Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science最新文献

The welfare of winter-born suckling goat kids is important, as their thermoregulatory systems are still developing. The pilot study investigated the impact of heat-retentive kid nest (HRKN) on hiding, playing and suckling behaviors of kids born during winter. Twelve newborn kids were divided into two groups along with their respective dams. The HRKN, designed to provide warmer microclimatic conditions, served as ancillary housing for the HRKN group, while the control group was housed intensively without HRKN. Given the lack of independent replicates in each treatment group (n = 1 per treatment), the results are summarized descriptively. The preference of kids for the HRKN was evident early in life, with decreased hiding observed as they matured. As age increased, suckling duration decreased, but HRKN kids had higher summed duration and frequencies of suckling, with less rejection. Additionally, HRKN kids showed increased frequencies of play behaviors including locomotor play, jumping, head pressing, head movement, and mounting. HRKN thus emerged as an effective management tool for pre-weaned suckling goat kids during winter for improving their welfare.

Despite protection under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, rabbits in the United Kingdom are often housed in inadequate environments. In this study, semi-structured interviews were used to explore public perceptions of companion rabbit ownership and accommodation requirements. Thematic analysis revealed that participant views about keeping rabbits as companion animals varied, including their perceptions of the care they require. Seventy-one percent of the participants with previous rabbit ownership experience were unlikely to consider rabbit ownership again, mainly due to the realities of rabbit care. Tradition and the lack of visibility of good practice were cited as key influences behind perceptions of appropriate rabbit accommodation. Participants lacked awareness of the minimum space required for adequate rabbit accommodation within the Good Practice Code for the Welfare of Rabbits. Acquisition sources were considered an important avenue for advice about appropriate rabbit accommodation provision. Owner ability to suitably provide for rabbit needs was highlighted as a significant issue. Ultimately with conflict between what society can provide and rabbit welfare needs, the future of rabbits as companion animals in the United Kingdom is uncertain.

With the aim of identifying the welfare issues of dairy animals in field conditions in Tripura state, the study was carried out across 3 purposively selected districts having maximum cooperatives and from each district 8 cooperative societies were selected at random, totaling 120 farmers (5 farmers from each cooperative). Farmers were grouped by herd size i.e. small (<3 animals), medium (3-8), and large (>8). Welfare was evaluated using 20 indicators-10 resource-based and 10 animal-based-divided into three components: animal housing and other facilities (30 score), feeds and feeding practices (30 score), and animal health, performance, and behavior (40 score), totaling 100. Overall mean welfare scores were: small herds 52.9 ± 0.5, medium 53.5 ± 0.5, and large 47.2 ± 1.1. Only 13.3% of farmers achieved "good" welfare (>60% score), while 80.8% were "average" (40-60%), and 5.8% fell into the "poor" category (<40%). Small and medium herd farmers had significantly higher welfare scores than large herd farmers (p < 0.05). The findings indicate that the majority of dairy farms in Tripura maintain average to poor animal welfare, with very few meeting acceptable welfare standards.

Killing of farmed saltwater crocodiles involve stunning with a penetrative captive bolt device, followed by a cut across the nape of the neck and physical destruction of the brain to ensure death. This study was a welfare-based assessment of the use of a penetrative captive bolt device in saltwater crocodiles, to determine whether it satisfies the criteria of a humane stunning method and can be regarded as a direct killing method without the need for the application of an adjunct method. Methods used were electroencephalogram (EEG), observation of post-stun behavior, and postmortem examination of gross pathology of the cranium and brain. 30 of 30 animals, demonstrated immediate and irreversible loss of consciousness. There was extensive damage to the brain in all animals, deemed to be inconsistent with cortical function and possible recovery. The CASH Special 0.22 penetrative captive bolt pistol (1.25 grain cartridge), applied to the top of the cranial plate, produced immediate and irreversible unconsciousness in all the animals studied. This method satisfies animal welfare expectations, providing crocodile processors with a technique that contributes to a humane killing process.

