Journal articles on the topic 'European rabbit Reproduction'

'The reproduction of the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.), at two intensive study sites in south-western Australia is compared with reproductive data from rabbits taken throughout the coastal and inland districts of the south-west region. South-western Australia has hot, arid summers and cool wet winters. Rabbit breeding in the region is characteristic of that in Mediterranean climates, with a winter breeding season which begins when pastures germinate with the initial winter rainfall (April-May) and ceases when the pastures dry out at the end of the year. Unseasonal cyclonic rain can promote pasture growth in summer, leading to limited breeding. At all times of year there were some fertile males, with fewest at the height of summer, followed by an increase before the winter breeding season. Near the coast, male fertility increased more rapidly than further inland. At our two study sites at Cape Naturaliste (on the coast) and Chidlow (55 km inland) the pattern was similar to that in the coastal district. Production of kittens was greater near the coast than further inland, because near the coast there was a high early peak in incidence of pregnancy, a second peak late in the year, and litters remained large throughout the breeding season. In the inland district, the early incidence of pregnancy was lower, there was no second peak, and litter sizes fell at the end of the year. Female reproduction at Cape Naturaliste was typical of that in the coastal district, but that at Chidlow was typical of the inland. The second peak of pregnancy at Cape Naturaliste was due to intensive breeding by subadults born earlier in the year. The differences in female reproduction and productivity between the coastal and inland districts are probably because pasture growth begins earlier and is better in the more fertile coastal areas than in the inland. That nutrition is better for rabbits in the coastal areas than in the inland is reflected in higher growth rates of kittens at Cape Naturaliste than at Chidlow. It is postulated, on the basis of the literature and the results of our studies, that the factor which determines whether rabbits will breed is the presence of growing vegetation, and that the intensity of breeding is influenced by a seasonal cycle in fertility.

The influence of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) on the survival of medium-sized native mammals remains unclear despite 60 years of speculation. Most medium-sized native species that might have been affected by the presence of rabbits are extinct, rare, or endangered. This limits the opportunity to study their interaction with introduced herbivores. We studied the effect of changes in rabbit density on aspects of the ecology of burrowing bettongs (Bettongia lesueur) reintroduced to mainland Australia on Heirisson Prong, Shark Bay, Western Australia. The rabbit population at the site grew to a 10-year high concomitant with a dry summer and low and declining pasture cover. Rabbit browsing led to widespread defoliation of, and subsequent death of, many palatable shrubs. Despite these adverse conditions, reproduction, recruitment and rate of increase of bettongs did not vary with changes in rabbit density, nor did the survival of adult males and females. This work casts doubt on the idea that competition with an introduced herbivore, such as the rabbit, was an important factor in the decline of the burrowing bettong. It highlights the need to understand the ecologies and life histories of native and introduced species in order to manage for the long-term persistence of native species.

Group-living territorial animals such as the Eurasian badger, Meles meles L., face the problem of intragroup competition. Badgers are asymmetric in their access to reproduction (dominant individuals being the ones that reproduce), but little information exists about the extent of intragroup trophic competition. We studied badgers' use of a key trophic resource (the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus), as well as the use of the habitat where this resource is located (key habitat, Mediterranean scrubland) by a low-density group-living population of badgers in Coto del Rey, Doñana, southwestern Spain. During 1995–1996, there was a 2.2-fold reduction of rabbit density, which was reflected in a significant diminution of rabbit use; despite this, rabbits continued to be the most used trophic resource. Notwithstanding the decrease in rabbit density, subordinate badgers reduced their use of the key habitat, while dominant badgers increased it. These results suggest that in Coto del Rey, badger groups exhibit a fully despotic system, with dominance by some individuals not only in access to reproduction, but also in access to food through unequal use of the key habitat that contains it.

Abstract European wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus cuniculus) have been recently recognized as serious crop pests on Lemnos Island, Greece. With an aim to understand the population dynamics, rabbit reproduction was studied in relation to environmental and intrinsic factors, by a postmortem examination of 273 adults (162 males, 111 females), collected from February 2007 to January 2008. Reproductive activity peaked in the spring and was higher in agricultural than in phryganic habitats for females [pregnant: agricultural 74.5%, phryganic 54.0%, p=0.041; average number of implanted embryos: agricultural 5.56±0.21 standard error (SE), phryganic 4.07±0.21 SE, p=0.0002], but not for males (fertile: agricultural 38.8%, phryganic 31.2%, p=0.308). Classification tree models included explanatory variables with monthly time lags to detect important effects. The male reproductive status (i.e. proportion fertile) was favored by a low maximum temperature in the sampling month (<21.5°C), whereas under a higher maximum temperature male fertility was favored by a high vegetation quality (>14.2% crude protein, CP), good body condition and low mean temperature (<20.5°C). A low maximum temperature at conception (<20.0°C; 1 month time lag) favored pregnancy status (i.e. proportion pregnant). At a higher maximum temperature, pregnancy was favored by a high vegetation cover (>86.8%) at conception. Vegetation quality higher than 10.9% CP resulted in a medium to high number of implanted embryos (2 months time lag), further determined by a high vegetation cover (>90.8%; 2 months time lag) and a low population density (<1.9 ind·ha−1). The results identified temperature and habitat quality as prime drivers of reproduction, and ultimately population dynamics. Such information could prove useful for successful rabbit management on Lemnos and other similar areas.

SummaryIn Europe, more than 60 breeds are described by the national associations of rabbit breeders. However, these breeds are scarcely used in the commercial production of rabbit meat in Europe, which is based mainly on commercial strains. A European programme, coordinated by the I. N. R. A., has been initiated to realise the inventory of all these breeds and to evaluate the zootechnical value and the genetic characteristics of some of them. Through the European association of rabbit breeders and the FAO national focal points, all the European countries have been asked to fill out a questionnaire describing their populations of rabbits. A data bank is being set up, which will be included in the FAO (DAD-IS) and EAAP data banks. A sample of 10 breeds has been chosen (Flemish Giant, French Lop, Belgian Hare, Vienna White, Champagne Argente, Thuringer, Fauve de Bourgogne, Chinchilla, Himalayan, British). Their zootechnical value (reproduction, growth and carcass traits) is being evaluated on three experimental farms, in comparison with a control breed. At the same time, their genetic polymorphism and the genetic distances between these 10 breeds are calculated on the basis of microsatellites, mitochondrial DNA, other genetic markers and protein polymorphism. Finally, a bank of frozen embryos from these 10 breeds is being constituted.

The European brown hare is one species in which reproduction appears to be particularly complex. Therefore, we studied the reproductive tract and prenatal development using high-resolution ultrasound of 159 pregnancies in 45 captive female hares. Consecutive examination of live hares was particularly useful in evaluating the very early stages of gestation. As such, it was possible to detect corpora lutea by Day 3 and embryonic vesicles, representing the earliest uterine embryonic stages, by Day 6. On Day 11, the heart beat of the embryo was detectable for the first time. We defined ultrasonographic milestones that were characteristic of the different stages of pregnancy. We also calculated growth models using eight different morphological parameters, including development of the corpus luteum. On the basis of these results, it is now possible to estimate the gestational age of a pregnant doe without knowing the date of conception. In contrast with the European rabbit, a distant relative, European hares give birth to precocial young. A comparison of the prenatal growth rate of both species suggests that the precocial state of the hare neonate is a more recently derived evolutionary characteristic, whereas the altricial condition of rabbits represents the ancestral mode.

The use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics was legally restricted by the European Commission in March 2019. Since the extender for rabbit semen Galap® contained this antibiotic, it became necessary to modify it. The purpose of this study was to search for another molecule, based on its antimicrobial activity and also on the conservation, motility and fertility of semen diluted with the new extender. Several bacterial strains were isolated from 10 poor-quality ejaculates, including Enterococcus spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus spp. They were then tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. Out of 15 antibiotics evaluated, gentamicin was the one targeting such bacteria. In vivo tests were then carried out to assess the effects of this antibiotic change on sperm parameters. Up to 26 pools of good quality semen (total motility >70%) were diluted in original Galap® or in this extender with gentamicin. Ejaculates were analysed on the day (D) of collection and up to 6 d of storage at +17°C. After 24 h storage, the motility in the new extender was reduced by 7.7% compared to the original; this decrease did not worsen by storing. After 6 d of storage, no difference between the two media was detected. A total of 360 females were then inseminated with pools of 4 to 5 good quality semen diluted 1:10 in both extenders, following the routine protocol of rabbit semen processing centres. There was no difference in female fertility or prolificacy between both formulations. In conclusion, these preliminary results suggest that the addition of gentamicin to this extender is useful and also has no adverse effect on fertility or prolificacy.

The two European hare species with the largest ranges, the brown hare (Lepus europaeus) and the mountain hare (L. timidus), have a marked seasonal pattern of reproduction, probably reflecting strong environmental influences during the year. In this work, we evaluate the role of some environmental factors on the reproductive activity of another European hare species, the Iberian hare (L. granatensis). The study was carried out in Pancas, southern Portugal, from mid-1997 through December 1999. Climatic data (mean monthly values of minimum and maximum air temperature, daylength and total monthly rainfall) were recorded at the nearest meteorological station. To assess abundance and quality of food, samples of the herbaceous vegetation were collected every two months and analysed for water, fibre and crude protein content. Iberian hares were collected every two months and live or post mortem analyses were performed. The proportion of males with external testes and of pregnant females as well as the weight of the gonads were recorded. While environmental variables had marked seasonal variations, the Iberian hare nevertheless showed continuous reproductive activity. In all sampled periods, males with external testes and pregnant females were observed. However, a slight decrease of sexual activity appears to occur, mainly in males, during autumn. Only the variation of male reproductive characteristics was significantly explained by multiple regression equations. Maximum regression coefficients were obtained with the climatic variables (minimum, maximum temperatures and daylength) and vegetation biomass of the preceding two months. Our data indicate that environmental factors have little effect on reproduction in the Iberian hare. The results are compared with those obtained for other phylogenetically and geographically close hare species, and with another leporid, the wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus), which occurs sympatrically with L. granatensis.

