Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science最新文献

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.

Accurate monitoring of animal behavior is critical for assessing welfare and informing conservation strategies for vulnerable species like the eastern hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys). To overcome limitations of manual observation and single-frame analysis in captive settings, this study developed the first human-annotated spatiotemporal behavior dataset for this species and proposed YOWOvG, an improved deep learning model integrating the SE attention mechanism and GELAN for enhanced feature extraction. Trained on 69,919 labeled frames across four behaviors (Resting, Socializing, Climbing, Walking), YOWOvG achieved an 85.20% Frame-mAP in video-based recognition. This is a 6.3% improvement over the baseline result while maintaining computational efficiency. The model effectively captured temporal dynamics and spatial contexts, significantly improving recognition of climbing and walking despite data imbalances. The results demonstrate the potential of automated, noninvasive video monitoring to enhance welfare assessment in rescue centers by detecting subtle behavioral changes. Future work will expand behavioral categories, address stereotypic behaviors, and integrate audio cues for holistic monitoring. This approach provides a scalable framework for behavior-informed management of captive wildlife.

Wearable and implantable physiological monitors are designed for minimally invasive health assessment in companion animals. We aimed to establish proof-of-concept for the use of PetPace collar monitors and VetChip implantable monitoring devices in pigs. PetPace monitors were used to measure pulse rate, respiratory rate and heart rate variability in individually housed pigs. Group housed pigs were fitted with PetPace monitors to assess their feasibility for use in the presence of conspecifics, in addition to implantation with VetChip subcutaneous monitoring devices. PetPace monitors caused skin abrasion after 10 days of continual wear, but simple modifications allowed collars to be worn safely in individually housed pigs. Collars could not be worn unsupervised by group housed pigs due to damage by conspecifics. PetPace pulse and respiratory rate readouts showed a strong correlation with manual auscultations, and PetPace heart rate variability showed a very strong negative correlation with salivary corticosterone levels. VetChip temperature and pulse rate readouts were accurate in healthy pigs. However, the suitability of dorsal mid-scapula VetChip implantation is questionable due to wound breakdown in two out of three pigs.

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.

Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) has been significant since ancient times, initially with animals, especially dogs, assisting in hunting and food gathering. Over time, this relationship evolved into domestication, companionship, and therapeutic roles in society. In urban areas, pet ownership is widespread, driven by companionship, therapeutic benefits, and social status. This study focuses on urban pet owners due to structured work environments, allowing a clear examination of the relationship between HAI, animal welfare, and work performance. The study explores HAI's dual impact on animal welfare and the work performance of dog, cat, and bird owners. Key factors include psychological, social, and physical closeness in HAI; animal hygiene, physical activity, and loneliness for welfare; and work performance for owners. Data were collected from 404 pet-owning employees in Istanbul, with statistical analyses confirming tool validity. Results reveal a significant positive correlation (r = 0.568) between HAI and animal welfare, and a positive but smaller correlation (r = 0.215) between HAI and work performance. Findings support HAI's role in enhancing well-being, suggesting pet-friendly policies in workplaces to maximize benefits.

Siamese fighting fish are typically reared individually in confined spaces under commercial practices. This study examined stress responses-plasma cortisol, blood chemistry, and stress-related gene expression-during confinement and evaluated sodium chloride (NaCl) as a cost-effective mitigation strategy. Fish (0.12 ± 0.04 g) were individually housed in 250 mL bottles with 150 mL water for 14 days. Control fish were kept in freshwater, while treated fish received 0.5% NaCl. Baseline parameters were collected before confinement, with further assessments at days 1, 3, 7, and 14. No significant differences in plasma cortisol, glucose, or hematological values were found between baseline and confined controls. However, confined fish showed upregulation of GR, MR, and HIF-1α and downregulation of HSP70 and HSP90, particularly at day 3, with levels returning to baseline by day 14. The NaCl treatment significantly reduced cortisol levels and the expression of HSP70, HSP90, GR, and MR (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that while confinement induces transient molecular stress responses, it does not significantly affect physiological stress markers, and 0.5% NaCl can help alleviate stress during confinement.

