Pub Date : 2025-09-25DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106827
Aleksandra Górecka-Bruzda , Christine Aurich
The obligation to ensure the welfare of domestic horses is evident. Social bonds are an essential part of the daily life of feral horses. In human-controlled conditions, stallions usually live alone in a barren environment of individual boxes or paddocks with contact to conspecifics limited to visuals. Still, many stallions do not have regular access to paddocks and pastures. This provokes frustration and stress which has been shown to contribute to the development of stereotypies, self-mutilations, abnormal sexual behaviour and reproductive problems. This review highlights how domestic environments may negatively diverge from the natural conditions necessary for the healthy behavioural development of stallions. We address stallions' welfare and reproductive problems that may arise from their lack of social contact. These issues are discussed along the stages of a stallion's life under free ranging conditions. We postulate that today's breeding stallions must be enabled to enjoy the positive aspects of a bachelor stallion's life. This should include adequate consideration of the stallions' reproductive behaviour including contact with a sexually receptive mare. This will not only improve animal welfare but also ensure optimal semen quality and fertility.
{"title":"Importance of the social environment for reproductive and general welfare of domestic horse (Equus caballus) stallions","authors":"Aleksandra Górecka-Bruzda , Christine Aurich","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106827","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106827","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The obligation to ensure the welfare of domestic horses is evident. Social bonds are an essential part of the daily life of feral horses. In human-controlled conditions, stallions usually live alone in a barren environment of individual boxes or paddocks with contact to conspecifics limited to visuals. Still, many stallions do not have regular access to paddocks and pastures. This provokes frustration and stress which has been shown to contribute to the development of stereotypies, self-mutilations, abnormal sexual behaviour and reproductive problems. This review highlights how domestic environments may negatively diverge from the natural conditions necessary for the healthy behavioural development of stallions. We address stallions' welfare and reproductive problems that may arise from their lack of social contact. These issues are discussed along the stages of a stallion's life under free ranging conditions. We postulate that today's breeding stallions must be enabled to enjoy the positive aspects of a bachelor stallion's life. This should include adequate consideration of the stallions' reproductive behaviour including contact with a sexually receptive mare. This will not only improve animal welfare but also ensure optimal semen quality and fertility.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106827"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145154770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-23DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106825
James Edward Brereton , Jenna Davison , Alex Vine , Shelby Renee Brereton , Eduardo J. Fernandez
Enclosure use research is important for better understanding the needs and preferences of animals under captive care. As such, enclosure use is often assessed in tandem with behavioural observations as part of holistic welfare assessments. Although valuable as a welfare tool, there are several inherent challenges in enclosure use research, including variability in zones, resource sizes and observation lengths, with several indices developed to account for these challenges. Nonetheless, it is unclear the extent to which these enclosure use indices are commonly used in published literature. Therefore, it is important that the role of these indices in welfare research be quantified and reviewed, with a view to understanding the needs of enclosure use researchers. In addition, although one enclosure use review has been previously published, the work was not systematic in its approach, and there is a need for updated research given the changes in technology since its publication. To identify the current index, topics and species focuses, we conducted a systematic review of enclosure use literature, using several search engines. A total of 4275 papers were identified: following filtering 169 papers remained, which investigated 260 species-level studies. The review identified relatively few published publications before the turn of the millennium, with most papers published since 2004. In addition, 2023 had the most enclosure use-based publications, with a total of 21 papers found. The most common topics under study were visitor effects and enrichment, which demonstrates that much of the enclosure use literature is motivated by welfare-related questions. Most papers used no stated formal enclosure use index, which may pose challenges in terms of research design and interpretation. There was limited crossover in terms of index use between different industries, such as laboratories, agriculture and zoos. Additionally, over half of the identified studies focused on a mammalian species, whereas fish and invertebrate studies were identified infrequently. This systematic review demonstrates that there is need to share knowledge and enclosure use methodologies between industries, and focusing on a greater diversity of taxa would aid in improving overall species welfare and husbandry knowledge.
