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51 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Clues to animal welfare |
• Behaviour - Abnormal behaviour - Stress tests (e.g. open field) - Time-budget • Physiology - Hormones (stress) - Heart-rate - Blood pressure |
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Why is animal welfare difficult to measure? |
• Many tests of animal welfare show a similar response when the animal is suffering or excited • For example: seeing a ghost increasing heart-rate as does riding a roller coaster- two different emotional states |
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Sign Language |
• There are apes that can now communicate to humans with ASL or through computers • But they never express their thoughts or ideas- Nim Chimsky • Normally they respond to questions or request something they wish • Exist one or two examples of apes telling about an event |
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Are animals conscious |
• It is impossible to prove 100% that animals are conscious • Some researchers have argued that the mirror test proves consciousness in animals but this is still controversial • The mirror test self-recognition is taken as evidence of consciousness - Concept of self and others |
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Who can use a mirror? |
• Chimpanzees with experience • Dolphins with experience • Humans >2 years old • Elephants, corvids and cleaner fish • Many other species do not self-recognise but may be taught to do so - Robert Epstein ~ The Colombia Stimulations |
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Speak indirectly |
• Life in the wild is a model of what animals want? • The theory is that it could be because they evolved in this environment • But not all environments for the same species are the same in terms of the quantity of resources • Not forgetting: hunger, thirst, diseases, pain etc |
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Why use behaviour to evaluate what animals want? |
• Behaviour is an adaption which an animal uses to interact with its environment • The behaviour we see is the result of all the animals biological systems (e.g. nervous, endocrine, immune etc) - Not a reductionist approach • All animal behaviour results from evolution by natural selection |
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Why use behaviour to evaluate what animals want? |
• Behaviour is an adaption which an animal uses to interact with its environment • The behaviour we see is the result of all the animals biological systems (e.g. nervous, endocrine, immune etc) - Not a reductionist approach • All animal behaviour results from evolution by natural selection |
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Why use behaviour to evaluate what animals want? 2 |
• The primary function of animal behaviour is to ensure the animals survival • The secondary function of animal behaviour is to ensure the animals genetic survival • It is easy to use as we humans are well designed to observe behaviour (not physiology) • Thus both have theoretical and practical reasons for using animal behaviour |
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Which behaviours should be looked at? |
• Time-budget is not necessarily useful as frequencies or duration of behaviour do not indicate importance • Sleeping vs drinking • Wild behaviour, as a model, may be a little better but we need to remember the negative aspects (e.g. hunger) |
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Time-budgets in the wild |
• Using common sense we can discount the bad things in the wild • We can include the good things from the wild • But again frequencies and duration do not necessarily tell us much about the importance of a behaviour |
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Play Behaviour |
• Some researchers believe that play and animal welfare are intrinsically linked • Because animals only play if they are happy • However, play is determined largely by environmental resources (availability) and other factors, such as brain size in primates |
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Functions of sleep |
• Save energy • Avoid predators • Learning • Processing emotional events • Removal of toxins (brain) |
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Tests of Stress |
• There are many types of tests: - ‘Open field’ - ‘Novel object’ - ‘Tonic immobility’ • Normally these tests only function well with small laboratory species - Due to handling |
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Reductionism |
• Trying to explain animal welfare on a biochemical or physiological level • Measuring stress hormones • Heart-rate measurements • Blood pressure • Evaluating reproductive problems • Immune system functioning |
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Theory |
Animals with good animal welfare: • Have low levels of stress hormones • Heart-rate remains within normal limits for activity being expressed • Blood pressure remains with normal limits and does not fluctuate • No indications of reproductive or other biological systems failing |
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Giving the animal choice |
• Large it small enclosure • Water or juice • Hot or cold • Social or non-social environment • Plants or no plants • More space or social companions • Social companions or a view |
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Problem with Choice testing |
• The animal chooses the least averse option • Because it is not possible to give all choices |
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Endurance |
If an animal will endure an aversive situation or stimuli to get a resource then that resource must be important to the animal |
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Experiments |
• Obstacle/Assault course experiments • The obstacles used were: jets of cold air; water paths, small walls, open spaces, etc |
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Time and Energy = Money |
• Animals do not have money but they do have time and energy • The time and energy that animals have is not limitless • For example: many species only seek resources during daylight hours • Thus, animals should spend their time and energy wisely |
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Animal = Business Person |
• Animals try and spend the minimum time and energy to get the greatest among of resources or opportunity to express pleasurable behaviours • Therefore they act like business people • The cost-benefit ratio being the most important thing • Costs - Benefits = Profits |
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Logical Consumers |
• We predict that animals will act like logical consumers • Maximise cost-benefit ration • Now we have a language to speak to the animal - economics • Animals will pay more for the things that are more important to thwm |
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Translation |
• Animals act logical consumers • All tested species rate food and water as necessities • Species differ in their assessments: mink like to swim, whereas pigs like company • Now we have a system to as animals: “What is important to you?” |
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Hi-Lux |
Normally with captive animals we cannot provide them with everything they want because: 1. Very expensive 2. Not practical 3. Choice may change with time |
