Human-Animal Interaction

A gentling program decreases fear-related behaviour towards humans but not towards novel objects in broiler chickens

The human-animal-relationship is a crucial aspect of good animal welfare. Improvements in this regard might be particularly relevant for chickens, as their relationship with humans in commercial husbandry conditions is often limited to brief animal inspections (visual contact) on a...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Stocker, T., Nawroth, C., Puppe, B. et al. 2025. A gentling program decreases fear-related behaviour towards humans but not towards novel objects in broiler chickens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 290, 106710.

Social learning during human-animal interaction: Effects on broiler chickens’ behavior

Human-animal interactions play a great role in animal welfare. Despite that chickens can establish positive bonds with humans, it remains unknown if broiler chickens can do this via social learning. This study examined whether observing conspecifics undergoing gentle handling (demonstrator...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Calderón-Amor, J., Tadich, T., Lecorps, B. et al. 2025. Social learning during human-animal interaction: Effects on broiler chickens’ behavior. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 285, 106586.

The ability to interpret affective states in horses’ body language is associated with experience with animals.

In light of an increasing interest in the human ability to read equine emotions, Braun et al. (2024) recently showed that horse-experienced individuals performed better in interpreting affective states in horses’ body language than horse-inexperienced individuals. Further, individuals with a...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Braun, M. N., Bülow, S., Müller-Klein, A. et al. 2025. The ability to interpret affective states in horses’ body language is associated with experience with animals. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 290, 106716.

Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) welfare: Associations between husbandry practices, human–animal interactions, and animal behaviour (2025)

Research on the welfare of pet guinea pigs and connections between their behaviour and husbandry practices is scarce. Through an online survey among 1181 German-speaking guinea pig caretakers, we investigated husbandry practices (including social composition, housing type, free roaming, enrichment,...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Rodent

Citation: Elsbacher, T., Sommese, A., Waiblinger, S. et al. 2025. Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) welfare: Associations between husbandry practices, human–animal interactions, and animal behaviour. Animals 15(8), 1157.

The power of interspecific sociality: How humans provide social buffering for horses (2025)

In this study, we assessed the interspecific “social buffering effect” of humans on horses, exploring how human presence influences stress responses in horses in an unfamiliar environment using the “isolation paradigm.” We examined nine Haflinger horses under two counterbalanced conditions:...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Di Lucrezia, A., Scandurra, A., Lotito, D. et al. 2025. The power of interspecific sociality: How humans provide social buffering for horses. Animal Cognition 28(1), 20.

Rat 50 kHz calls reflect graded tickling-induced positive emotion

Positive animal emotion (affect) is a key component of good animal welfare and plays an important role in stress-coping and resilience. Methods for reliably inducing and measuring positive affect are critical, but both have been limited in availability. In rats,...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hinchcliffe, J. K., Mendl, M., Robinson, E. S. J. 2020. Rat 50 kHz calls reflect graded tickling-induced positive emotion. Current Biology 30(18), R1034-R1035.

Enhancing stress assessment in sledge reindeer (Rangifer tarandus): A pilot study on infrared thermal imaging and its opportunities for advancement as a welfare assessment tool

Measuring immediate physiological stress responses in animals can be challenging; saliva and blood sampling, while invasive, may also generate confounding stress responses, and equipping animals with heart rate sensors is not always feasible. Nevertheless, emerging technologies offer a non-invasive and...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Other Animal

Citation: Liehrmann, O., Ollila, A., Lummaa, V. et al., 2024. Enhancing stress assessment in sledge reindeer (Rangifer tarandus): A pilot study on infrared thermal imaging and its opportunities for advancement as a welfare assessment tool. Animal Behavior and Cognition 11(3), 293-304.

On your terms or mine: Pigs’ response to imposed gentle tactile contact vs

Positive human-animal interactions (HAIs) can be intrinsically rewarding and facilitate positive human-animal relationships. However, HAI paradigms vary across studies, and the influence of different interaction paradigms on the animal's response has been overlooked. We compared the behavioural responses of pigs...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Handling, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Truong, S., Schmitt, O., Rault, J.-L. 2024. On your terms or mine: Pigs' response to imposed gentle tactile contact vs. free form interaction with a familiar human. Scientific Reports 14(1), 25249.

Living the good life? A systematic review of behavioural signs of affective state in the domestic horse (Equus caballus) and factors relating to quality of life

Quality of life is dependent upon the extent to which behavioural needs are met, and the balance between pleasant and unpleasant lifetime experiences. In Part II of this systematic review, articles (n = 109) relating to horse-human interactions were reviewed...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Handling, Human-Animal Interaction, Relocation & TransportAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Hall, C., Kay, R. 2024. Living the good life? A systematic review of behavioural signs of affective state in the domestic horse (Equus caballus) and factors relating to quality of life. Part 2: Horse-human interactions. Animal Welfare 33, e41.

Rat tickling in gestation females

It has previously not been recommended to perform rat tickling on pregnant females. We questioned if rat tickling could be used for pregnant females to improve their welfare. After discussion with our veterinarians, Named Animal Care and Welfare Officer, and...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Human-Animal Interaction, ReproductionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Lomax, A., Lurkins, D., Hornsey, H. 2024. Rat tickling in gestation females. Animal Technology and Welfare 23(2), 143–144.