Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science最新文献

The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is an endangered species that continues to experience population decline. Understanding the behavior of this species is a critical step in the conservation efforts to prevent their extinction. A comprehensive activity budget of this species has yet to be conducted in any captive population, which are critical for the Species Survival Plan (SSP) breeding programs. We performed scan sampling observations on a group of 19 penguins to construct an activity budget. We also investigated the behavioral differences between males and females, as well as between adults and juveniles. Results indicate there are minimal sex differences in time budget allocations, but there are some notable age related differences. Creating and comparing activity budgets between populations are critical for understanding animal welfare in captive settings.

Colony rooms provide cats with many opportunities to use enrichment, but animal shelters usually have finite resources to provision items. This study examined how cats select enrichment items when given a variety of options. Our goal was to identify whether certain enrichment might be particularly beneficial for different cats. Enrichment was categorized into three categories based on function (soft surfaces for resting, enclosed spaces for security, and vertical surfaces for vantage points). Demographic (sex, source of intake) and non-demographic (length of stay, floor space per cat, people present) features of the cats were entered into models as predictors. For all enrichment categories, the presence of people in the room significantly decreased item use, males used vertical surfaces more, all cats used vertical surfaces more the longer they were at the shelter, and cats that were seized or signed over from hoarding or cruelty cases used enclosed spaces more. Identifying patterns of enrichment use can allow shelters to more effectively distribute limited resources and maximize the welfare of individual cats during their stay at the shelter.

This study aimed to assess the effects of environmental enrichment for pigs during transportation in different phases of their productive cycle. Two trials were conducted, the first during transportation of pigs from the piglet production unit (PPU) to the nursery (n = 250) and the second during the transportation of nonhuman animals from the finishing unit (FU) to the slaughterhouse (n = 120). This work was an observational study with five environmental enrichments: Control - no enrichment; object - use of enrichment objects in the truck; aroma - use of lavender aroma in the truck; music - music in the truck; and vehicle sound. Animal behavior during transportation, respiratory rate, skin surface temperature, and skin lesion score were assessed. Piglets from the treatment music had the lowest frequency of agonistic behaviors during transportation from the farrowing to the nursery and lower skin temperature after transportation. Piglets from the control had the highest respiratory rate prior to transportation. Pigs familiarized with vehicle noises spent most of their time lying during the trip to the slaughterhouse. The creation of a familiar environment to pigs seems promising in enhancing animal well-being during transportation.

The potential advantages of using epidemiology in animal welfare research are substantial and are used with increased frequency. Collaboration between scientists of different fields, with different specific expertise is advantageous in the advancement of science. In this review, a framework to use epidemiology in animal welfare science is established. The different epidemiological study designs and analytical procedures are explored and put in an animal welfare scientific context. It is argued and demonstrated that epidemiology is used with advantage: in the identification of risk factors behind the development of maladaptation and abnormal behaviors; in the introduction of standardized procedures in research allowing comparisons between studies and facilitating the integration for evidence synthesis in systematic reviews and meta-analysis; by allowing animal welfare scientists to analyze complex settings such as farms or zoos. Mathematical modeling can also be used with advantage in risk assessment.

To perform quick assessments, welfare practitioners may focus on specific behavioral indicators of welfare, which can lead to challenges in interpretation. Anticipatory behavior has been suggested as a potentially graded indicator of well-being in animals. However, there are difficulties in assessing variations in this class of behavior quantitatively. Here, we propose an analytical approach for identifying and comparing the intensity of anticipatory behavior across different conditions. We evaluated the changes in the behavior of a sea lion at the San Francisco Zoo before and after daily training sessions, the start time of which had differing degrees of predictability. We show that anticipatory behavior is a complex suite of behaviors that can show multi-directional changes prior to an anticipated event. Additionally, we show that the methods utilized here can distinguish among differing intensities of anticipation directed toward daily husbandry events. We suggest that this approach may be broadly applicable for applying measures of anticipatory behavior as a graded welfare indicator.

