Animal Welfare

Space allowance and the behaviour of captive southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons)

by Kris Descovich

Descovich, Kristin A., Lisle, Allan. T., Johnston, Stephen & Phillips, Clive J. IN PRESS. Space allowance and the behaviour of captive southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons). Applied Animal Behaviour Science.

Captive southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) often display indicators of sub-standard welfare,... more Captive southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) often display indicators of sub-standard welfare, including aggression and stereotypical pacing. To determine if space availability influences the welfare of wombats, the behaviour of three groups of L. latifrons (n = 3) was studied in three different sized enclosures: small (S) (75.5 m2; the minimum space requirement for three wombats in Queensland, Australia), medium (M) (151 m2, twice the minimum space) and large (L) (224 m2, three times the minimum space) in a Latin Square design. Compared to wombats in larger enclosures, those in the small enclosure were observed to display more biting (S: 1.96; M: 0.42; L: 0.28, SED ± 0.56 counts / day, P = 0.01), retreat from conspecifics (S: 15.0; M: 9.9; L: 7.1 SED ± 2.66 counts / day, P = 0.03), and visual scanning (S: 52.8; M: 33.9; L: 28.8, SED ± 4.62 counts / day, P < 0.001); they also spent more time fenceline digging, which may represent attempts to escape (S: 0.78; M: 0.16; L: 0.24, SED ± 0.07 min / m / day, P < 0.0001). Those in the largest enclosure showed less self-directed grooming behaviour than those in the two smaller enclosures (S: 23.80; M: 24.08; L: 14.42, SED ± 3.22 counts / day, P = 0.02). It is concluded that small enclosure size had a negative impact on the behaviour of wombat, and as a consequence, current minimum space requirements for wombats in captivity should be reassessed.

Activity and enrichment use in disabled Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) rescued from bile farms

by Jamie Ahloy Dallaire

Dallaire JA, Field N, and Mason GJ. 2012. Animal Welfare 22(2):167-176.

Physical disability has the potential to impede the use of environmental enrichments in rehabilitation programmes. We... more Physical disability has the potential to impede the use of environmental enrichments in rehabilitation programmes. We therefore compared the behaviour of 63 disabled and non-disabled socially housed adult Asiatic black bears rescued from bile farms for 103 observation hours. Amputees were less active than non-amputees, spent less time standing, travelled less between different areas of their outdoor enclosure, and showed less frequent stereotypic behaviour. Blind bears also showed low levels of activity and stereotypic behaviour. Blind bears and male amputees spent less time than non-disabled bears eating food dispersed throughout the enclosure as a foraging enrichment. It is unclear whether their infrequent eating is due to impaired foraging, or to lower energy demands arising from lower activity levels. Blind bears tended to manipulate feeders and other enrichment objects less than sighted bears. Disabled bears did not show any signs of impaired social interactions, and were not competitively displaced from resources by other bears more often than non-disabled bears. Thus, disabled bears rescued from bile farms show deficits in overall activity, with amputees also travelling less around their enclosures and blind bears potentially compromised in some forms of enrichment use. However, it is apparent that they adapt well to the presence of social companions. Several disabled bears also showed a degree of novel behaviour, seemingly compensating for disabilities, suggesting possible avenues for enrichments targeted specifically at these bears. The data also suggest specific hypotheses to test in longitudinal studies of rehabilitation.

Ethics and the non-human: the matterings of sentience in the meat industry

by Emma Roe

Published as chapter 14 in Taking-Place. Non-representational geographies and philosophies. Edited by Ben Anderson and Paul Harrison. Published in 2010 by Ashgate.

This chapter considers ethics and the non-human in the empirical context of animal production and meat processing. It... more This chapter considers ethics and the non-human in the empirical context of animal production and meat processing. It articulates an ethics of the nonhuman that works with a relational ontology between humans and nonhumans. It then goes on to develop work by Elizabeth Grosz and Karen Barad to discuss sentient materialities at work in the journey an animal body takes from farm to abattoir to becoming meat. This work concludes by arguing for the socio-historical contingencies of knowledge-making practices with sentient bodies in terms of the care now shown to the living animal's body. The modern meat industry 'reads' the feelings felt by the animal in the quality of its meat, after-death.

