina Taylor

Position Research Assistant Title of projects “Implementation of Existing Knowledge on Tail Biting by the Development and Evaluation of Prevention and Outbreak Advisory Tools”

- Preventing and reducing tail biting in pigs

About Nina Taylor:

Graduated from Edinburgh with a degree in Zoology in 1999, (Honours project on Insect phylogeny, and creating a reference display of the insects http://www.nhc.ed.ac.uk/index.php?page=24.25.298) and returned to enjoy the MSc course in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare, graduating with distinction in 2000. Final project was undertaken at Silsoe Research Institute with Prof Christopher Wathes and Dr Neville Prescott looking at perception of flicker in chickens, in order to determine whether levels of flicker inherent in conventional fluorescent lighting would be visible to them and therefore a welfare issue.

Spent a year on various animal related projects – farming and conservation work in the beautiful surroundings of the RSPB’s reserve at Loch Gruinart, Islay, radio-tracking chamois in the Swiss Alps for a University of Berne project with Dr Andreas Boldt, and learning the basics of stable work and equine welfare with the Horse and Pony Protection Agency (HAPPA) at Brierfield, Lancashire.

http://www.islayinfo.com/islay_rspb_loch_gruinart.html

http://www.wildlifebiology.com/Volumes/2005+-+volume+11/4/Abstracts/En/View-527.aspx

http://www.happa.org.uk/about.asp

Returned to Silsoe Research Institute (Wrest Park) for a CASE studentship PhD looking at Lighting and the Welfare of Pigs, completed in 2006. Supervisors included Prof Christopher Wathes (now RVC), Dr Neville Prescott, Dr John Jarvis, Dr Graham Perry (formerly University of Bristol) and with many thanks to supervisory staff at the RSPCA – Dr Martin Potter, Caroline Le Sueur and Dr Julia Wrathall. Research included investigating the properties of pigs’ vision and how this could affect their welfare, e.g. their preference for different light levels, their sensitivity to specific wavelengths/colours of light, and their acuity under different light levels.

Worked at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People (The Grange) training dogs to respond to everyday and hazard sounds and to work with their recipients in the home, workplace and around town. http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/.

Currently visiting farms country-wide to investigate ways to help prevent tail biting in commercial pigs, to look at how units are currently avoiding tail biting, and researching ways to reduce the severity of tail biting damage should it occur (STOP project, stop_tb@bristol.ac.uk). Projects supervised by Dr David Main and Prof Mike Mendl here at Bristol, Prof Sandra Edwards at Newcastle, Dr Bhupinder Gill at BPEX and Dr Kate Parkes from RSPCA.

Research Interests:

Pigs and poultry - their lighting, vision, behaviour and welfare; dog behaviour and training; and any tangents (remotely) related to these. Animal behaviour and welfare in general, and ethology, phylogeny and evolution.

Recent publications:

· Taylor,N.; Prescott,N; Perry,G; Potter,M; Le Sueur,C; Wathes,C.M. (2006). Preference of growing pigs for illuminance. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 96, 1-2, 19-31

· Jarvis,J.R; Taylor,N.R; Prescott,N.B; Meeks,I; Wathes,C.M. (2002). Measuring and modelling the photopic flicker sensitivity of the chicken (Gallus g. domesticus). Vision Research, 42: 99-106

· IAGRE Postgraduate student seminar, “Lighting and Welfare of pigs: Spectral sensitivity” Cranfield University, February 2005.

· Poster presentation: “Preference of pigs for illuminance” International Society for Applied Ethology conference, Abano Terme, Italy, June 2003.

· Oral presentation: “Preference of pigs for illuminance” British Society of Animal Science, York, March 2003.

· Poster presentation “Can domestic fowl detect the flicker of fluorescent lights?” World Poultry Science Association 2002. British Poultry Science, 43, 5, S13-S14, DEC 2002