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An Animal Welfare Risk Assessment Process for Zoos
| Contributor(s):: Sally L. Sherwen, Lauren M. Hemsworth, Ngaio J. Beausoleil, Amanda Embury, David J. Mellor
There is a growing interest and need for zoos to develop and implement welfare assessment tools that are practical to use and provide meaningful results that can inform management decisions. This paper presents a process that was developed to support this type of evidence-based management in...
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Development and validation of a quality of life assessment tool for use in kennelled dogs (Canis familiaris)
| Contributor(s):: Kiddie, Jenna L., Collins, Lisa M.
There is currently no objective and validated quality of life assessment tool available to assess the quality of life of domestic dogs in kennels. This study aimed to develop a validated scoring system to assess the quality of life of dogs kennelled in rehoming centres. Objective animal-based...
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The correlation of Qualitative Behavior Assessments with Welfare Quality® protocol outcomes in on-farm welfare assessment of dairy cattle
| Contributor(s):: Andreasen, S. N., Wemelsfelder, F., Sandøe, P., Forkman, B.
The effort to develop methods for assessing animal welfare at farm level has grown dramatically since the end of the 1990s, culminating in the protocols developed by the European-wide project Welfare Quality® (WQ). However, these protocols are time consuming and lack transparency in how scores...
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"Feelings and Fitness" Not "Feelings or Fitness"–The Raison d'être of Conservation Welfare, Which Aligns Conservation and Animal Welfare Objectives
| Contributor(s):: Ngaio J. Beausoleil, David J. Mellor, Liv Baker, Sandra E. Baker, Mariagrazia Bellio, Alison S. Clarke, Arnja Dale, Steve Garlick, Bidda Jones, Andrea Harvey, Benjamin J. Pitcher, Sally Sherwen, Karen A. Stockin, Sarah Zito
Increasingly, human activities, including those aimed at conserving species and ecosystems (conservation activities) influence not only the survival and fitness but also the welfare of wild animals. Animal welfare relates to how an animal is experiencing its life and encompasses both its...
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Pilot testing a manualized equine-facilitated cognitive processing therapy (EF-CPT) intervention for PTSD in veterans
| Contributor(s):: Wharton, T., Whitworth, J., Macauley, E., Malone, M.
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Reliability of different behavioural tests for growing pigs on-farm
| Contributor(s):: Czycholl, Irena, Menke, Stina, Straßburg, Carolin, Krieter, Joachim
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A modified combined C-BARQ and QoL for both the companion dog and its owner. An embryo to a companion dog welfare assessment?
| Contributor(s):: Doane, Marie, Sarenbo, Sirkku
The results of this pilot study demonstrate that it is possible to construct a reliable questionnaire from prior validated surveys. This questionnaire displays possible suitability for further development into a tool for a comprehensive dog welfare assessment. The welfare model used is assuming...
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Reliability of different behavioural tests for growing pigs on-farm
| Contributor(s):: Czycholl, Irena, Menke, Stina, Straßburg, Carolin, Krieter, Joachim
Behavioural tests might have the potential to evaluate certain aspects of welfare such as emotional state or the human-animal relationship. However, reliability assessments of these tests are rare. Therefore, in this study, different behavioural tests for growing pigs were assessed regarding...
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Subjective methods to quantify temperament in beef cattle are insensitive to the number and biases of observers
| Contributor(s):: Parham, Jamie T., Tanner, Amy E., Wahlberg, Mark L., Grandin, Temple, Lewis, Ronald M.
Associations between excitable temperament and many economically relevant traits have been established, resulting in an increased focus on docility in breeding programs in cattle. Several methods have been proposed to quantify temperament during normal handling procedures, which appear to differ...
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Persistence of food guarding across conditions of free and scheduled feeding in shelter dogs
| Contributor(s):: Lyle, Julie, Kapla, Susan, da Silva, Stephanie P., Maxwell, Megan E.
