Health intervention schemes have previously been used in order to improve animal welfare and to reduce and sometimes eradicate disease (Bell et al., 2009). This investigation looks at the success of one such scheme upon the incidence of cattle lameness. Farmers participating in the Healthy Livestock Scheme, which took place in the South West of England from November 2010- January 2014, had their cattle mobility scored before commencing any mentored training, to determine pre-intervention lameness prevalence and again after intervention. The results confirm there was a significant reduction in lameness, from an average 26.7% lame before any intervention to 20.4% after. This means there was on average, 23.6% fewer cases of lameness after farms had participated in the Healthy Livestock Scheme, than before. In an average 128 cow herd, this equates to seven fewer cows becoming lame each year and, based on a single case of lameness costing £180 (AHDB, 2016), this represents a significant saving of £1,283 per annum. Importantly, none of the independent variables had a significant effect upon the change in lameness seen between pre and post-intervention mobility scores. This means the Healthy Livestock scheme was effective at reducing lameness regardless of farming system, breed, herd size, housing, or number of FTEs. The wider implications of this mean that, crucially, this type of funded vet and farmer interaction reaps benefits for all farm types, regardless of these factors.

This diploma thesis entitled Legal protection of farm animals against cruelty aims to provide comprehensive overview of legal provisions for the protection of farm animals, authorities providing this protection and historical bases of the way humans interact with animals. The thesis has 7 chapters. The first chapter defines the key terms for this work, animals and farm animals. The second charter pursues the development of the human-animal relationship and philosophical, religious and other influences affecting this relationship. The third chapter gives an overview of the first legislation dealing with animal cruelty. We can find International treaties and European Union law on the protection of farm animals against cruelty in the fourth charter. Then the thesis focuses on the current Czech legislation, the individual areas of animal treatment regulated by law and in particular the Act no. 246/1992 Coll., On protection of animals against cruelty. The sixth chapter defines the scope of the individual animal protection authorities and finally it provils the overview of the possibilities of sanctions imposed on persons in order to protect farm animals.

This study examined the impact of injuries on the hospital resource utilization rate among trauma patients admitted to the Johnson City Medical Center (TN, USA), a rural Level I trauma center, due to accidents caused by farm animals. A total of 52 patients aged >3 years were studied, with the average age being 44 years. Patients above 65 years of age made up almost a quarter of the study population (23%); 63% of the patient population were male. All patients survived their injuries. Twenty-six percent of the patients required orthopedic intervention, with the majority of those patients being male (nine males, five females).

The Aim The aim of this study was to examine the effects of Animal Assisted Therapies with Farm Animals (AATF) with domesticated ducks on depression, anxiety, and self-efficacy in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) . Furthermore, the following hypothesis was tested: Engaging in AATF with domesticated ducks will be associated with decrease in depression, anxiety, and an increase in self-efficacy. Methods The study examined the effects of AATF on anxiety and depression among patients with TBI. Time series quasi-experimental design structure was utilized. At the beginning of the study participants received Hospital Anxiety and Depression Survey (HADS) and General Self Efficacy (GSE) questionnaires to evaluate the depression, anxiety, and self-efficacy. After that AAFT intervention started. AAFT intervention included two one-hour sessions interacting with ducks every week for 12 weeks. At the end of 12-week period participants received the same questioners. This was repeated in four weeks after the intervention ended to evaluate the residual effects of the intervention on anxiety and depression. Results General Linear Model was employed to examine changes in anxiety, depression, and self-efficacy. Participants presented with anxiety level decrease when means of pre and post intervention anxiety levels were compared. We discovered that these differences were significant based on an alpha value of .05, p = .009. There were no statistically significant differences between anxiety levels immediately post intervention and in four weeks the intervention was complete. There were no statistically significant differences discovered between depression levels pre, post, and retest. Also, there were no statistically significant differences discovered between self-efficacy levels pre, post, and retest. Conclusions Our study supported the part of hypothesis regarding an inverse association between time spent working with ducks and anxiety. Mastery of skills, vicarious experiences, and verbal persuasion may be the factors that contribute to the beneficial outcomes of the interactions between persons with TBI and domesticated ducks.