The 44^th Congress of the Spanish Association of Cuniculture (ASESCU) was held in Aranda de Duero (Burgos province, Castile and Leon region, Spain) from 5^th to 6^th June 2019, hosted by the trade union “Unión de Campesinos de Burgos”. The six main talks mainly focussed on the reasons behind rabbit meat consumption and how to promote it. The first explained the evolution of meat consumption by humans, another one analysed the environmental impact of livestock, and the third showed efficicient advertising strategies. Moreover, another talk explained the strategic approach of the rabbit meat promotion campains carried out in Spain in recent years. Finally, the Director of the Rabbit Meat Marketing Board (INTERCUN) spoke about the need for research, development and innovation in rabbit farming. The last speech proposed what to do to sell better the rabbit meat on the basic of the current tendencies of the food market. Moreover, a total of 22 communications were presented in working sessions with oral communications and posters (nutrition, pathology, housing and welfare, and reproduction and genetics). The meeting was attended by near 170 participants from several European, American and African countries. Abstracts of the contributions presented are reported below.

The 43^rd Congress of the Spanish Association of Cuniculture (ASESCU) was held in Calamocha (Teruel province, Aragon region, Spain) from 30th to 31st May 2018, hosted by the Cooperative Society “Esperanza del Jiloca” (CEJI) and the City Council of Calamocha. The three main talks focused on strategies against antibiotic resistance in rabbit farming: one explaining the relevance of this problem and the responsibility of each agent to improve it, another expounding the “Spanish National Plan against Antibiotic Resistance”, and the third showing the first milestones reached in reducing antibiotic use on rabbit farms. Specific sessions were devoted to explaining the outcomes of the three research projects supported by the partnership between the Spanish Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) and the Rabbit Meat Marketing Board (INTERCUN): one related to welfare and health of rabbit does under different housing systems, the second devoted to the prevention and control of rabbit viral diseases, and the third investigating the etiopathogeny and control of epizootic rabbit enteropathy. In addition, the role and operation of INTERCUN was highlighted. The Chair of ASESCU spoke about this association’s role in the IDCURA project, a working group focused on innovation and divulgation in reducing antibiotic use in rabbit farming. The closing speech explained the workings of LONCUN, the latest reference market for benchmark prices of rabbit meat activated in Spain. Moreover, a total of 20 communications were presented both in working sessions with oral messages and posters (nutrition, pathology, biosecurity and sustainability, housing and welfare, and reproduction and genetics). The meeting was attended by more than 210 participants from several European, American and African countries. Abstracts of the contributions presented are reported below.

Infectious diseases can exert a strong influence on the dynamics of host populations, but it remains unclear why such disease-mediated control only occurs under particular environmental conditions. We used 16 years of detailed field data on invasive European rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) in Australia, linked to individual-based stochastic models and Bayesian approximations, to test whether (i) mortality associated with rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) is driven primarily by seasonal matches/mismatches between demographic rates and epidemiological dynamics and (ii) delayed infection (arising from insusceptibility and maternal antibodies in juveniles) are important factors in determining disease severity and local population persistence of rabbits. We found that both the timing of reproduction and exposure to viruses drove recurrent seasonal epidemics of RHD. Protection conferred by insusceptibility and maternal antibodies controlled seasonal disease outbreaks by delaying infection; this could have also allowed escape from disease. The persistence of local populations was a stochastic outcome of recovery rates from both RHD and myxomatosis. If susceptibility to RHD is delayed, myxomatosis will have a pronounced effect on population extirpation when the two viruses coexist. This has important implications for wildlife management, because it is likely that such seasonal interplay and disease dynamics has a strong effect on long-term population viability for many species.

The temperature and humidity of air within rabbit burrows was recorded for sites on either side of the margin of the distribution of the rabbit flea, Spilopsyllus cuniculi, in South Australia. The microclimate in the burrows differed significantly across this margin, and the differences in temperatures and humidities were large enough to have significant effects on flea populations. At sites where fleas occurred, the relative humidity of burrow air was above 70% and usually between 80 and 90% RH for at least 4-5 months during the winter and spring. This not only provided optimum conditions for the survival of flea larvae in the rabbits' nests, but also should have enabled the flea populations to achieve their full reproductive potential. High humidity of burrow air at these sites during summer would also favour the survival of free-living adult fleas. At those sites where fleas did not occur, the humidity of burrow air is generally unsuitable for the survival of larvae or free-living adult fleas.

Environmental conditions frequently affect the reproduction of many mammal and bird species by modulating maternal body condition. In our long-term study of European rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L., 1758), we investigated the effects of winter weather conditions and body mass on reproductive performance and reproductive timing. Specifically, we tested whether winter temperature affects both reproductive timing and reproductive performance of female rabbits or whether females compensate for low body mass after winter by a shift in the timing of the onset of breeding. Winter body mass loss was higher in years with lower winter temperatures, and the onset of breeding was delayed after these conditions. However, mean size and mass of the first litter of each season and seasonal fecundity were not reduced after harsh winters. At the individual level, females with lower winter body mass started to reproduce later, but we did not find any effects on litter size and mass. In contrast, breeding body mass was a strong predictor of the females' reproductive performance. We also found high between-year variation in mean body mass in late winter but not in mean breeding body mass. In conclusion, our results suggest that the negative effects of winter weather on the body mass of females, which should potentially affect their reproductive performance, were compensated for by delaying the onset of breeding.

European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has been defined as a keystone species in the Mediterranean ecosystem. Rabbits have been classed as “endangered” by the IUCN within their native range. In this sense, animal nutrition may play a fundamental and limiting role in the conservation of wild species. The overarching goal of ecological nutrition is to unravel the extensive web of nutritional links that direct animals in their interactions with their ecological environments. The main aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of different feed intake, geographic location, animal sex, and reproductive stage on glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), and plasmatic urea nitrogen (PUN), albumin, glutamate, and total protein metabolites. Additionally, we examined the potential of these metabolites as biomarkers. Full stomach contents and blood samples were collected from European wild rabbits (n = 89) for the analysis of the metabolites described above. Our work shows that the levels of these metabolites are affected by the sex of the animals, as well as by their reproductive stage (glucose, NEFA and albumin). There were signs of better optimisation of resources by females than by other groups of animals. These data may be interesting in the study of nutritional components that could be affecting physiological state of this species.

Context Reintroduction of endangered species potentially places them back in contact with putative factors of historical decline, inadvertently providing the opportunity to evaluate their impact. Aims To monitor the long-term progress of a population of western barred bandicoot reintroduced to mainland Australia and to assess factors involved in its eventual local extinction. Methods Bandicoots were reintroduced from offshore Dorre Island to the nearby mainland peninsula of Heirisson Prong in 1995. The narrow neck of the peninsula was fenced to exclude foxes and feral cats from a 1200 ha area, but the area was subject to periodic incursions. There was parallel management of a confined but unsupported population in an in situ 17-ha predator refuge. Bandicoots were assessed for abundance, body condition and reproduction two to four times annually between 1995 and 2010. In addition, perceived threatening processes (drought, disease and the abundance of cats, foxes and rabbits) were monitored. Key results Bandicoots became well established at the site, spreading to all available habitat. Numbers fluctuated strongly, peaking at ~250 in 1999 and then declining to apparent local extinction (with subsequent re-establishment from the refuge), and at ~470 animals in 2006, followed again by extinction. Conclusions Predation by feral cats was implicated as the primary cause of both free-range extinctions and the eventual elimination of all bandicoots from the predator refuge. Other contributing factors in one or more of the declines were a reduction in reproduction and recruitment in bandicoots during a one-in-100-year drought, the impact of overabundant European rabbits on vegetation used by bandicoots for nesting shelter and brief fox incursions at key times. Implications Existing methods of control of feral cats are rendered ineffective in the presence of abundant and diverse native fauna and abundant exotic species (particularly European rabbits). In addition, episodic drought in arid Australia intensifies the impact of predation by restricting reproduction of prey species. These factors hamper the attempts of conservation managers to re-establish vulnerable species at sites other than those with the infrastructure and/or management intensity to largely exclude exotic predators (and preferably European rabbits) over the long-term.

The European brown hare (Lepus europaeus) is the only species with superconception, whereby the maternal reproductive tract hosts two sets of conceptuses at different developmental stages. The embryonic development of the hare has not yet been described. To understand the mechanism of superconception, we studied oviduct transport and implantation stages by embryo flushing and live high-resolution ultrasound. Ultrasound data of implantation stages is correlated with histology. In the oviduct, a mucin coat is deposited on the zona pellucida. The blastocysts enter the uterine horns on Day 5, 1 day later than in the rabbit, and directly expand approximately threefold. Spacing is accompanied by peristaltic movement of the endometrium. The mucin coat disappears and the conceptuses attach. The yolk-sac expands in the blastocoel and syncytial knobs invade the antimesometrial endometrium. Maternal blood lacunae appear in the mesometrial endometrial folds, which are subsequently invaded by the syncytiotrophoblast. The haemochorial chorioallantoic placenta forms. The yolk-sac cavity is gradually replaced by the allantois and finally by the exocoel. The different reproductive strategies of the precocial hare and the altricial rabbit are discussed. We assume that the lagomorph-specific mucin coat and the hare-specific delay of the oviduct–uterine transition are prerequisites for superconception.

SUMMARYThe migration of infective nematode larvae into the tissues of their hosts has been proposed as a mechanism of reducing larval mortality and increase parasite lifetime reproductive success. Given that individual hosts differ in the level of exposure, strength of immune response and physiological conditions we may expect the number of larvae in tissue to vary both between and within hosts. We used 2 gastrointestinal nematode species common in the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and examined how the number of larvae in the tissue changed with the immune response, parasite intensity-dependent constraints in the lumen and seasonal weather factors, in rabbits of different age, sex and breeding status. For both nematode species, larvae from the gastrointestinal tissue exhibited strong seasonal and host age-related patterns with fewer larvae recovered in summer compared to winter and more in adults than in juveniles. The number of larvae of the 2 nematodes was positively associated with intensity of parasite infection in the lumen and antibody responses while it was negatively related with air temperature and rainfall. Host sex, reproductive status and co-infection with the second parasite species contributed to increase variability between hosts. We concluded that heterogeneities in host conditions are a significant cause of variability of larval abundance in the gastrointestinal tissues. These findings can have important consequences for the dynamics of nematode infections and how parasite's life-history strategies adjust to host changes.

