Human-Animal Interaction

Stranger danger? An investigation into the influence of human-horse bond on stress and behaviour

Human-animal bond is receiving increasing attention and is thought to confer benefits on well-being and performance in working animals. One important benefit of bonding is the “safe base” an attachment figure provides, which manifests in better coping and increased exploration...

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

Citation: Ijichi, C., Griffin, K., Squibb, K. et al. 2018. Stranger danger? An investigation into the influence of human-horse bond on stress and behaviour. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 206, 59-63.

Demographics regarding belief in non-human animal sentience and emotional empathy with animals: A pilot study among attendees of an animal welfare symposium

Attitudes to animals are linked to beliefs about their ability to experience pain and suffering, their cognition, and their sentience. Education and awareness-raising play a pivotal role in increasing society's consideration of non-human animal welfare. The current pilot study explores...

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

Citation: Cornish, A., Wilson, B., Raubenheimer, D. et al. 2018. Demographics regarding belief in non-human animal sentience and emotional empathy with animals: A pilot study among attendees of an animal welfare symposium. Animals 8(10), 174.

Associations between oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms, empathy towards animals and implicit associations towards animals

Oxytocin has been well researched in association with psychological variables and is widely accepted as a key modulator of human social behaviour. Previous work indicates involvement of oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in human-human empathy, however little...

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

Citation: Connor, M., Lawrence, A. B., Brown, S. M. 2018. Associations between oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms, empathy towards animals and implicit associations towards animals. Animals 8(8), 140.

Providing feeding enrichment by hand mitigates anxiety among laboratory-housed rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Some husbandry procedures may be perceived as aversive by cage‐housed rhesus macaques. We assessed whether providing feeding enrichment by hand as opposed to placing it on a caging surface decreases anxiety responses to daily husbandry activities. Eleven adult males and...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Pomerantz, O., Nyandwi, S., Baker, K., 2018. Providing feeding enrichment by hand mitigates anxiety among laboratory-housed rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). American Journal of Primatology 80(S1), 20 (40th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #26).

Positive perception of human stroking by lambs: Qualitative behaviour assessment confirms previous interpretation of quantitative data

Qualitative behaviour assessment (QBA) was used to validate previous published interpretation whether human stroking has beneficial effects on lambs prematurely separated from their mothers. For a period of 8 weeks a familiar human (FH) subjected 22 Romane lambs to a...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Human-Animal Interaction, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Serrapica, M., Boivin, X., Coulon, M. et al. 2017. Positive perception of human stroking by lambs: Qualitative behaviour assessment confirms previous interpretation of quantitative data. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 187, 31-37.

Aversiveness of husbandry procedures for pre-weaned foals: A comparison using behavioural and physiological indices

Husbandry procedures are necessary for different purposes in horse breeding. The aim of the present study was to assess the aversiveness and effects on the horse-human relationship of a range of common husbandry procedures, in pre-weaned non-habituated Konik polski foals....

Year Published: 2017Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Identification MethodAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Górecka-Bruzda, A., Jaworski, Z., Suwała, M. et al. 2017. Aversiveness of husbandry procedures for pre-weaned foals: A comparison using behavioural and physiological indices. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 191, 31-38.

Looking forward to interacting with their caretakers: dolphins’ anticipatory behaviour indicates motivation to participate in specific events

Anticipatory behaviour describes the actions taken to prepare for an upcoming event. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in captivity are known to display anticipatory behaviours before feeding sessions, but it is unknown whether they would anticipate non-alimentary events. Furthermore, there is...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Clegg, I. L. K., Rödel, H. G., Boivin, X. 2018. Looking forward to interacting with their caretakers: dolphins' anticipatory behaviour indicates motivation to participate in specific events. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 202, 85-93.

The effects of positive human contact by tactile stimulation on dairy cows with different personalities

The understanding of the ways in which cows with different personalities perceive human contact is essential for improving the quality of the human-animal relationship and therefore the welfare of dairy cows. The general objective of this study was to evaluate...

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

Citation: Shahin, M. 2018. The effects of positive human contact by tactile stimulation on dairy cows with different personalities. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 204, 23-28.

Effects of human contact and intra-specific social learning on tonic immobility in guinea pigs, Cavia porcellus

Social learning is the capacity of animals to acquire adaptive information from others. In the case of fear responses, animals can learn fearful or non-fearful responses by observing the behavior of conspecifics. Tonic immobility (TI) is an anti-predatory behavior elicited...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Rodent

Citation: de Lima Rocha, A. D., Menescal-de-Oliveira, L., da Silva, L. F. S. 2017. Effects of human contact and intra-specific social learning on tonic immobility in guinea pigs, Cavia porcellus. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 191, 1-4.

Can you spare 15?min? The measurable positive impact of a 15-min petting session on shelter dog well-being

It is well established that human interaction has positive effects on shelter dogs. This work set out to answer the question: “Does one 15-min petting session make a difference for shelter dogs?” Fifty-five dogs were subject to one 15-min petting...

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

Citation: McGowan, R. T. S., Bolte, C., Barnett, H. R. et al. 2018. Can you spare 15?min? The measurable positive impact of a 15-min petting session on shelter dog well-being. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 203, 42-54.