Chris Sherwin

Christopher M. Sherwin (1 December 1962 – 18 July 2017) was an English veterinary scientist and senior research fellow at the University of Bristol Veterinary School in Lower Langford, Somerset. He specialised in applied ethology, the study of the behaviour of animals in the context of their interactions with humans, and of how to balance the animals’ needs with the demands placed on them by humans.
Sherwin became known for his work on the welfare of animals in zoos, farms and laboratories, and in particular for his research into the behaviour of laboratory mice. He created and chaired the Animal Ethics Committee of the International Society for Applied Ethology, and in 2003 was the lead author of its ethical guidelines. He also served as secretary of the Ethical Committee of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. A colleague at Bristol described Sherwin as a “stalwart advocate for animals and their welfare”. In 2019 the RSPCA posthumously awarded Sherwin a Special Recognition Award: according to the Head of the RSPCA’s Research Animals Department, “Chris Sherwin’s work influenced and assisted all of the RSPCA science departments, which deal with wildlife, research, companion and farmed animals”.