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Is consensus-seeking unique to humans? A selective review of animal group decision-making and its implications for (human) social psychology
Contributor(s):: Kameda, Tatsuya, Wisdom, Thomas, Toyokawa, Wataru, Inukai, Keigo
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Early human handling in non-weaned piglets: effects on behaviour and body weight
Contributor(s):: Oliveira, D. de, Costa, M. J. R. P. da, Zupan, M., Rehn, T., Keeling, L. J.
Early handling of animals including tactile stimulation (TS) has been shown to have beneficial effects on the physical and psychological development of species where considerable maternal interaction, e.g. in the form of licking, already occurs. But little is known about the magnitude of these...
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Effects of prepartum housing environment on abnormal behaviour, the farrowing process, and interactions with circulating oxytocin in sows
Contributor(s):: Yun, JinHyeon, Swan, K. M., Oliviero, C., Peltoniemi, O., Valros, A.
We evaluated the effects on sows of prepartum housing environment on bar-biting (BB) behaviour prior to parturition, farrowing duration from first to tenth piglets, litter size, and circulating oxytocin (OT) concentrations during birth of the first five piglets. A total of 35 sows, approximately...
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Filial attachment in sheep: similarities and differences between ewe-lamb and human-lamb relationships
Contributor(s):: Nowak, R., Boivin, X.
Animals develop relationships with intra- and interspecific partners, including humans. In some cases this can lead to strong emotional bonds indicating the existence of attachment. The sheep is well known to develop various forms of social attachment (mothers towards young, lambs towards...
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GPS technology as a proxy tool for determining relationships in social animals: an example with African elephants
Contributor(s):: Hacker, C. E., Horback, K. M., Miller, L. J.
The potential application of GPS technology in determining relationships among social animals was addressed in this study of eight African elephants residing at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, CA, USA between 2009 and 2011. GPS coordinates were collected over nine 24 h periods from...
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Persistency of the piglet's reactivity to the handler following a previous positive or negative experience
Contributor(s):: Brajon, S., Laforest, J. P., Bergeron, R., Tallet, C., Hotzel, M. J., Devillers, N.
A central question in the stockman-animal relationship is how animals perceive humans depending on previous interactions with them. This study aimed at measuring the influence of a previous experience with humans on subsequent reactivity to humans of weaned piglets. Treatments differing in type...
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Playful handling of laboratory rats is more beneficial when applied before than after routine injections
Contributor(s):: Cloutier, S., Wahl, K. L., Panksepp, J., Newberry, R. C.
The ability of positive affective states to counteract negative states engendered by routine medical procedures remains poorly studied. In laboratory rats, positive affect typically associated with rough-and-tumble play can be induced through human "hand play" - the experience of being "tickled"...
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Plumage damage in free-range laying hens: behavioural characteristics in the rearing period and the effects of environmental enrichment and beak-trimming
Contributor(s):: Hartcher, K. M., Tran, M. K. T. N., Wilkinson, S. J., Hemsworth, P. H., Thomson, P. C., Cronin, G. M.
Severe feather-pecking, whereby birds peck at and pull out the feathers of other birds, is one of the greatest welfare concerns and the most prevalent behavioural problem in laying hens. It can be extremely difficult to control, especially in non-cage laying flocks. Despite a multitude of studies...
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Relationship patterns in food purchase: observing social interactions in different shopping environments
Contributor(s):: Cicatiello, C., Pancino, B., Pascucci, S., Franco, S.
The social dimension of purchase seems particularly important when it comes to food, since it can contribute to foster "consumers' embeddedness" in the local food system. The discussion on this topic is growing after the emergence of alternative food networks (AFNs), which are thought to have...
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The influence of neonatal environment on piglet play behaviour and post-weaning social and cognitive development
Contributor(s):: Martin, J. E., Ison, S. H., Baxter, E. M.
Research has shown that the domestic pig is highly playful throughout its development and that play is an important aspect of social and cognitive development. Therefore, the neonatal environment is fundamental to successful stimulation of play in neonatal pigs, which could have indirect and...