Context European rabbits evolved in Spain and Portugal and are adapted to winter-rainfall Mediterranean habitats. On introduction into Australia in 1859, wild rabbits quickly colonised similar habitats across the southern two-thirds of the continent. However, over the past 40 years, they have spread further into monsoonal savanna habitats in northern Queensland. Aims To explain this, we considered adaptive responses of wild rabbits to hot conditions, particularly potential mechanisms for reducing the heat load of lactation, which has been identified as a likely limiting factor. Methods We analysed data from captive wild rabbits to identify mechanisms that could potentially reduce lactational heat load, and obtained data from shot samples of wild rabbits from northern Queensland to determine which of these might be most important in the field. Key results Rabbits spread food intake evenly across the 20-day lactation period and under hot conditions, captive wild individuals used body reserves to meet energy requirements for lactation, which is more energy efficient than converting digestible foods to milk. Conclusions This strategy reduces the heat load of lactation, enabling rabbits to suckle young successfully under hot conditions, but it comes at a cost. Rabbits need extra body reserves before breeding and need to regain those reserves between litters. Implications The slow spread of rabbits into Australia’s monsoonal savannas is likely to continue, given the rabbit’s reproductive flexibility and further natural selection for breeding in this environment.

To conduct analysis of epizootic situation on infectious diseases during 2016 in Ukraine and the world. It revealed the presence of 37 infectious diseases (African swine fever, Bluetongue, Foot and mouth disease, Lumpy skin disease, Newcastle disease, Classical swine fever, Avian influenza, Sheep pox and goat, Epizootic hemorrhagic disease, Peste des petits ruminants, Covering disease, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Anthrax, Venezuelan Equina Encephalomyelitis, Infectious anemіya horses, Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Rabbit Viral Hemorrhagic Disease, Monkeypox, African horse sickness, Rift valley fever, Myxomatosis, Hemorrhagic septicemia, Camelpox, Eastern equine sleeping sickness, Paratuberculosis, Heartwater disease, Avian Infectious Bronchitis, Infectious bovine rhinotracheites, West Nile fever, Scrapie in sheep, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, European foulbrood, Rabies, Arthritis-encephalitis of goats, Aujeszky’s disease, Tuberculosis, Brucellosis), that infected animals of different species (pigs, cattle, small cattle, birds, camels, horses, monkeys, bees, rabbits, dogs) in 97 countries. The authors argue, what diseases are at unequal stages of development of epizootic process (initial stage, evolution stage, the stage of fading) and therefore characterized by a different number of foci. The share of these four diseases accounted 91.7% of all outbreaks (Bluetongue – 37.6%, African swine fever – 19.6%, Lumpy Skin Disease – 18.06%, Avian influenza – 16.5%). These diseases have been identified as topical, most dangerous for animals on the territory of Ukraine. To defined predominance causative agents of these diseases in the space or on animals. Implemented risk analysis and prediction for short time while using a set of relevant indicators, which proved to be effective. Report on risk and forecast the authors carried out in information weekly and monthly serials.

Proposals to manipulate the fertility of wild, free-living animals extend the domination humans already exercise over domesticated animals. Current lethal methods for population control include poisoning, trapping, hunting, dogging, shooting, explosives, fumigants, and deliberately introduced disease. Animal welfare interests are based on individual animal suffering, but those interests are often overshadowed by labelling of groups of animals as pests, resource species, national emblem or endangered species. Public concern for animal welfare and acceptance of new population control methods will be influenced by such labels. The animal welfare implications of new population control technology must be balanced against the existing inhumane lethal methods used. It will be difficult to resolve the dilemma of a mechanism for disseminating a fertility control agent that will cause some animal suffering (e.g. a genetically-manipulated myxoma virus for European rabbits), yet may reduce future rabbit populations and therefore the number suffering from lethal methods. An Animal Impact Statement is proposed as a tool to assist debate during development of fertility control methods and for decision making prior to their use. A comprehensive and objective Animal Impact Statement may introduce an ethic that moves the pendulum from attitudes that allow sentient animals to be destroyed by any and all available means, towards a more objective selection of the most effective and humane methods.

Few genetic studies have addressed patterns of paternity in promiscuous mammals. I used microsatellite DNA primers developed in the European rabbit to analyze paternity in the promiscuous snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus). Sixty-five offspring, their 12 mothers, and their 24 putative fathers were genotyped at seven polymorphic loci (3–22 alleles/locus). Paternal allele counts and likelihood-based paternity assignments confirmed that multiple paternity occurs in snowshoe hare litters. However, the estimated frequency of multiple paternity was lower than expected in an unstructured promiscuous mating system. A relatively low variance in male reproductive success indicated that no males dominated paternity. A few males did achieve significantly more paternities than average, largely by fathering one or two complete litters rather than a few offspring in many litters. The results suggest that successful multiple mating is limited among both male and female snowshoe hares. An important role for pre- and (or) post-copulatory competition is implied.

The European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has become the major agricultural and environmental pest species in Australia. Current methods of rabbit control are lethal procedures which are increasingly questioned for their overall efficiency, applicability, specificity, cost and humaneness. New initiatives are required. One such initiative is virus-vectored immunocontraception. In this approach, the lagomorph-specific myxoma virus will be genetically engineered to include genes encoding components of rabbit gametes which can induce an immune response that causes infertility. Central to such a strategy is the ability to identify antigens capable of inducing an immunocontraceptive response. A strategy for identifying such antigens has been described previously. A case study of one sperm antigen, PH-20, is reported here. The issues involved in developing this antigen to the stage where it could be considered as a candidate for insertion into a recombinant myxoma virus with the ultimate goal of testing for immunocontraceptive efficacy are discussed. Techniques for inserting genes into myxoma virus have been described previously. The knowledge gained from research with this particular antigen are broadly applicable to other antigens used for both immunocontraceptive vaccines in general and, specifically, for virus-vectored immunocontraception.

Airborne pollution has been associated with various adverse effects on human reproductive health, especially intrauterine growth retardation and early pregnancy loss. However, few studies have analysed its effect on early development. Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) have been shown to alter blastocyst formation when diluted in embryo culture medium (2010 Toxicol Sci. 117, 200–208), but no data are available concerning the effect of maternal inhalation of diesel exhaust on early embryo development. Our study has been designed to answer this question using rabbit as a model and DEP doses mimicking daily exposure to traffic in large European cities. New Zealand female rabbits were superovulated by means of 5 subcutaneous administration of pFSH for 3 days before mating, followed 10 to 12 h later by an intravenous administration of 30 IU of hCG at the time of mating (natural mating). Dams were exposed to a representative air pollution mixture; that is, diluted diesel engine exhaust (1 mg m–3; N = 14) or clean air (N = 12), for 1 h every morning and afternoon, from Day 3 to Day 6 post-coitum (dpc). At 6 dpc, in vivo-developed embryos were collected from uteri perfused with PBS and counted; their diameter was measured on pictures using ImageJ software (NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA). Another group of female rabbits was exposed to the same inhalation conditions from 3 to 27 dpc without superovulation treatment. Measures by ultrasound were performed on these dams at 7 dpc. Data were analysed by Mann-Whitney test and ANOVA, including dams as cofactor. At 6 dpc, number of embryos per dams was higher in exposed group compared with control (P < 0.05). In contrast, embryo diameter was significantly lower in the DEP exposed group compared with the clean air exposed group (P < 0.01). Gene expression analysis is being performed in these embryos. At 7 dpc, ultrasound measurements evidenced a decrease in embryo diameter, perimeter, and volume in the exposed group compared with control (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, and P < 0.01, respectively). These data indicate that repeated exposure to airborne pollution even for daily short periods affects early development. Consequences of maternal DEP exposure on feto-placental development are under investigation.

The European red fox is an introduced pest species in Australia for which improved means of control are urgently needed. Research efforts have focussed recently on the development of novel biological control methods to reduce the serious impact this species continues to have on both native fauna and the sheep industry. The ultimate goal has been to generate an antifertility vaccine for use on foxes that relies on a process termed ‘immunocontraception’. A variety of proteins derived from sperm and oocytes, together with different delivery vectors, have been experimentally assessed for their ability to induce immunocontraceptive responses in foxes. Vaccine vectors screened have included Salmonella typhimurium, vaccinia virus and canine herpesvirus but suppression of fertility has yet to be achieved with any combination of antigen and delivery vector. Downregulation of fox mucosal antibodies during oestrus, lack of vector replication and low antibody responses to the target antigens have been the main constraints in successful fertility control. The fox is not well known as an experimental animal and the logistics of dealing with this difficult-to-handle species proved to be a major challenge when compared with other species, such as rabbits and mice. Despite these difficulties, research on fox immunocontraception has generated important insights into the reproductive biology, husbandry, biology and basic immunology of viral vectors in European red foxes. This information represents a valuable knowledge base should antifertility vaccination for foxes be revisited in the future.

Abstract Objective: High concentrations of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) have been found in goat milk but it is not known whether it can enter the circulation of the neonate. In this study we have developed a sensitive two-site lanthanide immunofluorometric assay (IFMA) using dissociation and enhancement time-resolved fluorometry to address this question. Method: Affinity-purified anti-PTHrP 38–67 raised in rabbit was biotinylated and immobilized in streptavidin-coated microtitration wells as a 'capture' antibody. As a signal, affinity-purified anti-PTHrP 1–34, raised in sheep, was labeled with an europium chelate. A sensitivity of 0·3 pmol/l was achieved. PTHrP levels were determined in the plasma of eleven neonatal, seven parturient and six non-pregnant, non-lactating goats as well as in goat milk. Results: The circulating PTHrP levels (mean±s.d.) were significantly increased at day 1 (6·1± 1·7 pmol/l; P< 0·01) and day 3 (3·5±0·6 pmol/l; P< 0·05) after birth in the male kids (n = 8) bottle-fed with milk from the dams, compared with before (2·2±0·7 pmol/l)and 30 min after (2·0±0·6 pmol/l) the first feeding and 14 days (2·4±0·8 pmol/l) later. In the female kids (n = 3) fed with formula there was no such increase and the concentrations remained between 1·6–1·9 pmol/l. In the parturient goats the mean±s.d. PTHrP levels before, during and after parturition were 2·9±1·7. 4·2±2·4 and 3·7±2·2 pmol/l respectively (n = 7) which demonstrated that plasma PTHrP was higher during and after parturition in comparison with before (P < 0·05). The levels in non-pregnant, non-lactating goats were 3·3±1·5 pmol/l (n = 6). PTHrP levels in goat milk were in the nanomolar range and were highest in the colostrum. Conclusions: A significant increase of plasma PTHrP was observed in goat kids fed with milk from their dams and this increase was not found in kids fed with formula. Plasma PTHrP was also increased during parturition. European Journal of Endocrinology 136 546–551

