Breaking social bonds Flashcards
what is a social bond
-mutual, affectionate, emotional attachment between 2 individuals that is relatively long-lasting and survives temporary separations
what kind of behaviours are seen in social bonds
-usually include affiliative behaviours
-allogrooming
-resting in contact
-synchronized activities
-greeting following temporary separations
how can social bonds have physiological impacts
-can moderate HPA axis
-reductions in heart rate (dogs/humans, prairie voles and more)
-endorphins released
-reduction in cortisol, noradrenaline
-improved immune function via cort or oxy
physiological effects involved with social bonds by moderating HPA axis
-study in primates
-friendship based on similarity in personalities
-fitness benefits including increased survival rates, including infants
-reproductive sucess
is the level of the bond identical between two parties
probably not and may vary over time
is there a clear “point in time” when bonds break
-not usually sometimes weaned off
-death or removal (selling) is sudden
breaking bonds in humans
-emotional response
-results in: behavioural and physiological response
response to separation in animals
-when a bond breakage occurs, but there is motivation to reunite :
-protest and dispair
-locomotion
-vocalization
-depression
response to short-term seperation in parents and young
-response may differ depending on species
-rabbits: short separation not considered highly stressful
-lamb: short separation quite stressful
response to long term seperation
-may adapt and return to normal behaviours
but some mammalian species show prolonged grief at separation
-i.e., unresponsiveness, listlessness, head hanging, sunken eyes, cognitive impairment, depresses immunity
what is the strongest kind of bond
mother offspring
mother-offspring bonds in farm animals (species difference)
-livestock are mostly
-polygynous (one man many woman)
-precocial
-mothers are responsible for care with young, but there are exceptions
-ie geese and pigions both genders care for their young
mother-offspring bonds in farm animals (Genetics)
-dairy cows: young is removed within 24 hrs
-less distressed by calf separation than beef cattle
-more tolerant of adopting other calves
-less mothering behaviour selection
-beef cattle: extensive managemnt
-strong bonds between mother and young
-preference to rear own calves but may sometimes cross-foster
mother-offspring bonds in farm animals (proximity)
-strength depends on: proximity of calf
-experiment:
-treatment 1: head and neck of the calf remained in contact (x barrier) but the cow could touch and hear, bond with her calf remained
-treatment 2: cow hobbled, calf behind barrier and strange calf sucked, bond with her own calf remained
-treatment 3: her own calf was removed, new calf was allowed to suckle, formed a new bond with new calf, no bond with her own calf
-this study could help with management at time of weaning
mother-offspring bonds in farm animals (litter size)
-litter size in piglets
-bigger=less bonded with mom
-inversely related to strength of attachment
mother-offspring bonds in farm animals (length of bond)
-livestock in extensive situation
-beyond weaning may retain some kind of bond
-cattle: less aggression at the feeder between mothers and daughters as compared to unrelated cattle
other bonds in commercial livestock
-sibling bonds
-friendship bonds
sibling bonds in commercial livestock
-siblings may show bonds
-lambs housed with twins showed less distress when separated from ewe
-litter size likely affected strength of bond between siblings (negative relationship)
friendships commercial live stock
-primates (friends can reduce depression and improve health under bond breakage)
-see friendships in livestock
-communal nesting in pigs
-allowing unrelated animals to suckle
-allogrooming in horses
-although limited info in livestock
friend ships in different animals
-in primates friends can reduce depression and improve health under bond breakage
-see these friendships in livestock:
-communal nesting in pigs
-allowing unrelated animals to suckle
-allogrooming in horses
how can bonds break under natural conditions
-death
-loss or separation of a youngster
-leaving of natal groups
-weaning
with separation the longer the time…
the less chance of the bond being revived
weaning characteristics
-gradual (less stressful then abrupt)
-various ages depending on species
Piglet weaning natural vs human influences
-sucking gradually reduces between 2-4 months
-we wean at 21 days
calf weaning natural vs human influences
-between 6 and 1 year
-we wean around 6 months
why do animals get naturally weaned
-frequency of suckling reduced
-aggression
-mother walks away
-milk volume reduces
leaving of natal groups