xvi, 398 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Social movements that fundamentally challenge the status quo struggle to connect theory and practice by framing advocacy messages in ways that serve the utilitarian purpose of resonating with mainstream public values while also demonstrating deontological integrity in authentically reflecting their own radical ideology. This study examines the animal rights movement's framing challenges in transforming discriminatory worldviews against nonhuman animals (NHAs) to create respect for them as inherently valuable subjects. U.S. animal rights organizations (AROs) increasingly focus on protecting animals exploited for food, and this dissertation examines frames used in such food advocacy campaigns of five national AROs: Compassion over Killing, Farm Animal Rights Movement, Farm Sanctuary, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and Vegan Outreach. Using textual analysis of ARO advocacy and interviews with ARO leaders, this study analyzes how and to what extent AROs do or could construct less speciesist frames that resonate with a largely speciesist American public. Findings reveal AROs framed problems with agribusiness around farmed animal cruelty and commodification, human and environmental harm, and unnecessary killing. Solution frames suggested consumers eat a total or largely plant-based diet, and some proposed industry welfare reforms. To motivate audiences, AROs appealed to values, such as: compassion, sentience, moral consistency, desire to make a difference, choice, pleasurable and convenient food, belonging, life, concern for fellow human beings, honesty, American populism, naturalness, freedom, and American pride. Strategically, AROs leaders applied both deontology and utilitarianism in choosing to prioritize NHA altruism rather than human self-interest, but most leaders favored utilitarianism in choosing to privilege animal welfare over animal rights for wider appeal. Overall, while some ARO messages supported animal rights, promoting veganism and respect for NHA subject status, many frames used animal welfare ideology to achieve animal rights solutions, conservatively avoiding a direct challenge to the dominant human/animal dualism. Changes to framing strategy are prescribed in support of frame transformation, such as emphasizing injustice, respect, freedom, life, and a shared animality. This deontologically aligns animal rights theory with advocacy practice in a way that also strategically incorporates both environmental ethics and human rights and merges nature and culture. / Adviser: Debra Merskin

No description available.

No description available.

MSCAGR (Animal Science) / Department of Animal Science / The Nguni is a transboundary indigenous Southern African cattle breed. The breed has distinct populations that are adapted to the different ecological zones of Southern Africa. Previous work on characterising the Nguni has been limited to within-country studies. Thus, the aim of the current study was to genetically characterise South African (SA) Nguni, Mozambican Nguni (Landim) and Swazi Nguni populations across Southern African region using a panel of 25 microsatellite markers, recommended by FAO and ISAG for genetic diversity studies. Genotypic data were generated from 90 unrelated autosomal DNA samples of the three cattle populations (SA Nguni n=30, Mozambican Nguni (Landim) n=30 and Swazi Nguni n=30) collected from government research stations and stud herds. Five South African beef cattle breeds’ DNA profiles were obtained from the ARC-DNA database and used as reference populations. A majority of the microsatellite markers were highly polymorphic across the studied populations. High genetic diversity was detected and expected heterozygosity varied from 71% (Landim) to 75% (SA Nguni) with a higher mean number of alleles (MNA) in the SA Nguni (7.52±0.42) compared to the Swazi Nguni (6.92±0.40) and Landim (7.16±0.43) populations. Observed heterozygosity (Ho) (0.597±0.046) compared to expected heterozygosity (He) (0.719±0.022) was lowest for the Swazi Nguni, confirming a relatively high level of inbreeding (FIS=0.158) in that population. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that 9.61% of the total variation occurred among populations, while 90.39% occurred within populations. Short genetic distance (29.9%) was observed between Landim and Swazi Nguni, with the SA Nguni (>50%) being the most genetically distant population. The distant relationship between SA Nguni and the other two Nguni cattle populations was further confirmed by neighbor-joining (NJ) tree, Principal Coordinates Analyses (PCoA) and Factorial Corresponding Analysis (FCA). The structure of the three Nguni cattle populations clustered independently, despite some evidence of admixture. Additionally, genetic differentiation and population structure within four Mozambican indigenous cattle populations were investigated using the same panel of microsatellite markers. The analysis of unrelated autosomal DNA was performed on 120 animals (Angone n=30, Bovine de Tete n=30, Landim n=30 and Namaacha Nguni n=30), which presented sufficient genetic diversity across all populations. Estimates of mean number of alleles, observed and expected heterozygosities were 6.920±0.20, 0.68±0.02 and 0.71±0.01, respectively. Genetic differentiation among the populations accounted for 8.02% of total genetic variability. Negative (-0.025±0.029) to low positive (0.073±0.050) levels of inbreeding were observed within the four populations. The genetic distance, NJ tree, PCoA and FCA revealed a close relationship between Bovine de Tete and Landim as opposed to Angone and Namaacha Nguni. STRUCTURE analysis assigned the four Mozambican populations independently; however Bovine de Tete and Landim showed relatively higher levels of admixture with each other than Angone and Namaacha Nguni. It can be concluded that SA Nguni, Landim and Swazi Nguni populations accomplish high genetic diversity and they are genetically distant; however, the two latter populations are closely related. These results present useful information / NRF