Immunocontraception involves eliciting an immune response against eggs, sperm or hormones so that successful reproduction is prevented. Work in Australasia is aimed at European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), house mice (Mus musculus), common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), koalas (Phascolartcos cinereus) and kangaroos (Macropus spp.), with the vaccines involved all containing self antigens or their relatives. Two fundamental problems have been inadequately addressed in this research. The first problem is that it is difficult to obtain strong immune responses against self antigens and so the vaccines may be ineffective. Most published data on the effect of immunocontraceptives on reproduction involve the use of an adjuvant of which there are many kinds. The materials enhance the immune response greatly. The most frequently used is Freund?s adjuvant which can cause chronic suffering. Its use on wildlife will lead to very negative public perceptions. There has been no convincing demonstration that successful immunocontraception is possible with any method of vaccination likely to be used in the field, if success is defined as contraception of a proportion of the population high enough for management requirements. If it is assumed that success can be achieved, the second fundamental problem arises with two potential consequences. Even with adjuvant, a substantial minority of the vaccinated animals remains fertile. The first consequence is that since failure to be contracepted is likely to be in part genetic, there is likely to be rapid selection for these non-responders. The method will become ineffective in a few generations. The second problem is that the offspring of the animals which breed will have altered immune responses. Their capacities to respond to their own pathogens or to harbor pathogens of other species in the same ecosystem are likely to be changed. The presence of chlamydia in P. cinereus and bovine tuberculosis in New Zealand T. vulpecula means that responses to these pathogens would have to be studied in offspring of immunocontracepted parents to ensure that the offspring were not more susceptible to them. New Zealand intentions to put an immunocontraceptive into a T. vulpecula gut worm must be viewed with caution by Australia. The eggs of transgenic worms will be easily transplanted either accidentally or deliberately back into Australia, and so infect T. vulpecula in Australia.

Environmental risk assessment is a key process for the authorization of pesticides, and is subjected to continuous challenges and updates. Current approaches are based on standard scenarios and independent substance-crop assessments. This arrangement does not address the complexity of agricultural ecosystems with mammals feeding on different crops. This work presents a simplified model for regulatory use addressing landscape variability, co-exposure to several pesticides, and predicting the effect on population abundance. The focus is on terrestrial vertebrates and the aim is the identification of the key risk drivers impacting on mid-term population dynamics. The model is parameterized for EU assessments according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Guidance Document, but can be adapted to other regulatory schemes. The conceptual approach includes two modules: (a) the species population dynamics, and (b) the population impact of pesticide exposure. Population dynamics is modelled through daily survival and seasonal reproductions rates; which are modified in case of pesticide exposure. All variables, parameters, and functions can be modified. The model has been calibrated with ecological data for wild rabbits and brown hares and tested for two herbicides, glyphosate and bromoxynil, using validated toxicity data extracted from EFSA assessments. Results demonstrate that the information available for a regulatory assessment, according to current EU information requirements, is sufficient for predicting the impact and possible consequences at population dynamic levels. The model confirms that agroecological parameters play a key role when assessing the effect of pesticide exposure on population abundance. The integration of laboratory toxicity studies with this simplified landscape model allows for the identification of conditions leading to population vulnerability or resilience. An Annex includes a detailed assessment of the model characteristics according to the EFSA scheme on Good Modelling Practice.

Ziconotide, a potent, selective, reversible blocker of neuronal N-type voltage-sensitive calcium channels, is approved in the United States for the management of severe chronic pain in patients for whom intrathecal therapy is warranted, and who are intolerant or refractory to other treatment, such as systemic analgesics, adjunctive therapies, or intrathecal morphine. In the European Union, Ziconotide is indicated for the treatment of severe chronic pain in patients who require intrathecal analgesia. Nonclinical investigations of ziconotide included a comprehensive characterization of its toxicology, incorporating acute and subchronic toxicity studies in rats, dogs, and monkeys; reproductive toxicity assessments in rats and rabbits; and mutagenic, carcinogenic evaluations performed in vivo and in vitro. Additional investigations assessed the potential for cardiotoxicity (rats) and immunogenicity (mice, rats, and guinea pigs), and the presence or absence of intraspinal granuloma formation and local cell proliferation and apoptosis (dogs). The resulting nonclinical toxicology profile was predictive of human adverse events reported in clinical trials and consistent with ziconotide’s pharmacological activity. Frequently observed nonclinical behavioral effects included tremoring, shaking, ataxia, and hyperreactivity. Occurrences were generally transient and reversible upon cessation of treatment, and intolerable effects occurred at doses more than 45 times the maximum recommended clinical dose. Ziconotide was not associated with target organ toxicity, teratogenicity, or treatment-related gross or histopathological changes; it displayed no mutagenic or carcinogenic potential and no propensity to induce local cell proliferation or apoptosis. Although guinea pigs developed systemic anaphylaxis, antibodies to ziconotide were not detected in mice, rats, or guinea pigs, indicating low immunogenic potential. No evidence of granuloma formation was observed with intrathecal ziconotide treatment. In summary, the results from these nonclinical safety assessments revealed no significant toxicological risk to humans treated with ziconotide as recommended.

Etoposide at room temperature is a solid present in the form of a white or yellow-brown crystalline powder. It is an anticancer drug with cytotoxic and anti-mitotic activity, used to treat patients with testicular cancer, acute myelogenous leukemia, lung cancer, non-small-cell lung cancer, adrenal cortex cancer, gastric cancer, hepatoblastoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and brain tumors. It is also recommended for the treatment of Ewing sarcoma and Kaposi's sarcoma associated with AIDS. This cytostatic is available in capsules taken by food and in concentrate for solution for infusion. Occupational exposure to etoposide occurs during its manufacture, confectioning, packaging and use in everyday treatment practices of hospital wards. The monograph, along with the proposal for a hygiene standard for etoposide, was developed as a continuation of work on the determination of the value of hygiene standards for cytostatics. According to the National Consultant's report in the field of nursing in 2010 (incomplete data, covering only 12 voivodeship), the number of nurses employed in oncology facilities totaled 5077. On the basis of data from the Central Register of Data on Exposure to Carcinogenic or Mutagenic Substances, Mixtures, Agents or Technological Process in Poland exposure to etoposide in Poland in the last three years has been growing. In 2015, 414 people were exposed to the substance. This substance has not been officially classified in the European Union. Most manufacturers of etoposide importers classify it for carcinogenic activity to category 1.B with risk phrase: May cause cancer and acute toxicity after oral exposure to category 4. The main effect of the toxicity of etoposide as a medicine is suppression of bone marrow function, which results in neutropenia, granulocytopenia and thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, an increase in the number of megaloblasts in the bone marrow and gastrointestinal symptoms (eg nausea, vomiting with mild to moderate intensity) , bronchospasm, inflammation of mucous membranes, feelings of disgust in the mouth, baldness and secondary leukemia. According to the IARC, there is limited evidence of carcinogenicity of etoposide in animals, but there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity of etoposide in humans when combined exposure to cisplatin and bleomycin. In IARC, etoposide was classified as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2.A.), and in combination with cisplatin and bleomycin as a carcinogen for humans (Group 1). The genotoxic activity of etoposide has been demonstrated in studies performed on human and animal material in vitro without metabolic activation. Etoposide caused the occurrence of chromosomal aberrations in both humans and experimental animals, increased sister chromatid exchange, double-strand break in DNA and the micronucleus formation. In experimental animal studies (mice, rats, rabbits), etoposide was teratogenic and embryotoxic. In women treated with etoposide, transient ovarian dysfunction is reported. The effect of etoposide on ovarian function, however, did not depend on the dose, but on the patient's age. In addition, spontaneous births were reported in women treated with etoposide. In some cases, the embryotoxic effects of the drug have been demonstrated. There were no congenital malformations in children whose mothers were treated with etoposide alone or in combination with other cytostatics, as well as in children of men treated with etoposide. The critical effect of the action of etoposide as a drug is bone marrow suppression. The lowest therapeutic dose of the drug was found at 2.37 mg/kg/day. In Poland, the maximum permissible concentrations of etoposide in the work environment have not yet been established. The following data was taken into account when determining the NDS of etoposide: - occupational exposure levels established by etoposide manufacturers for this substance amount to 0.0003 or 0.0007 mg/m3; - available results of human and animal studies do not allow to determine the dose-effect relationship; - due to the genotoxic, carcinogenic, teratogenic and reproductive effects of etoposide, NIOSH assumed that the OEL should be set at a level below 0.01 mg/m3; - according to the classification proposed by the group operating within the framework of the "Global strategy of risk management", etoposide should be in category 4, ie substances for which the OEL value in the work environment should be in the range of 0.001 mg/m3 ÷ 0.01 mg/m3. The MAC value of etoposide was proposed at the level of the equivalent concentration to 0.1% of the lowest therapeutic dose used in humans (2.37 mg/kg), similar to other cytostatics (eg N-hydroxyurea, fluorouracil). An additional uncertainty factor "F" was adopted at level 10 related to the long-term effects of exposure, i.e. genotoxic, carcinogenic and reprotoxic effects of the substance. The MAC of the inhalable fraction of etoposide was set at 0.0017 mg/m3. There are no substantive basis to establish the value of the short- -term (STEL) and permissible concentrations in biological material (DSB) for etoposide. Based on quantitative data characterizing skin absorption of etoposide, which has a molecular weight of 588.56 and its poor solubility in water, it has been found that the substance is characterized by a low ability to penetrate the skin. Due to the observed embryotoxicity in humans and teratogenic and embryotoxic etoposide in experimental animals, the substance was marked with the letters "Ft" - a substance harmful for reproduction. In addition, the labeling recommended by the manufacturers of "Carc 1.B" that indicated that it is a carcinogenic substance of category 1.B.