The Still-face Paradigm has been widely used for the assessment of emotion regulation in infants, as well as for the study of the mother-child relationship. Given the close bond that dogs have with humans, the purpose of this research was to evaluate, through an exploratory descriptive study, the presence of the Still-face effect in dogs. To this end, a group of Beagle dogs were exposed to three one-minute phases in which first, an unknown experimenter interacted actively and positively with each dog (Interaction). Then, suddenly, she interrupted the interaction and remained passive, with a non-expressive face and without speaking or petting the dog (Still-face). Finally, the experimenter reestablished the interaction (Reunion). Our results showed a decrease in affiliative behaviors in dogs during the Still-face phase according to changes in the human's behavior, a pattern similar to the one previously found in infants. Contrary to expectations, no stress-related behaviors were shown during that phase. A carry-over effect was also observed in the Reunion phase. This study provides information about the human-dog interaction and the effects of its disruption on dogs' behaviors.

To evaluate elephant welfare, it is important to understand their use of time both during day and night. The length of social relationships can influence how much time they spend in different activities. We assessed daytime and nighttime activity budgets of male Asian elephants at Denver Zoo and examined how length of relationships influenced nighttime behavior. Using scan sampling we investigated activity budget and proximity to a conspecific, and used General Estimating Equations to compare them across day and night and across new and established dyads at night. During daytime, elephants spent significantly more time exhibiting affiliative and agonistic behaviors, and in proximity to a conspecific, and less time resting, compared to night. Overnight, the odds of resting were significantly lower in new social dyads compared to established dyads, and new dyads spent more time exhibiting agonistic behavior and in proximity to a conspecific compared to established dyads. Our study suggests that male elephants at Denver Zoo have developed strong relationships and highlights the importance of systematically observing elephants overnight so that managers make decisions that improve animal welfare.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of short-term stimulation of classical music on the behavior of pullets and to explore whether classical music as an auditory enrichment factor reduces the fear level in pullets. One hundred and twenty 10-weeks'old Roman white pullets were randomly divided into two treatments of which one group was exposed to classic music (M), and another one was the control group (N). The music was played during 8:00-18:00 every day for 7 consecutive days. The behavior of the focal animals was observed from 11:00 to13:00 every day for 7 days. The results showed that during the observation period, the pullets in group M had more comforting (P < .05) and preening (P < .05), but less aggressive (P < .01) and feather-pecking (P < .01) behaviors than those in group N. No significant difference was found in other behaviors and the duration of tonic immobility between the two groups. Therefore, auditory enrichment as a means of environmental enrichment can increase the welfare level of pullets to a certain extent.

The loss of a companion animal results in millions of pet owners grieving annually. To date, little information has been synthesized on the grief response and coping mechanisms of bereaved pet owners. The aim of this review was to examine the relationship between pet loss and owner grief response. Major themes included: factors that influence the grief response, the disenfranchised nature surrounding pet loss, ambiguous pet loss and coping mechanisms used. Across the 48 studies included in this review, bereaved pet owners frequently reported feelings of embarrassment and loneliness following the loss of their pet. Types of coping mechanisms used by bereaved pet owners were identified and included: isolation, social support, continuing bonds, memorialization, religion, and relationships with other animals. Overall, this review was able to identify a consensus among the literature that bereaved pet owners are likely to experience disenfranchisement surrounding their loss. Based on the present findings, suggestions for future research include a focus on the effectiveness of coping mechanisms used by bereaved pet owners.

There is an increasing concern about welfare issues related to battery cages, which are commonly used in Vietnam, and requires a modified cage that improves hen welfare while retaining its economic and management advantages. We combined adjacent conventional cages to form group cages to examine the effects of stocking density on egg production, economic returns, and aggressive pecking of hens. The control group included triplicate conventional cages with four birds/single cage (12 hens per three cages) or 450 cm² area per hen. Three group cage treatments were set up with 10, 12, and 14 birds per group cage or 540, 450, and 386 cm² of floor area per hen, respectively. Compared to 14 birds per cage, hens housed at 10 birds per group cage had a higher hen-day production, consumed less feed, and thus had a better feed conversion ratio/dozen eggs. Reducing the stocking density to 10 birds per group cage resulted in additional production cost, but it was compensated for by a high egg income, and significantly decreased aggressive pecks. Group cages benefit hen performance, profitability, and welfare when decreasing the stocking density to 10 birds per cage with 540 cm²/hen.