Welfare Assessment

In pursuit of peak animal welfare; the need to prioritize the meaningful over the measurable

Despite the diversity of animal welfare definitions, most recognise the centrality of the feelings of animals which are currently impossible to measure directly. As a result, animal welfare assessment is heavily reliant upon the indirect measurement of factors that either...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Veasey, J. S. 2017. In pursuit of peak animal welfare; the need to prioritize the meaningful over the measurable. Zoo Biology 36(6), 413–425.

Decreased levels of discomfort in repeatedly handled mice during experimental procedures, assessed by facial expressions

Mice are the most commonly used laboratory animal, yet there are limited studies which investigate the effects of repeated handling on their welfare and scientific outcomes. Furthermore, simple methods to evaluate distress in mice are lacking, and specialized behavioral or...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Animal Training, Drug/Substance Administration, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Swan, J., Boyer, S., Westlund, K. et al. 2023. Decreased levels of discomfort in repeatedly handled mice during experimental procedures, assessed by facial expressions. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 17, 1109886.

RELSA—A multidimensional procedure for the comparative assessment of well-being and the quantitative determination of severity in experimental procedures

Good science in translational research requires good animal welfare according to the principles of 3Rs. In many countries, determining animal welfare is a mandatory legal requirement, implying a categorization of animal suffering, traditionally dominated by subjective scorings. However, how such...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Talbot, S. R., Struve, B., Wassermann, L. et al. 2022. RELSA—A multidimensional procedure for the comparative assessment of well-being and the quantitative determination of severity in experimental procedures. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9, 937711.

Integrating reference intervals into chimpanzee welfare research

Animal welfare researchers are committed to developing novel approaches to enhance the quality of life of chimpanzees living in professional care. To systematically monitor physical, mental, and emotional states, welfare scientists highlight the importance of integrating non-invasive, animal-based welfare indicators....

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Whitham, J. C., Hall, K., Lauderdale, L. K. et al. 2023. Integrating reference intervals into chimpanzee welfare research. Animals 13(4), 639.

Skin cortisol and acoustic activity: Potential tools to evaluate stress and welfare in captive cetaceans

As people's focus broadens from animals on farms to zoos and aquaria, the field of welfare science and the public's concern for animal welfare continue to grow. In captive animals, stress and its causes are topics of interest in welfare...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Vocalization, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Wong, C.-H., Tsai, M.-A., Ko, F.-C. et al. 2023. Skin cortisol and acoustic activity: Potential tools to evaluate stress and welfare in captive cetaceans. Animals 13(9), 1521.

Managing long-term wellness in captive sea turtles

Circumstances surrounding advances in stranding response and veterinary care have created a growing need for the long-term housing of captive sea turtles. However, the difficulty in recreating natural conditions in captive settings places a responsibility on caregivers to offset wild-type...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Reptile, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Wood, L. 2022. Managing long-term wellness in captive sea turtles. Animal Welfare 31(4), 423–432.

A pilot study on behavioural and physiological indicators of emotions in donkeys

Recognizing animal emotions is critical to their welfare and can lead to a better relationship with humans and the environment, especially in a widespread species like the donkey, which is often prone to welfare issues. This study aims to assess...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Seganfreddo, S., Fornasiero, D., De Santis, M. et al. 2023. A pilot study on behavioural and physiological indicators of emotions in donkeys. Animals 13(9), 1466.

Studying and analyzing humane endpoints in the fructose-fed and streptozotocin-injected rat model of diabetes

This work aimed to define a humane endpoint scoring system able to objectively identify signs of animal suffering in a rat model of type 2 diabetes. Sprague-Dawley male rats were divided into control and induced group. The induced animals drink...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Humane Endpoint, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Silva-Reis, R., Faustino-Rocha, A. I., Silva, J. et al. 2023. Studying and analyzing humane endpoints in the fructose-fed and streptozotocin-injected rat model of diabetes. Animals 13(8), 1397.

Non-invasive methods for assessing the welfare of farmed white-leg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei)

Gradually, concern for the welfare of aquatic invertebrates produced on a commercial/industrial scale is crossing the boundaries of science and becoming a demand of other societal actors. The objective of this paper is to propose protocols for assessing the Penaeus...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Pedrazzani, A. S., Cozer, N., Quintiliano, M. H. et al. 2023. Non-invasive methods for assessing the welfare of farmed white-leg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). Animals 13(5), 807.

Horse welfare: A joint assessment of four categories of behavioural indicators using the AWIN protocol, scan sampling and surveys

Domesticated horses (Equus caballus) can be exposed to a compromised welfare state and detecting a deterioration in welfare is essential to modify the animals' living conditions appropriately. This study focused on four categories of behavioural indicators, as markers of poor...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Ruet, A., Arnould, C., Lemarchand, J. et al. 2022. Horse welfare: A joint assessment of four categories of behavioural indicators using the AWIN protocol, scan sampling and surveys. Animal Welfare 31(4), 455–466.