An ambulatory physiological monitor for extended use in animal welfare studies

Monitoring physiological activity in freely moving subjects poses a considerable challenge. The FRPM is a novel instrumentation pack designed to record and analyse physiological processes in ambulatory subjects for extended periods of time with no researcher intervention. Several monitors can be used simultaneously, with significant data analysis and compression being performed on the unit before the summarised results are transmitted by radio link back to a base computer. Currently the FRPM is being used to investigate stress levels in sheep during transportation and handling for animal welfare studies.