{"title":"A systematic review of directions in animal enclosure use studies","authors":"James Edward Brereton , Jenna Davison , Alex Vine , Shelby Renee Brereton , Eduardo J. Fernandez","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106825","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106825","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Enclosure use research is important for better understanding the needs and preferences of animals under captive care. As such, enclosure use is often assessed in tandem with behavioural observations as part of holistic welfare assessments. Although valuable as a welfare tool, there are several inherent challenges in enclosure use research, including variability in zones, resource sizes and observation lengths, with several indices developed to account for these challenges. Nonetheless, it is unclear the extent to which these enclosure use indices are commonly used in published literature. Therefore, it is important that the role of these indices in welfare research be quantified and reviewed, with a view to understanding the needs of enclosure use researchers. In addition, although one enclosure use review has been previously published, the work was not systematic in its approach, and there is a need for updated research given the changes in technology since its publication. To identify the current index, topics and species focuses, we conducted a systematic review of enclosure use literature, using several search engines. A total of 4275 papers were identified: following filtering 169 papers remained, which investigated 260 species-level studies. The review identified relatively few published publications before the turn of the millennium, with most papers published since 2004. In addition, 2023 had the most enclosure use-based publications, with a total of 21 papers found. The most common topics under study were visitor effects and enrichment, which demonstrates that much of the enclosure use literature is motivated by welfare-related questions. Most papers used no stated formal enclosure use index, which may pose challenges in terms of research design and interpretation. There was limited crossover in terms of index use between different industries, such as laboratories, agriculture and zoos. Additionally, over half of the identified studies focused on a mammalian species, whereas fish and invertebrate studies were identified infrequently. This systematic review demonstrates that there is need to share knowledge and enclosure use methodologies between industries, and focusing on a greater diversity of taxa would aid in improving overall species welfare and husbandry knowledge.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106825"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145154768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-22DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106824
Honour Smith, Daniel S. Mills
Canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) is a progressive, age-related neurodegenerative disorder of dogs diagnosed by exclusion of alternative causes of the non-specific behavioural signs. This study validated owner-friendly versions of instruments for the assessment of CCD based on: The Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Rating (CCDR), Canine Dementia Scale (CADES), and Age-Related Cognitive and Affective Disorders (ARCAD). While scale development focuses on maximising specificity, clinical tools need to balance this with sensitivity, considering the risks of false positives e.g. treating some subjects unnecessarily versus those related to false negatives e.g. not starting treatment.
The scales were adapted for greater owner-comprehensibility to create CCDRa, CADESa, ARCADa. 959 completions of CCDRa, CADESa and ARCADa were obtained via an online questionnaire. Two groups of respondents were created for analysis: dogs with an owner-declared veterinary diagnosis for CCD (CCD dogs) and those without an owner-declared veterinary diagnosis for CCD and being “very unlikely” to have CCD (Non-CCD dogs). Individual total scale scores were calculated to examine how these changed with age group.
Receiver Operating Curves and Youden’s Indices were used to identify the peak trade-off between sensitivity and specificity, alongside Positive Predictive Values (PPV) and Negative Predictive Values (NPV). These were used to create recommendations for screening value (SV) thresholds for each scale, for different categories of dog, namely: older dogs (seniors of unknown specific age) CCDRa ≥ 40, CADESa ≥ 25, and ARCADa ≥ 17; dogs aged 7 – 12 years old, CCDRa ≥ 40, CADESa ≥ 25, ARCADa ≥ 19; dogs aged 13 years old and above, CCDRa≥ 42, CADESa ≥ 25, ARCADa ≥ 21.
CCDRa and CADESa showed the greatest level of convergent validity, and ARCADa least convergence when using published thresholds (CCDR ≥ 50, CADES ≥45, ARCAD ≥ 31) or SV thresholds. Using published thresholds, only 64/103 (62 %) of CCD cases were identified by at least one of the scales, but this rose to 102/103 (99 %) when the revised SV thresholds were applied.
Given that CCD is an irreversible disease, early intervention is crucial for patient health and welfare. SV thresholds (in the absence of other potential medical explanations for the signs) represent a value at which we recommend veterinarians consider discussing with owners the value of intervention for CCD, including a quantified risk of false positives. Our adapted version of CADES (CADESa) performed best and allows monitoring of disease progression. Accordingly, CADESa is our preferred tool for the assessment and monitoring of CCD.
