La période d’abattage est complexe car elle se compose d’une succession de situations associées à une multitude de facteurs de stress. L’animal est généralement privé d’alimentation et est ensuite confronté à un environnement changeant et contraignant qui demande en permanence des adaptations comportementales et physiologiques affectant son état émotionnel. Les objectifs de cette thèse sont (i) de mieux comprendre l’origine des réactions des bovins au cours de la période d’abattage, et (ii) d’évaluer leur stress d’un point de vue comportemental et physiologique à l’aide d’études menées à la fois en abattoir industriel et dans des conditions expérimentales.Nos travaux sur le terrain mettent en évidence la nécessité de tenir compte de toutes les procédures d’abattage, y compris les plus courtes, ainsi que des contraintes organisationnelles des abattoirs car elles influencent l’état de stress des bovins. Pendant la période d’élevage, la caractérisation des bovins selon leur réactivité émotionnelle,qui dépend en partie de leur expérience antérieure et de leur race, permet d’identifier les animaux susceptibles de réagir plus fortement aux procédures d’abattage. Elle permet également de déterminer les facteurs de stress prépondérants associés à ces procédures. Ainsi, la nouveauté et la séparation sociale expliquent en partie les réactions de stress à l’abattage chez les vaches. Chez les taurillons, les réactions de stress à l’abattage sont liées à leur réactivité cardiaque à la soudaineté et à l’Homme. De plus, les bovins réagissent plus fortement à différents facteurs de stress lorsqu’ils sont privés de nourriture. L’état physiologique des bovins influence donc leurs réactions de stress à l’abattage, probablement en modulant leur perception de la situation. Afin de réduire le niveau de stress des bovins pendant la période d’abattage, nos travaux montrent qu’il est possible d’agir sur l’environnement en limitant les sources de stress directes et indirectes. Il est également possible d’agir au niveau de l’animal par le biais de son expérience antérieure et de sa génétique. / The slaughter period is complex as it consists of a series of situations during which the animal is confronted with various stress-inducing factors. The animal is often food deprived and subjected to a changing and demanding environment that it needs constantly to adapt to in behavioural and physiological terms and which may affect the emotional status of the animal. The present thesis aimed to (i) better understand causes underlying the reactions of cattle during the slaughter period and (ii) evaluate their stress status using behavioural and physiological measurements, in studies conducted in industrial and experimental conditions.Results show that all slaughter procedures, even short-lasting, as well as organisational constraints of the abattoir, should be taken into account as they may all influence cattle stress status. During rearing, characterising the cattle according to their emotional reactivity, which depends partly on prior experience and genetic background, allows identifying animals that are likely to react relatively strongly to the slaughter procedures. It allows also identifying the main factors associated with slaughter procedures that may cause stress. Thus, novelty and social separation explain part of the slaughter stress reactions in cows. In young bulls, stress reactions at slaughter are related to their cardiac reactivity to suddenness and to human. Additionally, cattle reacted more strongly to different stressful situations when they are food-deprived. This suggests that in cattle, physiological status may influence stress reactions slaughter, possibly by modulating their perception of the situation. In order to reduce stress levels during the slaughter period in cattle, it is possible to improve aspects of the environment by avoiding direct and indirect stress-inducing factors. It is also possible to take action at the animal level by modifying its prior experience or genetic background.

Orientador: Silvia Regina Lucas de Souza / Resumo: Em ambientes de produção animal o processo de análise das condições de conforto térmico pode ser realizado mediante o cálculo de índices de conforto térmico e da elaboração de mapas de variabilidade espacial de parâmetros meteorológicos e dos próprios índices de conforto térmico. Os métodos atuais para análise do bem-estar animal, especificamente aqueles por meio de mapas de índices de conforto térmico, são realizados em programas de computador utilizando-se softwares específicos de interpolação de dados. Esses processos, por sua vez, não permitem que avaliações de conforto térmico sejam realizadas facilmente no próprio local de coleta de dados. Assim, esse trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de desenvolver um sistema para criação de mapas de variabilidade espacial da temperatura do ar e de índices de conforto térmico de animais, utilizando o método interpolador IDW (Inverse Distance Weighted), ou Inverso da Distância Ponderada. O sistema desenvolvido é composto por um aplicativo Android e dispositivos de transmissão e recepção de dados meteorológicos. O aplicativo foi desenvolvido por meio da linguagem de programação orientada a objetos Java, mediante o ambiente de desenvolvimento integrado Android Studio. Já os dispositivos móveis foram criados utilizando-se sensores de baixo custo de temperatura do ar, temperatura de globo negro e umidade relativa, juntamente com microcontroladores de plataforma eletrônica de código aberto – Arduino. O algoritmo desenvolvido para o aplic... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: In animal production environments, the process of analysis of thermal comfort conditions may be carried out through the calculation of the thermal comfort index and the creation of maps showing spatial variabilities of meteorological parameters and the thermal comfort indexes. The current methods for analysis of animal well fare, especially those including maps of thermal comfort indexes, are carried out using computer programs with specific software of data interpolation. On the other hand, these processes don’t allow the evaluations of thermal comfort to be easily performed in the data collection site. Therefore, the aim of this study was developing a system for creation of maps with spatial variability of the air temperature and thermal comfort of animals, using the IDW (Inverse Distance Weighted) interpolation method. The system created is formed by an Android app and devices of transmission and reception of meteorological data. The app was developed using the Java programming language, through the Android Studio integrated development environment. The mobile devices were made using low cost air temperature, black globe temperature and relative humidity sensors, and microcontrollers of open source electronic platform – Arduino. The algorithm developed for the Android app was validated by means of comparing the air temperature figures measured, and those interpolated by the app in a broiler shed. On the other hand, the transmission and reception of data were validated via ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