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But only living is not fun |
• The problem with this method is that is biased towards necessitates • However, it may be the luxuries that bring more ‘happiness’ • Therefore behavioural needs are not just about surviving |
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Doing time |
• Captive animals normally have too much time on their hands • This is not the case of wild animals who may struggle to find enough resources and survive (i.e., necessities) • However, as already stated captive animals need to fill their time- therefore luxuries are important for well-being |
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Abnormal behaviour- observations |
• Not all types of abnormal behaviour are stereotypic behaviour • Stereotypies are just one type of qualitatively abnormal behaviour |
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Abnormal Behaviour |
• Probably the most commonly used indicator of poor animal welfare • There are two main categories of abnormal behaviour: 1. Qualitative 2. Quantitative |
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Qualitative |
• This is a behaviour that does not occur in the species repertoire in nature • Example: pacing behaviour or stereotypic route tracing behaviour of zoo housed carnivores |
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Examples of Qualitatively abnormal behaviour |
• Stereotypies • Body postures • Masturbation • Eating faeces • ‘Floating arm’ • Infanticide • Self-mutilation |
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Problems with Qualitatively Abnormal Behaviour |
All of these behaviours occurs in some species in the wild • Stereotipies: polar bear, monkeys, giraffes • Masturbation: chimpanzees • Eating faeces: gorillas • Infanticide: lions, monkeys, zebras • Self-mutilation: Japanese macaques The definition is species specific |
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Quantitatively abnormal behaviour |
• A behaviour which occurs at a frequency or duration much higher or lower than that expressed by wild conspecifics |
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Examples of quantitatively abnormal behaviour |
• Super aggressiveness • Lethargy • Hyper activity |
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Problems with quantitatively abnormal behaviour |
• For many species we have little or no data on wild conspecific behaviour • Time-budgeting usually is dependant on resource availability • Why is more or less time necessarily good or bad for animal welfare • Less activity could indicate less stress - less vigilance |
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Problems with quantitatively abnormal behaviour |
• For many species we have little or no data on wild conspecific behaviour • Time-budgeting usually is dependant on resource availability • Why is more or less time necessarily good or bad for animal welfare • Less activity could indicate less stress - less vigilance |
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More problems |
• Many species are unknown to science other than a physical description of the animal • Therefore defining normal behaviour is almost impossible • However, applying common sense we may still be able to use abnormal behaviour to help us evaluate animal welfare |
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Stereotypies |
1. The same behaviour repeated over and over in a sequence 2. The behaviour always has the same physical and temporal structure (i.e. invariant) 3. The behaviour has no apparent function |
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Stereotypies |
1. The same behaviour repeated over and over in a sequence 2. The behaviour always has the same physical and temporal structure (i.e. invariant) 3. The behaviour has no apparent function |
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Example of Stereotypies |
• Two basic types: Locomotion and Oral • Pacing • Somersaulting or ‘wall bouncing’ • Tongue playing • Repetitive biting or licking |
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Stereotypies |
1. The same behaviour repeated over and over in a sequence 2. The behaviour always has the same physical and temporal structure (i.e. invariant) 3. The behaviour has no apparent function |
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Example of Stereotypies |
• Two basic types: Locomotion and Oral • Pacing • Somersaulting or ‘wall bouncing’ • Tongue playing • Repetitive biting or licking |
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Why do animals stereotype? |
• Barren environment or previous environment was barren • Frustration • Fear or stress • Brain damage • Behavioural developmental problems (e.g. hand-reared) |
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Stereotypies are good for animal welfare |
• Animals that expresses stereotypies is coping with its environment • Stereotypies act like anaesthesia on the body of animals - hot plate/ laser test • Domestic pigs that stereotype have more offspring • We can accidentally select (breed) for abnormal behaviour • In some species it is the stereotypers that have low stress hormone levels |
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Stereotypes are bad for animal welfare |
• Animals become less sensitive to their environment or changes in it • Stereotypers may physically injure themselves • Stereotypers may stop to interact socially with their cage mates - stop breeding • Animals may prefer to express stereotypies in comparison to other behaviours |
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Why stereotypies? |
Two theories: 1. Animal uses stereotypies to cope with an inadequate environment (i.e. self-administration of endorphins) 2. The systems that control animal behaviour are no longer functioning and the behaviour continues without control (lack of feedback) |
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Treatment of Stereotypies |
• We must identify the cause • Without identifying the cause the chance of reducing or eliminating the stereotypy is low • We must avoid treating the symptoms- this will not improve welfare - treat only the cause |
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Example: Pacing Lion |
1. Put objects in the pacing route 2. Give the animals a drug, such as Prozac 3. Mince the animals meat into tiny pieces and scatter throughout its enclosure 4. Give the animal lots of toys 5. Hide the prey species in the adjacent enclosure 6. Provide a form of environmental enrichment that allows the animal to perform hunting behaviour |
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Solved or Not |
• Methods 1, 3 & 4 only hide the problem • Methods 2 only treats the symptoms • If the Stereotypies are caused by frustration (lack of hunting opportunity) then methods 5 and 6 will cure the problem - But stereotypies can persist even when the problem is removed |
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Genes and Depression |
Effects of life stress on depression moderated by 5-HTT Gene (serotine moderator) |
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Epigenetic Effects |
Offspring: • More anxiety • Reduced attention • Learning deficits • Less difference in function between the left and right sides of the brain • Effects different on male and female offspring • Altered sexual behaviour- makes show homosexual behaviour and females are less nurturing mothers |