{"title":"Development and validity of owner-based screening tools for canine cognitive decline","authors":"Honour Smith, Daniel S. Mills","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106824","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106824","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) is a progressive, age-related neurodegenerative disorder of dogs diagnosed by exclusion of alternative causes of the non-specific behavioural signs. This study validated owner-friendly versions of instruments for the assessment of CCD based on: The Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Rating (CCDR), Canine Dementia Scale (CADES), and Age-Related Cognitive and Affective Disorders (ARCAD). While scale development focuses on maximising specificity, clinical tools need to balance this with sensitivity, considering the risks of false positives e.g. treating some subjects unnecessarily versus those related to false negatives e.g. not starting treatment.</div><div>The scales were adapted for greater owner-comprehensibility to create CCDRa, CADESa, ARCADa. 959 completions of CCDRa, CADESa and ARCADa were obtained via an online questionnaire. Two groups of respondents were created for analysis: dogs with an owner-declared veterinary diagnosis for CCD (CCD dogs) and those without an owner-declared veterinary diagnosis for CCD and being “very unlikely” to have CCD (Non-CCD dogs). Individual total scale scores were calculated to examine how these changed with age group.</div><div>Receiver Operating Curves and Youden’s Indices were used to identify the peak trade-off between sensitivity and specificity, alongside Positive Predictive Values (PPV) and Negative Predictive Values (NPV). These were used to create recommendations for screening value (SV) thresholds for each scale, for different categories of dog, namely: older dogs (seniors of unknown specific age) CCDRa ≥ 40, CADESa ≥ 25, and ARCADa ≥ 17; dogs aged 7 – 12 years old, CCDRa ≥ 40, CADESa ≥ 25, ARCADa ≥ 19; dogs aged 13 years old and above, CCDRa≥ 42, CADESa ≥ 25, ARCADa ≥ 21.</div><div>CCDRa and CADESa showed the greatest level of convergent validity, and ARCADa least convergence when using published thresholds (CCDR ≥ 50, CADES ≥45, ARCAD ≥ 31) or SV thresholds. Using published thresholds, only 64/103 (62 %) of CCD cases were identified by at least one of the scales, but this rose to 102/103 (99 %) when the revised SV thresholds were applied.</div><div>Given that CCD is an irreversible disease, early intervention is crucial for patient health and welfare. SV thresholds (in the absence of other potential medical explanations for the signs) represent a value at which we recommend veterinarians consider discussing with owners the value of intervention for CCD, including a quantified risk of false positives. Our adapted version of CADES (CADESa) performed best and allows monitoring of disease progression. Accordingly, CADESa is our preferred tool for the assessment and monitoring of CCD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106824"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-18DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106822
Vivian L. Witjes , Ingrid C. de Jong , Francisca C. Velkers , Johanna M.J. Rebel , J. Arjan Stegeman , J. Elizabeth Bolhuis , Ellen Meijer
Measuring positive affective states in animals remains challenging. One common method is the judgment bias task (JBT), where animals interpret ambiguous cues as optimistic or pessimistic. While many studies have examined the impact of enrichment on JBT responses, links between JBT outcomes and animal-based affective indicators—such as behavioral and physiological biomarkers—remain unclear. Additionally, personality traits may influence JBT responses. To explore these associations, we observed 36 pigs (aged 37–75 days) in their home pens using continuous focal sampling, collected blood and hair samples, and conducted a go/no-go JBT. Animals learned to associate a reward with the positive location (left/right) and a punishment with the negative location (right/left) and were tested at three test locations: near positive (nS+), middle (M), and near negative (nS-). We hypothesized that pigs exhibiting more positive behaviors would show greater optimism and explored the relationship between JBT performance and physiological biomarkers. Coping strategies and personality indicators were evaluated via a back-test (5d) and voluntary human approach test (72d). Results revealed limited associations between physiological markers and JBT responses. Elevated immunoglobulin (Ig)M levels were linked to greater optimism at the M (est.: 0.44, 95 %CI: 0.21–0.93) and nS- (est.: 0.37, 95 %CI: 0.18–0.77) locations. Conversely, higher IgG levels at the M location were associated with pessimism (est.: 2.95, 95 %CI: 1.50–5.82). Unexpectedly, higher hair cortisol correlated with optimism (nS+: est.: 0.97, 95 %CI: 0.95–0.99; M: est.: 0.95, 95 %CI: 0.92–0.98). Other physiological biomarkers, including serotonin, showed no or inconsistent effects. Positive behaviors, including play, enrichment exploration, social nosing, play barks, grunts, and tail wagging, showed no associations with optimistic JBT responses. However, increased levels of certain social behaviors were linked to pessimism across test locations (nS+ – social nosing: est.: 1.07, 95 %CI: 1.02–1.13; M – play barks and grunts: est.: 1.03, 95 %CI: 1.01–1.05; nS- – play fighting: est.: 1.09, 95 %CI: 1.03–1.15), suggesting that social isolation may influence JBT responses. Finally, no effects of personality indicators were detected. In conclusion, most biomarkers showed no or inconsistent associations, contradicting our expectations. Although positive behaviors have previously been linked to affect, our results indicate that they are not associated with optimism in the JBT. These findings suggest that factors such as social isolation and other unaccounted variables may influence JBT responses. To improve the reliability and efficiency of assessing animal affective states, we recommend direct measurement of animal-based affective indicators and further exploration of their interrelations.