Ética de la investigación biomédica que usa y cuida animales experimentales

by Jorge Alberto Álvarez-Díaz

Use of ‘‘entertainment’’ chimpanzees in commercials distorts public perception regarding their conservation status

by Alexandra Rosati

Schroepfer, K.K., Rosati, A.G., Chartrand, T., & Hare, B. (2011) PLoS One

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are often used in movies, commercials and print advertisements with the intention of... more Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are often used in movies, commercials and print advertisements with the intention of eliciting a humorous response from audiences. The portrayal of chimpanzees in unnatural, human-like situations may have a negative effect on the public’s understanding of their endangered status in the wild while making them appear as suitable pets. Alternatively, media content that elicits a positive emotional response toward chimpanzees may increase the public’s commitment to chimpanzee conservation. To test these competing hypotheses, participants (n = 165) watched a series of commercials in an experiment framed as a marketing study. Imbedded within the same series of commercials was one of three chimpanzee videos. Participants either watched 1) a chimpanzee conservation commercial, 2) commercials containing ‘‘entertainment’’ chimpanzees or 3) control footage of the natural behavior of wild chimpanzees. Results from a post- viewing questionnaire reveal that participants who watched the conservation message understood that chimpanzees were endangered and unsuitable as pets at higher levels than those viewing the control footage. Meanwhile participants watching commercials with entertainment chimpanzees showed a decrease in understanding relative to those watching the control footage. In addition, when participants were given the opportunity to donate part of their earnings from the experiment to a conservation charity, donations were least frequent in the group watching commercials with entertainment chimpanzees. Control questions show that participants did not detect the purpose of the study. These results firmly support the hypothesis that use of entertainment chimpanzees in the popular media negatively distorts the public’s perception and hinders chimpanzee conservation efforts.

Guest Column on Animal Shelters

by Nadine Dolby

published in Journal and Courier (Lafayette, Indiana) on April 10, 2012

discusses the differences between "limited access" and "open access" shelters discusses the differences between "limited access" and "open access" shelters

Padrões de referência da pressão plantar no movimento do Cão da Serra da Estrela

by Carla Cruz

Foot pressure reference values for the Estrela Mountain Dog locomotion

Neste trabalho caracteriza-se em termos de pressão plantar o movimento do Cão da Serra da Estrela no andamento “Marcha... more Neste trabalho caracteriza-se em termos de pressão plantar o movimento do Cão da Serra da Estrela no andamento “Marcha Semelhante ao Pacing” (“Ambladura”). Foram analisados 11 cães Serra da Estrela, isentos de displasia da anca e sem sinais visíveis de patologias que afectem o movimento, recorrendo a um sistema de plataformas de pressão plantar (RSSCAN) com 2 metros de comprimento. Para a caracterização do movimento do Serra da Estrela foi desenvolvido um software de apoio que permite a análise cinética, determinando-se vários parâmetros espaciais, temporais e cinéticos relativos ao movimento do Cão da Serra da Estrela, que poderão servir de referência em futuros estudos sobre patologias do aparelho locomotor.

Análise biomecânica da influência da displasia da anca na locomoção do Cão da Serra da Estrela – um projecto de investigação

by Carla Cruz

Biomechanic analysis of hip dysplasia influence on the Estrela Mountain Dog's locomotion - a reserach project

Nos últimos anos, têm surgido diversos estudos abordando a cinemática de canídeos, a maioria dos quais investigando a... more Nos últimos anos, têm surgido diversos estudos abordando a cinemática de canídeos, a maioria dos quais investigando a influência de diferentes patologias na movimentação. Este trabalho tem como objectivo contribuir para a caracterização morfológica e biomecânica do Cão da Serra da Estrela, com particular incidência para a movimentação típica da raça e desvios induzidos pela ocorrência de lassidão articular e displasia da anca. Pretende-se que contribua para o desenvolvimento de metodologias específicas baseadas em parâmetros cinéticos e cinemáticos que auxiliem a detecção não-invasiva da lassidão articular e displasia da anca, não só na raça, mas também nos cães em geral, assim como na análise da eficácia do seu tratamento paliativo. Esta metodologia torna-se assim particularmente relevante no âmbito da saúde e bem-estar animal.

Recurrent perseveration correlates with abnormal repetitive locomotion in adult mink but is not reduced by environmental enrichment

by Jamie Ahloy Dallaire

Dallaire JA, Meagher RK, Díez-León M, Garner JP, and Mason GJ. 2011. Behavioural Brain Research 224(2):213-222.

We analysed the relationship between abnormal repetitive behaviour (ARB), the presence/absence of environmental... more We analysed the relationship between abnormal repetitive behaviour (ARB), the presence/absence of environmental enrichment, and two types of behavioural disinhibition in farmed American mink, Neovison vison. The first type, recurrent perseveration, the inappropriate repetition of already completed responses, was assessed using three indices of excessive response repetition and patterning in a bias-corrected serial two-choice guessing task. The second type, disinhibition of prepotent responses to reward cues, a form of impulsivity, was tested in a locomotive detour task adapted from primate reaching tasks: subjects were required to walk around, rather than directly into, a transparent barrier behind which food was visible. In older adult females, recurrent perseveration positively predicted pre-feeding abnormal repetitive locomotion (ARL) in Non-enriched housing. High-ARL subjects also performed repeated (same-choice) responses more rapidly than low-ARL animals, even when statistically controlling for alternated (different-choice) response latency. Mink performed much less ARL following transfer to Enriched housing, but there was no corresponding change in recurrent perseveration. Thus, elevated recurrent perseveration is not sufficient for frequent ARL; and while captive environments do determine ARL frequency, in mink, they do not necessarily do so by modifying levels of perseveration. Disinhibition of prepotent responses to reward cues, meanwhile, did not predict ARL. In a separate sample of differentially housed young adults, neither type of behavioural disinhibition predicted ARL, and again, whether or not housing was enriched did not affect behavioural disinhibition despite affecting ARL. Thus, the relationship between recurrent perseveration and ARB may only develop with age; longitudinal studies are now required for confirmation.

