Solutions to animal welfare

Question 1

How can welfare problems be made better, and welfare be enhanced?

Answer 1

• physical conditions
• social conditions
• human contact
• genetic selection

Question 2

What should physical environment design be based on? (physical condition)

Answer 2

should be designed based on knowledge of species - and age-specific requirements, i.e. physiological and behavioural needs

Question 3

How can physical environments solve problems? (physical conditions)

Answer 3

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

Question 4

examples of changes in environmental design and management (physical environments)

Answer 4

e.g. appropriate floors, stocking density, environmental enrichment, cleaning schedule, feeding methods

Question 5

Can the effects of physical environment be estimated? (physical conditions)

Answer 5

Effects of the physical environment cannot be estimated without considering the
social environment

Question 6

Where is feeding behaviour highly controlled? (feeding methods)

Answer 6

in captivity

Question 7

How can feeding systems affect welfare? (feeding methods)

Answer 7

may compromise welfare

Question 8

What does a range of possible modifications include? (feeding methods)

Answer 8

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)

Question 9

What may be overlooked in farming environments? (feeding methods)

Answer 9

individual feeding behaviour may be overlooked in farming environments -> transponders for automatic quantification of feeding behaviour and feed intake

Question 10

What does handling and transport involve?

Answer 10

changes to environment

Question 11

what does handling and transport compromise of?

Answer 11

all Five Freedoms

Question 12

What do negative aspects of transport include? (handling and transport)

Answer 12

include extreme temperatures, lack of food/water/rest, vibration, motion, noise, social disruption etc.

Question 13

what is handling and transport influenced by?

Answer 13

influenced by knowledge & experience

Question 14

Is there specific guidelines on handling and transport?

Answer 14

yes, specific guidelines on handling and transport

Question 15

What are the costs and benefits of group living? (natural social groups)

Answer 15

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

Question 16

What do decisions to join/;eave groups depend on? (natural social groups)

Answer 16

predation pressure, resource availability & distribution and the ability to compete

Question 17

what do group structure range from and to? (natural social groups)

Answer 17

group structure ranges from loose aggregations to stable, cohesive groups

Question 18

What occurs within groups? (natural social groups)

Answer 18

different personality types within groups

Question 19

What are common issues with managed social environments?

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

What are the 2 approaches to tackling welfare problems in captive social environments?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

How can mixing-related aggression be reduced? (problems in newly formed groups)

Answer 21

• 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’)

Question 22

Memory in sheep (problems in newly formed groups)

Answer 22

• individual sheep can remember 50 other different sheep faces for over 2 years

Question 23

Problems in established groups

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Social conditions - summary

Answer 24

• 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

Question 25

human contact

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Developing positive human-animal relationship (HAR) (human contact)

Answer 26

• 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

Question 27

Assessment of positive human-animal relationship (human contact)

Answer 27

• 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

Question 28

What is Human-animal relationship (HAR) critical for? (human contact)

Answer 28

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)

Question 29

What are the potential welfare benefits of a positive HAR?

Answer 29

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