{"title":"Associating behavioral and physiological biomarkers of affective states with judgment bias task outcomes in weaned pigs","authors":"Vivian L. Witjes , Ingrid C. de Jong , Francisca C. Velkers , Johanna M.J. Rebel , J. Arjan Stegeman , J. Elizabeth Bolhuis , Ellen Meijer","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106822","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106822","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Measuring positive affective states in animals remains challenging. One common method is the judgment bias task (JBT), where animals interpret ambiguous cues as optimistic or pessimistic. While many studies have examined the impact of enrichment on JBT responses, links between JBT outcomes and animal-based affective indicators—such as behavioral and physiological biomarkers—remain unclear. Additionally, personality traits may influence JBT responses. To explore these associations, we observed 36 pigs (aged 37–75 days) in their home pens using continuous focal sampling, collected blood and hair samples, and conducted a go/no-go JBT. Animals learned to associate a reward with the positive location (left/right) and a punishment with the negative location (right/left) and were tested at three test locations: near positive (nS+), middle (M), and near negative (nS-). We hypothesized that pigs exhibiting more positive behaviors would show greater optimism and explored the relationship between JBT performance and physiological biomarkers. Coping strategies and personality indicators were evaluated via a back-test (5d) and voluntary human approach test (72d). Results revealed limited associations between physiological markers and JBT responses. Elevated immunoglobulin (Ig)M levels were linked to greater optimism at the M (est.: 0.44, 95 %CI: 0.21–0.93) and nS- (est.: 0.37, 95 %CI: 0.18–0.77) locations. Conversely, higher IgG levels at the M location were associated with pessimism (est.: 2.95, 95 %CI: 1.50–5.82). Unexpectedly, higher hair cortisol correlated with optimism (nS+: est.: 0.97, 95 %CI: 0.95–0.99; M: est.: 0.95, 95 %CI: 0.92–0.98). Other physiological biomarkers, including serotonin, showed no or inconsistent effects. Positive behaviors, including play, enrichment exploration, social nosing, play barks, grunts, and tail wagging, showed no associations with optimistic JBT responses. However, increased levels of certain social behaviors were linked to pessimism across test locations (nS+ – social nosing: est.: 1.07, 95 %CI: 1.02–1.13; M – play barks and grunts: est.: 1.03, 95 %CI: 1.01–1.05; nS- – play fighting: est.: 1.09, 95 %CI: 1.03–1.15), suggesting that social isolation may influence JBT responses. Finally, no effects of personality indicators were detected. In conclusion, most biomarkers showed no or inconsistent associations, contradicting our expectations. Although positive behaviors have previously been linked to affect, our results indicate that they are not associated with optimism in the JBT. These findings suggest that factors such as social isolation and other unaccounted variables may influence JBT responses. To improve the reliability and efficiency of assessing animal affective states, we recommend direct measurement of animal-based affective indicators and further exploration of their interrelations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106822"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145105023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-17DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106820
Paula W.C. Wendling , Clara W.B. Lachica , Francisco A.R. Catalano , Luiz E. Kozicki , Ruan R. Daros
Beef cattle behaviour in the restraining chute is widely used to assess cattle temperament traits, which have been linked to reproductive performance and welfare outcomes. However, few studies have evaluated the impact of animals’ prior experience during management in the chute on their chute score. This study aimed to develop a scoring system to assess an animal's experience in the chute and determine whether this experience influences chute scores during handling. A total of 290 female beef cattle (Bos taurus indicus) were included in this study. All animals passed through a restraining chute 3 times (D0, D8, and D10). All passages in the chute were video recorded. Two previously trained observers (kappa = 0.92) scored all passages using a previously described chute score (1 = passive to 5 = reactive). Simultaneously, a new ‘Chute Experience Score’ (CES) was developed to assess whether the cattle experienced a negative (i.e., aversive) or neutral (i.e., less aversive) event. The CES score ranges from 1 (the animal stays calm, and ranch staff do not touch or yell at the animals) to 5 (the animal is reactive, balks, falls in the chute, ranch staff yell and poke or push the animal), which were then later combined in negative or neutral categories. Statistical analysis was performed in R; a multivariable mixed linear regression was built to assess the effect of previous experiences (D0 and D8) on the chute score on D10. There was no association between the experience score on D0 and the behaviour on the restraining chute on D8 and D10. Beef cattle (n = 21) that underwent two consecutive negative experiences had, on average, a 0.36-point higher chute score on D10. Animals’ previous experience should be considered when assessing cattle chute scores, as integrating prior experiences into temperament assessments could improve the accuracy and reliability of such evaluations.
