It is the mission of AALAE to promote, educate, and foster an open communication, while providing a resource to the lab animal community regarding behavior management and enrichment practices. We intend to advance lab animal welfare by providing resources to all lab animal facilities on cost effective options to better the psychological health of laboratory animals.
AALAE Goals
To Promote Animal Welfare
Animal Welfare Advancement
To advance animal welfare through refining husbandry, veterinary and research procedures via innovative behavior management practices.
To Provide Resources
Resource Provider
To provide resources regarding the latest innovative behavior management and enrichment techniques.
To Provide a Platform
Provide a Platform
To provide a platform for those professionals to create, research, and present new behavior management techniques.
Meet the Founder
Kristina Carter Bartley has a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science from the University of Maryland, a Master’s in Laboratory Animal Science (MLAS) from Drexel University, and a Laboratory Animal Behavior Certification from the Animal Behavior Institute. It was through the MLAS program that she found a passion for animal Enrichment and Behavioral Management.
A few of her notable accomplishments include:
- Spearheading the ground-up development of a successful enrichment program, which included a variety of species,
- Starting an interfacility enrichment club that developed into the New York Metro Enrichment club,
- Multiple speaking engagements, including conferences and symposiums (Quad, Tribranch, and the National AALAS), where she introduced innovative enrichment practices
As Founder and President of AALAE, she aims to create a lasting resource for professionals and enthusiasts alike—a place to network, learn, and help ideate and create practices within animal enrichment that will lead to enhanced lives for laboratory research animals.