The concept of One Health is a rather new term that is used to describe the need for collaboration across expert disciplines to ensure health for humans, animals and the environment. The concept of One Health covers many different aspects of problems that pose a threat to a sustainable planet, for example zoonotic diseases, food hygiene, antibiotic resistance and animal welfare. In recent years the interest in One Health issues has expanded in a truly amazing way, therefore, it is in our interest to present an overview of One Health projects globally, regarding the topics of zoonotic diseases and animal welfare. The aim of this literature study is to conduct an overview of published studies, in the areas of zoonotic diseases and animal welfare, from geographically distinct parts of the world, including Europe, Middle East, South America, South-East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. This will be done by answering questions regarding the analysed publications, to explore similarities and differences between the previously mentioned geographic areas, regarding the two topics of interest. PubMed was used as search engine to identify publications suitable for the aim of this literature overview. 178 publications within the area of zoonotic diseases and 139 publications within the area of animal welfare met the inclusion criteria and were analysed and evaluated according to a question-sheet. Cross-border collaborations appeared to be more common in the field of zoonotic diseases than in the field of animal welfare. Looking at the amount of published papers, there seemed to be an elevation in number of publications focusing on zoonotic diseases from the time interval 2012-2013 to 2014-2015, in contrast to animal welfare, where the publication numbers increased some years later, from 2014-2015 to 2016-2017. Sub-Saharan African and South American publications focused more on vector borne diseases than the other investigated geographic areas. Regarding the most common cause of animal welfare issues, it appeared to be housing and human management in all investigated geographical demarcations.