The hypothesis that free access to food might reduce food-related aggression in shelter dogs was tested. Dogs that exhibited food-related aggression in a standardized assessment (ASPCA SAFER®) were provided either unlimited access to food or two scheduled daily feedings for 3days (Groups A and B)...
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Comparison of methods to assess fear of humans in commercial breeding gilts and sows
| Contributor(s):: Powell, Candice, Hemsworth, Lauren M., Rice, Maxine, Hemsworth, Paul H.
The aim of this study was to compare three behavioural tests to assess fear of humans in breeding gilts and sows in a commercial setting. Two hundred and thirty-two crossbred gilts and sows were studied and the tests were: HAT, behavioural response of sows individually held in an arena to a...
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Looking on the bright side of bias—Validation of an affective bias test for laboratory mice
| Contributor(s):: Graulich, Dana Marie, Kaiser, Sylvia, Sachser, Norbert, Richter, S. Helene
Based on the concept that experience-dependent memory may be biased by affective state at the time of learning, the affective bias test represents a novel approach for the assessment of emotions in animals. The task uses a within-subjects study design, where animals encounter two independent...
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Influences on the avoidance and approach behaviour of dairy goats towards an unfamiliar human—An on-farm study
| Contributor(s):: Mersmann, Dorit, Schmied-Wagner, Claudia, Nordmann, Eva, Graml, Christine, Waiblinger, Susanne
The human-animal relationship (HAR) is an important factor for successful animal husbandry and animal welfare. Thus, the HAR is included in on-farm assessments to evaluate overall welfare. For dairy goats, validated tests to assess the HAR are lacking. The aim of the present study was to evaluate...
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Investigating the effect of pen shape and pen size on group flight distance of extensively managed ewes
| Contributor(s):: Cramer, Samantha R., Munoz, Carolina A., McGill, David M., Rice, Maxine, Doyle, Rebecca E.
This study investigated the effect of pen shape and pen size on the group flight distance of extensively managed ewes, and how flight distances of individual ewes compared when recorded in group and isolated settings. Within eight groups of 25 sheep, six focal animals were randomly selected...
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On-farm factors associated with cross-sucking in group-housed organic Simmental dairy calves
| Contributor(s):: Größbacher, Verena, Winckler, Christoph, Leeb, Christine
In EU organic dairy farming, group housing of calves is required after the first week. Especially in Simmental herds, this is perceived as a risk factor for cross-sucking (CS), i.e. sucking the udder-region or the scrotal area or any other body part of another calf, which may reflect frustrated...
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Children report positive experiences of animal-assisted therapy in paediatric hospital care
| Contributor(s):: Lindstrom Nilsson, M., Funkquist, E. L., Edner, A., Engvall, G.
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Avoidance Distance in Sheltered Cows and Its Association with Other Welfare Parameters
| Contributor(s):: Sharma, A., Phillips, C. J. C.
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Emotional support animal assessments: Toward a standard and comprehensive model for mental health professionals
| Contributor(s):: Younggren, Jeffrey N., Boness, Cassandra L., Bryant, Leisl M., Koocher, Gerald P.
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Assessment of the Arkansas Horse 4-H Program: Perspectives from Multiple Stakeholders
| Contributor(s):: Fawn Lee Kurtzo
Assessment of the Arkansas horse 4-H program utilized stakeholders’ perceptions to describe inputs, outcomes, preferences and impacts provided by the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Stakeholders’ perceptions were captured through three studies. Studies included the...
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Assessment of Welfare in Zoo Animals: Towards Optimum Quality of Life
| Contributor(s):: Sarah Wolfensohn, Justine Shotton, Hannah Bowley, Sian Davies, Sarah Thompson, William S. M. Justice
Maintaining a high standard of animal welfare is essential in zoos, and methods of animal welfare assessment should aim to evaluate positive as well as negative states. The indicators that are useful in assessing these are discussed as there is huge variability in the available information...