Full TextThe first law enacted in Canada to protect existing Aboriginal rights was section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.2 The first law in Canada to recognize the rights of non-human animals as anything other than property has yet to be enacted. The first Supreme Court of Canada (hereafter referred to as the Court) case to interpret section 35 was R. v. Sparrow.3 The 1990 case confirmed an Aboriginal right of the Musqueam peoples of British Columbia to fish for food, social and ceremonial purposes. Since this precedent-setting case, many similar claims have been brought before the courts by way of the fluctuating legal space created by s.35. Many of these cases have been about establishing rights to fish4, hunt5, and trap non-human animals (hereafter referred to as animals). The Court has developed, and continues to develop tests to determine the existence and scope of Aboriginal rights. These tests primarily embody cultural, political and, to a surprisingly lesser degree, legal forces. One of the principal problems with these tests is that they privilege, through the western philosophical lens, the interests of humans. Animals are, at best, the resources over which ownership is being contested. The Euro-centric legal conceptualization of animals as 'resources' over which ownership can be exerted is problematic for at least two reasons. First, the relegation of animals solely to a utilitarian role is antithetical to Indigenous-animal relationships and therefore demonstrates one of the fundamental ways the Canadian legal system is ill equipped to give adequate consideration to Indigenous law. Second, failure to consider animals' inherent value and agency in this context reproduces the human-animal and culture-nature binaries that are at the root of many of western Euro-centric society's inequities. This paper argues that Aboriginal peoples' relationships with animals are a necessary, integral and distinctive part of their cultures6 and, therefore, these relationships and the actors within them are entitled to the aegis of s.35. Through the legal protection of these relationships, animals will gain significant protection as a corollary benefit. If the Court were to protect the cultural relationships between animals and Aboriginal groups, a precondition would be acceptance of Indigenous legal systems. Thus, this paper gives a brief answer to the question, what are Indigenous legal systems and why are animals integral to them? The Anishinabe (also known Ojibwe or Chippewa) are Indigenous peoples who have historically lived in the Great Lakes region. The Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron is home to the Cape Croker Indian Reserve, where the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation live. The people of this First Nation identify as Anishinabe. The Anishinabek case of Nanabush v. Deer is a law among these people and is used throughout the paper as an example of Indigenous-animal relationships. Making the significant assumption that s.35 has the capacity to recognize Indigenous law, the subsequent section of the paper asks why we should protect these relationships and how that protection should be achieved. Finally, the paper concludes that both the ability of s.35 to recognize Indigenous-animal relationships, and the judicial and political will to grant such recognition, are unlikely. Indigenous-animal relationships are integral to the distinctive culture of the Anishinabek, however the courts would be hesitant to allow such an uncertain and potentially far-reaching right. This is not surprising given that such a claim by both Indigenous and animal groups would challenge the foundations upon which the Canadian legal system is based. There are many sensitive issues inherent in this topic. It should be noted the author is not of Indigenous ancestry, but is making every effort to learn about and respect the Indigenous legal systems discussed. While this paper focuses on a number of Anishinabek laws; it is neither a complete analysis of these practices, nor one that can be transferred, without adaptation, to other peoples. Finally, Indigenous peoples and animal rights and Indigenous law scholars, such as Tom Regan and Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, respectively, may insist on an abolitionist approach to animal 'use' or reject the legitimacy of s.35 itself.7 These perspectives are worthy and necessary. This paper positions itself amongst these and other sources in order to reflect upon the timely and important issue of the legal status of Indigenous-animal relationships. I:WHAT ARE INDIGENOUS LEGAL SYSTEMS? The Law Commission of Canada defines a legal tradition as “a set of deeply rooted, historically conditioned attitudes about the nature of law, the role of law in the society and the polity, the proper organization and operation of a legal system, and the way law is or should be made, applied, studied, perfected and taught.”8 Indigenous legal traditions fit this description. They are living systems of beliefs and practices, and have been recognized as such by the courts.9 Indigenous practices developed into systems of law that have guided communities in their governance, and in their relationships amongst their own and other cultures and with the Earth.10 These laws have developed through stories, historical events that may be viewed as ‘cases,’ and other lived experiences. Indigenous laws are generally non-prescriptive, non-adversarial and non-punitive and aim to promote respect and consensus, as well as close connection with the land, the Creator, and the community. Indigenous laws are a means through which vital knowledge of social order within the community is transmitted, revived and retained. After European ‘settlement’ the influence of Indigenous laws waned. This was due in part to the state’s policies of assimilation, relocation and enfranchisement. 11 Despite these assaults, Indigenous legal systems have persevered; they continue to provide guidance to many communities, and are being revived and re-learned in others. For example, the Nisga’a’s legal code, Ayuuk, guides their communities and strongly informs legislation enacted under the Nisga’a Final Agreement, the first modern treaty in British Columbia.12 The land and jurisdiction claims of the Wet’suwet’en and Gitxsan Nations ultimately resulted in the Court’s decision in Delgamuukw,13 a landmark case that established the existence of Aboriginal title. The (overturned) BC Supreme Court’s statement in Delgamuukw14 reveals two of the many challenges in demonstrating the validity of Indigenous laws: “what the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en witnesses[es] describe as law is really a most uncertain and highly flexible set of customs which are frequently not followed by the Indians [sic] themselves.” The first challenge is that many laws are not in full practice, and therefore not as visible as they could be and once were. What the courts fail to acknowledge, however, is that the ongoing colonial project has served to stifle, extinguish and alter these laws. The second challenge is that the kind of law held and practiced by Indigenous peoples is quite foreign to most non-Indigenous people. Many Indigenous laws have animals as central figures. In Anishinabek traditional law, often the animals are the lawmakers15: they develop the legal principles and have agency as law givers. For instance, the Anishinabek case Nanabush v. Deer, Wolf , as outlined by Burrows, is imbued with legal principles, lessons on conduct and community governance, as well as ‘offenses’ and penalties. It is not a case that was adjudicated by an appointed judge in a courtroom, but rather one that has developed over time as a result of peoples’ relationships with the Earth and its inhabitants. An abbreviated summary of the case hints at these legal lessons: Nanabush plays a trick on a deer and deliberately puts the deer in a vulnerable position. In that moment of vulnerability, Nanabush kills the deer and then roasts its body for dinner. While he is sleeping and waiting for the deer to be cooked, the Wolf people come by and take the deer. Nanabush wakes up hungry, and out of desperation transforms into a snake and eats the brains out of the deer head. Once full, he is stuck inside the head and transforms back into his original shape, but with the deer head still stuck on. He is then chased and nearly killed by hunters who mistake him for a real deer. This case is set within the legal context of the Anishinabek’s treaty with deer. In signing the treaty, the people were reminded to respect beings in life and death and that gifts come when beings respect each other in interrelationships.16 Nanabush violated the rights of the deer and his peoples’ treaty with the deer. He violated the laws by taking things through trickery, and by causing harm to those he owed respect. Because his actions were not in accordance with Anishinabek legal principles, he was punished: Nanabush lost the thing he was so desperately searching for, and he ended up nearly being killed. This case establishes two lessons. The first is that, like statutory and common law, with which Canadians are familiar, Indigenous law does not exist in isolation. Principles are devised based on multiple teachings, pre- vious rules and the application of these rules to facts. That there are myriad sources of Indigenous law suggests that the learning of Indigenous law would require substantial effort on the part of Canadian law-makers.17 The second is that animals hold an important place in Indigenous law, and those relationships with animals – and the whole ‘natural’ world – strongly inform the way they relate to the Earth. II: CAN CANADIAN LAW ACCEPT INDIGENOUS LEGAL SYSTEMS? If there were a right recognized under s.35 concerning the Indigenous-animal relationship, what would it look like? Courts develop legal tests to which the facts of each case are applied, theoretically creating a degree of predictability as to how a matter will be judged. Introduced in Sparrow, and more fully developed in Van der Peet, a ‘test’ for how to assess a valid Aboriginal right has been set out by the Court. Summarized, the test is: “in order to be an Aboriginal right an activity must be an element of a practice, custom or tradition integral to the distinctive culture of the Aboriginal group claiming the right.”18 There are ten, differently weighted factors that a court will consider in making this assessment. The right being ‘tested’ in this discussion is the one exemplified in Nanabush v. Deer: the ability of Indigenous peoples to recognize and practice their laws, which govern relationships, including death, with deer and other animals. The courts have agreed that a generous, large and liberal construction should be given to Indigenous rights in order to give full effect to the constitutional recognition of the distinctiveness of Aboriginal culture. Still, it is the courts that hold the power to define rights as they conceive them best aligning with Canadian society19; this is one way that the Canadian state reproduces its systems of power over Indigenous peoples.20 The application of the Aboriginal right exemplified in Nanbush v. Deer to the Sparrow and Van der Peet tests would likely conclude that the Anishinabek do have an integral and distinctive relationship with animals. However, due to the significant discretion of the Court on a number of very subjective and politically sensitive factors, it is uncertain that the Nanabush v. Deer case would ‘pass’ Van der Peet’s required ten factors.21 This is indicative of the structural restraints that s.35 imposes. 22 The questions it asks impair its ability to capture and respect the interrelationships inherent in Indigenous peoples’ interactions with animals. For example, the Court will characterize hunting or fishing as solely subsistence, perhaps with a cultural element. Shin Imai contends these activities mean much more: “To many…subsistence is a means of reaffirming Aboriginal identity by passing on traditional knowledge to future generations. Subsistence in this sense moves beyond mere economics, encompassing the cultural, social and spiritual aspects for the communities.”23 Scholar Kent McNeil concludes that: “regardless of the strengths of legal arguments in favour of Indigenous peoples, there are limits to how far the courts […] are willing to go to correct the injustices caused by colonialism and dispossession.”24 It is often not the legal principles that determine outcomes, but rather the extent to which Indigenous rights can be reconciled with the history of settlement without disturbing the current economic and political structure of the dominant culture. III:WHY PROTECT THE ANIMAL-INDIGENOUS RELATIONSHIP? Legally protecting animal-Indigenous relationships offers symbiotic, mutually respectful benefits for animals and for the scope of Aboriginal rights that can be practiced. For instance, a protected relationship would have indirect benefits for animals’ habitat and right to life: it would necessitate protecting the means necessary, such as governance of the land, for realization of the right. This could include greater conservation measures, more contiguous habitat, enforcement of endangered species laws, and, ideally, a greater awareness and appreciation by humans of animals and their needs. Critical studies scholars have developed the argument that minority groups should not be subject to culturally biased laws of the mainstream polity.24 Law professor Maneesha Deckha points out that animals, despite the central role they play in a lot of ‘cultural defences,’ have been excluded from our ethical consideration. Certainly, the role of animals has been absent in judicial consideration of Aboriginal rights.26 Including animals, Deckha argues, allows for a complete analysis of these cultural issues and avoids many of the anthropocentric attitudes inherent in Euro-centric legal traditions. In Jack and Charlie27 two Coast Salish men were charged with hunting deer out of season. They argued that they needed to kill a deer in order to have raw meat for an Aboriginal religious ceremony. The Court found that killing the deer was not part of the ceremony and that there was insufficient evidence to establish that raw meat was required. This is a case where a more nuanced consideration of the laws and relationships with animals would have resulted in a more just application of the (Canadian) law and prevented the reproduction of imperialist attitudes. A criticism that could be lodged against practicing these relationships is that they conflict with the liberty and life interests of animals.28 Theoretically, if Indigenous laws are given the legal and political room to fully operate, a balance between the liberty of animals and the cultural and legal rights of Indigenous peoples can be struck.29 Indeed, Indigenous peoples’ cultural and legal concern for Earth is at its most rudimentary a concern for the land, which is at the heart of the challenge to the Canadian colonial system. If a negotiated treaty was reached, or anti-cruelty and conservation laws were assured in the Indigenous peoples’ self government system, then Canadian anti-cruelty30 and conservation laws,31 the effectiveness of which are already questionable, could be displaced in recognition of Indigenous governance.32 Indigenous peoples in Canada were – and are, subject to imposed limitations – close to the environment in ways that can seem foreign to non-Indigenous people.33 For example, some origin stories and oral histories explain how boundaries between humans and animals are at times absent: Animal-human beings like raven, coyote and rabbit created them [humans] and other beings. People …acted with respect toward many animals in expectation of reciprocity; or expressed kinship or alliance with them in narratives, songs, poems, parables, performances, rituals, and material objects. 34 Furthering or reviving these relationships can advance the understanding of both Indigenous legal systems and animal rights theory. Some animal rights theorists struggle with how to explain the cultural construction of species difference: Indigenous relationships with animals are long standing, lived examples of a different cultural conception of how to relate to animals and also of an arguably healthy, minimally problematic way to approach the debate concerning the species divide.35 A key tenet of animal-Indigenous relationships is respect. Shepard Krech posits that Indigenous peoples are motivated to obtain the necessary resources and goals in ‘proper’ ways: many believe that animals return to the Earth to be killed, provided that hunters demonstrate proper respect.36 This demonstrates a spiritual connection, but there is also a concrete connection between Indigenous peoples and animals. In providing themselves with food and security, they ‘manage’ what Canadian law calls ‘resources.’37 Because of the physical nature of these activities, and their practical similarity with modern ‘resource management,’ offering this as ‘proof’ of physical connection with animals and their habitat may be more successful than ‘proving’ a spiritual relationship. Finally, there are health reasons that make the Indigenous-animal relationship is important. Many cultures have come to depend on the nutrients they derive from particular hunted or fished animals. For example, nutrition and physical activity transitions related to hunting cycles have had negative impacts on individual and community health.38 This shows the multidimensionality of hunting, the significance of health, and, by extension, the need for animal ‘resources’ to be protected. IV: HOW SHOULD WE PROTECT THESE ABORIGINAL RIGHTS? If the Anishinabek and the deer ‘win’ the constitutional legal test (‘against’ the state) and establish a right to protect their relationships with animals, what, other than common law remedies,39 would follow? Below are ideas for legal measures that could be taken from the human or the animal perspective, or both, where benefits accrue to both parties. If animals had greater agency and legal status, their needs as species and as individuals could have a meaningful place in Canadian common and statutory law. In Nanabush v. Deer, this would mean that the deer would be given representation and that legal tests would need to be developed to determine the animals’ rights and interests. Currently the courts support the view that animals can be treated under the law as any other inanimate item of property. Such a legal stance is inconsistent with a rational, common-sense view of animals,40 and certainly with Anishinabek legal principles discussed herein.41 There are ongoing theoretical debates that inform the practical questions of how animal equality would be achieved: none of these in isolation offers a complete solution, but combined they contribute to the long term goal. Barsh and James Sákéj Youngblood Henderson advocate an adoption of the reasoning in the Australian case Mabo v. Queensland,42 where whole Aboriginal legal systems were imported intact into the common law. Some principles that Canada should be following can also be drawn from international treaties that Canada has or should have signed on to.43 Another way to seek protection from the human perspective is through the freedom of religion and conscience section of the Charter. Professor John Borrows constructs a full argument for this, and cites its challenges, in Living Law on a Living Earth: Aboriginal Religion, Law and the Constitution.44 The strongest, but perhaps most legally improbable, way to protect the animal- Indigenous relationship is for Canada to recognize a third, Indigenous order of government (in addition to provincial and federal), where all three orders are equal and inform one another’s laws. This way, Indigenous laws would have the legal space to fully function and be revived. Endowing Indigenous peoples with the right to govern their relationships would require a great acquiescence of power by governments and a commitment to the establishment and maintenance of healthy self-government in Indigenous communities. Louise Mandell offers some reasons why Canada should treat Aboriginal people in new ways, at least one of which is salient to the third order of government argument: To mend the [E]arth, which must be done, governments must reassess the information which the dominant culture has dismissed. Some of that valuable information is located in the oral histories of Aboriginal Peoples. This knowledge will become incorporated into decisions affecting the [E]arth’s landscape when Aboriginal Peoples are equal partners in decisions affecting their territories.45 V: CONCLUSION A legal system that does not have to justify its existence or defend its worth is less vulnerable to challenges.46 While it can be concluded that s.35 has offered some legal space for Indigenous laws and practices, it is too deeply couched in Euro-centric legal traditions and the anthropocentric cultural assumptions that they carry. The most effective strategy for advancing Indigenous laws and culture, that would also endow many animals with greater agency, and relax the culture-nature, human-animal binaries, is the formal recognition of a third order of government. Lisa Chartrand explains that recognition of legal pluralism would be a mere affirmation of legal systems that exist, but which are stifled: “…this country is a multijuridical state, where the distinct laws and rules of three systems come together within the geographic boundaries of one political territory.” 47 Revitalizing Indigenous legal systems is and will be a challenging undertaking. Indigenous communities must reclaim, define and understand their own traditions: “The loss of culture and traditions caused by the historic treatment of Aboriginal communities makes this a formidable challenge for some communities. Equally significant is the challenge for the Canadian state to create political and legal space to accommodate revitalized Indigenous legal traditions and Aboriginal law-making.”48 The project of revitalizing Indigenous legal traditions requires the commitment of resources sufficient for the task, and transformative change to procedural and substantive law. The operation of these laws within, or in addition to, Canadian law would of course cause widespread, but worthwhile controversy. In Animal Bodies, Cultural Justice49 Deckha argues that an ethical relationship with the animal Other must be established in order realize cultural and animal rights. This paper explores and demonstrates the value in finding legal space where cultural pluralism and respect for animals can give rise to the practice of Indigenous laws and the revitalization of animal-Indigenous relationships. As Borrows writes: “Anishinabek law provides guidance about how to theorize, practice and order our association with the [E]arth, and could do so in a way that produces answers that are very different from those found in other sources.”50 (see PDF for references)