{"title":"Evaluating the influence of previous handling on cattle chute scores: Development and application of an experience scoring system","authors":"Paula W.C. Wendling , Clara W.B. Lachica , Francisco A.R. Catalano , Luiz E. Kozicki , Ruan R. Daros","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106820","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106820","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Beef cattle behaviour in the restraining chute is widely used to assess cattle temperament traits, which have been linked to reproductive performance and welfare outcomes. However, few studies have evaluated the impact of animals’ prior experience during management in the chute on their chute score. This study aimed to develop a scoring system to assess an animal's experience in the chute and determine whether this experience influences chute scores during handling. A total of 290 female beef cattle (<em>Bos taurus indicus</em>) were included in this study. All animals passed through a restraining chute 3 times (D0, D8, and D10). All passages in the chute were video recorded. Two previously trained observers (kappa = 0.92) scored all passages using a previously described chute score (1 = passive to 5 = reactive). Simultaneously, a new ‘Chute Experience Score’ (CES) was developed to assess whether the cattle experienced a negative (i.e., aversive) or neutral (i.e., less aversive) event. The CES score ranges from 1 (the animal stays calm, and ranch staff do not touch or yell at the animals) to 5 (the animal is reactive, balks, falls in the chute, ranch staff yell and poke or push the animal), which were then later combined in negative or neutral categories. Statistical analysis was performed in R; a multivariable mixed linear regression was built to assess the effect of previous experiences (D0 and D8) on the chute score on D10. There was no association between the experience score on D0 and the behaviour on the restraining chute on D8 and D10. Beef cattle (n = 21) that underwent two consecutive negative experiences had, on average, a 0.36-point higher chute score on D10. Animals’ previous experience should be considered when assessing cattle chute scores, as integrating prior experiences into temperament assessments could improve the accuracy and reliability of such evaluations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106820"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145117982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-17DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106821
Lorenzo Latini , Giovanni Polverino , Claudia Gili , Claudio Carere , Daniele Canestrelli
Phenotypic plasticity, which enables single genotypes to produce diverse phenotypes in response to changing conditions, facilitates individuals to persist in dynamic environments fostering divergence within populations and driving diversification. Its role is particularly relevant in the context of conservation aquaculture, especially in reintroduction programs, where simplified rearing environments can alter the natural development of functional phenotypic traits. Identifying phenotypic alterations and elucidating the mechanisms associated with these changes can assist managers in refining strategies employed in rearing settings, and improving the prospects of post-release survival. By relying on the available literature on marine organisms, this review provides an overview of the implications of phenotypic plasticity for conservation aquaculture programs. Specifically, the following points are examined: (i) how hatchery environments can alter wild phenotypes, particularly in terms of behavioural and morphological traits, (ii) how the introduction of ecologically relevant stimuli into rearing environments can mitigate these effects, and (iii) how such approaches can provide strategies to enhance the success of reintroduction actions. Finally, several key questions are proposed to inspire new research directions for critically assessing the implications of phenotypic plasticity in successful conservation aquaculture programs.
