Animal Science and Animal Welfare Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms and definitions extracted from the Animal Science and Welfare lecture transcript.

Domestication

The adaptation of a plant or animal from a wild or natural state (as by selective breeding) to life in close association with humans.

Utilitarianism

An ethical philosophy holding that an action is right if and only if it produces the most overall good of all available actions, where consequences are the only things that matter.

Kantianism

An ethical philosophy stating that a moral truth is always true regardless of context, meaning that hurting someone is wrong regardless of the reason or consequence.

Animal Rights

A philosophy and political movement that believes in equal standing of animals in relation to humans in society, with some supporters believing no use of animals for human benefit is justified.

Animal Welfare

A philosophy and science concerned with the care and well-being of animals that are most impacted by humans, such as livestock, companion, and laboratory animals.

Animal Ethics

A branch of philosophy that deals directly with how humans should treat non-human animals.

Sentience

An animal's ability to be aware of feelings and sensations, such as pain.

Five Freedoms

An animal welfare framework comprising: 1. Freedom from Hunger or Thirst, 2. Freedom from Discomfort, 3. Freedom from Pain, Injury, or Disease, 4. Freedom to Express Normal Behavior, and 5. Freedom from Fear and Distress.

Five Domains

A framework created to reframe animal welfare to emphasize positive welfare and measurable outcomes, consisting of: 1. Nutrition, 2. Environment, 3. Health, 4. Behavioral Interactions, and 5. Mental State.

Three Circles Framework

A framework formulated by Fraser et al. in 1997 evaluating Natural Living, Affective State, and Basic Health and Functioning.

Animal Welfare Act (AWA)

Federal legislation first established in 1966 that sets regulations and guidelines for humane housing, transport, and care of certain animals in certain facilities, enforced by the USDA via random inspections.

Humane Methods of Slaughter Act

Legislation first established in 1958 requiring humane treatment, handling, and a quick and effective death (or immediate unconsciousness prior to death) of food animals at the slaughter plant.

IACUC

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee; a body that approves all research using vertebrate animals, ensures animals are treated humanely, and verifies that any injury caused by research is limited and justified.

Sire

The male parent of an animal.

Dam

The female parent of an animal.

Offspring

The result of a successful mating of a male and female animal.

Morbidity Rate

The rate of sickness or disease within a population.

Mortality Rate

The rate of death within a population.

Livestock

Domesticated animals reared in an agricultural setting that can be used to produce products such as meat, milk, and fiber.

Litter

A group of offspring given birth to by a single female at one time.

Breed

A group of animals within a species that have a distinctive appearance and have typically been developed by deliberate selection.

Horned

Refers to an animal having a bony process comprised of keratin protruding from the top of its head or face.

Polled

An animal that naturally does not grow horns.

Vaccination

Treatment with a vaccine to produce immunity to a particular infectious disease or pathogen.

Castration

Removal of testicles or disruption of testicular function via surgical or mechanical methods to prevent aggression, unwanted pregnancies, and for production reasons.

Dehorning (Disbudding)

Removal of the horns, typically when the animal is young, to prevent injury to humans or other animals and reduce entrapment risks.

Estrous Cycle

The reproductive cycle of female animals.

Estrus

The period when a female animal is receptive to the male, commonly referred to as being 'in heat'.

Gestation Period

The length of time that an animal is pregnant.

Parturition

The act or process of giving birth.

Lactation

The process of secreting milk by the mammary gland occurring after an animal gives birth.

Forages

Feeds with high nutritive value (high protein and energy with low fiber content) such as pasture, hay, or silage.

Roughages

Feeds that have a high fiber content, low digestibility, and low weight per unit volume, such as straw.

Concentrate

A concentrated feed source of energy (cereal grains, fats) or protein (oilseed meals, seeds, byproducts).

Ration

The amount of feed an animal receives daily based on its specific needs (Maintenance, Growth, Finishing, Production/Work).

Average Daily Gain (ADG)

The amount of weight an animal gains every day over a specified period, calculated as $\text{ADG} = \frac{\text{total weight gained}}{\text{length of time}}$.

Monogastric

An organism having a stomach with one single compartment, also known as a 'true' stomach or glandular stomach.

Hindgut Fermenter

Monogastrics with a large cecum where microbial fermentation occurs to break down vegetation, such as horses, rodents, rabbits, rhinos, elephants, and termites.

Ruminant

An animal with a four-compartment stomach (Reticulum, Rumen, Omasum, Abomasum) that chews cud and digests cellulose using rumen bacteria.

Pseudo Ruminant

Animals such as camelids (alpacas, llamas, camels) that possess 3 stomach compartments (C1, C2, C3).

Rumen (Paunch)

The large first stomach compartment of a ruminant where microbial fermentation produces volatile fatty acids.

Reticulum

The second compartment of the ruminant stomach, characterized by a honeycomb-like lining.

Omasum

The third compartment of the ruminant stomach, also referred to as 'Many Plies' or 'Stockman's Bible'.

Abomasum (Tripe)

The fourth compartment of the ruminant stomach, serving as the glandular or true stomach.

Esophageal Groove

An anatomical structure in newborn ruminants that channels milk directly to the abomasum, bypassing the rumen and reticulum.

Primary Literature

Scientific literature written by research scientists containing new empirical data, figures, and tables, which undergoes peer review prior to publication in a journal.

Secondary Source

A source written by individuals not involved in the original research that contains no new data, but summarizes or repeats data from primary sources.

Review Article

A secondary source that summarizes primary literature on a specific topic, contains no new data, and lacks a 'Results' or 'Methods' section.