A5067614811- Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Human-Animal Interaction Studies
- Effects of Environmental Stressors on Livestock
- Animal Nutrition and Physiology
- Veterinary Equine Medical Research
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Meat and Animal Product Quality
- Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Diversity and Impact of Dance
- Context-Aware Activity Recognition Systems
- Time Series Analysis and Forecasting
- Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention
- Flow Experience in Various Fields
- Veterinary Pharmacology and Anesthesia
- Livestock and Poultry Management
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- melanin and skin pigmentation
- Rabbits: Nutrition, Reproduction, Health
- Infant Health and Development
- Intelligent Tutoring Systems and Adaptive Learning
- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Circadian rhythm and melatonin
BOKU University
2018-2024
University of Bern
2016-2018
Agroscope
2016-2017
University of Edinburgh
2013
Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
2009
The concept of animal welfare is evolving due to progress in our scientific understanding biology and changing societal expectations. Animal science has been primarily concerned with minimizing suffering, but there growing interest also promoting positive experiences, grouped under the term (PAW). However, are discrepancies use PAW. An interdisciplinary group arrived at a consensus that ‘PAW can be defined as flourishing through experience predominantly mental states development competence...
The manner in which laboratory rodents are housed is driven by economics (minimal use of space and resources), ergonomics (ease handling visibility animals), hygiene standardization (reduction variation). This has resulted housing conditions that lack sensory motor stimulation restrict the expression species–typical behavior. In mice, such have been associated with indicators impaired welfare, including abnormal repetitive behavior (stereotypies, compulsive behavior), enhanced anxiety stress...
Until recently, research in animal welfare science has mainly focused on negative experiences like pain and suffering, often neglecting the importance of assessing promoting positive experiences. In rodents, specific facial expressions have been found to occur situations thought induce negatively valenced emotional states (e.g., pain, aggression fear), but none yet identified for states. Thus, this study aimed investigate if indicative state are exhibited rats. Adolescent male Lister Hooded...
Positive welfare and related terms such as good welfare, happiness, a life are increasingly used in the animal science literature. Overall, they highlight benefits of providing animals opportunities for positive experiences, beyond alleviation suffering. However, various remain loosely defined sometimes interchangeably, resulting discrepancy. In this perspective article, we lay out concepts We identify two distinct views: "hedonic welfare," arising from likes wants their outcomes on welfare;...
Abstract Judgement bias tasks are promising tools to assess emotional valence in animals, however current designs often time-consuming and lack aspects of validity. This study aimed establish an improved design that addresses these issues can be used across species. Horses, rats, mice were trained on a spatial Go/No-go task where animals could initiate each trial. The location open goal-box, at either end row five goal-boxes, signalled reward (positive trial) or non-reward (negative trial)....
Finding valid indicators of emotional states is one the biggest challenges in animal welfare science. Here, we investigated horses whether variation expression eye wrinkles caused by contraction inner eyebrow raiser reflects valence. By confronting with positive and negative conditions, aimed to induce states, hypothesising that emotions would reduce whereas increase wrinkle expression. Sixteen were individually exposed a balanced order two (grooming, food anticipation) conditions (food...
Individual housing of dairy calves is common farm practice, but has negative effects on calf welfare. A compromise between practice and welfare may be in pairs. We compared learning performances affective states as assessed a judgement bias task individually housed pair-housed calves. Twenty-two from each treatment were trained spatial Go/No-go with active trial initiation to discriminate the location teat-bucket signalling either reward (positive location) or non-reward (negative location)....
Abstract Pigs ( Sus scrofa domesticus ) and most other farmed species are social animals for whom isolation is known to cause stress. However, their nature commonly ignored in behavioural cognitive tasks, on which they trained tested individually, may impact welfare the validity of test results. We chose Judgement Bias Task (JBT), a promising proxy measure affective states, compare training duration, task performance behaviour pigs (ISO; n = 12) with physical visual contact companions...
