Play is a behavior mainly observed in young individuals that can differ greatly between species in both function and appearance. Presence of play indicates positive experiences in animals, making play a useful assessment tool for animal welfare. Commercial hatcheries expose chicks to several stressors that can affect both behavior and welfare. Unfortunately, our understanding of play behavior in chickens is still limited as only a few studies have been conducted.Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe the ontogeny of various play behaviors in modern laying hens and to investigate how stress affects play behavior in chicks. A total of 80 chicks were used whereas 40 were hatched at a hatchery and 40 were hatched under controlled conditions. The chicks were tested in groups of four in enriched test arenas twice a week during five weeks. Each test lasted 30 minutes and novel objects were placed inside the arena after 10 and 20 minutes. Behaviors were noted while analyzing videos from the experiment using one–zero sampling and later divided into the categories of solitary, social, and total play. A linear mixed model with repeated measures was used to investigate how treatment, age, and the interaction treatment*age affect play behavior. Chicks played more during certain ages and all forms of play showed a similar change with age over both treatments. The amount of play did not differ significantly between treatments but there was a numerical (non-significant) tendency for hatchery chicks to play more, which may indicate compensatory play.

While public opinion and previous research on the emergence of the first comprehensive animal welfare law in Sweden in 1944 has regarded it as a natural development of the animal welfare debates around the turn of the century, new research on the subject has problematized this view, instead pointing out the law of 1944 as a discursive break, in which the “animal welfare regime” emerged out of the previous “anti-cruelty regime”. This study focuses on the period of time after this break, from 1944 to 1973, examining this relatively unexplored part of Swedish animal welfare history by turning to the parliamentary debates of the time and looking at which practices were problematized and on which grounds, as well as how the line was drawn between acceptable animal use and unacceptable animal (ab)use. In doing so the study aims to explore the consequences of the aforementioned break in Swedish political discourse. The main argument of the study is that while the debates might seem to be about animal welfare, the main issue was in fact often not animals but humans, and differing conceptions of who was truly a “friend of the animals”, as opposed to a primitive, uncultured, brute. Human animal use as such was thus never questioned, instead the focus lay on specific practices such as recreational hunting and factory farming. In trying to draw a line between these practices, the members of parliament critical of the current state of affairs employed arguments which, inadvertently, could be interpreted as an attack on human animal use as such. In doing so, they activated the discursive mechanisms of control of the animal welfare regime, one of which the study identifies as a reversal of the logic of equivalence used by the reformist members of parliament before 1944.

Environmental enrichment is commonly used to improve the welfare of captive animals by offering options to increase behavioural diversity and normal behaviour patterns. The aim of this study was to assess if environmental enrichment has a positive effect on a group of four zoo-housed reindeer, Rangifer tarandus. Three types of environmental enrichment were used: food enrichment, olfactory enrichment, and tactile enrichment, with a spontaneous rotation to prevent habituation. Following a baseline period of ten days without enrichment, the animals’ behaviour was monitored for four months with enrichment. All behaviours shown by the reindeer during the study were categorized into locomotory behaviour, feeding behaviour, passive behaviour, social interactions, and behaviour towards enrichment. The overall level of activity of the reindeer almost doubled between the baseline period (40.8%) and the enrichment period (75.3%), with a significant increase in feeding behaviour (p < 0.001) and a significant decrease in passive behaviour (p < 0.001). Food enrichment had the strongest impact on the reindeer out of the three types of enrichment presented. Even though the reindeer showed a continuous interest towards tactile enrichment, it was low compared to the interest shown towards food enrichment. They also showed little interest in olfactory enrichment. Neophobia may explain the lack of interest by the reindeer to certain types of enrichment that were novel to them. Overall, the presentation of environmental enrichment made the behaviour of the captive reindeer clearly more similar to the behaviour of wild reindeer.

