Feeding management of giraffe towards positive welfare
This study prioritized positive affective states while modifying the feeding management of five giraffes at Zoo Planckendael and monitored the impact on indicators of both negative and positive welfare. Observations were conducted day and night over a 10-day winter period before and one year after implementing the following feeding management changes: 1) increased fibre and […]
Locomotion as a Measure of Well-Being in Captive Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
Locomotion in non-human primates, including walking, climbing, and brachiating among other types of movement (but not pacing), is a species-typical behavior that varies with age, social housing conditions, and environmental factors (e.g., season, food availability, physical housing conditions). Given that captive primates are typically observed to engage in lower levels of locomotor behaviors than their […]
Psychological and social well‐being of bony fishes in zoos and aquariums
Research on the behavior of animals in zoos has been conducted for decades and observations have provided information that has improved the psychological and social well-being of animals. However, research on fishes in zoos and aquariums seems to be lacking. Here we assess the current state of research on fishes in zoos and aquariums by […]
Vocalisations in Farm Animals: a Step Towards Positive Welfare Assessment
Public concern for farm animal welfare is increasing. Animal welfare is defined as the balance of positive and negative emotions, where positive emotions are key to a good animal life. Emotion is defined as an experience that varies in valence and arousal. Many methods developed to identify positive emotions in animals involve disadvantages, for example, […]
Assessment of positive welfare: A review
As a complement to the concentration on negative states in welfare science, scientists are increasingly considering the desirability of measuring positive outcomes. Since evaluation of an animal’s mental state is a critical goal for welfare assessment, considerations of both positive feelings (what an animal ‘‘likes’’) and resources that an animal is motivated to obtain (what […]
A note on reward-related behaviour and emotional expressions in farmed silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes)–Basis for a novel tool to study animal welfare
The present study aimed to investigate the profile and quantitative aspects of reward-related behaviour and emotional expressions during anticipation of positive (predictable or various unpredictable) or negative (predictable) rewards in a Pavlovian trace conditioning paradigm in farmed silver foxes. When anticipating a positive reward, silver foxes were more active, performed more stereotypical behaviour, had more […]
Development and testing of a novel instrument to measure health-related quality of life (HRQL) of farmed pigs and promote welfare enhancement (Part 1)
Health-related quality of life (HRQL) was defined for farmed animals and identified as an appropriate focus of integrative welfare measurement for farmed pigs that embraces measurement of positive welfare. The instrument for HRQL measurement was developed specifically for use by farmers and stockpersons, the prime carers of pigs, to increase ownership of welfare improvement amongst […]
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 in studies of zoo, farm and laboratory animals to regularly monitor welfare status, as well […]
Adult-adult social play in captive chimpanzees: Is it indicative of positive animal welfare?
Play is sometimes considered as an indicator of positive animal welfare. However, it is not yet sufficiently understood whether or not social play among adults can be considered as such an indicator because it is rare in adult animals. This study investigates the factors that influence social play in adult captive chimpanzees in order to […]