Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science最新文献

Lameness in dairy cows is a prevalent welfare problem and imposes direct and indirect economic costs on producers. Lameness can be acute or chronic, however, a shared definition of what constitutes chronic lameness is currently lacking amongst stakeholders. Our study used structured interviews to address this gap. We interviewed 22 UK-based participants (eight veterinarians, eight dairy farmers, three foot-trimmers; two were veterinarians and dairy farmers; another was a farmer and foot trimmer). Stakeholder responses found good agreement with work done by previous authors, e.g., on behavioral and production-related lameness indicators; and that lame cows experience pain because of their lameness and, thus, suffer compromised welfare. Participants used descriptive terms (e.g., "recurrent") and suggested measurable characteristics (e.g., bout duration) to define chronic lameness. Stakeholders reported that chronic lameness not only affects cow welfare but also reduces the wellbeing of people working with them; and also raised concerns over the environmental costs of chronic lameness, such as increased culling and reduced sustainability. Developing some of our findings into a future definition of chronic lameness would be the first step in understanding and quantifying the extent of this problem.

Studying behavioral response to management and housing conditions provides specific evidence to enhance animal welfare. Feeding environmental enrichment (FEE) is a powerful strategy to meet welfare challenges. Lesser anteaters' (Tamandua tetradactyla; n = 7) response to FEE was assessed by analyzing behavior and space use through focal sampling every 5 minutes/24 hours using cameras. Study 1 (S1): space use of enclosure zones (shelter = SZ, climbing structures = CSZ and ground = GZ) was characterized without FEE during 5 days using the modified Spread of Participation index (SPI). Study 2 (S2) used an ABA experimental design during 18 days (A=pre- and post-enrichment and B = enrichment). The FEE was applied in CSZ, the least utilized zone revealed in S1. S1: The lesser anteaters utilized the zones differently (modified SPI = 0.74 ± 0.02), and stayed mostly in the GZ. S2: An increment in feeding during FEE was detected, but it did not modify total activity, most natural behavior, repetitive locomotion or space use. The electivity index indicated that the routine diet was over-utilized and enrichment items were under-utilized. The provision of enrichment items created new foraging opportunities, improving the behavioral domain of animal welfare.

This study aimed to develop a welfare assessment protocol specifically for migratory goats, acknowledging that migratory pastoralism, while allowing natural behavior expression, can compormise welfare due to environmental stressors and malnutrition. Existing research predominantly focuses on intensive systems, leaving a gap in migratory system assessment. Adapted from the AWIN framework, the protocol was developed through a systematic literature review and expert consultation (N = 46), prioritizing welfare indicators using Likert scale and Weighted Average Index. The protocol includes five welfare domains - feeding, environment/facility around camping, health, behavior, and performance - with 32 indicators (5, 6, 9, 5, and 7 per domain,). Weighted scores were allocated as 25, 15, 30, 15, and 15,respectively, totalling100. Cronbach's alpha of 0.90 confirmed reliability and internal consistency, with content validity supported by 91.30% expert agreement. Feasibility testing across varying altitudes and physiological stages validated the protocol in high altitude, vertical migratory systems, However, further testing is required for low-altitude, horizontal migratory systems to address environmental and management differences. This protocol offers a taiilored framework for assessing welfare in migraotry goat systems..

Grazing is usually associated with higher well-being in dairy cows. However, current research on the welfare of grazing cows lacks validation via blood profiling. We monitored four dairy farms that seasonally graze in the temperate North American Pacific Northwest, USA, to address this gap. We collected blood and hair samples and scored the animals for welfare-related visual evaluations during the dry period and early and late lactation stages during the confined and grazing periods. Over 20 blood parameters were analyzed, plus cortisol in the tail hair as a stress indicator. Blood profiling indicated that cows during the grazing period had a more stable metabolism across the stages of lactation, a more robust immune system, and slightly greater inflammation than during the confined period. The amount of cortisol in the hair was lower in cows during the grazing vs. confined period. Only a few direct animal measurements were affected, including a better body condition and cleanliness score compared to the confined period. Overall, our data indicate better welfare conditions in cows during the grazing period compared to the confined period.

Environmental enrichment designed in accordance with the cats' individuality and household characteristics is one of the most effective and widely used tools to enhance feline welfare. This study aimed to evaluate the types of environmental enrichments provided by cat guardians and their associations with housing features and cat personality. An online questionnaire was developed including questions about types of enrichment provided, housing features (indoor vs. outdoor, house vs. apartment), and a scale with 18 personality traits. A total of 3,083 responses were collected. Most of the guardians declared to provide environmental enrichment items for their cats. The items most offered were play interaction (77.4%), access to a balcony and/or window with a protective net (72.7%), places to hide (54.5%), and toys (46.0%). The items with lower frequencies were water fountains (34.5%), self-groomers (11.3%), outdoor walks on a leash (6.5%), and food puzzles (3.5%). The choice of enrichment items was more related to housing features than to the cat's personality. Enrichment provision was more associated with indoor housing and cats living in apartments than with cats living outdoors and in houses.

