Welfare Assessment

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.

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).