Animal welfare

Animal welfareBy

Dr. Rabie Hassan FayedProf. of Animal Management & Behaviour

introduction Science, Ethics and Law Welfare science considers effects of humans

on the animal from the animal’s point of view

Welfare ethics considers human actions towards animals

Welfare legislation considers how humans must treat animals

Concepts in Animal Welfare: Science, ethics and law All three aspects are important for welfare The Concepts in Animal Welfare presentations cover different

aspects: Some presentations focus on 1 aspect e.g.:

Science : physiological indicators Ethics : introduction to ethics Law : protection legislation

Other presentations cover all 3 aspects e.g.: Farm animal husbandry Euthanasia

What is the welfare status of the following dog?

During routine vaccination, a vet observes a

small but aggressive malignant tumour in

the mouth of a dog (the tumour has spread

to the local lymph nodes)

Current • Physical status - abnormality

• Mental status - fine

• Future • Physical status - spread to lungs, etc.

• Mental status - pain, discomfort

Two animal welfare concepts

MentalPhysical

Early tumoursEarly infections

FearAnxiety

Clinical diseaseInjury

Three animal welfare concepts

MentalPhysical

Restrict natural behaviour

Naturalness

Example of issues affecting physical / mental welfare and naturalness

Restricting sows to stalls Naturalness:

Restriction of oral and social behaviour

Physical: Mouth injuries from bar

biting Mental:

Frustration Pain from mouth injuries

Three welfare definitions

• Physical status (fitness)

• Mental status (feelings)

• “Naturalness” (telos)

Physical status• Welfare defines the state of an animal as

regards its attempts to cope with its environment.” (Fraser & Broom, 1990)

• “I suggest that an animal is in a poor state of welfare only when physiological systems are disturbed to the point that survival or reproduction are impaired.” (McGlone, 1993)

Mental status• “neither health nor lack of stress

nor fitness is necessary and/or sufficient to conclude that an animal has good welfare.

• Welfare is dependent upon what animals feel.” (Duncan, 1993)

“Naturalness

• “Not only will welfare mean control of

pain and suffering, it will also entail

nurturing and fulfilment of the animals’

nature, which I call telos.” (Rollin, 1993)

Combined definition

Some definitions combine two or three aspects

For example : Five Freedoms Freedom from hunger and thirst Freedom from discomfort Freedom from pain, injury and disease Freedom to express normal behaviour Freedom from fear and distress

The concept of needs Need: a requirement, fundamental in the

biology of the animal, to obtain a part icular resource or respond to a part icular environmental or bodily stimulus (Broom & Johnson, 1993)

I f a need is not provided for then there wil l be an effect on physiology or behaviour, i.e. observation of a physiological effect that can be l inked to the absence of a certain resource is an indication of lack of human care

Hierarchy of needs

Some needs may be more important than others

Provision of food and water is a fundamental need

Provision of a comfortable lying area may be less

fundamental

Life-sustaining > Health-sustaining > Comfort-

sustaining

When is death relevant to welfare?

The manner of death is relevant

e.g. method of slaughter is important

High death rates can indicate poor welfare conditions

Poor husbandry conditions can cause disease and death

Welfare assessment and

the Five Freedoms

Five Freedoms = Animal welfare

The council believes that the welfare of an animal ... should be considered with reference to ‘Five Freedoms ’.

Freedom from hunger and thirst Freedom from discomfort Freedom from pain, injury and disease Freedom to express normal behaviour Freedom from fear and distress

Are all Freedoms equally important

In your opinion how much importance should be placed on providing animals with the Five Freedoms?

Five Freedoms conflict

Freedom from disease conflicts with:

Fear from handling during treatment

Freedom to express normal behaviour

conflicts with:

Distress during normal social interactions

All farming systems restrict normal behaviour

All farming systems restrict normal behaviour

Examples: Fences and housing restrict normal

ranging behaviour

Controlled breeding restricts normal sexual behaviour.