{"title":"Phenotypic plasticity in conservation aquaculture: Insights, challenges, and future directions","authors":"Lorenzo Latini , Giovanni Polverino , Claudia Gili , Claudio Carere , Daniele Canestrelli","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106821","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106821","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Phenotypic plasticity, which enables single genotypes to produce diverse phenotypes in response to changing conditions, facilitates individuals to persist in dynamic environments fostering divergence within populations and driving diversification. Its role is particularly relevant in the context of conservation aquaculture, especially in reintroduction programs, where simplified rearing environments can alter the natural development of functional phenotypic traits. Identifying phenotypic alterations and elucidating the mechanisms associated with these changes can assist managers in refining strategies employed in rearing settings, and improving the prospects of post-release survival. By relying on the available literature on marine organisms, this review provides an overview of the implications of phenotypic plasticity for conservation aquaculture programs. Specifically, the following points are examined: (i) how hatchery environments can alter wild phenotypes, particularly in terms of behavioural and morphological traits, (ii) how the introduction of ecologically relevant stimuli into rearing environments can mitigate these effects, and (iii) how such approaches can provide strategies to enhance the success of reintroduction actions. Finally, several key questions are proposed to inspire new research directions for critically assessing the implications of phenotypic plasticity in successful conservation aquaculture programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106821"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145154769","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-15DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106819
Josef Hanekom , Peter N. Thompson , Johan P. Schoeman , Elize van Vollenhoven
Inter-dog aggression (IDA) places a high burden on the dogs involved, their owners and their households. Treating dog bite wounds (DBW) accounts for a substantial proportion of small animal veterinary practice caseload. This study aimed to identify potential risk factors of IDA in dogs presented for the treatment of DBW at a veterinary teaching hospital in Pretoria, South Africa. Veterinary staff completed a survey regarding wound severity, distribution, treatment, and outcome of 126 dogs treated for DBW. A separate, but related survey was completed by 124 owners of dogs presenting for DBW, describing the fighting event, dogs involved, and the household context where these fighting dogs lived. Control household data was collected from surveys completed by 71 owners of dogs being treated for alternative conditions, where no household dogs had been treated for DBW by a veterinarian. Most fighting between dogs occurred on the owner’s property (85.4 %) and between household dogs (68.5 %). From the 83 household pairs where the sex and sterilisation status were known, fighting was more common between dogs of the same sex (71 %) and sterilisation status (53 %). Fighting pairs were most frequently both intact male (25 %) or both sterilised female dogs (16 %). Compared to control households, dog bite households kept on average significantly more dogs (4.14 compared to 3.44 dogs, p = 0.029) and significantly more male intact dogs (1.04 compared to 0.66 dogs, (p = 0.043). Breeds over-represented in dog bite households were Boerboels (p = 0.043), German Shepherd dogs (p = 0.034) and Pitbull Terriers (p = 0.002) compared to control household. Breeds under-represented in dog bite households were Dachshunds (p = 0.046), Labrador Retrievers (p = 0.026), Miniature Poodles (p = 0.016) and Schnauzers (p = 0.032) compared to control households. Few biting incidents occurred during supervised walks (4 %), which differs substantially from previous studies, which reported that most fights between dogs occurred in public spaces involving unleashed dogs. Based on our study findings, the following locally relevant IDA prevention measures are indicated: limiting the number of household dogs to three or fewer, reducing the number of male intact dogs, mixing sexes, and avoiding Boerboels, German Shepherds and Pitbull Terriers breeds in multidog households.
{"title":"Household hostilities: A descriptive study of inter-dog aggression requiring veterinary treatment of dog bite wounds in Pretoria, South Africa","authors":"Josef Hanekom , Peter N. Thompson , Johan P. Schoeman , Elize van Vollenhoven","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106819","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106819","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Inter-dog aggression (IDA) places a high burden on the dogs involved, their owners and their households. Treating dog bite wounds (DBW) accounts for a substantial proportion of small animal veterinary practice caseload. This study aimed to identify potential risk factors of IDA in dogs presented for the treatment of DBW at a veterinary teaching hospital in Pretoria, South Africa. Veterinary staff completed a survey regarding wound severity, distribution, treatment, and outcome of 126 dogs treated for DBW. A separate, but related survey was completed by 124 owners of dogs presenting for DBW, describing the fighting event, dogs involved, and the household context where these fighting dogs lived. Control household data was collected from surveys completed by 71 owners of dogs being treated for alternative conditions, where no household dogs had been treated for DBW by a veterinarian. Most fighting between dogs occurred on the owner’s property (85.4 %) and between household dogs (68.5 %). From the 83 household pairs where the sex and sterilisation status were known, fighting was more common between dogs of the same sex (71 %) and sterilisation status (53 %). Fighting pairs were most frequently both intact male (25 %) or both sterilised female dogs (16 %). Compared to control households, dog bite households kept on average significantly more dogs (4.14 compared to 3.44 dogs, p = 0.029) and significantly more male intact dogs (1.04 compared to 0.66 dogs, (p = 0.043). Breeds over-represented in dog bite households were Boerboels (p = 0.043), German Shepherd dogs (p = 0.034) and Pitbull Terriers (p = 0.002) compared to control household. Breeds under-represented in dog bite households were Dachshunds (p = 0.046), Labrador Retrievers (p = 0.026), Miniature Poodles (p = 0.016) and Schnauzers (p = 0.032) compared to control households. Few biting incidents occurred during supervised walks (4 %), which differs substantially from previous studies, which reported that most fights between dogs occurred in public spaces involving unleashed dogs. Based on our study findings, the following locally relevant IDA prevention measures are indicated: limiting the number of household dogs to three or fewer, reducing the number of male intact dogs, mixing sexes, and avoiding Boerboels, German Shepherds and Pitbull Terriers breeds in multidog households.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106819"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145104882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-11DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106818
Lane I. Montgomery , Sarah Krichbaum , Jordan G. Smith , Pamela Haney , Lucia Lazarowski
Maternal care is an important factor in the behavioral development of offspring, with long-lasting impacts demonstrated in several species including dogs. However, maternal care styles and corresponding effects on puppy development vary across populations. The current study aimed to 1) characterize maternal behaviors during a 3-week post-parturition period in detection dogs (n = 27 litters), 2) identify factors influencing maternal care, and 3) examine relationships between maternal care and offspring behavioral outcomes. Maternal behaviors decreased over the three-week observation period (ps < .001) but individual variability remained stable over time (ps < .001). All behaviors of interest were summarized by a principal component analysis into a Maternal Care score. There was a significant interaction of delivery type and parity (p = .002) on maternal care, and aspects of dam temperament as assessed by the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ) predicted amount of maternal care (p = .0164). Lastly, amount of maternal care predicted offspring working outcomes, such that dams exhibiting lower levels of care produced puppies that were more likely to be selected for operational service in the future (p = .025). These results extend findings on the effects of maternal care to a detection dog population, which has important implications for improving detection dog breeding and training success.