-animals moving from their birth groups to their new breeding or reproductive groups
-if moving a far distance, bonds with original group break
how old are horses when they leave there natal groups
-between 1 and 4 years in wild
-7-8 months in domestic horses
what causes bonds to break in farm conditions (permanent)
-livestock often have no choice
-weaning (sort of)
-sale
-Division of growing group numbers
-slaughter
-Removal of sick animals
-this often leads to very unstable groups structures
what causes bonds to break in farm conditions (temporary)
-breeding
-health checks
-foot care
-horse riding
-grooming
-animal shows
what happens to animals with permanent separations and even temporary if they arent used to being split
-often results in very unstable group structures
-disrupts hierarchy and causes stress
what are some physiological consequences of broken bonds
-Separation distress can cause permanent physiological effects
-Permanent changes to corticotrophin-releasing hormone gene expression
-higher levels of CRH (cort)
-Proliferation of CRH receptors
-Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis becomes more sensitive
-physiological and physiological indications of depression
dogs and removing them from their bonded owner
-can build tolerance
-but can have separation anxiety
-due to having changes in HPA axis
-Hand-reared livestock show this same phenomenon
temporary absences and changes in group membership impact on immune function
-causes decreases immunity due to high cort
-for example lambs seperated daily from ewes at 3.5 weeks of age more sensitive to parasitic infections then older lambs suddenly weaned
-younger animals can have a much more severe effect
breaking bonds in poultry
-not uncommon to move animals from one group to another
-stressor
-redevelopment of dominance which leads to agression
-cost for immune function, production
-HPA may happen
-establishing hierarchy
what is additivity of stressors
-more stress can add to existing stress
-so sometimes just limiting one factor can really help with this
example of addictive effects of stress in young calves
-sudden early weaning
-results in a number of changes
-breaking bond with mother-offspring
-abrupt changes to digestive tract (whole system changes ie. microbes)
-no allowance for suckling behaviour (comfort)
how to help with stress for sudden early weaning
-calves often attempt to suckle other body parts of pen mates
-drink urine
-piglets will ear and tail chew
-giving them a bucket with nipple allows aleviation of stress and reduces negative issues (reduces on added stressor)
issues in turkey poults with no access to their mother
-removes the ability of the mother to teach the young specific things (seen in other animals too)
-they learn to feed more efficiently if they have a mother
-but if mother figure is removed the young may bond to another figure
slaughter of a group member
-they know its not there but dont understand slaughter
-no evidence but may be stresses by vocalization , posturingm odors
-pigs and sheep theres no impact on slaughter alone
what happens if group member is exposed to blood of a pen mate
-some evidence it is averse in chickens other evidence that the birds are attracted to the blood
-pigs prefer to chew on tails with blood
-cattle showed more sniffing and differing locomotory behaviours, but did not impact feeding behaviour
death of a group member: mourning behaviour
-seen in highly social, long-lived animals
-remaining with the dead after group has left
-revisiting
-investigation of the bones
-unsure if seen in dogs
-animals such as chickens and pigs may consume the dead (no evidence if that differs if a bond has been formed with the dead
can we lessen the impact of breaking bonds
-substitute stimuli
-substitution may help reduce stress
-teat for non-nutritive sucking also reduces digestive hormones
-human contact
-goats weaned at a week but handled twice a day less distracted than those with no handing
-auditory stimuli
-opposite effect
-sounds of the dam or other noises can actually reinitiate the distress of the young
-but music appeared to calm young chicks
-mirror
-Works in some species (chicks, cattle) but not not as effective in others as companion (sheep)
can we lessen the impact of breaking bonds for weaning
-artificially breaking mother-offspring bonds is less stressful
-There is management systems that don’t allow for this (family pen systems for pigs)
-management systems that allow for short periods of separation help minimize distress (get-away penning for pigs/piglets
-weaning techniques in cattle (allowing contact across the fence, use of paddles in calves caused less stress for 3 days post weaning (vocalization) if allowed contact across fence, and higher weight gains during this period