Middle-aged mice with enrichment-resistant stereotypic behaviour show reduced motivation for enrichment

by Jamie Ahloy Dallaire

Tilly SLC, Dallaire J, and Mason GJ. 2010. Animal Behaviour 80(3):363-373.

For captive animals, living in barren conditions leads to stereotypic behaviour that is hard to alleviate using... more For captive animals, living in barren conditions leads to stereotypic behaviour that is hard to alleviate using environmental enrichment. This resistance to enrichment is often explained via mechanisms that decouple abnormal behaviour from current welfare, such as ‘establishment’: a hypothetical process whereby repetition increases behaviour’s predictability and resistance to change. If such hypotheses are correct, then animals with enrichment-resistant stereotypic behaviour should still find enrichments rewarding. Alternatively, this behaviour could reflect a failure to improve welfare: plausible because age and chronic stress increase neophobia and anhedonia. If this hypothesis is correct, animals with enrichment-resistant stereotypic behaviour should value enrichments less than conspecifics. We tested these hypotheses using C57BL/6 mice, Mus musculus, aged 10–11 and 6–7 months, raised in barren laboratory cages. We observed their behaviour in both these and large enriched cages. Enrichment was more effective on the younger animals. However, contrary to ideas about establishment, the spontaneous predictability of stereotypic behaviour did not increase with age; nor was enrichment less effective on more predictable or time-consuming forms. We assessed the reward value of enriched cages by allowing access via progressively weighted doors (maximum weight pushed corresponding to peak motivation). In older mice, those individuals whose stereotypic behaviour was least reduced by enrichment were also the least motivated to gain access to enrichment. This suggests that the welfare of middle-aged-animals, as well as their stereotypic behaviour, is harder to improve using environmental enrichment.

Noblesse Oblige: Theological Differences between Humans and Animals and What They Imply Morally

by Ryan Patrick McLaughlin

Oxford Journal of Animal Ethics 1, 2 (Fall 2011): 132-149

The author reviews the work of select theologians, ethicists, and biblical scholars who suggest that the difference... more The author reviews the work of select theologians, ethicists, and biblical scholars who suggest that the difference between humans and animals should not serve solely as an ascription of a special status to humans, but also as the foundation for a responsibility that humans bear toward animals.  As an added reflection, the author explores common categorical differentiations in systematic theology: God and creation; human and nonhuman; elect and non-elect.  In the first and last of these categorical differentiations, unique identity entails both a special status and responsibility.  The latter is normatively directed to those who are categorically different.  As such, the categorical difference between humans and animals establishes a foundation for moral concern.

Evidencing the Eschaton: Progressive-Transformative Animal Welfare in the Church Fathers

by Ryan Patrick McLaughlin

Modern Theology 27, 1 (January 2011): 121-46

The author aims to retrieve and develop creatively a strand of Christian thought, stretching from early Christian... more The author aims to retrieve and develop creatively a strand of Christian thought, stretching from early Christian interpretations of biblical data through the hagiographies of the saints into modern Christian thought, which provides a foundation for concern over the welfare of nonhuman animals. To provide the framework for this strand, the author explores the theology of Irenaeus of Lyons and Ephrem the Syrian. First, he considers their positions regarding the place of nonhuman animals in protology and eschatology. Then, he notes their view that the created order is in via toward its eschatological consummation. With this framework in place, he turns to other voices in the Christian tradition, including the hagiographies of the saints, in order to further develop the framework. Ultimately, the author suggests that, within this particular strand of Christian thought, the further a human being progresses along the path of redemption, the more he or she ought to serve as a prolepsis of eschatological hope, which includes peaceful relationships between humans and animals.

SEARCHING FOR THE 'WIN-WIN'? ANIMALS, GENOMICS AND WELFARE

by Richard Twine

Animal Welfare Consciousness of Chinese College Students: Findings and Analysis

by Pei Su

By Zu Shuxian, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
Peter J. Li, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston,TX,U.S.A.
Pei-Feng Su, ACTAsia for Animals, London, U.K.

