Publications

Moving away from soiled bedding sentinels—The (R)evolution in rodent health screening

Traditional health monitoring methods consist of Soiled Bedding Sentinels (SBS), with animals exposed to dirty bedding from colony animals, which require the euthanasia of SBS. Numerous studies have demonstrated that SBS may not accurately represent a colony's health status. During...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Esparza, K. 2023. Moving away from soiled bedding sentinels—The (R)evolution in rodent health screening. Animal Technology and Welfare 22(2), 158–160.

Why it hurts: With freedom comes the biological need for pain

We argue that pain is not needed to protect the body from damage unless the organism is able to make free choices in action selection. Then pain (including its affective and evaluative aspects) provides a necessary prioritising motivation to select...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Farnsworth, K. D., Elwood, R. W. 2023. Why it hurts: With freedom comes the biological need for pain. Animal Cognition 26(4), 1259–1275.

Reaction to novel objects and fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in two species of nocturnal geckos

Many reptiles are maintained in captivity and heavily traded, although welfare measures for many species are not well established and are under-researched compared to other animals. In this study, we focused on two of these species: crested geckos (Correlophus ciliatus)...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Lizard, Reptile

Citation: Fernández-Lázaro, G., Latorre, R., Fontanillas Pérez, J. C. et al. 2023. Reaction to novel objects and fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in two species of nocturnal geckos. Animals 13(21), 3384.

An improvement in enclosure design can positively impact welfare, reduce aggressiveness and stabilise hierarchy in captive Galapagos giant tortoises

The interest in the welfare of zoo animals, from both the public and the scientific community, has long been biased towards mammals. However, growing evidence of the complex behavioural repertoires of less charismatic animals, such as reptiles, reveals the necessity...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Reptile, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Fieschi-Méric, L., Ellis, C., Servini, F. et al. 2022. An improvement in enclosure design can positively impact welfare, reduce aggressiveness and stabilise hierarchy in captive Galapagos giant tortoises. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 3(4), 499–512.

Translational echocardiography: The dog as a clinical research model of cardiac dysfunction

Heart disease is a major contributor to mortality and disability on a global scale. Hence, there is a need for research to improve non-invasive diagnostic techniques. Diseases in dogs with characteristics very similar to those of human pathologies hold promise...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Flores Dueñas, C. A., Cordero Yañez, I. A., González, R. M. et al. 2023. Translational echocardiography: The dog as a clinical research model of cardiac dysfunction. Applied Sciences 13(7), 4437.

Assessing the welfare of captive group-housed cockroaches, Gromphadorhina oblongonota

The welfare of invertebrates under human care is of growing concern, particularly with the increasing interest in insect farming as an environmentally sustainable means of producing food. Additionally, individual welfare monitoring systems can be time-consuming and impractical for larger groups,...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Insect & Spider, Invertebrate

Citation: Free, D., Wolfensohn, S. 2023. Assessing the welfare of captive group-housed cockroaches, Gromphadorhina oblongonota. Animals 13(21), 3351.

Effect of heat stress on the behavior of lactating cows housed in compost barns: A systematic review

In this study, we performed a systematic review to assess the effect of thermal stress on the behavior of lactating cows housed in compost barns. Peer-reviewed articles written in English that evaluated the effect of heat stress on the behavior...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Frigeri, K. D. M., Deniz, M., Damasceno, F. A. et al. 2023. Effect of heat stress on the behavior of lactating cows housed in compost barns: A systematic review. Applied Sciences 13(4), 2044.

Automated cognitive testing of monkeys in social groups yields results comparable to individual laboratory-based testing

Cognitive abilities likely evolved in response to specific environmental and social challenges and are therefore expected to be specialized for the life history of each species. Specialized cognitive abilities may be most readily engaged under conditions that approximate the natural...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Behavioral & Cognitive Testing, Housing, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Gazes, R. P., Brown, E. K., Basile, B. M. et al. 2013. Automated cognitive testing of monkeys in social groups yields results comparable to individual laboratory-based testing. Animal Cognition 16(3), 445–458.

Lateralised behavioural responses in livestock to environmental stressors: Implications for using infrared thermography to assess welfare conditions

Lateralised behavioural responses to environmental stressors have become more frequently used as indicators of social welfare in animals. These lateralised behavioural responses are under the control of asymmetrical brain functions as part of the primary functions of most vertebrates and...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle, Chicken, Equine, Fowl, Goat, Pig, Sheep

Citation: Goma, A. A., Uddin, J., Kieson, E. 2023. Lateralised behavioural responses in livestock to environmental stressors: Implications for using infrared thermography to assess welfare conditions. Animals 13(23), 3663.

Developmental history and stress responsiveness are related to response inhibition, but not judgement bias, in a cohort of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)

Judgement bias tasks are designed to provide markers of affective states. A recent study of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) demonstrated modest familial effects on judgement bias performance, and found that adverse early experience and developmental telomere attrition (an integrative marker...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Rearing & Weaning, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Other Bird

Citation: Gott, A., Andrews, C., Bedford, T. et al. 2019. Developmental history and stress responsiveness are related to response inhibition, but not judgement bias, in a cohort of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Animal Cognition 22(1), 99–111.