Human-Animal Interaction

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.

What stockperson behavior during weighing reveals about the relationship between humans and suckling beef cattle: A preliminary study

The human-animal relationship is a key component of human and farm-animal welfare. Farm surveys, particularly for pig, dairy cattle and veal calf production, which include regular human contact, showed that animals may face aversive handling during daily work routines, which...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Destrez, A., Haslin, E., Boivin, X. 2018. What stockperson behavior during weighing reveals about the relationship between humans and suckling beef cattle: A preliminary study. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 209, 8-13.

Domestic piglets (Sus scrofa domestica) are attentive to human voice and able to discriminate some prosodic features

Vocal communication is of major social importance in pigs. Their auditory sensitivity goes beyond the intraspecific level; studies have shown that domestic pigs are sensitive to and can learn to recognise human voices. The question of which prosodic features (intonation,...

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

Citation: Bensoussan, S., Tigeot, R., Lemasson, A. et al. 2019. Domestic piglets (Sus scrofa domestica) are attentive to human voice and able to discriminate some prosodic features. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 210, 38-45.

Inducing positive emotions: Behavioural and cardiac responses to human and brushing in ewes selected for high vs low social reactivity

Welfare concerns not only the absence of negative emotional experiences but also the presence of positive experiences. However, scientific investigation on positive emotions in farm animals has been long neglected. This study aimed to investigate the perception of sheep to...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Tamioso, P. R., Maiolino Molento, C. F., Boivin, X. et al. 2018. Inducing positive emotions: Behavioural and cardiac responses to human and brushing in ewes selected for high vs low social reactivity. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 208, 56-65.

Practical rat tickling: Determining an efficient and effective dosage of heterospecific play

Laboratory rats may experience stress during handling which can reduce their welfare. Rat tickling, a handling technique that mimics aspects of rat rough-and-tumble play, has been found to induce positive affect based on production of 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). However,...

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

Citation: LaFollette, M. R., O'Haire, M. E., Cloutier, S. et al. 2018. Practical rat tickling: Determining an efficient and effective dosage of heterospecific play. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 208, 82-91.