Welfare Assessment

Laying the groundwork for reptile welfare assessment in zoos and private keeping: A literature-based proposal

With the increasing number and diversity of reptile species kept in zoological facilities and households, their welfare in captivity warrants structured and consistent evaluation. However, focused research on reptile welfare remains limited within the broader field of animal welfare science....

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Crocodile & Alligator, Lizard, Reptile, Snake, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Yeh, H.-M., Huang, C.-C., Chiang, Y.-W. 2025. Laying the groundwork for reptile welfare assessment in zoos and private keeping: A literature-based proposal. Animal Welfare 34, e70.

Exploring dietary practices and faecal consistency in zoo-housed cotton-top tamarins Oedipomidas oedipus

The cotton-top tamarin Oedipomidas oedipus is currently classified as critically endangered by the IUCN, prompting intensive conservation efforts, including the maintenance of healthy populations under human care. However, ensuring optimal welfare and health remains challenging, particularly in terms of nutritional...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Husbandry & Management, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Urrego, A. C. B., Mendoza, J. C., Vieira, M. F. et al. 2026. Exploring dietary practices and faecal consistency in zoo-housed cotton-top tamarins Oedipomidas oedipus. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 14(1), 38–45.

Through the calf’s eye: Exploring infrared thermography to uncover pair-housed calves’ affective states

Pair housing has been proven to improve calves’ welfare during the pre-weaning phase, potentially promoting positive emotions. Based on the emotional valence hypothesis, according to which positive emotions are mainly processed in the left brain hemisphere, infrared thermography (IRT) may...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Rossi, G. P., Barbieri, S., Costa, E. D. et al. 2026. Through the calf’s eye: Exploring infrared thermography to uncover pair-housed calves’ affective states. Animals 16(2).

Tears and saliva as alternative matrices for minimally invasive assessment of acute stress and pain in sheep

This study evaluated tears and saliva as alternatives to blood for determining cortisol concentration in healthy and chronically lame Merino meat sheep with dermatitis interdigitalis contagiosa (DINCO). Twelve healthy (HEALTHY) and 36 sheep with DINCO were included. After enrollment and...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Rachidi, F., Wagner, R., Fieseler, H. et al. 2026. Tears and saliva as alternative matrices for minimally invasive assessment of acute stress and pain in sheep. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 13

Standardised scoring system to assess the welfare of Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis)

The current study represents the second phase of developing the Yangtze Finless Porpoise Welfare Assessment Protocol (YFP-WAP), guided by the Five Domains model (FDM). Based on previously validated indicators, it aimed to create a scoring system to quantify welfare states....

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Platto, S., Serres, A., Normando, S. et al. 2025. Standardised scoring system to assess the welfare of Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). Animal Welfare 34, e68.

The influence of environmental conditions and husbandry practices on goat welfare

Goat (Capra hircus) welfare is an important issue in any farming system. The aim of the study was a comprehensive analysis of the impact of environmental factors and farming practices on the welfare of goats, with particular attention to physical,...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Environmental Enrichment, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Rearing & Weaning, Social Housing & Companionship, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Goat

Citation: Pilarczyk, R., Bąkowska, M., Tomza-Marciniak, A. et al. 2026. The influence of environmental conditions and husbandry practices on goat welfare. Animals 16(5).

Developing and validating a holistic welfare assessment tool for zoo-housed great apes: Integrating resource-based measures with behavioural ecology insights

Assessing the welfare of zoo-housed great apes is essential to ensure high standards of care, maintain zoos’ ethical and educational credibility, and support their conservation roles. However, welfare assessment remains challenging due to the complex cognitive, social, and behavioural needs...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Neufuss, J., Pullen, K., Farmer, H. L. et al. 2026. Developing and validating a holistic welfare assessment tool for zoo-housed great apes: Integrating resource-based measures with behavioural ecology insights. PLOS ONE 21(1), e0340094.

Prevalence and management practices of ophthalmic lesions in laboratory mice

The regular inspection of the eye health is an essential part of the veterinary care task in an animal facility in order to achieve robust results during experimentation. The aim of the study was to find out, when and how...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Husbandry & Management, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Matzek, D., Rumpel, S., Kassumeh, S. et al. 2026. Prevalence and management practices of ophthalmic lesions in laboratory mice. Scientific Reports 16(1), 8732.

EPI-DOM framework for fish welfare assessment: External and internal indicators for tilapia in aquaculture

Introduction: The EPI-DOM framework proposes an applied epidemiological approach to evaluate and manage tilapia welfare in laboratory and production systems, integrating animal-based indicators with risk factors organized into operational domains (management, environment, interaction). Methods: An integrative review (2000–2025) was conducted...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Fish, Tilapia

Citation: Martínez-Yáñez, R. 2026. EPI-DOM framework for fish welfare assessment: External and internal indicators for tilapia in aquaculture. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 13.

Non-invasive physiological indicators of welfare in dairy cows

Indicators of dairy cow welfare are important for the future assessment and improvement of cow welfare on-farm. The objective of this study was to investigate three categories of non-invasive physiological parameters as potential indicators of welfare in dairy cows, namely...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Kremer, L., Reenen, K. van, Kok, A. et al. 2026. Non-invasive physiological indicators of welfare in dairy cows. Animal Welfare 35, e10.