La prise en compte du bien-être des animaux dans les élevages suscite de vives controverses dans la société et dans les champs scientifique, technique et professionnel. Dans le milieu scolaire, le bien-être animal (BEA), en tant que question socialement vive (Legardez & Simonneaux, 2006), pose des difficultés pour son enseignement et son apprentissage dans les lycées professionnels agricoles préparant les futurs éleveurs. Cette thèse a pour objet de comprendre comment le pouvoir d’action (Clot, 1999) des enseignants et des élèves relatif à la prise en compte du BEA en situations d’enseignement-apprentissage se développe (ou ne se développe pas). Nous articulons les cadres théoriques et méthodologiques de la didactique des questions socialement vives, de la clinique de l’activité et du jugement éthique. Dans une double visée transformative et épistémique, quatre enseignants de zootechnie et leur classe de baccalauréat professionnel ont participé à un protocole d’intervention en lycées. A partir des traces des activités dialogiques recueillies, nous avons documenté les émotions, les jugements éthiques et les représentations-connaissances signifiés ainsi que leurs interactions et les conflits à l’œuvre dans le développement possible et impossible du pouvoir d’action des sujets relatif à la prise en compte du BEA en élevage. L’ensemble des résultats permet de mettre à jour des obstacles et des leviers au développement du pouvoir d’action des élèves et des enseignants. Nous formulons plusieurs propositions pour la formation des enseignants et des élèves afin de les accompagner à affronter certains obstacles et à davantage valoriser les leviers potentiels pour augmenter leur champ des possibles. / The question of farm animal welfare has sparked strong debate in society and in scientific, technical and professional domains. In the field of education, teaching and learning about farm animal welfare (FAW) as a socially acute question (Legardez & Simonneaux, 2006), is particularly problematic in agricultural schools which train future breeders. The aim of this thesis is to understand how the power to act (Clot, 1999), in relation to the question of FAW, develops (or not) in both teachers and students during teaching-learning situations. We articulate the theoretical and methodological frameworks of the didactics of socially acute questions, the clinic of activity and ethical judgment. Four animal husbandry teachers participated in a protocol with their vocational baccalaureate students. Based on their dialogical activities, we recorded their emotions, ethical judgments and knowledge-representations systems along with their interactions and the conflicts at work to help or hinder the development of their power to act.Our results reveal the barriers and the facilitators to the development of the students’ and teachers’ power to act to improve FAW. We make several recommendations for the training of teachers and students which should help them to overcome certain hurdles and further exploit the potential levers allowing them to widen their range of possibilities.