intro to animal welfare

Question 1

welfare refers to

Answer 1

the state of an individual as it attempts to cope with its environment

Question 2

thermoneutral zone (TNZ)

Answer 2

where adaptive responses can maintain homeostasis
two ends are LCT (temperature where metabolic rates rises above basal levels to generate heat ie shivering) and UCT (temp where evaporative cooling is triggered ie sweating)

Question 3

prescriptive zone

Answer 3

body temp changes due to exercise and metabolic rate, a little uncomfortable but adaptation mechanisms allow body to be fine

Question 4

tolerance zone

Answer 4

outside of prescriptive zone, stress, adaptation alone is not enough to maintain body temp, may compromise physiologic functions but will survive

Question 5

survival zone

Answer 5

outside of tolerance zone, risk of death, severe stress

Question 6

biological function

Answer 6

behaviour, physiology, health and productivity
-welfare is good when animals coping well
-welfare poor when these bodily functions not within normal limits

Question 7

affective state

Answer 7

ability to experience positive and negative feelings or emotions
-good AW when animal adapts without suffering in interactions w other animals, environments and people

Question 8

natural state view

Answer 8

-ideal environment for a particular species
-AW may be compromised depending on how far its immediate conditions differ form original wild state

Question 9

concept of AW is a framework of what three concepts to explain AW

Answer 9

biological function, affective state and natural state view

Question 10

sentience

Answer 10

animals are recognized as sentient; awareness, sensation, consciousness, sense, perception, alertness

Question 11

five freedoms vs 5 domains

Answer 11

freedom from hunger and thirst: nutrition
freedom from discomfort: environment
freedom from pain, injury and disease: health
freedom to express normal behaviour: behaviour
freedom from fear and distress: mental state

Question 12

early AW focus was on ensuring absence of negative experience, now shifting to:

Answer 12

importance of positive experiences

Question 13

AW is a spectrum

Answer 13

positive and negative, not all suffering is bad, AW changes throughout the day

Question 14

values

Answer 14

deeply held personal principles that reflect what you believe to be correct, important, desirable

Question 15

morals

Answer 15

value judgements or beliefs about right or wrong, good or bad

Question 16

ethics

Answer 16

study of concepts of right and wrong when applied to conduct or behavior
how you use morals to change your behavior

Question 17

institutional ethics

Answer 17

often based of a code of conduct at a workplace

Question 18

professional ethics

Answer 18

code of conduct describing behavioural expectations for specific professions

Question 19

social license

Answer 19

regulatory permission alone is not sufficient, must also maintain social permission

Question 20

AW vs animal rights

Answer 20

rights: based on philosophical views
AW : can be used but should be managed to ensure good welfare

Question 21

stereotypies

Answer 21

repetitive behaviour w no obvious purpose , may be an indication of poor welfare if seen frequently

Question 22

qualitative behaviour assessment (QBA)

Answer 22

emerging method in measuring AW, human observers collect and interpret animal behaviour data

Question 23

production measures

Answer 23

many farms collect production data: animal counts, fertility, growth, BCS, production, culling rates

Question 24

health data on farms

Answer 24

• disease. occurrence, infectious vs non infectious, physical state, physical injury, mortality

Question 25

physiologic measures as indirect measures of welfare

Answer 25

temp, heart rate, resp rate, BCS, hydration status, hematology, etc

Question 26

abattoir inspection

Answer 26

look for skin lesions and injuries ante-mortem and then post mortem exams too

Question 27

ways to assess AW:

Answer 27

behavior, physiologic measures, environmental assessment

Question 28

farm based assessments usually based on

Answer 28

5 freedoms/ domains
name an example of what would be assessed for each

Question 29

quality assurance schemes (QA)

Answer 29

for farming systems, voluntary, documented performance, leads to certification, audit the farm

Question 30

values, morals and ethics

Answer 30

values= personal beliefs
values form morals
ethics study of right and wrong