Abstract Amongst leporids, rabbits use underground warrens as resting and reproductive sites, whereas hares usually rests in soil depressions in woodlands or scrublands, providing them with cover and protection from predators. In this short communication, we reported for the first time the use of badger burrows as resting sites of the European brown hare Lepus europaeus in North-Eastern Italy. Underground dens may provide hares with the best cover from daylight and protection from both predators and bad weather conditions.

Hexamidine Diisethionate functions as a biocide in cosmetics at concentrations of 0.03% to 0.1% in 38 cosmetic products. Hexamidine functions as a biocide and preservative in cosmetics, but is not in current use in cosmetics, but it is used in over-the-counter (OTC) drug products. Hexamidine was poorly absorbed by human cadaver skin when in water-oil formulations or in a gel that simulated a cosmetic product formulation. Hexamidine Diisethionate was poorly absorbed by the skin of live rats and was not stored in any tissue type. Hexamidine Diisethionate given to rats intravenously was rapidly metabolized to Hexamidine. Excretion was primarily via the feces, with a small amount excreted in the urine. Acute oral LD50 values of Hexamidine Diisethionate were 0.71 to 2.5 g/kg in mice and 0.75 g/kg in rats. Dermal exposure to 4 g/kg Hexamidine Diisethionate in rats or up to 9.4 ml/kg of a 0.1% Hexamidine Diisethionate solution under occlusion in rabbits produced no mortality or other signs of toxicity. The no-observed-effect level (NOEL) for oral subchronic toxicity of Hexamidine Diisethionate in rats was 50 mg/kg/day. No signs of toxicity were observed with 2% Hexamidine Diisethionate in subchronic studies using rabbits. Application of 0.1 ml of 0.11% Hexamidine Diisethionate in aqueous solution to the eyes of rabbits produced transient reactions; 0.05% produced no reactions. Slight erythema was observed with 0.10% Hexamidine Diisethionate applied to the abraded skin of 1/11 albino rabbits. A 40% solution of Hexamidine Diisethionate applied to 10% of the body surface of rats produced slight erythema, slight edema, and scabbing in some animals at varying times after treatment. Hexamidine Diisethionate was not a sensitizer in the guinea pig maximization test or in an intracutaneous guinea pig sensitization test. Hexamidine Diisethionate was not a photosensitizer in albino rabbits. Hexamidine Diisethionate was not mutagenic in a bacterial reverse mutagenicity assay or clastogenic in mammalian cells. Hexamidine Diisethionate at 0.10% did not provoke primary irritation, inflammation, or sensitization in a clinical test of 200 human subjects. One case report of photosensitivity to Hexamidine and one of contact sensitivity to Hexamidine were reported. There were nine case reports of contact sensitivity to Hexamidine Diisethionate. A European safety assessment recommended a limit of 0.1% Hexamidine Diisethionate in leave-on and rinse-off cosmetic products. In considering the available data, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel acknowledged the lack of carcinogenicity and reproductive/developmental toxicity data. Because genotoxicity studies were negative, and there were no structural alerts, the Panel concluded that it was unlikely that these ingredientswould be carcinogenic. Because the rate of absorption of Hexamidine and Hexamidine Diisethionate is slow, there is no tissue accumulation, and excretion is rapid and complete, and there was no toxicity in a subchronic study, the Panel concluded that dermal exposures would not likely present a risk of reproductive/ developmental toxicity. The Panel noted that a guinea pig maximization study using Hexamidine Diisethionate produced no dermal reactions and that a clinical test at 0.1% produced no irritation or sensitization. The Panel also expressed concern regarding the possible presence of 1,4-dioxane as an impurity, and stressed that the cosmetic industry should continue to use the necessary purification procedures to remove these impurities from the ingredient before blending into cosmetic formulations. The Panel noted that there are no data for concentration of use for eye makeup and baby products, and was concerned that there should not be unrestricted concentration levels in these product categories. Although there are gaps in knowledge about product use, the overall information available on the types of products in which these ingredients are used and at what concentration indicate a pattern of use. Within this overall pattern of use, the Expert Panel considers all ingredients in this group to be safe at concentrations up to and including 0.1%.