Optimizing shelter design is essential for improving the welfare and husbandry practices of Dybowski's frog (Rana dybowskii). This study examined shelter preferences by testing variables such as material, size, shape, color, height, and tunnel structure. The results revealed distinct behavioral preferences that have significant implications for ecosystem management. Adult frogs demonstrated a preference for shelters made of palm bark, specifically those that were larger, rectangular, brown, and elevated 10 cm above the ground. Juvenile frogs favored even larger, rectangular shelters, preferring those made of ceramic materials and positioned 5 cm above the ground. Both adult and juvenile frogs consistently avoided spherical tunnels, showing a preference for deeper tunnels, which indicates an important aspect of their behavioral ecology. These insights are essential for optimizing the breeding environment of R. dybowskii, potentially improving survival rates, reproduction, and broader conservation efforts. This study establishes a behavioral framework for optimizing captive management protocols of R. dybowskii, providing empirical data to refine anti-predatory adaptations in confinement settings and environmental enrichment strategies in commercial breeding operations.

Large Language Models (LLMs) like OpenAI's ChatGPT-4o and Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro are increasingly used to retrieve care advice on specialized topics including exotic pet husbandry, raising concerns about accuracy and animal welfare. This study, to our knowledge, is the first direct comparison of these models for husbandry knowledge on the widely kept reptile leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius). Both were queried with 21 questions (biology, care, health) using two prompting styles: questions asked individually in separate chats and all questions asked within a single chat; responses were scored for accuracy and completeness. Both provided generally accurate information (≥2/3) without dangerous errors or "hallucinations." However, completeness varied; Gemini 2.5 Pro providing more detail. Prompting style was critical: individual prompts yielded far more comprehensive responses (average words: ChatGPT 136, Gemini 387) than combined prompts (ChatGPT 12, Gemini 64), which were sometimes incomplete, especially for ChatGPT-4o. Furthermore, the models demonstrated potential data biases - such as omitting commercial diets while recommending only larger-than-standard enclosures. LLMs can be useful starting points, but critical evaluation, effective prompting, and expert consultation remain essential to ensure animal welfare.

Play is considered a promising indicator of positive animal welfare. However, especially in older animals, significant knowledge gaps exist regarding its prevalence and influencing factors. Thus, we analyzed play in fattening pigs at the beginning (n = 229) and at the end (n = 146) of fattening. The evaluation considered social (SOC), locomotor (LOC) and object play (occupation with a metal chain (CHAIN) or nibbling toy), the aggregation of SOC+LOC and play in total (Pt). The statistical analysis focused on play event duration, number of play events/(hour*animal) and play duration/(hour*animal), considering effects such as fattening stage, sex and group size. There was 34.7% more (p = 0.0076) and 121.1% longer (p < 0.0001) Pt in the older pigs with further effects of sex and group size. These results were strongly impacted by the predominance of CHAIN, which partly exhibited characteristics of stereotypic behavior. Additional difficulties in object play arose from possible confusion with exploratory behavior. Given further challenges in reliably identifying SOC, we propose focusing on LOC as promising indicator of pig welfare in the future, which also has greatest potential for automatic detection.

This study hypothesized that supplementing Japanese quail diets with phytogenic additives could reduce stress-related behaviors and improve egg quality. The objective was to evaluate the effects of Passiflora incarnata and Pimpinella anisum on performance, egg quality, body and cloacal temperatures, behavior, tonic immobility, body injuries, and feather condition in laying quails. One hundred twenty birds, 150 days old, were randomly assigned to three treatments: control, 1.00 mg/kg Passiflora incarnata, and 1.00 mg/kg Pimpinella anisum, with eight replicates of five birds. Evaluations lasted fifty-six days in two periods. The additives did not affect performance, tonic immobility, feather quality, or lesions. Control birds showed higher albumen height, and differences appeared in color parameters Fan, L, and b**. Chest temperature was lower in birds receiving Passiflora incarnata. Aggressive behaviors decreased significantly in both supplemented groups. Although performance was unchanged, the additives improved egg quality, especially yolk pigmentation, and reduced aggression, indicating benefits for welfare and stress adaptation in intensive quail production. These outcomes highlight the potential of phytogenic inclusion as a practical nutritional strategy to support stability, health, and productivity in commercial systems.