HABRI Central

On the Fence: The Impact of Education on Support for Electric Fencing to Prevent Conflict between Humans and Baboons in Kommetjie, South Africa

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Walsh, Debbie, O’Riain, M. Justin, Nattrass, Nicoli, Gaynor, David

Few studies test whether education can help increase support for wildlife management interventions. This mixed methods study sought to test the importance of educating a community on the use of a baboon-proof electric fence to mitigate negative interactions between humans and Chacma baboons...

Hide-and-Seek in a Highly Human-Dominated Landscape: Insights into Movement Patterns and Selection of Resting Sites of Rehabilitated Wolves (Canis lupus) in Northern Italy

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Torretta, Elisa, Corradini, Andrea, Pedrotti, Luca, Bani, Luciano, Bisi, Francesco, Dondina, Olivia

Assessing the behavioural responses of floating wolves to human presence is crucial for investigating the chance of wolf populations expanding into urbanised landscapes. We studied the movement ecology of three rehabilitated wolves in a highly human-dominated landscape (Po Plain, Italy) to...

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Behavioural Tendencies of Cats and Dogs in Japan

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Takagi, Saho, Koyasu, Hikari, Hattori, Madoka, Nagasawa, Takumi, Maejima, Michiro, Nagasawa, Miho, Kikusui, Takefumi, Saito, Atsuko

Physical and mental effects stemming from COVID-19 have impacted not only people’s lives but also the lives of their pets, which in recent years are often seen as members of the family. This study aimed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan on pets and their owners....

The Relationship between Knowing and Liking for 91 Urban Animal Species among Students

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Sweet, Fabio S. T., Noack, Peter, Hauck, Thomas E., Weisser, Wolfgang W.

While there is growing consensus that nature should be promoted in cities, it is less clear what kind of nature this should be. One hypothesis is that humans show greater liking for those parts of nature that they know better. Using questionnaires, we studied the familiarity of 475 students...

Animal Resources in the Economy of Medieval Moldova: Archaeozoological Case Study of the Urban Settlement from Târgu Neamț (NE Romania)

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Stanc, Margareta Simina, Bejenaru, Luminița, Popovici, Mariana, Diaconu, Vasile, Danu, Mihaela

This study aims to contribute to the knowledge of the medieval Moldovan economy by evaluating animal resources (e.g., animal husbandry, hunting, fishing) based on the skeletal remains found in archaeologic sites from northeastern Romania and the Republic of Moldova. Animal remains, especially...

Links between pet ownership and exercise on the mental health of veterinary professionals

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Smith, E. T., Barcelos, A. M., Mills, D. S.

BackgroundConnections between the effects of pet ownership and exercise on mental health have previously been demonstrated in different populations. However, little is known about the potential effects of pet ownership and exercise on the mental health of veterinary professionals. Since these...

Encoding of Arousal and Physical Characteristics in Audible and Ultrasonic Vocalizations of Mongolian Gerbil Pups Testing Common Rules for Mammals

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Silberstein, Yara, Felmy, Felix, Scheumann, Marina

In mammals, common rules for the encoding of arousal and physical characteristics of the sender are suggested based on a similar vocal production apparatus. In this study, we want to investigate to what extent vocalizations of developing Mongolian gerbil pups fulfill these rules. We recorded...

Companion Cats Show No Effect of Trial-and-Error Learning Compared to Dogs in a Transparent-Obstacle Detour Task

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Shajid Pyari, Muhzina, Vékony, Kata, Uccheddu, Stefania, Pongrácz, Péter

We tested companion cats and dogs in similar indoor conditions using identical procedures in the classic detour task around a V-shaped transparent wire-mesh fence. Besides the control group, we used two types of laser light-pointing demonstration (moving around the fence, or pointing straight...

Cattle Make the Difference: Variations and Developments of Animal Husbandry in the Central European La Tène Culture

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Saliari, Konstantina, Trebsche, Peter

The first part of our research focuses on the analysis of animal remains (>6000 identified specimens, NISP) from the Middle La Tène central settlement Haselbach in Lower Austria, one of the largest investigated archaeozoological assemblages of present-day Austria. Based on the age and...

Do Spiders Ride on the Fear of Scorpions? A Cross-Cultural Eye Tracking Study

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Rudolfová, Veronika, Štolhoferová, Iveta, Elmi, Hassan S. A., Rádlová, Silvie, Rexová, Kateřina, Berti, Daniel A., Král, David, Sommer, David, Landová, Eva, Frýdlová, Petra, Frynta, Daniel

Deep fear of spiders is common in many countries, yet its origin remains unexplained. In this study, we tested a hypothesis based on recent studies suggesting that fear of spiders might stem from a generalized fear of chelicerates or fear of scorpions. To this end, we conducted an eye tracking...

