Publications

Tears and saliva as alternative matrices for minimally invasive assessment of acute stress and pain in sheep

This study evaluated tears and saliva as alternatives to blood for determining cortisol concentration in healthy and chronically lame Merino meat sheep with dermatitis interdigitalis contagiosa (DINCO). Twelve healthy (HEALTHY) and 36 sheep with DINCO were included. After enrollment and...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Rachidi, F., Wagner, R., Fieseler, H. et al. 2026. Tears and saliva as alternative matrices for minimally invasive assessment of acute stress and pain in sheep. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 13

Effect of noise on bornean orangutans’ glucocorticoid metabolite (GCM) levels

Zoos are increasingly hosting out-of-hours events such as ‘Music Nights’ to increase visitation, raising potential animal welfare concerns due to anthropogenic noise pollution. This study examined the physiological stress response, measured through faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGCM), of Bornean orangutans (Pongo...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Queiroz, M. B. de, Passos, L. F., Azevedo, C. S. de et al. 2025. Effect of noise on bornean orangutans’ glucocorticoid metabolite (GCM) levels. Animals 15(23).

Standardised scoring system to assess the welfare of Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis)

The current study represents the second phase of developing the Yangtze Finless Porpoise Welfare Assessment Protocol (YFP-WAP), guided by the Five Domains model (FDM). Based on previously validated indicators, it aimed to create a scoring system to quantify welfare states....

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Platto, S., Serres, A., Normando, S. et al. 2025. Standardised scoring system to assess the welfare of Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). Animal Welfare 34, e68.

The influence of environmental conditions and husbandry practices on goat welfare

Goat (Capra hircus) welfare is an important issue in any farming system. The aim of the study was a comprehensive analysis of the impact of environmental factors and farming practices on the welfare of goats, with particular attention to physical,...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Environmental Enrichment, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Rearing & Weaning, Social Housing & Companionship, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Goat

Citation: Pilarczyk, R., Bąkowska, M., Tomza-Marciniak, A. et al. 2026. The influence of environmental conditions and husbandry practices on goat welfare. Animals 16(5).

Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) husbandry and their welfare

A key diagnostic tool in breeding practice is systematic observation: by identifying abnormalities in natural behaviour, it can highlight early signs of reduced welfare or physical and mental health issues in livestock and other animals. The aim of this paper...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Animal Training, Environmental Enrichment, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Other Animal

Citation: Pilarczyk, R., Bąkowska, M., Pilarczyk, B. et al. 2025. Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) husbandry and their welfare. Animals 15(21).

Dog group feeding: A refinement rooted in the 3Rs

Group feeding has the potential to improve welfare, meet nutritional needs and address behavioural issues due to reduced separation times, when compared to single feeding regimes.

Year Published: 2025Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Owen, J., Teti, M. 2025. Dog group feeding: A refinement rooted in the 3Rs. Animal Technology and Welfare 24(3), 257–258.

Small changes, big differences: Collaborative refinements in animal research

Our unit opened in 2017, during the procurement of new equipment we had the opportunity to purchase a digital ventilated rack system from Tecniplast UK. The cages are referred to as the Digitally Ventilated Cage or DVC. This system uses...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Drug/Substance Administration, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Mouse, Rabbit, Rodent

Citation: Onions, L., WIlkinson, G. 2025. Small changes, big differences: Collaborative refinements in animal research. Animal Technology and Welfare 24(3), 239–240.

Anesthetic management and complications during transvenous pacemaker implantation in dogs

Introduction With the growing number of veterinary centers performing pacemaker implantation in small animals, a better understanding of anesthetic management of these procedures has become essential. Most available studies focus primarily on surgical techniques, with limited discussion of anesthetic safety,...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Oliveira, G. M. dos S. de, Travalini de Lima, M., Martins, A. R. de C. et al. 2026. Anesthetic management and complications during transvenous pacemaker implantation in dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 13.

Developing and validating a holistic welfare assessment tool for zoo-housed great apes: Integrating resource-based measures with behavioural ecology insights

Assessing the welfare of zoo-housed great apes is essential to ensure high standards of care, maintain zoos’ ethical and educational credibility, and support their conservation roles. However, welfare assessment remains challenging due to the complex cognitive, social, and behavioural needs...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Neufuss, J., Pullen, K., Farmer, H. L. et al. 2026. Developing and validating a holistic welfare assessment tool for zoo-housed great apes: Integrating resource-based measures with behavioural ecology insights. PLOS ONE 21(1), e0340094.

Photo-based individual identification is more reliable than visible implant elastomer tags or toe-tipping in young agile frogs

In amphibian capture-recapture studies, commonly used individual-identification methods include toe clipping as well as less invasive alternatives of varying cost. Yet, choosing the best method for a study is challenging, because both the reliability for identification and the severity of...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Identification MethodAnimal Type: Amphibian, Frog & Toad

Citation: Nemesházi, E., Ujhegyi, N., Mikó, Z. et al. 2026. Photo-based individual identification is more reliable than visible implant elastomer tags or toe-tipping in young agile frogs. PLOS ONE 21(2), e0342340.