Welfare Assessment

Adaptation of the animal welfare assessment grid (AWAG) for monitoring animal welfare in zoological collections

Animal welfare monitoring is an essential part of zoo management and a legal requirement in many countries. Historically, a variety of welfare audits have been proposed to assist zoo managers. Unfortunately, there are a number of issues with these assessments,...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Justice, W. S. M., O'Brien, M. F., Szyszka, O. et al. 2017. Adaptation of the animal welfare assessment grid (AWAG) for monitoring animal welfare in zoological collections. Veterinary Record 181(6), 143.

Lambs show changes in ear posture when experiencing pain

Ear posture, or the frequency of postural changes, may reflect various emotional states of animals. In adult sheep (Ovis aries), the 'forward' ear posture has been associated with negative experiences whereas the 'plane' posture has been associated with positive ones....

Year Published: 2016Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Guesgen, M. J., Beausoleil, N. J., Minot, E. O. et al. 2016. Lambs show changes in ear posture when experiencing pain. Animal Welfare 25(2), 171-177.

Standardized welfare terms for the zebrafish community

Managing the welfare of laboratory animals is critical to animal health, vital in the understanding of phenotypes created by treatment or genetic alteration and ensures compliance of regulations. Part of an animal welfare assessment is the requirement to record observations,...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Goodwin, N., Karp, N. A., Blackledge, S. et al. 2016. Standardized welfare terms for the zebrafish community. Zebrafish 13(S1), S164-S168.

Reduction in activity by noxious chemical stimulation is ameliorated by immersion in analgesic drugs in zebrafish

Research has recently demonstrated that larval zebrafish show similar molecular responses to nociception to those of adults. Our study explored whether unprotected larval zebrafish exhibited altered behaviour after exposure to noxious chemicals and screened a range of analgesic drugs to...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Analgesia, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Lopez-Luna, J., Al-Jubouri, Q., Al-Nuaimy, W. et al. 2017. Reduction in activity by noxious chemical stimulation is ameliorated by immersion in analgesic drugs in zebrafish. Journal of Experimental Biology 220(8), 1451-1458.

Development and refinement of three animal-based broiler chicken welfare indicators

This study aimed to refine bird-soiling as a broiler chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) welfare indicator, and to develop and test two additional indicators, namely contact dermatitis on the breast and abdominal areas and carcase scratches. We constructed a questionnaire with...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Souza, A., Soriano, V. S., Schnaider, M. A. et al. 2018. Development and refinement of three animal-based broiler chicken welfare indicators. Animal Welfare 27(3), 263-274.

Validation of an accelerometer to quantify inactivity in laying hens with or without keel-bone fractures

Accelerometers are used to remotely monitor activity in various species in studies that quantify pain, document behavioural patterns, and measure individual activity differences. Studies validating accelerometers typically quantify various active states; however, targeting states specific to periods of inactivity, such...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Casey-Trott, T. M., Widowski, T. M. 2018. Validation of an accelerometer to quantify inactivity in laying hens with or without keel-bone fractures. Animal Welfare 27(2), 103-114.

What can kinematics tell us about the affective states of animals?

An animal's welfare state is intrinsically linked to its affective state. Evidence suggests that sentient, conscious animals can experience a range of affective states, such as pain, fear or boredom as well as positive affects like joy, curiosity, satiation or...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Guesgen, M. J., Bench, C. 2017. What can kinematics tell us about the affective states of animals? Animal Welfare 26( 4), 383-397.

Applying welfare science to bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

Animal welfare science is a burgeoning field, but research on cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) is lacking. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are the most well-known and studied cetaceans, particularly in captivity, and thus are used in this review as a...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Clegg, I. L. K., van Elk, C. E., Delfour, F. 2017. Applying welfare science to bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Animal Welfare 26(2), 165-176.

Developing a horse welfare assessment protocol

This paper describes the development and pilot-testing of a horse welfare assessment protocol (HWAP). The HWAP consists of the collective measurement of numerous factors considered likely to affect a horse's welfare and is thereby designed to provide a holistic score...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Viksten, S. M., Visser, E. K., Nyman, S. 2017. Developing a horse welfare assessment protocol. Animal Welfare 26(1), 59-65.

Using technology to monitor and improve zoo animal welfare

While the international zoological community is committed to enhancing the welfare of individual animals, researchers have yet to take full advantage of the tools available for non-invasively tracking behavioural and physiological indicators of welfare. We review technology currently being applied...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Whitham, J. C., Miller, L. J. 2016. Using technology to monitor and improve zoo animal welfare. Animal Welfare 25(4), 395-409.