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The cat-human relationship
Contributor(s):: Bradshaw, J. W. S., Casey, R. A., Brown, S. L.
The behaviour of cats and their interactions with humans are described.
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Heart rate variability during a working memory task: does touching a dog or person affect the response?
| Contributor(s):: Gee, N. R., Friedmann, E., Stendahl, M., Fisk, A., Coglitore, V.
The presence of a dog has been associated with reduced responses to stressors in several, but not all, previous studies. The presence of a dog has also been related to improved performance on some cognitive tasks. The current study was designed to evaluate the effect of touching a dog on stress...
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Is there a bias against stray cats in shelters? People's perception of shelter cats and how it influences adoption time
| Contributor(s):: Dybdall, K., Strasser, R.
The determination of adoptability is a fundamental issue facing shelters wishing to rehome cats. Many shelters in the United States cannot keep a cat indefinitely and increased time in the shelter environment may lead to reduced animal welfare due to chronic stress or euthanasia. In a series of...
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Nonverbal communication and human-dog interaction
| Contributor(s):: Meyer, I., Forkman, B.
Human-dog interaction relies to a large extent on nonverbal communication, and it is therefore plausible that human sensitivity to nonverbal signals affects interactions between human and dog. Experience with dogs is also likely to influence human-dog interactions, and it has been suggested that...
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The effects of an animal-assisted intervention on salivary alpha-amylase, salivary immunoglobulin A, and heart rate during forensic interviews in child sexual abuse cases
| Contributor(s):: Krause-Parello, C. A., Friedmann, E.
Animal-assisted invention (AAI) in gaining attention as a therapeutic modality; however, the effect of it has not been well studied in the child welfare system. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of AAI on stress indicators (as measured by salivary alpha-amylase (sAA),...
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Physiological effects of human-animal positive interaction in dogs - review of the literature
| Contributor(s):: Pop, D., Rusu, A. S., Pop-Vancia, V., Papuc, I., Constantinescu, R., Miresan, V.
Positive human-animal interactions (HAI) are known to increase the quality of life in both humans and dogs. Although there are several reviews on the benefits of HAI in humans, there are no reviews on the effects of positive HAI in dogs. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide a review of...
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An Analysis of Human Interaction as Environmental Enrichment for Captive Wolves and Wolf-Dog Hybrids
| Contributor(s):: Lindsay Renee Mehrkam
The benefits of environmental enrichment for captive mammals are well documented in the scientific literature. However, many facilities may have limited resources to implement traditional enrichment strategies. One possible solution is to provide socialized animals with positive interaction...
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A case study of orangutan and siamang behavior within a mixed-species zoo exhibit
| Contributor(s):: Pearson, E. L., Davis, J. M., Litchfield, C. A.
This empirical case study assessed the behavior and welfare of 2 orangutans (Pongo abelii) and 2 siamangs (Symphalangus syndactylus) within a mixed-species zoo exhibit. The study used instantaneous scan-sampling to record behavior, location, and interspecies proximity over 174 hr and...
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A close keeper-nonhuman animal distance does not reduce undesirable behavior in contact yard goats and sheep
| Contributor(s):: Anderson, U. S., Maple, T. L., Bloomsmith, M. A.
This study investigated the relation between zookeeper-nonhuman animal distance and the undesirable behaviour that goats and sheep exhibited toward visitors of Zoo Atlanta's (Georgia, USA) contact yard. It hypothesized that a close distance between keeper and animal would be associated with a...
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Aggressive behavior in two different group-housing systems for pregnant sows
| Contributor(s):: Chapinal, N., Ruiz-de-la-Torre, J. L., Cerisuelo, A., Gasa, J., Baucells, M. D., Manteca, X.
The study housed 120 pregnant sows from Day 29 of pregnancy to 1 week before parturition either in groups of 10 with trickle feeding (TRICKLE) or in groups of 20 with an unprotected electronic sow feeding (FITMIX). The study recorded aggressive interaction on 11 nonconsecutive days. Frequency of...
