Solutions to animal welfare Flashcards
How can welfare problems be made better, and welfare be enhanced?
- physical conditions
- social conditions
- human contact
- genetic selection
What should physical environment design be based on? (physical condition)
should be designed based on knowledge of species - and age-specific requirements, i.e. physiological and behavioural needs
How can physical environments solve problems? (physical conditions)
different solutions may exist to given problem and some changes to the physical environment may solve more than one problem. Some changes may not solve the problem or may create other welfare problems
examples of changes in environmental design and management (physical environments)
e.g. appropriate floors, stocking density, environmental enrichment, cleaning schedule, feeding methods
Can the effects of physical environment be estimated? (physical conditions)
Effects of the physical environment cannot be estimated without considering the
social environment
Where is feeding behaviour highly controlled? (feeding methods)
in captivity
How can feeding systems affect welfare? (feeding methods)
may compromise welfare
What does a range of possible modifications include? (feeding methods)
e.g. change from indoor to outdoor housing to allow foraging; small changes in how food is offered, the diet, feeding enrichment devices (but avoid frustration and/or boredom)
What may be overlooked in farming environments? (feeding methods)
individual feeding behaviour may be overlooked in farming environments -> transponders for automatic quantification of feeding behaviour and feed intake
What does handling and transport involve?
changes to environment
what does handling and transport compromise of?
all Five Freedoms
What do negative aspects of transport include? (handling and transport)
include extreme temperatures, lack of food/water/rest, vibration, motion, noise, social disruption etc.
what is handling and transport influenced by?
influenced by knowledge & experience
Is there specific guidelines on handling and transport?
yes, specific guidelines on handling and transport
What are the costs and benefits of group living? (natural social groups)
benefits
- diluted predation risk
- predator detection, resource defence, food location & acquisition
- thermoregulation
- allo-grooming
- social learning and facilitation
costs
- disease and parasite transmission
- competition for food and resources
- increased aggression
What do decisions to join/;eave groups depend on? (natural social groups)
predation pressure, resource availability & distribution and the ability to compete
what do group structure range from and to? (natural social groups)
group structure ranges from loose aggregations to stable, cohesive groups
What occurs within groups? (natural social groups)
different personality types within groups
What are common issues with managed social environments?
- social isolation/separation and disruption of social attachments
- introduction of unfamiliar individuals (increased aggression, stress)
- unnatural group composition (e.g. adult males only -> aggression)
- high versus low-ranking individuals
- overcrowding
What are the 2 approaches to tackling welfare problems in captive social environments?
A. use knowledge about social organisation to design husbandry systems
B. alter existing social environments to address welfare problems
= troubleshooting approach (more common); often focussed on symptoms rather than causes, e.g. addressing aggression following introduction of unfamiliar individuals -> often postpones but does not reduce aggression
How can mixing-related aggression be reduced? (problems in newly formed groups)
- enhancing asymmetries between group members: asymmetry in competitive abilities leads to faster establishment of social status (e.g. mixing H & L pigs)
- minimising opportunities for resource monopolization (e.g. increase group size)
- facilitating assessment behaviour (eavesdropping on competitive and social status)
- facilitating recognition of previously familiar animals (‘social memory’)
Memory in sheep (problems in newly formed groups)
- individual sheep can remember 50 other different sheep faces for over 2 years
Problems in established groups
provide cover & opportunities for avoidance
-> provide opportunities to avoid each other
-> hiding places, visual barriers, perches, elevated platforms
manipulate resource distribution
-> reduce competition
-> distribute resources
-> desynchronise activity
Social conditions - summary
- animal welfare problems in social groups result of not considering social history & skills of group members
- solving social problems in captivity requires a deep understanding of social behaviour & individual differences
- social environment can be a constant source of welfare problems BUT also is a potential tool to improve welfare
- For group-living species, an appropriate social environment should be provided rather than resorting to social isolation to avoid problems
- social stress should be considered as a risk factor affecting individual susceptibility to disease / other welfare problems
human contact
different affective experiences and motivations are involved in an animal’s perception of and reaction to humans -> these likely determine the strength of an animal’s relationship with humans, which may therefore vary from negative through neutral to positive
The perception of the relationship has implications for welfare as emotions are generated by human interactions that directly impact on the animal’s welfare
Developing positive human-animal relationship (HAR) (human contact)
- gentle handling (visual contact sufficient in some species)
- training & positive reinforcement (often used in zoo and companion animals but rarely in farm animals)
- age, familiarity, and previous experience can influence HAR; generalisation
- human attitudes, skills, and knowledge influence their behaviour towards animals
- predictability of the interaction, choice & control of when to interact
Assessment of positive human-animal relationship (human contact)
- requires a holistic analysis; several indicators need to be considered for a full understanding
- motivation to interact with humans may at the time be conflicting with other motivations
- some indicators of a positive HAR are species-specific
What is Human-animal relationship (HAR) critical for? (human contact)
Human-animal relationship
(HAR) can have important
and long-lasting effects on
animal welfare, and this
relationship is often critical
to e.g. productivity, ease of
handling and management
(or companionship and
satisfaction for humans)
What are the potential welfare benefits of a positive HAR?
Description of the relationship
- anticipation and proximity seeking
- response to separation
- preferential relationship
- affiliative interactions
- behavioural synchrony, matching and cooperation
- tolerance in conflict situations
- acceptance of human constraints
Beneficial impact of positive HAR
- positive animal welfare state from interacting with humans, e.g. relaxation, reassurance, environmental enrichment, exploration or excitement/play
- lower risk of injury
- animal learning
- acceptance of human constraints
- L-T animal welfare effects, e.g. increased stress resilience, enhanced health
Rault et al., 2020