Dalla panoramica dei sistemi di valutazione del Benessere Animale (BA) si evince che si basa su molteplici indicatori diretti ed indiretti, ma per tutti i sistemi esaminati non vi è mai la possibilità di confermare la stima di benessere con metodi di riferimento oggettivi ed indipendenti. Inoltre, i vari sistemi, pur volendo stimare un dato oggettivo del BA, rispondono a specifiche categorie sociali: opinione pubblica (es. Welfare Quality), politica amministrativa (es. IBA), allevatori (es. FARM, IBS e SDIB), consumatori (FARM, Welfare Quality). Un sistema realmente olistico al momento non esiste, in quanto in relazione all’esigenza principale che deve soddisfare, si tende a semplificare la valutazione omettendo alcuni aspetti significativi. Lo scopo generale di questa attività di ricerca è stato quello di evolvere un sistema di valutazione del BA (modello SDIB) realizzato presso il Dipartimento DIANA di Piacenza, rivolto agli allevamenti in prima istanza, quale strumento di innovazione dell’impresa zootecnica, ma nel pieno rispetto delle normative, della sensibilità sociale e delle istanze etiche. L’obiettivo principale è stato quello di sviluppare un software, denominato IDEAL, dedicato al modello di valutazione SDIB. È stata valutata l’eventuale ridondanza degli indicatori di benessere inclusi nel modello, entro una adeguata popolazione di allevamenti della pianura padana e dello stato dell’Oregon. Inoltre, SDIB ha mostrato incoraggianti risultati circa il suo utilizzo come strumento di valutazione di fattori sovra-aziendali, sono infatti state eseguite valutazioni in gruppi di allevamenti caratterizzati da differenze produttive, e gestionali (es. sistema biologico vs convenzionale; adesione al disciplinare del Grana Padano vs Parmigiano Reggiano; sistema padano vs sistema Oregon) per valutare l’eventuale incidenza sul livello di BA. Applicando questa metodologia l’investigazione di tali fattori esula dalle mode del momento; al contrario, privilegia la risposta degli animali per tali fattori. Nei confronti eseguiti, è stata riscontrata per tutti i gruppi di aziende una elevata variabilità relativa al livello di BA, dimostrando come disciplinari o sistemi di allevamento diversi, non siano da soli, sufficienti a garantire un ottimale livello di BA. Un secondo obiettivo del progetto si è concentrato sullo studio di valori di riferimento ematici nelle varie fasi di lattazione, per fornire una maggiore oggettività ai sistemi di valutazione del BA con dati indipendenti. Pertanto, si sono eseguiti prelievi ematici nelle categorie di allevamento più rappresentative delle bovine durante il ciclo produttivo (asciutta, immediato post-parto, fine del primo mese di lattazione e lattazione avanzata) appartenenti ad allevamenti con un buon livello di benessere in tutti i cluster di SDIB, una adeguata alimentazione in tutte le fasi ed ottimi standard di strutture ed attrezzature, con lo scopo di identificare i livelli di riferimento di vari indicatori fisiologici. Per le 4 fasi sono pertanto stati individuati nuovi range di riferimento che potranno essere usati per validare i vari sistemi di valutazione del BA. / The overview of Animal Welfare (AW) assessment systems shows that it is based on multiple direct and indirect indicators, but for all systems examined, there is never the possibility of confirming the welfare estimate with objective and independent reference methods. Even though the various systems want to estimate an objective data of animal welfare, they respond to specific social categories: public opinion (e.g., Welfare Quality), administrative policy (e.g., IBA), breeders (e.g., FARM, IBS and SDIB), consumers (FARM, Welfare Quality). At the moment, there is no truly holistic system; in relation to the main need to satisfy, there is a tendency to simplify the evaluation by omitting some significant aspects. The general aim of this research activity was to evolve an animal welfare evaluation system (SDIB model), that has been carried out at the DIANA Department of Piacenza. Firstly, this system is suggested for farms as a tool for innovation of the livestock enterprise, but in full compliance with the regulations, social sensitivity, and ethical requirements. The main objective was to develop a software, called IDEAL, dedicated to the SDIB evaluation model. The possible redundancy of the welfare indicators included in the model was evaluated within an adequate population of farms in the Po Valley and in the State of Oregon. In addition, SDIB has shown encouraging results about its use as a tool for the evaluation of extra company factors. In fact, some evaluations have been carried out in groups of farms characterized by differences in production and management (e.g., biological system vs. conventional, adherence to Grana Padano Disciplinary vs. Parmigiano Reggiano Disciplinary, Po Valley system vs. Oregon system) to assess the possible impact on the level of AW. Applying this methodology, the investigation of these factors goes beyond the current trends. On the contrary, it favors the animals' response to these factors. With regard to the comparisons carried out, a high variability relative to the level of animal welfare has been found for all groups of farms, demonstrating how different disciplines or farming systems are not sufficient to ensure an optimal level of AW, if not related to something else. A second objective of the project was to study blood reference values at the various stages of lactation in order to provide greater objectivity to the AW assessment systems with independent data. Therefore, blood samples were taken from the most representative categories of cows during the production cycle (dry, immediate post-partum, end of the first month of lactation and advanced lactation) belonging to herds with a good level of welfare in all SDIB clusters, adequate feeding at all stages and excellent standards of facilities and equipment, with the aim of identifying the reference levels of various physiological indicators. For the 4 phases, new reference ranges have been identified, and they can be used to validate the various assessment systems of the AW.

On September 16, 2009 the European parliament adopted a Regulation (EC) 1007/2009 prohibiting the seal products from being imported and placed on the European Union market. Adoption of a Seal trade ban was a result of an effective anti-sealing lobby and increasing public concern over the perceivably cruel seal hunting methods that emerged in reaction to growing popularity of seal fur in early 2000s. Even though the Seal ban includes an exception for Inuit who hunt seals traditionally for subsistence and depend on monetary income to maintain their traditions, it proved to be highly ineffective as the demand for all seal products declined dramatically, threatening Inuit way of life in the process. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the key actors involved in the conflict, specifically the Inuit, the European Union, animal welfare NGOs and the Canadian government and to contextualize and analyze the specific narratives of the seal hunting discourse and their implications. By looking at the motivation and justification of the EU Seal ban as well as the implications of the different perspectives on the issue, this research will try to test the hypothesis that the seal hunting discourse is based on a colonial mindset and that decolonization of the mind is yet to be achieved by Western society.

