L4: Welfare assesment

Applied animal behaviour and welfare – Animal Welfare Assessment

Lecture by Giulia Cimarelli focusing on how to scientifically assess animal welfare using behavioural and other indicators

Animal Welfare Assessment definition

A scientifically validated series of measures using output measures as animal welfare indicators to give a comprehensive understanding of animal welfare meaning we look at what the animal shows us (not just what we provide)

Purpose of animal welfare assessment

Being able to measure and compare objectively assess a situation and evaluate changes meaning you can track if welfare improves or worsens over time

Monitoring in welfare assessment

Regular longitudinal assessment meaning repeated measurements over time to detect trends

Resource-based criteria

Focus on physical environment and management like space feeder flooring temperature air quality protection inspection handling treatment pain mitigation nutrition breeding and biosecurity basically what we provide to the animal

Animal-based criteria

Focus on outcomes in the animal such as body condition diseases injuries and behaviour like locomotion comfort vocalisation foraging resting social interactions thermoregulation and fear meaning what the animal actually experiences

Input vs outcome concept

Inputs are resources and management while outcomes are animal responses meaning good resources do not always guarantee good welfare

Animal welfare framework (EFSA)

Inputs + animal factors (breed sex age) → outcomes (animal response and effects) meaning welfare depends on both environment and individual animal

Animal-based assessment advantages

Directly related to the subjective experience of the animal meaning it reflects how the animal actually feels

Animal-based assessment disadvantages

Not always easy to measure and interpret because behaviour can be context dependent

Resource-based assessment advantages

Easy to standardize and useful for regulations meaning easier to apply in laws

Resource-based assessment disadvantages

Animals do not always respond predictably so resources do not always reflect actual welfare

Why animal-based criteria are important

Inputs are easier to record but may not be used animals can adapt so inputs ≠ outcomes therefore animal-based measures give a more direct welfare assessment

Types of animal-based criteria

Behavioural and physiological meaning what animals do and what happens inside their body

Assessment quality criteria

Validity reliability and feasibility meaning a good measure must be correct consistent and practical

Validity definition

Whether the measure reflects what it is supposed to measure meaning does it actually measure welfare

External validity

Results generalize to other populations or contexts meaning findings apply beyond the study

Internal validity

Ability to draw causal conclusions by eliminating confounding variables meaning we know what causes what

Construct validity

Measurement tool measures the intended concept

Content validity

Test covers all aspects of the concept

Face validity

Test appears appropriate on the surface

Criterion validity

Test matches a gold standard or predicts outcomes

Sensitivity

Measure changes when welfare changes meaning it detects differences

Specificity

Measure reflects only welfare and nothing else meaning no confounding

Accuracy

Measure is free from systematic errors

Sensitivity formula

True positives divided by true positives plus false negatives meaning ability to detect real cases

Specificity formula

True negatives divided by false positives plus true negatives meaning ability to detect absence

Reliability definition

Degree to which measurements are consistent and free from error

Inter-observer reliability

Different observers score the same

Intra-observer reliability

Same observer scores consistently

Test-retest reliability

Same animal gives similar results over time

Internal consistency

Consistency within subtests measuring same behaviour

Feasibility

Practicality of measurement including time equipment and number of animals meaning balance between ideal and doable

Welfare indicators

Measures used to assess welfare

Iceberg indicators

Indicators that provide an overall assessment of welfare meaning one measure reflects many underlying issues

Abnormal behaviour definition

Behaviour atypical for the species outside natural patterns or outside normal range in non-captive situations

Example abnormal behaviour cows

Abnormal lying down or getting up patterns

Categories of abnormal behaviour

Stereotypic dangerous self-directed redirected affective displacement rebound and vacuum behaviours

Stereotypies definition

Fixed repeated apparently senseless behaviour typical of the individual

Stereotypies characteristics

Fixed simple repeated apparently senseless and individual-specific

Acceptable levels of stereotypies

Welfare at risk if behaviour occurs >10% of waking time or in >5% of animals

Examples of stereotypies species and causes

Fennec fox zoo visitors leopard cats near predators leopards small enclosures lab mice escape frustration sows nest building frustration polar bears food frustration ocelot lack of prey dingo separation meaning frustration causes stereotypies