Digital Technology Supporting the Remote Human-Dog Interaction: Scoping Review

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Rodríguez-Vizzuett, Liliana, Espinosa-Curiel, Ismael E., Pérez-Espinosa, Humberto

For thousands of years, dogs have coexisted with humans and have been adopted as companion pets and working animals. The communication between humans and dogs has improved their coexistence and socialization; however, due to the nature of their activities, dogs and humans occasionally lose...

Human–Animal Bond Generated in a Brief Animal-Assisted Therapy Intervention in Adolescents with Mental Health Disorders

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Rodrigo-Claverol, Maylos, Manuel-Canals, Marta, Lobato-Rincón, Luis Lucio, Rodriguez-Criado, Natalia, Roman-Casenave, Maite, Musull-Dulcet, Elisabet, Rodrigo-Claverol, Esther, Pifarré, Josep, Miró-Bernaus, Yvette

Background: The human–animal bond is crucial for the proper development of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) sessions. However, in specific cases such as in AAT focused on psychiatric patients who are admitted to acute units, there is only a short period of time available to establish this...

Impact of the Dog–Human Bond on Canine Social Evaluation: Attachment Predicts Preference toward Prosocial Actors

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Richards, Emily M., Silver, Zachary A., Santos, Laurie R.

Scholars have argued that social evaluation, the capacity to evaluate different potential social partners, is an important capacity not just for humans but for all cooperative species. Recent work has explored whether domesticated dogs share a human-like ability to evaluate others based on...

A Quantitative Assessment of Trainers-Dolphins’ Interactions in the Absence of Food Reward

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Platto, Sara, Serres, Agathe

All the studies that have considered the motivation of the dolphins to interact with their trainers as a possible welfare indicator have been carried out in facilities where the trainer-dolphin interactions (TDIs) sessions were reinforced with food. Therefore, in these specific circumstances,...

“It’s Like Living with a Sassy Teenager!”: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Owners’ Comments about Dogs between the Ages of 12 Weeks and 2 Years

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Owczarczak-Garstecka, Sara C., Da Costa, Rosa E. P., Harvey, Naomi D., Giragosian, Kassandra, Kinsman, Rachel H., Casey, Rachel A., Tasker, Séverine, Murray, Jane K.

Owners’ understanding of dog behaviour influences dog welfare. This study aimed to investigate owners’ experiences of living with dogs and perceptions of dog behaviour/behaviour change. Data from an ongoing UK/ROI longitudinal study of dogs were used. Open-ended survey data (n = 3577...

Physiological Assessment of the Health and Welfare of Domestic Cats—An Exploration of Factors Affecting Urinary Cortisol and Oxytocin

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Nagasawa, Takumi, Kimura, Yuichi, Masuda, Koji, Uchiyama, Hidehiko

Physiological samples are beneficial in assessing the health and welfare of cats. However, most studies have been conducted in specialized environments, such as shelters or laboratories, and have not focused on cats living in domestic settings. In addition, most studies have assessed...

Animal Research in Spain: A Study of Public Perception and Attitudes

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Miguel-Batuecas, Andrea, Fuertes-Recuero, Manuel, Díaz-Regañón, David, Ortiz-Díez, Gustavo, Revuelta, Luis, De Pablo-Moreno, Juan A.

Since the time of Hippocrates in the 4th century BC, animal research has been extensively used for various purposes up to the present day. However, the use of animals for research has also been controversial for a long time. We report the findings of a public, online questionnaire-based survey...

Influence of Sex of Stranger on Responses of Shelter Dogs during Canine Behavioral Evaluations

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): McGuire, Betty, Song, Andrew

In many situations, domestic dogs display greater uneasiness with unfamiliar men than unfamiliar women. However, little is known about whether the sex of an unfamiliar person is a risk factor for stranger-directed aggression, especially with respect to behaviors less intense than biting. We...

Fertility Control for Wildlife: A European Perspective

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Massei, Giovanna

Trends of human population growth and landscape development in Europe show that wildlife impacts are escalating. Lethal methods, traditionally employed to mitigate these impacts, are often ineffective, environmentally hazardous and face increasing public opposition. Fertility control is...

First Record of Cetacean Killed in an Artisanal Fish Aggregating Device in the Mediterranean Sea

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Manfrini, Valerio, Fortuna, Caterina Maria, Cocumelli, Cristiano

Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) are anchored floating structures often made with cheap scrapped materials and used to aggregate pelagic fish species under their artificial shadows. Globally, the dangerous impact of FADs is well known. They pose a severe threat as a source of bycatch, as a...