{"title":"Effects of maternal care on detection dog behavioral outcomes","authors":"Lane I. Montgomery , Sarah Krichbaum , Jordan G. Smith , Pamela Haney , Lucia Lazarowski","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106818","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106818","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Maternal care is an important factor in the behavioral development of offspring, with long-lasting impacts demonstrated in several species including dogs. However, maternal care styles and corresponding effects on puppy development vary across populations. The current study aimed to 1) characterize maternal behaviors during a 3-week post-parturition period in detection dogs (n = 27 litters), 2) identify factors influencing maternal care, and 3) examine relationships between maternal care and offspring behavioral outcomes. Maternal behaviors decreased over the three-week observation period (<em>p</em>s < .001) but individual variability remained stable over time (<em>p</em>s < .001). All behaviors of interest were summarized by a principal component analysis into a Maternal Care score. There was a significant interaction of delivery type and parity (<em>p</em> = .002) on maternal care, and aspects of dam temperament as assessed by the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ) predicted amount of maternal care (<em>p</em> = .0164). Lastly, amount of maternal care predicted offspring working outcomes, such that dams exhibiting lower levels of care produced puppies that were more likely to be selected for operational service in the future (<em>p</em> = .025). These results extend findings on the effects of maternal care to a detection dog population, which has important implications for improving detection dog breeding and training success.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106818"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145105011","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-10DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106815
Catherine Kelly , Darren Marshall , Aiden Sydenham , Lachlan Marshall , Tatiana Proboste , Lana Harriott , Matthew Gentle
Feral pigs represent significant threats to the environments where they are introduced, both to the native flora and fauna, as well as agriculture and production systems as vectors of disease. Despite being subject to intermittent, intensive management efforts across much of their invaded range, how feral pigs respond spatially to control programs remains poorly understood. To examine behavioural responses to short-term aerial culling (current practice), feral pigs were fitted with GPS collars in southern Queensland, Australia at two sites with aerial culling and one nil-treatment site. Using continuous time movement models and recurse analysis, changes to feral pig home range size, location, overlap between individuals, and use of cover were compared between two consecutive months, pre- and post- aerial culling, or rainfall at the nil-treatment site. Significant disturbance did not have a consistent impact on feral pig spatial behaviour in terms of home range size, location, or home range overlap between individuals. Likewise, changes in daily activity and cover use by feral pigs were not consistent in response to aerial control. This was also reflected at the site with no aerial control, where feral pig spatial behaviour varied on a month-to-month basis and was inconsistent between the examined periods. Collectively, these results indicate that aerial culling did not represent a significant enough disturbance to induce changes in feral pig spatial behaviour, and highlights the plasticity and high spatiotemporal variability of feral pig habitat use on a month-to-month basis. The findings also support the use of aerial culling to manage pig populations, particularly during exotic disease incursions where dispersal of animals to uninfected areas must be avoided.
