Applied Animal Behaviour Science最新文献

{"title":"The duration of urbanization influences avian escape behaviour","authors":"Shuang Yang ,&nbsp;Yuran Liu ,&nbsp;Wei Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106747","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106747","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing pace and scale of urbanization may have a significant impact on the birds that live within it, forcing them to adapt their behaviour to cope with the opportunities and challenges of urbanization. Understanding the impact of urbanization on bird behaviour and the process of behaviour adaptation to human disturbance is crucial for conservation and management of urban-dwelling birds. It also helps to further understand how wildlife responds to human-induced environmental changes and promotes the coexistence of wildlife and human beings. In this study, we selected urban areas with significant different initiation times of urbanization as research sites, and flight initiation distance (FID) was observed for common ground-foraging birds in these cities. The results showed that the duration of urbanization significantly affected the FIDs of birds to human in cities. Birds living in areas with longer periods of urbanization were more tolerant to human disturbance. Our study suggests that the duration of urbanization has an important influence on the escape behavior of birds to human disturbance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106747"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A keypoint detection-based approach for real-time aggressive behavior identification in goats","authors":"Hongchun Qu ,&nbsp;Ansong Leng ,&nbsp;Yutong Deng ,&nbsp;Xiuping Yin ,&nbsp;Xiaoming Tang ,&nbsp;Shidong Zhai","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106745","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106745","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study addresses the existing challenges in animal aggression behavior detection by proposing a real-time recognition method based on keypoint detection. Traditional detection methods based on static whole-frame images are limited in their ability to analyze dynamic processes, often leading to false positives, where non-aggressive behaviors are misclassified as aggression. While algorithms incorporating Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks improve accuracy, they suffer from poor real-time performance due to the need for comprehensive analysis of sequential video data, resulting in a high computational burden and an inability to pinpoint specific aggression events. Furthermore, many existing approaches require artificial interventions during the data collection phase, such as increasing animal density to provoke aggression, which can induce stress responses in the animals and generate data that deviate from natural behaviors, thus failing to accurately reflect authentic social interactions and conflict mechanisms. To overcome these challenges, this study introduces a novel method that detects keypoints on the head and body of goats, analyzing the movement relationships between these keypoints in real-time to identify aggressive behavior without the need for artificial intervention. Experimental results demonstrate that this approach outperforms existing methods in terms of accuracy, recall rate, and false positive rate, while offering superior real-time performance and robustness. Moreover, the proposed method is highly extensible, not only applicable to aggression detection but also capable of analyzing other daily behaviors of goats through keypoint data. To contribute to the advancement of the field of animal behavior studies, we have made publicly available a dataset containing keypoint information of goats, providing valuable resources for future research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106745"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144614779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"I spy with my little eye: Humans follow a horse-specific visual search pattern when examining facial expressions of horses with different levels of pain","authors":"Debby D.M. Gudden ,&nbsp;Inga A. Wolframm ,&nbsp;Johannes P.A.M. van Loon ,&nbsp;Elizabeth M. van Grevenhof ,&nbsp;Madita Everding ,&nbsp;Marion Y. Ballast ,&nbsp;Peter R. Reuter ,&nbsp;P. René van Weeren ,&nbsp;Saskia S. Arndt","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106744","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106744","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In daily interaction with horses, humans primarily rely on facial expression as a non-verbal equine cue for emotional information. Difficulties in correctly recognizing these signals might arise due to the species-specificity of facial cues, possibly leading to diminished equine welfare and health. This study aimed to explore human visual search patterns when assessing equine facial expressions indicative of various pain levels, utilizing eye-tracking technology. Hundred and eight individuals (N = 108), classified into three groups (affinity with horses (N = 60), pet owners with no affinity with horses (N = 32), and individuals with no affinity with animals (N = 16)) participated in the study; with their eye movements recorded using eye tracking glasses they evaluated four photos of horses with different levels of pain. Error score, calculated by comparing participant scores to Gold Standard Visual Analogue Score levels and fixation metrics (number of fixations and duration of fixations) were analysed across the four photos, participant group and Areas of Interest (AOIs): eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth. Statistical analysis utilized linear mixed models. Highlighting the critical role of the eyes as key indicators of pain, findings showed that the eyes played a significant role in assessing equine emotional states, as all groups focused on them for a longer time and more frequently compared to other facial features. Also, participants showed a consistent pattern in how they looked at a horse's face, first focusing on the eyes, then the ears, and finally the nose/mouth region, indicating a horse-specific pattern. Moderate pain was assessed with similar accuracy