Significance of Freedoms The Five Freedoms do not give a detailed

account of what should be measured in a

scientif ic study , Consensus amongst

scientists and polit icians in many countries –

welfare should be considered in terms of the

Five Freedoms

The Freedoms give an init ial indication of

what should be assessed and what should be

provided to animals

Five Freedoms & welfare inputs / factors

It does not define the minimum standards as it is extremely

difficult to always provide all the Freedoms

Freedom from hunger & thirst by ready access to fresh water

and a diet to maintain full health and vigour

Freedom from discomfort by providing an appropriate

environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area

Five Freedoms & welfare inputs / factors

Freedom from pain, injury and disease by prevention or

rapid diagnosis and treatment

Freedom to express normal behaviour by providing sufficient

space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind

Freedom from fear and distress by ensuring conditions and

treatment which avoid mental suffering

Welfare inputs / factors

Stockman

Environment

Animal

Examples of welfare factors Stockman

Empathy, Knowledge, Observation skills Environment

Housing, Bedding, Feed quality, Water provision

Animal Suitable breed, Age and Sex for the

system

Common framework for quantifying problem

Severity

Duration

Number affected

Common framework for quantifying problem

Once you have identified which aspects of the Five Freedoms have potentially been compromised you also need to consider:

The severity of any welfare compromises The duration that the compromise has

existed The number of animals affected.

Quantifying severity Behaviour

e.g. fearfulness

Disease e.g. lameness, pneumonia

Production performance e.g. growth rates

Physiology e.g. heart rate, cort isol

Severity example

How severe is the social isolation of sheep?

Duration example

For how long are sheep sensitive to pain after a lameness episode?

Number affected

• Example: • At any one time, how many animals are lame ?

15%15%* * 22%22% * *

SDN example: Cattle in poor condition

Severity: How thin are the cows (e.g. Body

condit ion score)?

Duration: How long have the cows been thin?

Number affected: How many catt le are thin?

Behavioural indicators Behaviour is useful in a study of animal

welfare because it gives us an indication of how animals feel: Choices that the animal makes

Reaction to a variety of stimuli

Behaviour assessments are, therefore, often used as indicators of welfare

Behavioural indicators

Animal welfare scientists use behavioural indicators to identify factors that are important to animals

We can use behavioural indicators to recognise poor welfare or good welfare

What is animal behaviour?

The choices that an animal makes as a result of analysis of environmental stimuli (often many)

These choices are influenced by: experience physiological status (e.g. age, pregnancy) innate responses (e.g. species, breed)

Behavioural indicators in welfare science

1. Behaviour observation 2. Choices3. Work that an animal will do to gain

what it wants or needs4. Work that an animal will do to escape

unpleasant stimuli5. Deviations from normal behaviour

1.Behaviour observation Observe how animals allocate their

time in a natural environment

Record animal behaviour in a restricted environment

Behaviour observation: example

2. Choices

Offer the animal a variety of options

and allow it to choose

ChoicesHens have access to both bean bag (BB) and

f lat f loor (FF) nestsThe number of t imes they chose each kind of

nest was recorded for 16 egg-laying Result: Hens prefer to lay eggs in nests containing

loose material that can be manipulated by their bodies and feet

Conclusion: Animals choose plenty of space, a

comfortable bed, the opportunity to control their environment and to interact with others

Choices This method gives the scientist

information about an animal’s choices or preferences

However, it does not answer the question of whether the animal’s welfare suffers if cannot get what it prefers

3.Work that an animal will do to gain what it needs

Ask the animal to work for rewards - such as food or a dust bath

The amount of work the animal will perform indicates the importance of the reward to the animal

4. Work that an animal will do to escape unpleasant stimuli

Measure how hard an animal will work to avoid a stressful or painful situation

5. Deviations from normal behaviour

Deviations from normal behaviour

However, abnormal patterns of behaviour are most frequent in restricted environments, and may be the result of frustration. Most people agree that they indicate poor welfare.

Animals may develop abnormal behaviour patterns such as tail-biting (pigs), feather-pecking or stereotypies.

Deviations from normal behaviour

(Stereotypies are repeated patterns of behaviour that have no purpose, for example, the calf in the picture repeatedly bites the cage bars.)

It can be difficult to interpret abnormal behaviour.

Deviations from normal behaviour The examples of tail-biting and feather-

pecking both cause immediate suffering in the victims, but also suggest that the tail-biters’ and feather-peckers’ welfare is compromised.

These abnormal behaviours may not disappear even after the factors that caused restriction or frustration have been removed.

