Human-Animal Interaction

A protocol of human animal interaction to habituate young sheep and goats for behavioural studies

Animal habituation is key to obtain reliable data on behavioural studies but detailed procedures to achieve it are scarce. This study designed a set of actions to habituate sheep and goats to human observers. Pelibuey sheep (n = 15) and Criollo goats...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Animal Training, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Goat, Sheep

Citation: González-Pech, P. G., Marín-Tun, C. G., Valladares-González, D.A. et al. 2018. A protocol of human animal interaction to habituate young sheep and goats for behavioural studies. Behavioural Processes 157, 632-637.

Gentle abdominal stroking (‘belly rubbing’) of pigs by a human reduces EEG total power and increases EEG frequencies

The neurobiological response to gentle touch remains poorly understood, especially in the context of human-animal interaction. A novel approach allowed recording the pig electroencephalogram (EEG) cranially epidurally and wirelessly during positive interactions with a human. Stroking of the pig's abdomen...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Rault, J.-L., Truong, S., Hemsworth, L. et al. 2019. Gentle abdominal stroking (‘belly rubbing') of pigs by a human reduces EEG total power and increases EEG frequencies. Behavioural Brain Research 374, 111892.

Refinement: promoting Gallus Gallus welfare in an experimental poultry unit

The poultry team at The Pirbright Institute reviewed existing husbandry practices and trialled several refinement practices. The objective was to provide the birds used in research with an environment which enables them to express their natural behaviours and habituates them...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Harris, K., New, R., Smith, P. et al. 2019. Refinement: promoting Gallus Gallus welfare in an experimental poultry unit. Animal Technology and Welfare 18(2), 137-139. (IAT Congress 2018 Poster Presentation)

Enrichment centered on human interaction moderates fear-induced aggression and increases positive expectancy in fearful shelter dogs

Some otherwise non-aggressive dogs may display fear-induced aggression under stressful conditions. Admittance to an animal shelter is a stressful experience for dogs, and aggression is often used as a criterion by shelters for precluding opportunities for adoption. We, therefore, examined...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Willen, R. M., Schiml, P. A., Hennessy, M. B. Enrichment centered on human interaction moderates fear-induced aggression and increases positive expectancy in fearful shelter dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 217, 57-62.

Assessing and enhancing the welfare of animals with equivocal and reliable cues

The actions of human caretakers strongly influence animals living under human care. Here, we consider how intentional and unintentional signals provided by caretakers can inform our assessment of animals' well-being as well as help to support it. Our aim is...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Animal Training, Human-Animal Interaction, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Watters, J. V., Krebs, B. L. 2019. Assessing and enhancing the welfare of animals with equivocal and reliable cues. Animals 9(9), 680.

Human-animal interactions in dairy buffalo farms

This study aimed to assess the relationship between stockperson behavior and buffalo behavior. The research was carried out in 27 buffalo farms. The behavior of stockpeople and animals during milking and the avoidance distance at the feeding place were recorded....

Year Published: 2019Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Napolitano, F., Serrapica, F., Braghieri, A. et al. 2019. Human-animal interactions in dairy buffalo farms. Animals 9(5), 246.

Zoo animal welfare: The human dimension

Standards and policies intended to safeguard nonhuman animal welfare, whether in zoos, farms, or laboratories, have tended to emphasize features of the physical environment. However, research has now made it clear that very different welfare outcomes are commonly seen in...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Cole, J., Fraser, D. 2018. Zoo animal welfare: The human dimension. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 21(S1), 49-58.

The effect of gentle handling on depressive-like behavior in adult male mice: Considerations for human and rodent interactions in the laboratory

Environmental factors play a significant role in well-being of laboratory animals. Regulations and guidelines recommend, if not require, that stressors such as bright lighting, smells, and noises are eliminated or reduced to maximize animal well-being. A factor that is often...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Handling, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Neely, C., Lane, C., Torres, J. et al. 2018. The effect of gentle handling on depressive-like behavior in adult male mice: Considerations for human and rodent interactions in the laboratory. Behavioural Neurology 2018, 2976014.

A novel emotional and cognitive approach to welfare phenotyping in rainbow trout exposed to poor water quality

Recent scientific evidence for fish sentience has stressed the need for novel sentience-based detection tools of fish welfare impairment in commercial farms. In order to mimic a well-characterised stress situation, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were exposed to poor water quality...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Human-Animal Interaction, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Fish, Trout

Citation: Colson, V., Mure, A., Valotaire, C. et al. 2019. A novel emotional and cognitive approach to welfare phenotyping in rainbow trout exposed to poor water quality. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 210, 103-112.

Fearful Fido: Investigating dog experience in the veterinary context in an effort to reduce distress

For many dogs, receiving veterinary care can be a stressful, fearful or traumatic experience. However, understanding and improving the veterinary experience for dogs is challenging due to the dynamic nature of the veterinary visit, the number of stakeholders involved (veterinarian,...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Human-Animal Interaction, RestraintAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Edwards, P. T., Smith, B. P., McArthur, M. L. et al. 2019. Fearful Fido: Investigating dog experience in the veterinary context in an effort to reduce distress. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 213, 14-25.