across all groups, indicating that these signals are broadly recognizable. Nevertheless, non-equestrians faced challenges with recognizing the absence of pain, possibly highlighting the role of experience in interpreting subtle equine expressions. The study's limitations, such as variability in assessment conditions may have impacted findings. Future work could further investigate why humans follow this visual search pattern and whether they recognize the significance of a horse's ears. Additionally, emphasis should be placed on developing targeted training interventions to improve equine pain recognition, possibly benefiting equine welfare and health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106744"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144605901","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of delaying behavior rehabilitation onset on fear and outcome measures in dogs in a shelter setting","authors":"Kristen Collins,&nbsp;Katherine Miller,&nbsp;Bailey H. Eagan,&nbsp;Emily Patterson-Kane,&nbsp;Tristan Rehner-Fleurant,&nbsp;Victoria Cussen,&nbsp;Pamela Reid","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106743","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106743","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Undersocialized domestic dogs (<em>Canis lupus familiaris</em>) often experience moderate to severe fear in response to everyday stimuli, and their welfare may suffer. In an animal shelter setting, fearful behavior can also reduce dogs’ chances of adoption and, thus, increase the risk of humane euthanasia. Given that dogs are commonly relinquished to shelters as a result of fear-related behaviors, research is needed to assess the efficacy of behavior modification treatment for undersocialized fearful dogs in the shelter environment. Because dogs may demonstrate behavior change as they acclimate to the shelter after intake, such research must parse out the effects of acclimation from those of a structured treatment protocol. This experimental study examined the change in the fearful behavior of dogs that had behavior modification treatment beginshortly after intake with that of dogs that experienced a two or four-week “settling in” period before treatment began. We also compared the delayed treatment groups by key outcome measures including weeks in treatment (WIT), overall time to graduation from the behavior modification program (TTG), proportion of dogs graduated, and proportion of dogs adopted.</div><div>Two cohorts of dogs (New Jersey [NJ] facility n = 260, North Carolina [NC] facility n = 114) admitted to a behavioral rehabilitation center were pseudo-randomized into behavior modification treatment onset groups of immediate, two-, or four-week delay. All dogs received standard shelter care and in-kennel enrichment, behavior modification treatment, anxiety-reducing medication, and repeated behavior evaluations to assess their fear of several everyday stimuli that pet dogs encounter in home environments. Dogs in the immediate onset treatment group demonstrated a quicker reduction in measures of fear compared to dogs in the delay groups, suggesting that behavior modification, not acclimation to the shelter environment, resulted in the reduction in fear. Delaying treatment onset resulted in lower WIT for dogs in the NJ cohort, but not the NC cohort. No differences were observed in TTG between immediate treatment and delay groups. Treatment onset did not affect the proportion of dogs graduated or adopted. While WIT were slightly lower for dogs with delayed treatment onset, immediate treatment onset reduced dogs’ fear more expeditiously. Therefore, if shelter resources allow, starting behavior modification as soon as possible may be the most ethical option, with quality of life in mind.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106743"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144605900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Social structure and interactions of laying hens: Limited differences between small and large groups","authors":"Klara J. Grethen ,&nbsp;Yamenah Gómez ,&nbsp;Michael J. Toscano","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106741","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106741","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As the egg-laying industry transitions from cages to cage-free housing, laying hens are increasingly housed in large groups. Cognitive limitations may impair recognition of conspecifics in such large groups, raising questions on the hens’ ability to form dominance hierarchies as in natural settings. While some studies suggest reduced aggression in larger groups and potential changes in assessment of conspecifics, systematic investigations of social structures and its impact on individuals are lacking. Therefore, we assessed social interactions and structure of 418 White Leghorn hens divided into six pens (three small groups of 20, three large groups of ∼120). From 10–12 and at 24 weeks of age (WoA), we observed social interactions across all hens within a pen and employed Elo ratings, a ranking approach suited for large groups, to assess dominance rank. Furthermore, using 14 focal hens from each group (N = 84), at 16 WoA we tested fear responses (latency to emerge; choice between food and conspecific) and at 26 WoA assessed recognition (choice between flockmate and non-flockmate) and measured body weight and comb size. Contrary to expectations, social structures seemed to be consistent across small and large groups. Within each group, steepness (&gt;0.79) and transitivity (&gt;0.70) were high, indicating hierarchical structures across both group sizes. Top-ranking individuals accounted for over 70 % of interactions in both group sizes and aggression followed a downward heuristic, demonstrating uniform aggression against lower-ranking individuals irrespective of group size. Group size did not significantly affect the number of aggressive interactions per individual or the fear responses. We also found no significant effect of weight or comb size on the rank in either group size. However, in the recognition test, hens from large groups tended to spend more time with the first individual encountered, regardless of flock-origin, whereas hens in small groups preferred the flockmate, suggesting that recognisability only influences social decisions in small groups. Taken together, our findings challenge the current notion of reduced aggression in large groups of chickens and suggest that hierarchical structures exist in large groups. The observed social dynamics may pose challenges for low-ranking hens in large flocks, due to the pecking pressure exerted by increased numbers of higher-ranking hens.