A food for all seasons: Stability of food preferences in gorillas across testing methods and seasons
Decisions about which foods to use during training and enrichment for captive animals may be based on invalid assumptions about individuals’ preferences. It is important to assess the stability of food preferences given that one-time preferences are often used to inform which items are offered over a longer period of time. Presenting preference assessments using […]
Happiness, Welfare, and Personality in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)
When we treat an animal’s welfare as an individual experience, we should consider the possibility that it may be associated with individual differences in personality. We tested for such associations in 44 socially housed rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) that lived at the California National Primate Research Center. For each macaque, we obtained ratings on a […]
Validation of triaxial accelerometers to measure the lying behaviour of adult domestic horses
Examining the characteristics of an animal’s lying behaviour, such as frequency and duration of lying bouts, has become increasingly relevant for animal welfare research. Triaxial accelerometers have the advantage of being able to continuously monitor an animal’s standing and lying behaviour without relying on live observations or video recordings. Multiple models of accelerometers have been […]
Validation of a method for assessment of an acute pain in lambs
Acute pain following different methods of rubber ring castration and tail docking (CTD) was assessed using behavioural and physiological methods. Validity was determined by showing how accurately lambs were allocated, to their appropriate treatment groups. Six groups of seven lambs, 5–6 days old, were subjected to treatments, ranked before the experiment, by the amount of […]
Emotionality in growing pigs: Is the open field a valid test?
The ability to assess emotionality is important within animal welfare research. Yet, for farm animals, few tests of emotionality have been well validated. Here we investigated the construct validity of behavioural measures of pig emotionality in an open-field test by manipulating the experiences of pigs in three ways. In Experiment One (pharmacological manipulation), pigs pre-treated […]
Seasonal and altitudinal effects on glucocorticoid metabolites in a wild primate (Theropithecus gelada)
Behavioral ecologists are increasingly adopting sophisticated non-invasive methods for measuring glucocorticoids from “excreta” because samples are easy to collect, animals are left undisturbed, and measures may be more reflective of external events than serum samples. Some of the most common predictors for hormone profiles in wild animals are seasonal changes in ecology and behavior. For […]
Measuring Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites in Mammals and Birds: The Importance of Validation
In recent years, the noninvasive monitoring of steroid hormone metabolites in feces of mammals and droppings of birds has become an increasingly popular technique. It offers several advantages and has been applied to a variety of species under various settings. However, using this technique to reliably assess an animal’s adrenocortical activity is not that simple […]
Development and validation of a quality of life assessment tool for use in kennelled dogs (Canis familiaris)
There is currently no objective and validated quality of life assessment tool available to assess the quality of life of domestic dogs in kennels. This study aimed to develop a validated scoring system to assess the quality of life of dogs kennelled in rehoming centres. Objective animal-based measures of welfare and quality of life, identified […]
Reproductive activity in the peninsular pronghorn determined from excreted gonadal steroid metabolites
Fecal hormone monitoring was employed to better define annual patterns of reproductive steroid metabolites from a breeding pair of peninsular pronghorn (Antilocapra americana peninsularis) maintained at the Los Angeles Zoo. Notably in the female, increased excretion of estrogen metabolites occurred during the breeding season (Jun–Aug), and a biphasic pattern in progestagen activity was measured during […]
What can inactivity (in its various forms) reveal about affective states in non-human animals? A review
Captive/domestic animals are often described as inactive, with the implicit or explicit implication that this high level of inactivity is a welfare problem. Conversely, not being inactive enough may also indicate or cause poor welfare. In humans, too much inactivity can certainly be associated with either negative or positive affective states. In non-human animals, however, […]