Benzaldehyde is an aromatic aldehyde used in cosmetics as a denaturant, a flavoring agent, and as a fragrance. Currently used in only seven cosmetic products, its highest reported concentration of use was 0.5% in perfumes. Benzaldehyde is a generally regarded as safe (GRAS) food additive in the United States and is accepted as a flavoring substance in the European Union. Because Benzaldehyde rapidly metabolizes to Benzoic Acid in the skin, the available dermal irritation and sensitization data demonstrating no adverse reactions to Benzoic Acid were considered supportive of the safety of Benzaldehyde. Benzaldehyde is absorbed through skin and by the lungs, distributes to all well-perfused organs, but does not accumulate in any specific tissue type. After being metabolized to benzoic acid, conjugates are formed with glycine or glucuronic acid, and excreted in the urine. Little acute toxicity was seen. The oral LD50 of Benzaldehyde in rats and mice ranged from 800 to 2850 mg/kg. The intraperitoneal LD50 in white rats was 3265 mg/kg. In short-term oral studies, the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) was 400 mg/kg in rats and mice. In subchronic oral studies, the NOAEL was 400 mg/kg in rats and 600 mg/kg in mice. In a 16-week feeding study, rats given up to 10,000 ppm showed no signs of toxicity. Repeated inhalation of volatilized Benzaldehyde produced ocular and nasal irritation at 500 ppm and death in rabbits at 750 ppm. Undiluted Benzaldehyde was irritating to rabbit eyes, causing edema, erythema, and pain. Benzaldehyde was determined not to be a contact sensitizer, but did produce allergic reactions in a maximization test. Clinical reports of allergy to Benzaldehyde are rare. Benzoic Acid did not produce irritation or sensitization reactions in human clinical studies. Benzoic Acid also failed to produce reactions in phototoxicity and photosensitization tests. Neither Benzaldehyde, Benzoic Acid, nor Sodium Benzoate are reproductive or developmental toxicants at doses that are non-toxic to the mother. In a behavioral study, blood levels of 0.12 ng/ml Benzaldehyde produced a 44% reduction in motor activity in mice. Benzaldehyde did not produce mutations in bacterial assays, but did produce chromosomal abnormalities in Chinese hamster cells and increased mutations in a mouse lymphoma forward mutation assay. Benzaldehyde was evaluated by the National Toxicology Program, which found no evidence of carcinogenicity in rats, and some evidence of carcinogenicity in mice. Several studies have suggested that Benzaldehyde can have carcinostatic or antitumor properties. Overall, at the concentrations used in cosmetics, Benzaldehyde was not considered a carcinogenic risk to humans. Although there are limited irritation and sensitization data available for Benzaldehyde, the available dermal irritation and sensitization data and ultraviolet (UV) absorption and phototoxicity data demonstrating no adverse reactions to Benzoic Acid support the safety of Benzaldehyde as currently used in cosmetic products.

Niacinamide (aka nicotinamide) and Niacin (aka nicotinic acid) are heterocyclic aromatic compounds which function in cosmetics primarily as hair and skin conditioning agents. Niacinamide is used in around 30 cosmetic formulations including shampoos, hair tonics, skin moisturizers, and cleansing formulations. Niacin is used in a few similar product types. The concentration of use of Niacinamide varies from a low of 0.0001% in night preparations to a high of 3% in body and hand creams, lotions, powders and sprays. Niacin concentrations of use range from 0.01% in body and hand creams, lotions, powders and sprays to 0.1% in paste masks (mud packs). Both ingredients are accepted for use in cosmetics in Japan and the European Union. Both are GRAS direct food additives and nutrient and/or dietary supplements. Niacinamide may be used in clinical treatment of hypercholesteremia and Niacin in prevention of pellegra and treatment of certain psychological disorders. Both ingredients are readily absorbed from skin, blood, and the intestines and widely distribute throughout the body. Metabolites include N1-methylnicotinamide and N1-methyl-4-pyridone-3-carboxamide. Excretion is primarily through the urinary tract. While Niacinamide ismore toxic than Niacinin acute toxicity studies, both are relatively non-toxic. Short-term oral, parenteral, or dermal toxicity studies did not identify significant irreversible effects. Niacinamide, evaluated in an in vitro test to predict ocular irritation, was not an acute ocular hazard. Animal testing of Niacinamide in rabbits in actual formulations produced mostly non-irritant reactions, with only some marginally irritating responses. Skin irritation tests of up to 2.5% Niacinamide in rabbits produced only marginal irritation. Skin sensitization tests of Niacinamide at 5% during induction and 20% during challenge were negative in guinea pigs. Neither cosmetic ingredient was mutagenic in Ames tests, with or without metabolic activation. Niacinamide and Niacin at 2 mg/ml were negative in a chromosome aberration test in Chinese hamster ovary cells, but did produce large structural chromosome aberrations at 3 mg/ml. Niacinamide induced sister chromatid exchanges in Chinese hamster ovary cells, but Niacin did not. Under certain circumstances, Niacinamide can cause an increase in unscheduled DNA synthesis in human lymphocytes treated with UV or a nitrosoguanidine compound. Niacinamide itself was not carcinogenic when administered (1%) in the drinking water of mice. No data on the carcinogenic effect of Niacin were available. Niacinamide can moderate the induction of tumors by established carcinogens. Niacinamide in combination with streptozotocin (a nitrosourea compound) or with heliotrine (a pyrrolizidine alkaloid), produced pancreatic islet tumors. On the other hand, Niacinamide reduced the renal adenomas produced by streptozotocin; and intestinal and bladder tumors induced by a preparation of bracken fern. Niacinamide evaluated in in vitro test systems did affect development, but Niacinamide reduced the reproductive/developmental toxicity of 2-aminonicotinamide-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole hydrochloride and urethane. Clinical testing of Niacinamide produced no stinging sensation at concentrations up to 10%, use tests produced no irritation at concentrations up to 5%, and a 21-day cumulative irritation test at concentrations up to 5% resulted in no irritancy. Niacinamide was not a sensitizer, nor was it a photosensitizer. The CIR Expert Panel considered that Niacinamide and Niacin are sufficiently similar from a toxicologic standpoint to combine the available data and reach a conclusion on the safety of both as cosmetic ingredients. Overall, these ingredients are non-toxic at levels considerably higher than would be experienced in cosmetic products. Clinical testing confirms that these ingredients are not significant skin irritants, sensitizers or photosensitizers. While certain formulations were marginal to slight ocular irritants, other formulations were not. Niacinamide, while not carcinogenic alone, can modulate the induction of tumors by certain established carcinogens. The Panel noted that the doses in these studies are high relative to the low concentrations at which Niacinamide is used in cosmetic formulations. In neither case (tumor protection or tumor promotion) are these findings considered relevant to the use of Niacinamide at its current low concentrations of use in cosmetics. Both ingredients were considered safe as used in cosmetics.