The concept of flow, a state complete absorption in an intrinsically rewarding activity, has played pivotal role advancing notions human well-being beyond minimising suffering towards promoting flourishing and thriving. While flow fundamental positive psychology, it not yet been explored non-human animals, leaving enormous void our understanding intrinsic motivation animals. As ethology related fields keep progressing uncovering complex cognitive affective capacities we propose the time is...
Identifying valid indicators to assess animals' emotional states is a critical objective of animal welfare science. In horses, eye wrinkles above the eyeball have been shown be affected by pain and other states. From species we know that individual characteristics, e.g., age in humans, affect facial wrinkles, but it has not yet investigated whether wrinkle expression horses systematically such characteristics. Therefore, aim this study was how age, sex, breed type, body condition, coat...
Animals kept in barren environments often show increased levels of inactivity and first studies indicate that inactive behaviour may reflect boredom or depression-like states. However, to date, knowledge what looks like different species is scarce methods precisely describe analyse are thus warranted.We developed an Inactivity Ethogram including detailed information on the postures body parts (Standing/Lying, Head, Ears, Eyes, Tail) for fattening cattle, a farm animal category environments....
Judgment bias tasks for nonhuman animals are promising tools to assess emotional valence as a measure of animal welfare. In view establishing valid judgment task horses, the present study aimed evaluate 2 versions (go/no-go and active choice) an auditory horses in terms acquisition learning discrimination ambiguous cues. Five mares 5 stallions were randomly assigned designs trained 10 trials per day acquire different operant responses low-frequency tone high-frequency tone, respectively....
For behavioural tests such as the cognitive judgement bias task (JBT), animals usually undergo weeks of training involving various elements, handling, social isolation and learning task. These may influence their affective state other welfare indicators. Here, we investigated effects for a JBT on fear-related behaviour in laying hens potential indicator – telomere shortening. Hens were trained (N=16, across 2 batches), or kept controls batches) that received no training-related handling....
Exposure to chronic stress is associated with an increased incidence of neuropsychiatric dysfunction. The current study evaluated two competing hypotheses, the cumulative and match/mismatch hypothesis dysfunction, using paradigms relating exposure "stress": pre-weaning maternal separation post-weaning isolation-housing. C57BL/6 offspring were reared under four conditions: typical animal facility rearing (AFR, control), early handling (EH, daily 15 min from dam), (MS, 4 hr peer (MPS, dam...
Farming with more than one livestock species has been discussed as being sustainable compared to specialised production systems. Some potentially positive effects of multi-species farming can only occur when different share space, e.g., by co-grazing. To date there is limited research on the behaviour animals in groups. If co-grazing adopted widely, it important investigate its effect animals' and subsequently their welfare. One most prevalent combinations a survey 126 farms was cattle...
Animal boredom is a potentially prevalent, but underresearched animal welfare concern. To study the characteristics of and its consequences, we need to be sure that animals are actually bored do not suffer from other negatively valenced states like apathy depression. Animals' responses towards stimuli different valence (positive, ambiguous, negative) have been suggested help differentiating between these states. Apathetic hypothesised show decreased interest in all valences, whereas...
Abstract Emotional contagion is suggested to facilitate group life by enhancing synchronized responses the environment. Cooperative breeders are an example of a social system that requires such intricate coordination between individuals. Therefore, we studied emotional in common marmosets means judgement bias test. Demonstrators were exposed emotion manipulation (i.e., positive, negative, control), and observers perceived only demonstrator’s behaviour. We predicted positive or negative...
Identifying and validating behavioral indicators of mood are important for the assessment animal welfare. Here, we investigated whether horses' eye wrinkle expression in a presumably neutral situation is measure as assessed cognitive judgment bias task (JBT). To this end, scored pictures left right eyes 16 stallions different aspects tested same individuals on spatial JBT with active trial initiation. Eye expressions were by qualitative assessment, i.e., overall how “worried” horses look,...