Does Handling for Public Talks in Zoos Affect the Behaviour of Captive Mexican Red-Kneed Spiders Brachypelma hamorii?
Zoos include invertebrates in visitor interaction sessions to educate and spread conservation messages to the public. Yet, the welfare implications of these encounters on invertebrates are unstudied. Empirical studies reveal negative effects of handling on vertebrate species, thus providing reason to investigate impacts on invertebrates. Mexican red-kneed spiders Brachypelma hamorii are regularly handled by keepers […]
Body language: Its importance for communication with horses
Body language is important for communication between individuals. Body language is based on the fact that the thought of performing a known action, alone, will activate the motor neurons used for the action, resulting in a slight contraction of the involved muscles. These contractions are called intention movements and signal what the sender will do […]
A Survey of Rabbit Handling Methods Within the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland
Rabbits are commonly kept in a variety of settings, including homes, laboratories, and veterinary clinics. Despite the popularity of keeping this prey species, little research has investigated current methods of handling. The aim of this study was to examine the experience of caregivers (owners and keepers) in using five handling methods commonly referred to in […]
The effect of positive or negative handling on the behavioural and physiological responses of nonlactating heifers
This experiment investigated the effects of positive and negative tactile handling on the stress physiology and behaviour of dairy heifers. Forty-eight 5–14-month-old nonlactating Holstein–Friesian heifers were allocated to one of two handling treatments, either positive or negative tactile handling, over four time replicates. Handlingwas imposed twice daily, 2–5 min per session and involved moving animals […]
Fish welfare: Current issues in aquaculture
With the continued growth of the aquaculture industry and increasing scientific discussion over the potential for negative events to give rise to suffering, research into the welfare of cultured fish is vital. How we define and measure welfare is cause for debate, particularly in fish. However, research into the effects of aquaculture procedures on welfare […]
The effects of land transport on animal welfare
Animal welfare during and as a result of transport can be assessed by using a range of behavioural, physiological, pathological and carcass-quality indicators that are described in this paper. Measures of the extent of any disease, injury or mortality resulting from, or exacerbated by, transport are important because health is an important part of welfare. […]
The pitfall with PIT tags: marking freshwater bivalves for translocation induces short-term behavioural costs
Tagging animals is frequently employed in ecological studies to monitor individual behaviour, for example postrelease survival and dispersal of captive-bred animals used in conservation programmes. While the majority of studies focus on the efficacy of tags in facilitating the relocation and identification of individuals, few assess the direct effects of tagging in biasing animal behaviour. […]
Crate conditioning of bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus) for veterinary and husbandry procedures at the Denver Zoological Gardens
Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(1998)17:13.3.CO;2-N Crate conditioning of bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus) at the Denver Zoological Gardens made it possible to perform veterinary and husbandry procedures without chemical or manual restraint. Procedures included blood sampling, injections, wound treatment, milk collection, and caudal tail fold tuberculin testing. Habituation and positive reinforcement techniques were used to accomplish conditioning. The methods used […]
Conditioning of nyala (Tragelaphus angasi) to blood sampling in a crate with positive reinforcement
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430140307.abs Habituation and positive reinforcement procedures were successfully used for low stress blood sampling of nyala (Tragelaphus angasi) at the Denver Zoological Gardens. Four adult females and three offspring were conditioned with a food reward voluntarily to enter a plywood crate for bimonthly blood sampling from the rear leg. Habituated and conditioned, nonsedated nyala […]
Modification of fear in domestic chicks, Gallus gallus domesticus, via regular handling and early environmental enrichment
Although its adaptive properties are recognized, fear can harm the welfare and performance of intensively housed poultry. Its alleviation in individually caged domestic chicks via the independent or integrated application of regular handling and environmental enrichment regimes was investigated. The test situations incorporated varying degrees of exposure to novel, inanimate stimuli and of human involvement. […]