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 106741"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144579886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Olfactory awareness in lambs assessed through habituation-dishabituation and approach-withdrawal tests","authors":"Izïa Larrigaldie ,&nbsp;Fabrice Damon ,&nbsp;Bruno Patris ,&nbsp;Benoist Schaal ,&nbsp;Alexandra Destrez","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106734","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106734","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Assessing olfaction in lambs presents methodological challenges due to their precocial development and extreme sensitivity to isolation and novelty. Previous research studied lambs’ olfactory reactivity, particularly to odors from conspecifics, their responses to other odor sources remaining underexplored. To begin addressing this gap, we implemented two tests to evaluate olfactory discrimination in lambs using two distinct odors: dog feces odor (DO) and ovine wool odor (OO). First, after validating the procedure on 10 Suffolk ewes with the same odorous stimuli, a habituation-dishabituation (H-D) test run on 6-day-old lambs (Suffolk, n = 26, 14 females) consisted in repeating 4 times one odor for habituation, followed by a single presentation the other, novel odor for dishabituation (presentation order of OO/DO being counterbalanced across animals). The ewes and lambs habituated to both odors, exhibiting a significant decline in sniffing duration; they also dishabituated to novel odors, attesting their clear discrimination between them. Second, an approach-withdrawal test using boxes scented with these same stimuli was run a group of lambs p (Suffolk, age: 24-day, n = 21). In the approach test, lambs spent significantly more time near objects scented with unfamiliar conspecific wool than those scented with canine feces. Both tests confirmed that lambs clearly discriminate both odors. While the habituation-dishabituation test proved effective in assessing odor discrimination, interpretation of the approach test results was more complex under the given experimental conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 106734"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144548392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Could restricting horses' REM sleep improve dressage performance?","authors":"Ângela Perrone Barbosa ,&nbsp;Tiago Marcelo Oliveira ,&nbsp;Sarah Raphaela Torquato Seidel ,&nbsp;Paula Keiko Anadão Tokawa ,&nbsp;Fernando Mosquera Jaramillo ,&nbsp;Neimar Vanderlei Roncati ,&nbsp;Raquel Yvonne Arantes Baccarin","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106740","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106740","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The relationship between athletic performance and sleep deprivation is well-described in human medicine. Little is known about whether sleep deprivation affects the horses’ athletic performance. Previous studies show how changing environment, such as hospitals, can alter sleep patterns in horses, decreasing their total rapid eye movement (REM) during sleep time. Periods of REM sleep deprivation are frequently encountered in the management of athletic horses, particularly during transportation and temporary stabling at competitions. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether an association exists between athletic performance, welfare, and sleep deprivation in horses subject to potential REM sleep deprivation. The horses in this study were placed in a simulation of a competition setting, in which the horses did not laydown. A randomized crossover study simulating a competition outside from home was performed using ten dressage athletes Lusitano Pure Breed horses, aged 4–7 years, divided into two groups: sleep deprivation and control. All animals were observed in both conditions. REM sleep deprivation was accomplished by preventing horses from entering sternal or lateral recumbency for three consecutive days (72 h). The Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) was used in the morning and afternoon. Salivary cortisol was collected once daily at 10 a.m. Heart rate variability (HRV) was measured once daily for 7 min using a frequency meter. After 72 h, the horses participated in a voluntary approach test and a test competition, with scores from judges based on FEI young horses test competition and a questionnaire for riders. Sleep deprivation did not affect horses’ physical performance when comparing the judges’ scores. Judges’ scores in the dressage competition had weak reliability. The riders were not able to identify with accuracy sleep deprived animals; however, some riders described their horses with lower level of focus or tired when sleep deprived. HGS is a valuable tool in the measurement of acute pain in horses, but it is not sufficiently sensitive to identify REM sleep alteration. HRV and salivary cortisol concentration did not change in horses subjected to REM sleep deprivation. Irritability and reluctance in horses with sleep deprivation should be further investigated in larger groups. There were no marked alterations in the parameters evaluated regarding REM sleep interference in horses, and there was no notable change in test competition scores, indicating that short sleep pattern interference does not affect their athletic performance. However, sleep pattern interference may link to changes in their focus during exercise.