6. Interaction with humans Animals learn by experience Their experience with people enables

them to associate humans either with pleasure or with pain and fear

This has been explored in animal welfare science

Behavioural indicators in welfare in comparison with physiological measures

Advantages Easier/less invasive Requires less equipment Can be done away from the lab

Disadvantages Interpretation is difficult Some consider less rigorous

Behavioural indicators for ‘normal’ animal

Alertness Curiosity Range of activities Interaction with other members of the

herd/flock Interaction with humans/Aversion to

humans Play

The ‘normal’ animal: Alertness

The ‘normal’ animal: Curiosity

The ‘normal’ animal: Range of activities

The ‘normal’ animal: Range of activities Many factors affect the range of activities

seen: Species (for example, a dog has

very different activities from a chicken).

Breed. Age - young animals are more

active, more likely to play, and spend more time sleeping.

The ‘normal’ animal: Range of activities

Environment - may be limited to what is available within a pen. Animals in the wild may have adapted to new urban environments.

Group size and interaction (e.g. presence of dominant male and young males).

Season (e.g. breeding, migration).

The ‘normal’ animal: Interaction with other members of group/herd/flock

The ‘normal ’ animal: Interaction with other members of

group/herd/flock

A number of factors influence interaction between members of the group. Species: Some are solitary or form small

family groups. Others, such as wild dogs, sheep and cattle, live in groups.

Breed. Size of group: On the farm, group size may

be very large (e.g. broiler chickens, dairy herds). Animals get to know individuals in small groups, not in very large groups. Hierarchy can be much better established in small groups.

Interaction with other members of group/herd/flock

Presence or absence of breeding males or dominant adult female to take the lead.

Age range: There may be competition between animals of different ages in a group. For example, older cows may bully heifers when they join the dairy herd and prevent them from feeding.

The ‘normal’ animal: Interaction with humans

The ‘normal’ animal: Interaction with humans The behaviour of a ‘normal’ animal varies with

its previous experience:1. If never handled or wild, it is likely to be fearful,

and may show aggression when cornered.2. If previous experience with humans has been

positive, the animal is likely to be friendly, curious, and will approach a stationary human after a period.

3. If previous experience with humans has been negative, the animal may be fearful and restless or aggressive.

The ‘normal’ animal: Play

The ‘normal’ animal: Play Young animals tend to play more than adults,

and we associate play with a feeling of well-being.

Potential reasons for play include: To develop activities they will need when older;

e.g. young cats learn to hunt by stalking other members of the group or the mother’s tail.

To develop and strengthen muscles (needed for flight, hunting, fighting, etc.).

To strengthen bonds with other members of the group.

Behavioural indicators of poor welfare

1. Limited range of activity2. Panting and/or sweating3. Huddling or shivering 4. Depression5. Abnormal fear or aggression towards

humans6. Stereotypies and other behavioural

abnormalities

1a) Limited range of activity

May affect individuals or a whole group, and includes:

Restricted space in intensive farming systems or laboratory housing

Close tethering Lameness Increased lying time (due to lameness,

disease, obesity or weakness)

1b) Limited range of activity due to confined housing

Limited range of activity due to confined housing An animal such as an orang-utan should

perform a vast range of activities. A lot of time would be spent travelling through the forest and foraging for suitable feed. When confined to a small cage the animal has few behavioural options.

We intuitively can assume that animals that are prevented from carrying out most of their normal activities will suffer.

Limited range of activity due to confined housing However, as discussed in module 6

(Behavioural indicators 1), we cannot be sure, and other behavioural and physiological assessment techniques have been used to explore the welfare implications of factors such as confined housing. Animal welfarists would probably all agree that animals should be given the benefit of the doubt and

‘Freedom to express normal behaviour’ is one of the Five Freedoms revised by FAWC in 1993.

1c) Limited range of activity due to close tethering

Limited range of activity due to close tethering Close tethering similarly prevents animals

from expressing many forms of natural behaviour. Tethering sows is now banned in countries in the European Union (to come into force in 2006).

The animal in the picture is perhaps showing signs of ‘learned helplessness’ as a result of close tethering. This is a condition where animals lose responsiveness to stimuli, as a result of a prolonged period of being prevented from performing normal activities.