<p>  </p> <p>A large portion of the demand for purebred dogs in the United States is met by commercial breeding (CB). CB is a contentious issue, and concern exists surrounding the quality and quantity of human-animal interactions in CB kennels. Quality of caretaker interactions has been demonstrated to affect welfare in livestock and laboratory animals, yet is widely understudied in kenneled dogs, especially those kept for CB. It therefore warrants investigation. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of a short, regular, positive caretaker interaction on physiological and behavioral metrics of dog welfare in CB kennels. Adult bitches (n = 47) from two CB kennels received a daily interaction with a familiar caretaker for two weeks. Half of the dogs (n = 24) received a 2-minute caretaker interaction with treats (CI), and the other half (n = 23) received treats only (TO). All other human interactions were limited to routine husbandry. Fecal secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), hair cortisol concentration (HCC), and behavior in response to human approach were measured at baseline (Day 0), after two weeks of treatment (Day 14), and two weeks after treatment ended (Day 28). Behavior during treatment delivery was scored from video on days 1, 2, 8, 9, 13, and 14. General linear mixed models were used with treatment type and timepoint as fixed effects, dog nested within pen as random effects, and welfare metrics as dependent variables. Data from both facilities were analyzed and presented separately. In Facility 1 (n = 25), treatment type did not affect hair cortisol concentration (HCC) or fecal secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA). However, HCC increased significantly from Day 0 to Day 28 (X2 = 5.83, <em>p </em>= 0.016) and fecal sIgA decreased significantly (X2 = 21.52, <em>p </em>< 0.001) over all three timepoints. Affiliative behavior in response to human approach increased over time with no significant effect of treatment type or tester (X2=10.549, <em>p</em>=0.001). Additionally, time spent in proximity to the caretaker significantly increased in both treatment groups during the daily interaction (CI: X2=14.047, <em>p</em><0.001, and TO: X2=5.121, <em>p</em>=0.024). In Facility 2 (n = 22), there was no effect of treatment type on physiological metrics, however, HCC decreased in time (X2 = 6.66, <em>p </em>= 0.009) in both treatment groups combined. Affiliative response to human approach increased over time in Facility 2 (X2=13.5782, <em>p</em>=0.001). During daily interactions, dogs from the TO group displayed increased affiliative (X2 = 8.58, <em>p </em>= 0.003) and decreased ambivalent (X2 = 10.42, <em>p </em>= 0.001) behaviors over time, while dogs from the CI group showed increasing latency to approach the caretaker (X2 = 4.38, <em>p </em>= 0.033). Changes in physiological and behavioral metrics differed by facility and treatment group. Factors such as variation in treatment quality and prior caretaker-animal relationship may play a role in dogs’ responses to the treatment. These results suggest that a caretaker interaction has the potential to improve welfare in dogs residing in CB kennels. However, careful consideration must be taken when implementing new protocols to avoid unintended increases in stress. For some adult dogs unaccustomed to extended, structured interactions with their caretakers, a 2-minute session may have resulted in increased physiological and behavioral stress, suggesting that a longer interaction might have jeopardized rather than improved their welfare. For these dogs, a more gradual introduction to human interactions may be more beneficial. This study offers new insight on the implementation of socialization, counterconditioning, and caretaker-dog interaction practices to maximize positive welfare in CB kennels. Future research is needed to further validate and expand upon these findings.</p>

The aim of this study is to investigate how moral issues surrounding one of the lengthiest environmental conflicts – the Canadian seal hunt controversy - were communicated by two Canadian mainstream newspapers: the national Globe and Mail, and the Newfoundland-based The Telegram in 2009, the year in which the European Union banned the import of all seal products on the basis of a moral standard relating to the welfare of animals. At a general level, the purpose of this work is to examine how the news media construe and convey environmental ethical positions when dealing with complicated environmental issues. To this end, this thesis draws from media framing theory to implement a qualitative linguistic analysis of the 99 news articles to analyze how seals and sealers – the two main subjects of moral worth in this controversy – were framed in the two newspapers. The analysis found that seals were predominantly framed in accordance with their perceived social and economic benefit, largely overlooking animal welfare considerations. Sealers, on the other hand, tended to be portrayed as people of moral rectitude and brave seafarers, with a concomitant onus placed on the cultural and economic importance of sealing for Northerners. The findings corroborate claims that our perceptions of animal species, especially those which are considered wildlife, and the type of our relationship with them vary in accordance with human utility. At the same time, these perceptions are influenced by the social and cultural aspects of humans' relationship with the environment that may trump considerations of animal welfare and compassion toward sentient animals. Seen in the perspective of environmental ethics debate, the seal hunt controversy reveals the current lack of consensus on determining the most sound ethical principle in order to ensure our treatment of the environment is morally consistent. As the seal hunt controversy is not a standalone phenomenon of the protest based in animal welfare considerations, this thesis can be of value for the future research of comparable environmental controversies. Reconciling antagonistic environmental ethics is important for environmental policy-making and management, in order to ensure a greater and more productive stakeholder participation in solving environmental issues more effectively, while at the same realizing our moral obligations towards the animal world and the rest of the nature.