Historians have often been compared with detectives; searching for clues as evidence of a mystery they are seeking to solve. I would prefer an association with food, making history like a trained cook who blends particular ingredients, some fresh, some traditional, using specific methods to create an object that is consumed. There are primary sources, fresh and raw ingredients that you often have to go to great lengths to procure, and secondary sources, prepared initially by someone else. The same recipe may yield different meals, the same meal may provoke different responses. On a continuum of approaches to history and food, there are those who approach both as a scientific endeavour and, at the other end of the spectrum, those who make history and food as art. Brought together, it is possible to see cookbooks as history in at least two important ways; they give meaning to the past by representing culinary heritage and they are in themselves sources of history as documents and blueprints for experiences that can be interpreted to represent the past. Many people read cookbooks and histories with no intention of preparing the meal or becoming a historian. I do a little of both. I enjoy reading history and cookbooks for pleasure but, as a historian, I also read them interchangeably; histories to understand cookbooks and cookbooks to find out more about the past. History and the past are different of course, despite their use in the English language. It is not possible to relive the past, we can only interpret it through the traces that remain. Even if a reader had an exact recipe and an antique stove, vegetables grown from heritage seeds in similar conditions, eggs and grains from the same region and employed the techniques his or her grandparents used, they could not replicate their experience of a meal. Undertaking those activities though would give a reader a sense of that experience. Active examination of the past is possible through the processes of research and writing, but it will always be an interpretation and not a reproduction of the past itself. Nevertheless, like other histories, cookbooks can convey a sense of what was important in a culture, and what contemporaries might draw on that can resonate a cultural past and make the food palatable. The way people eat relates to how they apply ideas and influences to the material resources and knowledge they have. Used in this way, cookbooks provide a rich and valuable way to look at the past. Histories, like cookbooks, are written in the present, inspired and conditioned by contemporary issues and attitudes and values. Major shifts in interpretation or new directions in historical studies have more often arisen from changes in political or theoretical preoccupations, generated by contemporary social events, rather than the recovery of new information. Likewise, the introduction of new ingredients or methods rely on contemporary acceptance, as well as familiarity. How particular versions of history and new recipes promote both the past and present is the concern of this paper. My focus below will be on the nineteenth century, although a much larger study would reveal the circumstances that separated that period from the changes that followed. Until the late nineteenth century Australians largely relied on cookbooks that were brought with them from England and on their own private recipe collection, and that influenced to a large extent the sort of food that they ate, although of course they had to improvise by supplementing with local ingredients. In the first book of recipes that was published in Australia, The English and Australian Cookery Book that appeared in 1864, Edward Abbott evoked the ‘roast beef of old England Oh’ (Bannerman, Dictionary). The use of such a potent symbol of English identity in the nineteenth century may seem inevitable, and colonists who could afford them tended to use their English cookbooks and the ingredients for many years, even after Abbott’s publication. New ingredients, however, were often adapted to fit in with familiar culinary expectations in the new setting. Abbott often drew on native and exotic ingredients to produce very familiar dishes that used English methods and principles: things like kangaroo stuffed with beef suet, breadcrumbs, parsley, shallots, marjoram, thyme, nutmeg, pepper, salt, cayenne, and egg. It was not until the 1890s that a much larger body of Australian cookbooks became available, but by this time the food supply was widely held to be secure and abundant and the cultivation of exotic foods in Australia like wheat and sheep and cattle had established a long and familiar food supply for English colonists. Abbott’s cookbook provides a record of the culinary heritage settlers brought with them to Australia and the contemporary circumstances they had to adapt to. Mrs Beeton’s Cookery Book and Household Guide is an example of the popularity of British cookbooks in Australia. Beeton’s Kangaroo Tail Curry was included in the Australian cooking section of her household management (2860). In terms of structure it is important for historians as one of the first times, because Beeton started writing in the 1860s, that ingredients were clearly distinguished from the method. This actually still presents considerable problems for publishers. There is debate about whether that should necessarily be the case, because it takes up so much space on the page. Kangaroo Tail CurryIngredients:1 tail2 oz. Butter1 tablespoon of flour1 tablespoon of curry2 onions sliced1 sour apple cut into dice1 desert spoon of lemon juice3/4 pint of stocksaltMethod:Wash, blanch and dry the tail thoroughly and divide it at the joints. Fry the tail in hot butter, take it up, put it in the sliced onions, and fry them for 3 or 4 minutes without browning. Sprinkle in the flour and curry powder, and cook gently for at least 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the stock, apple, salt to taste, bring to the boil, stirring meanwhile, and replace the tail in the stew pan. Cover closely, and cook gently until tender, then add the lemon juice and more seasoning if necessary. Arrange the pieces of tail on a hot dish, strain the sauce over, and serve with boiled rice.Time: 2-3 hoursSufficient for 1 large dish. Although the steps are not clearly distinguished from each other the method is more systematic than earlier recipes. Within the one sentence, however, there are still two or three different sorts of tasks. The recipe also requires to some extent a degree of discretion, knowledge and experience of cooking. Beeton suggests adding things to taste, cooking something until it is tender, so experience or knowledge is necessary to fulfil the recipe. The meal also takes between two and three hours, which would be quite prohibitive for a lot of contemporary cooks. New recipes, like those produced in Delicious have recipes that you can do in ten minutes or half an hour. Historically, that is a new development that reveals a lot about contemporary conditions. By 1900, Australian interest in native food had pretty much dissolved from the record of cookbooks, although this would remain a feature of books for the English public who did not need to distinguish themselves from Indigenous people. Mrs Beeton’s Cookery Book and Household Guide gave a selection of Australian recipes but they were primarily for the British public rather than the assumption that they were being cooked in Australia: kangaroo tail soup was cooked in the same way as ox tail soup; roast wallaby was compared to hare. The ingredients were wallaby, veal, milk and butter; and parrot pie was said to be not unlike one made of pigeons. The novelty value of such ingredients may have been of interest, rather than their practical use. However, they are all prepared in ways that would make them fairly familiar to European tastes. Introducing something new with the same sorts of ingredients could therefore proliferate the spread of other foods. The means by which ingredients were introduced to different regions reflects cultural exchanges, historical processes and the local environment. The adaptation of recipes to incorporate local ingredients likewise provides information about local traditions and contemporary conditions. Starting to see those ingredients as a two-way movement between looking at what might have been familiar to people and what might have been something that they had to do make do with because of what was necessarily available to them at that time tells us about their past as well as the times they are living in. Differences in the level of practical cooking knowledge also have a vital role to play in cookbook literature. Colin Bannerman has suggested that the shortage of domestic labour in Australia an important factor in supporting the growth of the cookbook industry in the late nineteenth century. The poor quality of Australian cooking was also an occasional theme in the press during the same time. The message was generally the same: bad food affected Australians’ physical, domestic, social and moral well-being and impeded progress towards civilisation and higher culture. The idea was really that Australians had to learn how to cook. Colin Bannerman (Acquired Tastes 19) explains the rise of domestic science in Australia as a product of growing interest in Australian cultural development and the curse of bad cookery, which encouraged support for teaching girls and women how to cook. Domestic Economy was integrated into the Victorian and New South Wales curriculum by the end of the nineteenth century. Australian women have faced constant criticism of their cooking skills but the decision to teach cooking shouldn’t necessarily be used to support that judgement. Placed in a broader framework is possible to see the support for a modern, scientific approach to food preparation as part of both the elevation of science and systematic knowledge in society more generally, and a transnational movement to raise the status of women’s role in society. It would also be misleading not to consider the transnational context. Australia’s first cookery teachers were from Britain. The domestic-science movement there can be traced to the congress on domestic economy held in Manchester in 1878, at roughly the same time as the movement was gaining strength in Australia. By the 1890s domestic economy was widely taught in both British and Australian schools, without British women facing the same denigration of their cooking skills. Other comparisons with Britain also resulted from Australia’s colonial heritage. People often commented on the quality of the ingredients in Australia and said they were more widely available than they were in England but much poorer in quality. Cookbooks emerged as a way of teaching people. Among the first to teach cookery skills was Mina Rawson, author of The Antipodean Cookery Book and the Kitchen Companion first published in 1885. The book was a compilation of her own recipes and remedies, and it organised and simplified food preparation for the ordinary housewife. But the book also included directions and guidance on things like household tasks and how to cure diseases. Cookbooks therefore were not completely distinct from other aspects of everyday life. They offered much more than culinary advice on how to cook a particular meal and can similarly be used by historians to comment on more than food. Mrs Rawson also knew that people had to make do. She included a lot of bush foods that you still do not get in a lot of Australian meals, ingredients that people could substitute for the English ones they were used to like pig weed. By the end of the nineteenth century cooking had become a recognised classroom subject, providing early training in domestic service, and textbooks teaching Australians how to cook also flourished. Measurements became much more uniform, the layout of cookbooks became more standardised and the procedure was clearly spelled out. This allowed companies to be able to sell their foods because it also meant that you could duplicate the recipes and they could potentially taste the same. It made cookbooks easier to use. The audience for these cookbooks were mostly young women directed to cooking as a way of encouraging social harmony. Cooking was elevated in lots of ways at this stage as a social responsibility. Cookbooks can also be seen as a representation of domestic life, and historically this prescribed the activities of men and women as being distinct The dominance of women in cookbooks in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries attested to the strength of that idea of separate spheres. The consequences of this though has been debated by historians: whether having that particular kind of market and the identification that women were making with each other also provided a forum for women’s voices and so became quite significant in women’s politics at a later date. Cookbooks have been a strategic marketing device for products and appliances. By the beginning of the twentieth century food companies began to print recipes on their packets and to release their own cookbooks to promote their products. Davis Gelatine produced its first free booklet in 1904 and other companies followed suit (1937). The largest gelatine factory was in New South Wales and according to Davis: ‘It bathed in sunshine and freshened with the light breezes of Botany all year round.’ These were the first lavishly illustrated Australian cookbooks. Such books were an attempt to promote new foods and also to sell local foods, many of which were overproduced – such as milk, and dried fruits – which provides insights into the supply chain. Cookbooks in some ways reflected the changing tastes of the public, their ideas, what they were doing and their own lifestyle. But they also helped to promote some of those sorts of changes too. Explaining the reason for cooking, Isabella Beeton put forward an historical account of the shift towards increasing enjoyment of it. She wrote: "In the past, only to live has been the greatest object of mankind, but by and by comforts are multiplied and accumulating riches create new wants. The object then is to not only live but to live economically, agreeably, tastefully and well. Accordingly the art of cookery commences and although the fruits of the earth, the fowls of the air, the beasts of the field and the fish of the sea are still the only food of mankind, yet these are so prepared, improved and dressed by skill and ingenuity that they are the means of immeasurably extending the boundaries of human enjoyment. Everything that is edible and passes under the hands of cooks is more or less changed and assumes new forms, hence the influence of that functionary is immense upon the happiness of the household" (1249). Beeton anticipates a growing trend not just towards cooking and eating but an interest in what sustains cooking as a form of recreation. The history of cookbook publishing provides a glimpse into some of those things. The points that I have raised provide a means for historians to use cookbooks. Cookbooks can be considered in terms of what was eaten, by whom and how: who prepared the food, so to whom the books were actually directed? Clever books like Isabella Beeton’s were directed at both domestic servants and at wives, which gave them quite a big market. There are also changes in the inclusion of themes. Economy and frugality becomes quite significant, as do organisation and management at different times. Changes in the extent of detail, changes in authorship, whether it is women, men, doctors, health professionals, home economists and so on all reflect contemporary concerns. Many books had particular purposes as well, used to fund raise or promote a particular perspective, relate food reform and civic life which gives them a political agenda. Promotional literature produced by food and kitchen equipment companies were a form of advertising and quite significant to the history of cookbook publishing in Australia. Other themes include the influence of cookery school and home economics movements; advice on etiquette and entertaining; the influence of immigration and travel; the creation of culinary stars and authors of which we are all fairly familiar. Further themes include changes in ingredients, changes in advice about health and domestic medicine, and the impact of changes in social consciousness. It is necessary to place those changes in a more general historical context, but for a long time cookbooks have been ignored as a source of information in their own right about the period in which they were published and the kinds of social and political changes that we can see coming through. More than this active process of cooking with the books as well becomes a way of imagining the past in quite different ways than historians are often used to. Cookbooks are not just sources for historians, they are histories in themselves. The privileging of written and visual texts in postcolonial studies has meant other senses, taste and smell, are frequently neglected; and yet the cooking from historical cookbooks can provide an embodied, sensorial image of the past. From nineteenth century cookbooks it is possible to see that British foods were central to the colonial identity project in Australia, but the fact that “British” culinary culture was locally produced, challenges the idea of an “authentic” British cuisine which the colonies tried to replicate. By the time Abbot was advocating rabbit curry as an Australian family meal, back “at home” in England, it was not authentic Indian food but the British invention of curry power that was being incorporated into English cuisine culture. More than cooks, cookbook authors told a narrative that forged connections and disconnections with the past. They reflected the contemporary period and resonated with the culinary heritage of their readers. Cookbooks make history in multiple ways; by producing change, as the raw materials for making history and as historical narratives. References Abbott, Edward. The English and Australian Cookery Book: Cookery for the Many, as well as the Upper Ten Thousand. London: Sampson Low, Son & Marston, 1864. Bannerman, Colin. Acquired Tastes: Celebrating Australia’s Culinary History. Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1998. Bannerman, Colin. "Abbott, Edward (1801–1869)." Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. 21 May 2013. . Beeton, Isabella. Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management. New Ed. London and Melbourne: Ward, Lock and Co. Ltd., n.d. (c. 1909). Davis Gelatine. Davis Dainty Dishes. Rev ed. Sydney: Davis Gelatine Organization, 1937. Rawson, Lance Mrs. The Antipodean Cookery Book and Kitchen Companion. Melbourne: George Robertson & Co., 1897.