Play is a self-motivated seemingly non-functional behavior mainly observed in young animals. Moreover, play behaviors can be divided into three categories; social play, object play and locomotor play. The type of activity the category contains varies, as play behaviors vary between species. Play behavior is seen as an indicator of positive emotions in animals, therefore play could be an indicator of welfare. However, the relationship between play and welfare requires further studies. In this study, information was compiled from various articles about play and its relation to welfare. Above all, the study focuses on welfare and play in chickens, as studies on chickens are most lacking. Play provides several benefits regarding motor training, social cohesion and cognitive training. Livestock such as calves, piglets and lambs have all been observed playing. No play has been confirmed in chickens which is mainly due to lack of research. However, play has been observed in other bird species, including birds within the order Galliformes. Amount and type of play varies depending on the environment, which suggests that animal welfare has a great significance for play. If no play occurs, one could conclude that welfare needs to be improved. Lack of play observed in chickens could be due to poor welfare or lack of research. After all, presence of play in other bird species increases the probability that chickens also play. Results indicate that play could be used as an indicator for welfare.

This diploma thesis is focused on animal play behaviour, it's features and factors that influence it. It also shows how play can be used as an animal welfare indicator and moreover that play may also improve welfare. Play is interesting from physiology and neurology point of view as well because it is able to trigger positive emotions. This thesis also describes the main hypotheses explaing evolutionary functions of play. The newest hypothesis claims that play may be a "training for the unexpected"(Špinka et al., 2001). Our experiments tested this hypothesis. We investigated if play of piglets before weaning could improve their coping with stress and reduce agonistic behaviour after weaning and later in life. Results show that play in an extra space before weaning does not influence pig's behaviour very much, but it seems to have some impact. Results also show other factors influencing agonistic behaviour of pigs - groupsize, gender and weight gain.

Affective states of animals are emotions with positive or negative valance. Positive and negative affective states affect animal welfare, and can bias interpretation of information positively or negatively, respectively. Judgement bias tests measure affective states based on responses to ambiguous cues, intermediate to cues with learnt positive and negative outcomes. Responses closer to those of positive cues indicate positive affective state. However, animals need extensive training to learn initial associations to reference cues. Therefore, I here aimed to validate an alternative affective state test based on instinctive avoidance of patterns resembling eyespots. Responses to ambiguous eyespot cues similar to responses to full eyespot cues could indicate negative affective state. To test this, behavioural responses of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) chicks to ambiguous cues from a validated judgement bias test were compared to responses to cues resembling eyespots. In a second cohort of birds, I developed simplified tests with only one ambiguous cue in each tests. I predicted that responses in both tests would correlate positively. In the original tests, shorter distance and latency to approach ambiguous cues correlated positively with latency to approach one of the eyespot cues, a full eyespot cue. This pattern was only observed in females. In the simplified tests, at 4 weeks of age, shortest latency to approach cues correlated among tests. This pattern was not observed when chicks were tested at 2 weeks of age. Overall, the eyespot test is a promising alternative affective state test, but further studies exploring sex- and age-effects, are needed.

No description available.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of additional enrichment materials (EMs; pecking stones and alfalfa bales) on the occurrence of plumage damage, skin injuries, and toe injuries, with an emphasis on the possible differences between commercial hybrid strains of laying hens. During rearing (weeks 1–18, 16 compartments, 4000 pullets) and laying periods (weeks 21–72, 24 compartments, 2808 hens) in a littered housing system, EMs were permanently provided to the study groups (EXP), while control groups (CON) did not receive additional EM. In a two-factorial study design (two groups with four strains) with 351 hens per variant, the brown egg-laying Lohmann Brown classic (LB) and Bovans Brown (BB) strains as well as the white egg-laying Lohmann Selected Leghorn classic (LSL) and Dekalb White (DW) strains were investigated. Compared to the CON, the EXP showed reduced body mass during rearing (p < 0.001) and reduced albumen consistency in the laying period (p < 0.001). Regarding integument condition, the LSL in the EXP showed more toe injuries than in the CON (p = 0.018). Remarkably, genotype-environment interactions between strains and groups were evident (p < 0.001). In groups with an EM supply, plumage damage decreased in LB (p ≤ 0.033) and LSL (p ≤ 0.005) but increased in BB (p ≤ 0.003). Moreover, there were fewer skin injuries in LSL (p = 0.001) but more in BB (p = 0.001) in groups with access to EM. In view of the diverging effects between strains, future practical recommendations for laying hen husbandry should be strain-specific.:Introduction Materials and Methods Results Discussions Author Contributions Funding Acknowledgments Conflicts of Interest References