An increased understanding of species-specific behavioral needs has lead zoos to focus on providing more naturalistic and stimulating environments. Scientific assessments of how changes in habitat affect animal behavior are necessary in improving overall animal welfare. This study examined the move of three orangutans housed at the Oregon Zoo into a new and innovative exhibit. Post-occupancy evaluation (POE), which offers systematic information regarding the success or failure of the built environment (Maple & Finlay, 1987), was utilized to effectively evaluate the results of the move. The collection of behavioral data and adrenal activity monitoring through collection of non-invasive saliva, urine and hair provided a comprehensive methodology for comparing changes in behavior and physiological functioning. Behavioral results showed that following the move to the new enclosure animals spent less time inactive, more time at higher elevations and utilized exhibit structures at a greater frequency. Hormonal results suggest that detection of cortisol in orangutan hair could be a useful tool for monitoring chronic stress.

My thesis consists of a novel in stories, each taking place in or around the fictional town of Rose, Oregon. The thesis tells, in non-chronological order, the story of the Slaughter family, a group of polygamists founded by Blackstone Slaughter, and in particular the family's women: Blackstone's wife, Jestyn, and their son Colt's five wives, Alma, Kayo, Larina, Josephine, and Laddy. An additional story, "Rabbit Starvation," set not within the Slaughter compound but within the town of Rose, adds further perspective.

Many dogs suffer from separation anxiety and become excessively stressed when their owner is absent. Since many dogs are left home alone daily, their welfare is at stake. Attention bias tests (ABTs) have previously been used as a way to measure welfare in other non-human animals. The aim of this study was to investigate attention bias in dogs with separation anxiety and dogs without separation anxiety in situations of different short-term emotional states. Three ABTs were performed to assess this, the first one was baseline and included no treatment (neutral) prior to the ABT. The second one was play which had a play treatment (positive) before the ABT, where the dog played with their owner for 2.5 min. The third one was isolation which had an isolation treatment (negative) prior to the ABT, where the dog was alone for 2.5 min. The owner was only present during the ABT in baseline and play. The results showed that separation anxiety only had an effect on barking during isolation, where dogs with separation anxiety barked more. Dogs performed more behaviours related to the owner being absent during isolation: more vocalisation, more looking at the door, being closer to the door (zone five), and being less in the area where the owner stood during baseline and play (zone six), compared to both baseline and play. To my knowledge, the usage of ABTs to measure welfare in dogs are few, and this study revealed that separation anxiety does not affect attention bias.

In recent decades, the global impacts of unsustainable consumption and production patterns have become a leading topic of sustainability, and more recently, climate action discourse. At the policy level, green consumerism – an element of green capitalism – has been positioned as the pathway to more sustainable consumption and production (SCP) practices. Within this model, eco-labeling schemes are used to communicate various sustainability attributes, or conditions of production, to the consumer. This study set out to investigate whether SCP is achievable through green consumerism using a two-part case study that centers around the egg industry and specific hen welfare standards. The case study examines the effectiveness of egg eco-labeling schemes and related statements and images placed on egg packaging in informing consumers' purchasing decisions. It also examines the impacts of green consumerism on organic egg production in the presence of strong consumer demand for enhanced hen welfare standards. The results of the case study demonstrate that in the egg industry, green consumerism is not highly effective because consumers' purchasing decisions are often informed by vague and misleading information about conditions of production. Moreover, the presence of strong consumer demand has not resulted in enhanced hen welfare standards in organic production. In interpreting these findings through the lens of David Harvey's theory of the spatial fix, I argue that the true role of green consumerism is to facilitate a spatial fix to resolve the chronic crisis of overaccumulation in the conventional egg industry. Furthermore, that the limitations and contradictions within green consumerism (e.g. vague or insignificant eco-label claims) aid in removing the barrier of capital fixity so that the spatial fix can occur.

This thesis explores how Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk's 2008 novel, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, engages with William Blake's life and his writings on animal welfare and speaks to current conversations about multispecies justice in the environmental humanities. It argues, first, that in recognizing how this novel's protagonist, Janina, selectively reads Blake to rationalize retributive justice, readers should resist a tendency to mistake this character for Tokarczuk's ideal advocate for environmental ethics. Secondly, it asserts that legal scholars' division between retributive and restorative justice offers valuable framework for approaching both this novel and ongoing debates about multispecies relations and environmental justice.