Abstract The moral character of China’s single-child generation has been studied by Chinese researchers since the... more Abstract The moral character of China’s single-child generation has been studied by Chinese researchers since the early 1990s. Recent acts of animal cruelty by college students turned this subject of academic inquiry into a topic of public debate. This study joins the inquiry by asking if the perceived unique traits of the single-child generation, i.e. self-centeredness, lack of compassion, and indifference to the feelings of others, are discernible in their attitudes toward animals. Specifically, the study investigates whether the college students are in favor of better treatment of animals, objects of unprecedented exploitation on the Chinese mainland. With the help of two surveys conducted in selected Chinese universities, this study concludes that the college students, a majority of whom belong to the single-child generation, are not morally compromised. A high percentage of the surveyed expressed empathy toward animals and opposed animal cruelty. This finding suggests that upbringing in families with better material conditions has not undercut the moral development of the students. Importantly, the study supports the view that China is philosophically ready for legislation on animal welfare despite the remaining ideological, cultural, and economic factors that discourage societal activism for animal protection.

Changing China - Country status report within the social and political context

by Pei Su

Published by ACTAsia for Animals, a UK registered charity. By Deepashree Balaram & Pei F Su

This paper attempts to detail the legislative process
in China to give greater understanding of what can more This paper attempts to detail the legislative process
in China to give greater understanding of what can
reasonably be achieved, in what time scale and
how it should be approached. The opportunities
to develop a successful NGO animal welfare sector
are plentiful, but to enable this to happen, overseas
assistance needs to be coupled with a greater
understanding of the recent historical, political
and social factors in China, as animal welfare can
only be addressed within this context.

Whaling: Quota trading won't work

by Diogo Veríssimo

Verissimo, D., and K. Metcalfe. 2012. Whaling: Quota trading won’t work. Nature 482:162-162.

Anti-whaling organizations are often presented as conservationists (Nature 481, 114; 2012). But for conservation... more Anti-whaling organizations are often presented as conservationists (Nature 481, 114; 2012). But for conservation efforts to advance, we need to resolve the differences between animal welfare, which is concerned with individuals, and environmental conservation, which focuses on maintaining populations, species and ecosystems.
Anti-whaling organizations spend millions of dollars every year trying to stop the Japanese whaling fleet from hunting the common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), which is not endangered (Nature 481, 139–140; 2012). Their use of financial resources is justifiable only from an animal-welfare perspective.
If the anti-whaling lobby were interested in whale conservation, it would use its financial power to help to assess the population ecology and dynamics of the many whale species listed as ‘data deficient’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This would enable evidence-based quotas to be set for countries that choose to exploit this resource.
The quota-trading scheme proposed by Christopher Costello and his colleagues is a promising market-based solution for whale conservation, but is unlikely to succeed. For some countries, such as Japan, whaling is a symbol of national and cultural identity, so the economic returns may not provide sufficient incentive. Also, this is strictly a moral issue for the anti-whaling lobby, driven not by environmental conservation but by the suffering imposed on individual whales.
Over the past decade, the two sides have grown further apart. If a compromise is to be reached, environmental conservationists must inform decision-makers and public opinion in the same way that the anti-whaling lobby has used its financial muscle to push its agenda over the years.

Establishment and care of a colony of parthenogenetic marbled crayfish, Marmorkrebs

by Zen Faulkes

Resting behaviour, growth and diarrhoea incidence rate of youg dairy calves housed individually or in groups in warm or cold buildings

by Laura Hänninen

The effect of floor type or relocation on calves' pulsatile growth hormone and cortisol secretion

by Laura Hänninen

An improved method for housing laboratory frogs and toads using a miniature ecosystem

by Andrew Robins

Robins, A. (1997). “An improved method for housing laboratory frogs and toads using a miniature ecosystem.” ANZCCART News (Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching), 10 (2): 4-5.
I developed a housing system for anurans that was highly commended by the Animal Ethics Committee (UNE/NSW), and adopted for implementation in all tertiary institutions in New South Wales, Australia.

There is growing recognition of the need to meet the specific behavioural and physiological needs of amphibian species... more There is growing recognition of the need to meet the specific behavioural and physiological needs of amphibian species used in research, to ensure long-term health in captivity. The most sophisticated housing enclosures provide a choice of diet and microhabitat e.g., basking, hiding and hydration sites within the enclosure to assist metabolism (Buttemer, 1993). Although developed specifically for the housing of wid-caught toads for behavioural research, with very few modifications the methods outlined below would be appropriate for many species of frog. The housing features cheap, low maintenance enclosures including high quality recycled water (using biological filtration), flushing and humidifying sprinklers, areas for swimming, hiding and burrowing, and separate live prey breeding systems (crickets, mealworms and compost worms). Compost worms and peat moss form the core around which the semi-natural housing environment is managed ecologically.