{"title":"Variable response to aerial culling demonstrates adaptability of feral pigs","authors":"Catherine Kelly , Darren Marshall , Aiden Sydenham , Lachlan Marshall , Tatiana Proboste , Lana Harriott , Matthew Gentle","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106815","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106815","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Feral pigs represent significant threats to the environments where they are introduced, both to the native flora and fauna, as well as agriculture and production systems as vectors of disease. Despite being subject to intermittent, intensive management efforts across much of their invaded range, how feral pigs respond spatially to control programs remains poorly understood. To examine behavioural responses to short-term aerial culling (current practice), feral pigs were fitted with GPS collars in southern Queensland, Australia at two sites with aerial culling and one nil-treatment site. Using continuous time movement models and recurse analysis, changes to feral pig home range size, location, overlap between individuals, and use of cover were compared between two consecutive months, pre- and post- aerial culling, or rainfall at the nil-treatment site. Significant disturbance did not have a consistent impact on feral pig spatial behaviour in terms of home range size, location, or home range overlap between individuals. Likewise, changes in daily activity and cover use by feral pigs were not consistent in response to aerial control. This was also reflected at the site with no aerial control, where feral pig spatial behaviour varied on a month-to-month basis and was inconsistent between the examined periods. Collectively, these results indicate that aerial culling did not represent a significant enough disturbance to induce changes in feral pig spatial behaviour, and highlights the plasticity and high spatiotemporal variability of feral pig habitat use on a month-to-month basis. The findings also support the use of aerial culling to manage pig populations, particularly during exotic disease incursions where dispersal of animals to uninfected areas must be avoided.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106815"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145060257","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-10DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106814
Jessica Stamn , Shylo Johnson , Richard Buchholz
Understanding what factors influence an animal’s decision-making process on what to eat and where to go is fundamental to creating management strategies. One focus of a management strategy is mitigating negative consequences from unwanted wildlife foraging such as over-predation of endangered species by the common raccoon (Procyon lotor). Many environmental factors can generate a ‘landscape of fear’ whereby animals modify their behavior and distribution in response to variation in predation risk. Utilizing direct cues from predators to instill fear in foraging raccoons could be a way to deter this mesopredator from areas where species of conservation concern are located. To test whether scent cues instill fear behavior in raccoons, we repeatedly tested captive raccoons’ foraging decisions in a food associated Y-maze in response to commercially available urine from various predators (Coyote- Canis latrans; Wolf- Canis lupus; Puma- Puma concolor). Raccoons significantly entered the maze more quickly in response to all predator scents, with coyote scent decreasing latency greater than wolf and puma scent. However, time spent in the maze did not differ when predator scent was used, or in response to any single scent. Raccoons spent different proportions of time in the arm with the predator scent, spending less time in the arm with coyote scent compared to the puma and wolf scent. These results contrast with the hypothesis that urine from predators leads to fear induced behaviors in raccoons, such as avoidance of areas smelling of predator urine. While direct cues from predators might influence a raccoon’s landscape of fear, commercially available predator urine does not alter their foraging behavior in a way that suggests success as a management strategy for raccoon deterrence from target areas.
{"title":"Commercially available olfactory cues from apex predators do not deter the raccoon (Procyon lotor), a problematic mesopredator","authors":"Jessica Stamn , Shylo Johnson , Richard Buchholz","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106814","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106814","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding what factors influence an animal’s decision-making process on what to eat and where to go is fundamental to creating management strategies. One focus of a management strategy is mitigating negative consequences from unwanted wildlife foraging such as over-predation of endangered species by the common raccoon (<em>Procyon lotor)</em>. Many environmental factors can generate a ‘landscape of fear’ whereby animals modify their behavior and distribution in response to variation in predation risk. Utilizing direct cues from predators to instill fear in foraging raccoons could be a way to deter this mesopredator from areas where species of conservation concern are located. To test whether scent cues instill fear behavior in raccoons, we repeatedly tested captive raccoons’ foraging decisions in a food associated Y-maze in response to commercially available urine from various predators (Coyote- <em>Canis latrans</em>; Wolf- <em>Canis lupus</em>; Puma- <em>Puma concolor</em>). Raccoons significantly entered the maze more quickly in response to all predator scents, with coyote scent decreasing latency greater than wolf and puma scent. However, time spent in the maze did not differ when predator scent was used, or in response to any single scent. Raccoons spent different proportions of time in the arm with the predator scent, spending less time in the arm with coyote scent compared to the puma and wolf scent. These results contrast with the hypothesis that urine from predators leads to fear induced behaviors in raccoons, such as avoidance of areas smelling of predator urine. While direct cues from predators might influence a raccoon’s landscape of fear, commercially available predator urine does not alter their foraging behavior in a way that suggests success as a management strategy for raccoon deterrence from target areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106814"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145105022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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