Zoo animal welfare is subject to increasing scrutiny by many audiences. Although zoo husbandry and management techniques have progressed, common welfare issues are still apparent. To encourage further improvements, converting theoretical welfare definition into practical application is key. This paper evaluates a familiar definition to form a baseline for practical welfare assessment that benefits animals and zoo operations. If we consider coping and comfort as measurable indicators, plus choice and control to cement autonomy for the animal, achieving positive welfare is more likely. Providing positive cognitive challenge results in improvements to behavioral diversity. When husbandry is ecologically relevant, this welfare-friendly approach evolves into husbandry-based evidence, further justifying approaches to animal care. The human element of husbandry (e.g., development and training of personnel) impacts on welfare, necessitating a compassionate approach to daily operations. Compassion - for animal and human wellbeing - ultimately embeds welfare as a core zoo goal. The unique environment of the zoo, with its mix of wild species, human workforce and visitors, coupled with the amount we still must learn about species' husbandry needs emphasizes continual development of welfare approaches.

Animal shelters address animal welfare in communities through the intake and outcome of companion animals, but these efforts affect population dynamics of companion animals based on the distance animals are moved and the factors that underlie intake and outcome. Using data from an animal shelter in Washington, DC we analyzed cat intakes and outcomes based on geographic and socioeconomic factors. Most intakes were stray cats (59%) and cats relinquished by owners (38%) and most outcomes were adoptions (84%). The highest number of intakes were in high development, low-income neighborhoods, whereas the lowest number of intakes were in low development, high-income neighborhoods. The highest number of outcomes were to high-income neighborhoods and there was a trend toward more outcomes in neighborhoods further from the shelter. Cats returned to the shelter were more likely to originate from areas near the shelter whereas cats that were relinquished originated from areas further from the shelter. Stray intakes were less common, and returns to shelter were more common, in high-income, high development areas. Seized cats originated from low-income neighborhoods. Relative to adoptions, the proportion of returned to owner outcomes was higher in low-income neighborhoods that were closer to the shelter as well as high-income neighborhoods that were distant from the shelter. Our results highlight the factors underlying cat intakes and outcomes in shelters that ultimately determine where, when, and how animals are moved across one urban area; these factors must be considered when developing cat population management plans to reach animal welfare and societal goals.

Mitigating piglet castration pain is critical to minimize negative experiences and contribute to a positive affective state. A multimodal pain control protocol (needleless 2% lidocaine intradermal/0.4 mg/kg meloxicam intramuscular) was evaluated. Males were administered one of four treatments: (1) needleless lidocaine/meloxicam intramuscular (LM), (2) needleless lidocaine/saline intramuscular (LS), (3) needleless saline/meloxicam intramuscular (SM), and (4) needleless saline/saline intramuscular (SS). Females were sham castrated (SH). Piglets were recorded 24h pre-castration (M1) and 15min (M2), 3h (M3), and 24h post-castration (M4). The Unesp-Botucatu Composite Acute Pain Scale (UPAPS) was used to assess pain behavior. From a treatment standpoint, scores did not differ at M1 (P = 1.00) or M4 (P ≥ 0.36). However, at M2, LS piglets had (P < 0.01) higher scores (3.4) than LM piglets (1.6) and SH piglets had (P ≤ 0.01) the lowest scores (0.02). From a timepoint standpoint, piglets in the LS, LM, SM, and SS groups had (P ≤ 0.05) higher scores at M2 compared with their baseline scores at M1. These results indicate that needleless lidocaine and intramuscular meloxicam offered no analgesic benefit.

This study assessed the effect of a thermo-insulated kid barrel (KB) on the behavioral, physiological, and morphometric growth performance of winter-born Black Bengal goat kids. Two groups were studied: one group was housed in a goat shed without a thermo-insulated kid barrel (control group), while the other group was housed in a shed with a thermo-insulated kid barrel (kid barrel group). Each group consisted of six kids along with their mothers. Due to the lack of independent replication, the results are presented descriptively. During the winter, microclimatic conditions inside the KB were consistently warmer than those in the goat shed. Kids in the kid barrel group spent 60% of their time inside the KB during the pre-weaning period. Morphometric traits of the kids were better in the kid barrel group compared to the control group during both pre- and post-weaning periods. Additionally, post-weaning feed intake was higher in the kid barrel group. In conclusion, providing a thermo-insulated kid barrel as an ancillary housing structure during winter improved the overall performance of goat kids..

Although vocal communication between humans and domestic animals is common, there has been limited research on how humans perceive the emotional content of animal vocalizations. This study investigated the relationship between pet ownership and sensitivity to negative emotion in dog and cat distress vocalizations (n = 237; 57% pet owners). Empathy toward animals and empathy toward humans were explored as possible mediators. The links between pet owners' levels of sensitivity to animal distress vocalizations, empathy toward animals, and pet attachment and the care they provided to their pets were also examined. The findings revealed that current pet owners perceived both dog and cat distress vocalizations to be sadder than current non-pet owners. The link between pet ownership and sensitivity to dog (but not cat) distress vocalizations was fully mediated by empathy toward animals, but not mediated by empathy toward humans. Sensitivity to negative emotion in distress vocalizations was not a strong indicator of the level of care provided to dogs and cats. On the other hand, higher levels of empathy toward animals and pet attachment might be better indicators of humans providing more stimulating and enriched lives for their pets.