This study aimed to investigate trends and concerns related to the commercialization of dogs in Brazil. The authors analyzed 1,500 ads for the sale of Miniature Schnauzer, Chihuahua, and German Spitz breeds using the methodology of hedonic price analysis. Marginal and relative values of attributes were calculated for puppy sex, coat, age, pedigree, vaccination and deworming, seller type and region, using ordinary least squares. The most valued attributes for each breed were identified as selling by kennels, pedigree, and coat color. The results suggest that this market niche is willing to pay for guarantees of better dog breeding, which represents an opportunity for the development of certification labels for origin and good practices for kennels. Such labels could become an effective strategy to ensure greater transparency and better welfare standards in the Brazilian dog market. This study also provides valuable insights for the development of guidelines and public policies aimed at improving animal welfare and reducing information asymmetry in the pet market.

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.

Benefits and challenges of dogs being present at the office were analyzed from three perspectives: the company view, the dog owner (employee) and the dog view. For companies, office dogs may serve as a branding symbol, leading to higher employee satisfaction and productivity, increased stress resilience and fewer turnover intentions. Yet, companies need to apply pet policies, risk management strategies and mitigate nuisance such as barking, loose fur or excrement. Additional breaks to walk the dogs are required and other employees or customers may be irritated. Employees take advantage of stress reduction, social support, higher job satisfaction, not having to leave their animal at home. Still, an office dog is an added responsibility in terms well-being, safety, distraction from work and emotional involvement. Although the animal perspective has not yet been scientifically addressed, we propose potential benefits such as less separation distress by having the owner nearby, higher social engagement and additional walks during breaks. Challenges for dogs may involve unwanted attention, aversive environmental stimulation, being restrained via leash or crate, irritation caused by conspecifics, emotional contagion or individual requirements.

Environmental enrichments are commonly utilized to improve the welfare of captive animals. One adult male Japanese black bear (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) in this study was provided a manipulable object as foraging enrichment and was observed to use it without a food reward for a long period. A bell, attached to the object, rang when the individual interacted with the manipulable object. We investigated the factors prompting this bell-ringing behavior. The time of day and the number of times bell-ringing behavior occurred were recorded. Additionally, we recorded human presence, and whether humans were zoo staff or visitors. Observations were made over a 6-month period, starting 4 months after the objects were placed without food. Bell-ringing behavior occurred regardless of the humans present, who were categorized into four groups based on their roles. The behavior tended to be expressed more in the afternoon than in the morning, with no strong relationship observed with daily feeding times. These results suggest that the bell-ringing behavior is intrinsically motivated, indicating that the behavior itself may serve as a form of reward.

Staying in animal shelters can be stressful for dogs because of exposure to noise, unfamiliar environment, and social separation. Consequently, the wellbeing of sheltered dogs could be improved through reduction of length of stay in a shelter (LOS). To help inform the development of interventions aimed at LOS reduction, we analyze dogs' characteristics affecting their LOS. We use econometric modeling to identify the characteristics's influence by simultaneously controlling for multiple factors. We use data from Poland's largest animal shelter (11805 observations from the years 2000-2020). We compare two modeling approaches: a Cox survival model, commonly used in animal welfare studies, and an accelerated failure time model, theoretically better fitted to studying time-dependent factors but not yet applied in the context of LOS. We conclude that the latter approach is preferable for studying factors affecting LOS. Male sex, mixed-breed, dark fur, large size, and older age appear to be associated with longer time to adoption for dogs. To our knowledge, this is the first econometric examination of factors affecting LOS in a country in Central and Eastern Europe.

Volunteers that provide foster care in their homes are a critical resource for animal shelters and rescues and make significant contributions to animal welfare. This project explores the support needs identified by canine foster volunteers via a national survey of 611 respondents by answering the following three research questions:1. Why do foster volunteers consider ending their foster service?2. What types of training and support do dog fosters want and need from their organizations?3. Do the types of support needed vary based on the nature of the dog fostered (those with medical versus behavioral challenges)?Based on descriptive, content, and correlation analysis the findings suggest that foster volunteers are generally satisfied with the support provided by their organizations. However, they are less positive about the extent of communication between volunteers and their organization, the amount of training they have received beyond the basics, and the social supports that would accrue from a foster volunteer network, areas that extant research suggests are important for volunteer satisfaction and retention.