Welfare Assessment

Biologging assessment of behavioural and physiological responses of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) during stress challenges

Stress significantly impacts fish welfare, and for a comprehensive evaluation, welfare assessment requires an integrative approach. The objective of this study is to gain insight into the physiological and behavioural responses of European sea bass subjected to swimming and crowding...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish

Citation: Hoyo-Alvarez, E., Tomàs-Ferrer, J., Lankheet, M. J. et al. 2025. Biologging assessment of behavioural and physiological responses of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) during stress challenges. Scientific Reports 15(1), 42051.

Identification and validation of operational pain indicators in anurans

Amphibian welfare, particularly pain assessment in anurans, remains understudied despite their ecological and biomedical significance. This study aimed to identify and validate operational pain indicators for adult anurans under professional care. A four-phase approach was used: a systematic literature review,...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Amphibian, Frog & Toad

Citation: González, S., Caiozzi, A., Cabeza, O. et al. 2025. Identification and Validation of Operational Pain Indicators in Anurans. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 6(4).

Intertwining of the IGF system and animal welfare

To date, husbandry categories are defined based on the human concept of animal needs, however, to objectively assess animal welfare in defined husbandry systems, animal-related indicators must be evaluated. Here, we studied the impact of differential housing conditions on factors...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Galow, A.-M., Ohde, D., Eggert, A. et al. 2026. Intertwining of the IGF system and animal welfare. Scientific Reports 16(1), 8259.

Body measurements and body condition scoring in Bactrian camels

Body measurements are used regularly to describe phenotypes or the weight of animals. However, little data describe the age effect on the different measurements. In the present paper, 477 Bactrian camels (7–180 months old) were measured (length of the head,...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Other Animal

Citation: Faye, B., Akhmetsadykova, S., Akhmetzhanova, M. et al. 2025. Body measurements and body condition scoring in Bactrian camels. Animals 15(21).

Adaptation of the Animal Welfare assessment grid (AWAG) model to monitor laboratory rats and mice

The Animal Welfare assessment grid (AWAG) is a cloud based online tool designed to assess and monitor the welfare and cumulative lifetime experience of animals. It has been successfully used to monitor the wellbeing of animals from an experimental, zoological,...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Cunningham, A., Wolfensohn, S., Dennis, M. et al. 2025, December. Adaptation of the Animal Welfare assessment grid (AWAG) model to monitor laboratory rats and mice. Animal Technology and Welfare 4(3), 199–211.

The use of body condition scoring—Old-World nonhuman primates

Body condition scoring (BCS) is defined as a subjective semiquantitative method of assessing body fat and muscle [JAALA, 51(1) 83-93]. Used as a management tool designed to assess the physical state of an animal, its musculature, body reserves and fat...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Brooks, K., Teti, M. 2025. The use of body condition scoring—Old-World nonhuman primates. Animal Technology and Welfare 24(3), 244–247.

From ethogram to flow: Behavioral time budgets and transition networks in female harbor seals under human care

We quantified how exhibit design and routine management shape behavior and space use in captive harbor seals (Phoca vitulina). Using a species-specific ethogram, scan sampling and focal follows on adult females housed in a modern zoo exhibit, we estimated time...

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

Citation: Briguori, M., Carlino, P., Carpino, C. et al. 2025. From ethogram to flow: Behavioral time budgets and transition networks in female harbor seals under human care. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 6(4).

Potential new biomarkers in pig saliva for differentiating between the effects of different conditions of mixing and density at pre-slaughter: A preliminary proteomicstudy

The intensification of pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) production systems raises concerns regarding animal welfare, particularly during pre-slaughter conditions, a phase associated with significant stress. Saliva is increasingly recognised as a non-invasive matrix for detecting stress-related biomarkers in pigs. This preliminary...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Euthanasia, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Botía, M., Muñoz-Prieto, A., Bustillo, A. O. et al. 2026. Potential new biomarkers in pig saliva for differentiating between the effects of different conditions of mixing and density at pre-slaughter: A preliminary proteomicstudy. Animal Welfare 35, e4.

Introducing an innovative pain scale for assessing postpartum pain in mares: Preliminary clinical evaluation

Background: Pain after giving birth is commonly observed in horses, yet there has not been a specific tool developed for assessing this pain in postpartum mares. The goal was to adapt existing equine pain scales and to preliminarily validate a...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Reproduction, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Bolesławska-Szubartowska, J., Kucharczuk, M., Skrabska, A. et al. 2025. Introducing an innovative pain scale for assessing postpartum pain in mares: Preliminary clinical evaluation. Animals 15(23).

Evaluating the impact of housing modifications on milk infrared spectra as indicators of dairy cow welfare status

The objective of this study was to explore whether milk mid-infrared (MIR) spectral patterns could reflect physiological responses to improved housing conditions aimed at enhancing dairy cow comfort and ease of movement. Three controlled animal trials were conducted to test...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Housing, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Bahadi, M., Warner, D., Ismail, A. A. et al. 2025. Evaluating the impact of housing modifications on milk infrared spectra as indicators of dairy cow welfare status. Scientific Reports 15(1), 45791.