Limited range of activity due to close tethering Webster (1994) suggests that learned

helplessness describes “the state of mind in an animal that has given up” and calls it ‘hopelessness’.

Others have suggested that there may be some adaptive benefit from the state (so that the animal no longer notices its state of deprivation), although this is a contentious viewpoint.

1d) Limited range of activity due to lameness

Lame animals suffer as: They are in pain They do not interact normally with other

herd members They are often thin because they

cannot move easily to feed They may suffer urine scalding or

develop sores from lying down for long periods

1e) Increased lying time due to weakness, disease, obesity

Weakness may be the result of chronic starvation

Many diseases cause exhaustion or collapse

Obesity is an important issue among pet animals

2. Panting and/or sweating Heat stress Fever Overcrowding Fear

Identify the cause by measuring ambient temperature, stocking density, and by clinical examination for other signs of disease

Panting and/or sweating

Identify the causes of panting and/or sweating:

Measure ambient temperature and ventilation.

Measure stocking density (area available for stock divided by number of animals housed).

Measure body temperature of affected animals to check for fever.

Make thorough clinical examination to identify disease (for example respiratory or cardiac problem that may cause panting) or focus of pain.

Explore possible reasons for fear.

3. Huddling or shivering Cold

Does not usually affect most animals except in extreme environments

Often affects very young animals More likely where animals are wet and

chilled by wind More likely if young animals have not been

fed Fear

4. Depression

Depression It is not difficult to recognise that

animals showing these signs are suffering.

The donkey in the picture is very thin, its coat is in poor condition (perhaps a sign of tick infestation or other disease) and it appears to be lame (right foreleg). It may also be exhausted.

Depression It shows no interest in the group of

people behind it, nor in other donkeys (in the background of the picture).

The ears are not pricked up, nor are they actively following sounds (signs of an alert animal). The eyes are dull. It shows many signs consistent with depression.

Depression signs Depression can be a clinical sign of

disease due to fever, pain, toxaemia or starvation. It demonstrates the following:

Drooping ears Head down Standing in hunched posture or

collapsed

Depression signs Listless, not interested in surroundings Separate from others in group Does not feed These generalised clinical signs do not

allow the veterinarian to identify the cause of disease.

5. Abnormal fear or aggression towards humans

Normal’ depends upon species, breed and previous contact with humans

Animals learn from experience: abnormal fear or aggression may indicate previous cruelty

Negative tactile interactions Negative interactions for 15 - 30 seconds

daily cause pigs to be less willing to approach stationary humans

Positive interactions cause pigs to be more willing to approach stationary humans

5. Abnormal fear or aggression towards humans

‘Normal’ depends upon species, breed and previous contact with humans.

Dairy cows who are frequently handled should not be afraid of people

6. Stereotypies and other behavioural abnormalit ies

Stereotypic behaviour are repeated patterns of behaviour that have no apparent purpose. Other behavioural abnormalities include self-mutilation in pets, feather-pecking (chickens) and tail-biting (pigs).

Stereotypies and other behavioural abnormalit ies

These are complex behaviours whose causes are not fully understood. Tail-biting in pigs, for example, may occur even in rich outdoor environments. Self-mutilation in pets may begin as a response to a genuine irritation, but continues once the irritation is removed (or heals).

Stereotypies and other behavioural abnormalit ies Horses display a variety of stereotypies

including weaving, crib-biting, and wind-sucking.

These are often associated with loss of body condition and greatly reduce the economic value of affected horses.

Many methods have been tried to control these behaviours – most not completely effective.

Stereotypies and other behavioural abnormalit ies Some consider that affected horses derive some

satisfaction from these behaviours so should not be stopped from performing them.

at least in part, a sign of frustration or boredom, some are associated directly with suffering (e.g. victims of tai l-bit ing and feather-pecking, self-muti lated pets).

Even young animals may develop stereotypic behaviour if kept in a barren environment. The behaviour may persist even when the animals are moved to an enriched environment (for example, zoo elephants may continue to rock even when offered access to plenty of space and a stimulating environment).

Crib-biting in horse

Conclusion

The behaviour of animals can tell us a

great deal about their welfare

If animal behaviour indicates poor

welfare, we need to investigate its

causes and then identify potential

solutions

2007أبريل