Human-Animal Interaction

Environmental complexity: Additional human visual contact reduced meat chickens’ fear of humans and physical items altered pecking behavior

Increased environmental complexity can improve animal welfare, depending on the resources provided and use by the animal. We provided chickens either with physical items that posed no biosecurity risk and were inexpensive (balls, chains, perches and rope) (P; n =...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Taylor, P. S., Hemsworth, P. H., Rault, J.-L. 2022. Environmental complexity: Additional human visual contact reduced meat chickens' fear of humans and physical items altered pecking behavior. Animals 12(3), 310.

The animal-human interface in farm animal production: Animal fear, stress, reproduction and welfare

A negative human-animal relationship (HAR) from the perspective of the animal is a limiting factor affecting farm animal welfare, as well as farm animal productivity. Research in farm animals has elucidated sequential relationships between stockperson attitudes, stockperson behaviour, farm animal...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Cattle, Chicken, Equine, Fowl, Goat, Pig, Sheep

Citation: Acharya, R. Y., Hemsworth, P. H., Coleman, G. J. et al. 2022. The animal-human interface in farm animal production: Animal fear, stress, reproduction and welfare. Animals 12(4), 487.

Caring for the animal caregiver—Occupational health, human-animal bond and compassion fatigue

Laboratory Animal Professionals experience many positive and rewarding interactions when caring for and working with research animals. However, these professionals also may experience conflicting feelings and exhaustion when the work is stressful due to factors such as limited resources, making...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Van Hooser, J. P., Pekow, C., Nguyen, H. M. et al. 2021. Caring for the animal caregiver—Occupational health, human-animal bond and compassion fatigue. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8, 731003.

The effect of human–horse interactions on equine behaviour, physiology, and welfare: A scoping review

Human–horse interactions (HHIs) are diverse and prominent in the equine industry. Stakeholders have an invested interest in making sure that HHIs are humane. Assessment of equine welfare goes beyond physical health and includes assessment of the emotional state of the...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Kelly, K. J., McDuffee, L. A., Mears, K. 2021. The effect of human–horse interactions on equine behaviour, physiology, and welfare: A scoping review. Animals 11(10), 2782.

Effects of restraint on heifers during gentle human-animal interactions

Gentle human-animal interactions can induce positive emotions in cattle and enhance their welfare. We investigated whether a change in the animals' perceived control over the situation influences their perception of the interactions. We compared the reactions of habituated heifers (n...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Human-Animal Interaction, RestraintAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Lange, A., Waiblinger, S., van Hasselt, R. et al. 2021. Effects of restraint on heifers during gentle human-animal interactions. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 243, 105445.

Heads and tails: An analysis of visual signals in cats, Felis catus

Visual communication involves specific signals. These include the different positions of mobile body elements. We analyzed visual configurations in cats that involve ears and the tail. We aimed at deciphering which features of these configurations were the most important in...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Deputte, B. L., Jumelet, E., Gilbert, C. et al. 2021. Heads and tails: An analysis of visual signals in cats, Felis catus. Animals 11(9), 2752.

Assessing preferences of two zoo-housed Aldabran giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) for three stimuli using a novel preference test

Recent research has uncovered many complex cognitive traits and affective processes in many reptile species, such as the ability to make choices that are rewarding or pleasurable. The investigation herein was initiated after many years of anecdotal reports, and preliminary...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Reptile, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Learmonth, M. J., Sherwen, S., Hemsworth, P. H. 2021. Assessing preferences of two zoo-housed Aldabran giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) for three stimuli using a novel preference test. Zoo Biology 40(2), 98-106.

Assessing choice ability and preferences of five Leopard Tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis) for three stimuli through a novel two-phase preference test

Preference testing has long been used in ethology and animal welfare science to assess the preferences that animals have for different resources and stimuli. The study conducted herein assessed the choice-making ability of five leopard tortoises Stigmochelys pardalis in a...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Reptile, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Learmonth, M. J., Sherwen, S., Hemsworth, P. 2021. Assessing choice ability and preferences of five Leopard Tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis) for three stimuli through a novel two-phase preference test. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research, 9(2), 94-101.

Gently handled foals generalize responses to humans

Equines perform tasks along humans, and there are evidences and controversies that they are able to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar humans. This study assessed whether foals can discriminate between humans in terms of familiarity and human experience in equine...

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

Citation: Schmidek, A., Nogueira de Oliveira, B., Trindade, P. et al. 2018. Gently handled foals generalize responses to humans. Journal of Animal Behaviour and Biometeorology 6(1), 1-5.

Effects of human-animal relationship on animal productivity and welfare

This is a literature review of the effects of humans' relationships with farm animals on animal productivity and welfare, including the following topics: definition of the concept and description of different tests that have been developed to measure human-animal relationship...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Cattle, Chicken, Equine, Fowl, Goat, Pig, Sheep

Citation: Rojas, D., Broom, D. M., Orihuela, A. et al. 2020. Effects of human-animal relationship on animal productivity and welfare. Journal of Animal Behaviour and Biometeorology 8(3), 196-205.