Animal Behavior and Welfare

Question 1

Types of Behavior

Answer 1

-Communication=convey information among animals
-Social= interactions amongst animals and with humans
-Sexual- specific to mating
-Maternal- caring for young
-Ingestive- food finding and consumption
-shelter-seeking-comfortable and conditions
-Behavior disorders/stereotypic behaviors- not normal or expected

Question 2

Behavior

Answer 2

Innate
-Instincts=animal’s initial reaction to a novel stimulus
Learned
-Imprinting= desire to attach to parent
-Habituation= repetitive stimuli

Question 3

Learned Behaviors

Answer 3

-Observational= learn via watching others
-Associative= responds to reinforcement or punishment

Question 4

Associative Learning

Answer 4

-Classical conditioning= external stimulus is associated with the outcome
-Operant conditioning= association is made between behavior and response

Question 5

Stimulus and Response

Answer 5

+ stim & + res = positive reinforcement
+ stim & - res = positive punishment
- stim & + res = negative reinforcement
- stim & - res = negative punishment

Question 6

Introduction to Welfare

Answer 6

-Not a new concept= have wanted to raise healthy animals for years
-industrialization of agriculture sparked consumer interest
~systems level rather than individual concern
-will continue to be a topic of debate for years

Question 7

Animal Sentience

Answer 7

-Sentience=capacity to experience
-suffering and pleasure
-all vertebrates, some invertebrates
-animals can experience complex emotions (grief, empathy, joy, pleasure)
-Based on decades or research

Question 8

Anthropomorphism

Answer 8

-attributing human characteristics
-generally criticized
-good starting point to understand what animals need to have a good life
=critical anthropomorphism

Question 9

Animal Welfare

Answer 9

holds that animals may be used for the benefit of humans or other animals, provided the animals are treated humanely

Question 10

Animal Rights Definition

Answer 10

presumes animals should have equal rights with humans

Question 11

Animal Rights

Answer 11

-animal rights presumes animals should have equal rights with humans
-PETA
-Tactics include: undercover video campaigns, protests, rallies, social media, are shock value.
=videos often miscontextualized
=sometimes faked
=some do show mishandling/abuse-extreme cases

Question 12

Animal rights groups

Answer 12

-PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals)
=large, well funded, $48 million, $45.6 million donated
=84% “programs”
=14% fundraising
=2% towards management
-Strategies- anthropomorphism, focus on high profile issues, employ celebrities
-private shelter in Norfolk, VA
-Do provide support for other shelter, provide sterilization clinics

Question 13

Other Animal Rights Groups

Answer 13

Human Society of the United States
-largest organization ($159 million in revenue)
-same goals as PETA, different approach
Expenditures
->25% fundraising
->25% on litigation, investigations and campaigns
-<10% very little on shelter

Question 14

Current events - Legislation

Answer 14

-Original welfare legislation= Animal Welfare Act and Humane Slaughter Act
-California=Proposition 12 (taking effect 2022) bans pork obtained from systems that use gestation crates, eggs not from cage-free systems
-New York(2019)=bans cat declawing (1st state), Maryland 2nd state (2022)
-Virginia (January 2022) - bans animal tested cosmetics

Question 15

Welfare from an agriculture standpoint

Answer 15

-welfare concerns the quality of life
-physical=animal’s production, health, and any pain or injury
-Mental= emotional state, fear and distress
-Natural=behaviors typical for animal, reproductive, feeding, maternal, natural environment, animals chosen how they spend their time

Question 16

Welfare Framework

Answer 16

Framework 1: avoid suffering (Barmbell’s 5 Freedom)
1.Freedom from hunger or thirst
2.Freedom from discomfort
3.Freedom from pain, injury, or disease
4.Freedom to express (most) normal behavior
5.Freedom from fear and distress

Question 17

Framework 2: life worth living (Fraser’s 3 Conception)

Answer 17

Basic health and functioning
-physical health
-production
-freedom from pain, injury or disease
Affective
-emotions
-mental stress
-freedom from fear and distress
Natural living
-showing natural behavior
-having natural elements in environment

Question 18

Welfare balances ethics and science

Answer 18

-moral obligation/values=”we should provide hens with natural laying condition
-Objective, scientific assessment
+more natural behavior
+reduced chronic stress
-predation and disease increased

Question 19

Assessing welfare: Inputs-what is going into the system?

Answer 19

-Management: training, care
-Environment: Housing, diet, vaccine/health
-Animal: Genetics, previous human experience

Question 20

Assessing welfare: Outputs-evaluating how animals respond to environment

Answer 20

-physical condition: cuts, lesions, swelling, body condition
-Physiology: stress hormones, heart rate
-Behavior: social interaction, curiosity, alertness