Examples stereotypic behaviours

Overgrooming self-biting pica rocking pacing

Zoo stereotypic pacing finding

Species with larger natural home ranges show more pacing in captivity meaning mismatch between natural needs and environment

Effect of enrichment

Reduces stereotypies by allowing natural behaviour expression

Dangerous self-directed behaviour

Behaviour causing tissue damage like feather plucking in parrots often reduced by enrichment

Redirected behaviour

Behaviour directed to wrong target like tail biting in pigs reduced with straw and proper flooring

Displacement behaviour

Normal behaviour in wrong context caused by conflict or frustration like excessive licking or preening

Abnormal aggression

Excessive aggression due to poor management leading to injuries

Rebound behaviour

Excessive behaviour when restriction is removed like yawning after muzzle or hyperactivity in stabled horses

Vacuum behaviour

Behaviour performed without stimulus like sham dustbathing in chickens

Behavioural problem vs problem behaviour

Behavioural problem is inability to perform behaviour affecting fitness while problem behaviour is behaviour humans dislike but may be normal

Example behavioural problem

Cow unable to get up indicating welfare issue

Example problem behaviour

Horse kicking while riding but still normal behaviour

Positive welfare indicators

Social interactions play exploration and behavioural diversity indicating good welfare

Behavioural diversity

Measured with Shannon-Wiener index meaning more diverse behaviour = better welfare

Play behaviour definition

Spontaneous voluntary pleasurable behaviour not fully functional

Play characteristics

Not functional spontaneous pleasurable different from serious behaviour repeated but not stereotyped occurs in relaxed state

Human-animal interactions (HAI)

Different forms of contact between humans and animals affecting welfare

Forms of HAI

Visual presence movement without touch physical contact feeding and aversive handling

HAI assessment measures

Ease of handling social support fear avoidance confidence attachment

HAI tests

Reaction to stationary human moving human and handling

Example HAI test free-ranging dogs

Gradual approach measuring reaction distance over time

Flight test (heifers)

Measure latency to join group and minimum approach distance

Docility test

Measure latency to enter space and time spent

Avoidance test

Measure distance from human and response to stimuli

Behavioural tests recap

Preference tests motivation tests operant conditioning and cognitive bias tests

Qualitative Behaviour Assessment (QBA)

Focus on how behaviour is expressed capturing emotional state and body language

QBA descriptors examples

Active relaxed fearful agitated calm content bored playful distressed etc

Purpose of QBA

Integrates many observations especially when behaviours are rare

Free Choice Profiling (FCP)

Observers create their own descriptive terms based on observation

Strengths of FCP

Tests agreement between observers and uses relevant descriptors

FCP credibility

Good inter and intra observer reliability and correlation with ethograms

Generalized Procrustes Analysis (GPA)

Statistical method aligning observer scores into shared dimensions

Resource-based assessment

Focus on environment and management rather than animal outcomes

Resource indicators examples

Space enrichment bedding temperature

Management indicators examples

Feeding frequency handling methods veterinary care

Animal welfare protocols

Collective initiatives often at EU level to standardize assessment

Welfare Quality approach

Standardized EU system combining multiple welfare measures

Welfare Quality principles

Good feeding good housing good health appropriate behaviour

Example good housing

Access to pasture

Example good housing/health

Ease of movement and lameness assessment

Example good feeding

Body Condition Score

Farm-level measure

Individual scores weighted by number of animals affected and severity

Example social behaviour measure

Agonistic behaviour like head butting chasing fighting with threshold max 500 interactions per 100 cows per hour

Example HAI score

Distance until animal withdraws when human approaches

Overall welfare score categories

Excellent enhanced acceptable based on thresholds across principles

Take-home message welfare assessment

Requires multiple indicators behavioural and physiological evidence environmental context and integration over time

Final welfare model

Resources and management → biological state → affective experience → behaviour meaning welfare is a chain from environment to feelings to behaviour