Laboratory animal housing enrichment has been transformed by 3Rs-based research showing that enriched environments produce better science through more naturalistic animal behavior and reduced stress confounds.
Laboratory animal enrichment benefits both animal welfare and research quality simultaneously. Chronically stressed, behaviorally abnormal animals produce variable, unreliable data that undermines scientific reproducibility. Enriched, socially housed animals that can express natural behaviors provide more reliable baseline physiology and better translational models. The 3Rs framework and enrichment science have aligned welfare and scientific quality in a powerful way.