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 106740"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144563340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of human presence as social buffer for dairy cattle","authors":"Alfredo Di Lucrezia ,&nbsp;Samuel Bagnato ,&nbsp;Valeria Iervolino ,&nbsp;Biagio D’Aniello ,&nbsp;Claudia Pinelli ,&nbsp;Pietro Lombardi ,&nbsp;Maria Elena Pero ,&nbsp;Vincenzo Mastellone","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106739","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106739","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates whether the presence of an unfamiliar human can alleviate stress responses in cows, acting as a social buffer. We assessed behavioral and physiological stress indicators in ten lactating Italian Red Pied cows using the isolation paradigm. Two conditions were tested: Isolation (cow alone) and Social (cow with a human present). Behavioral responses were observed ethologically, and stress levels were also measured via plasma cortisol concentrations before and after each test. We divided the 15-minute test into 30 consecutive 30-second bins, yielding 30 time-series points per behavioral variable. Data were analyzed using Gamma-distributed GLMMs with Condition and Condition×Interval as fixed effects and Subject ID as a random intercept. Separate models were run within each condition to assess time-related trends. Stress-related behaviors were higher under Isolation than Social conditions, with differing temporal fluctuations but no consistent linear trend in either condition. Locomotion was higher in Isolation; both conditions exhibited a significant linear decrease over time, though at different rates. Proximity to human did not differ overall but increased linearly over time only in the Social condition. Exploration showed no condition effect; it declined significantly in Social and marginally in Isolation. Standing showed neither condition differences nor linear time trends. Stranger-directed behaviors, recorded only in Social, increased linearly over time. A significant increase in cortisol levels was observed only in the Isolation condition. Overall, the data suggest that human presence can reduce stress in cows subjected to isolation stress. This study has practical applications for improving animal welfare and productivity in farming systems, for example by reducing stress-related behaviors and enhancing animals’ ability to cope with challenging situations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 106739"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144548391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mule ducks’ (Cairina moschata x Anas platyrhynchos) behavioural reactions to overfeeding show the impact of housing conditions during the ‘foie gras’ production stage","authors":"Mathilde Stomp ,&nbsp;Chloé Monestier ,&nbsp;Anthony Legeard ,&nbsp;Sarah Lombard ,&nbsp;William Massimino ,&nbsp;Séverine Laban-Mele ,&nbsp;Aurélia Warin","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106738","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106738","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The ‘foie gras’ production sector faces various challenges, among which overfeeding and housing conditions are particularly determinant for the future to meet social expectations. Achieving significant advancements in farm animal welfare requires scientifically validated assessments. To date, determining the real impact of housing conditions during the overfeeding period on mule ducks’ health and welfare appears difficult. The scientific literature still lacks a behavioural assessment methodology to monitor the overfeeding phase in ‘foie gras’ farms. Our study aims to (1) develop and implement an objective measure of behavioural responses in ducks during overfeeding and (2) assess the impact of two housing systems – elevated collective pens (ECP) <em>vs.</em> collective floor pens (CFP) – on ducks’ welfare before and during the overfeeding meal. The developed measure is based on two specific indicators characterising ducks’ reactions – struggling and overall agitation profile – to overfeeding and toward the feeder. In addition to these indicators, data on behaviour and health were also collected. Trials were conducted on commercial farms at two separate sites (hereafter “site A” and “site B”) and repeated with two batches on both sites. Behavioural and health data were recorded for 1226 male mule ducks (<em>Cairina moschata</em> x <em>Anas platyrhynchos</em>) 1.5 h before overfeeding and then during overfeeding meals, three times throughout the overfeeding phase. Ducks housed in ECP showed more discomfort behaviours, while ducks housed in CFP expressed more natural behaviours before overfeeding meals. Ducks housed in ECP were also more agitated and struggled more during overfeeding than ducks housed in CFP. Moreover, the thighs (in both sites) and livers (in site A) of ducks housed in CFP were heavier than those of ducks housed in ECP. The results obtained before and during overfeeding meals align and complement each other, providing strong support for the development of new behavioural metrics for mule ducks’ reactivity. Our results also suggest that mule ducks housed in CFP exhibit a more effective coping strategy in response to stressful situations. This strategy is supported by the increased opportunity to explore their environment and engage in species-specific behaviours within this housing system. Finally, the results obtained with the ducks housed in CFP align with the 'one welfare' concept, as CFP enhances not only the well-being of the ducks but also the farmer’s well-being, with the ducks struggling less and being less agitated.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 106738"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144571800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding animal introductions and welfare in zoos: A scoping review","authors":"Claudia Martinez ,&nbsp;Valerie James-Aldridge ,&nbsp;Todd J. McWhorter ,&nbsp;Eduardo J. Fernandez","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106737","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106737","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Managing captive zoo species often requires modifying their social groups, but these changes can increase stress and aggression. Specifically, introductions of new animals to existing exhibits with established animals is commonplace, yet little has been published to systematically evaluate this process. This review used the PRISMA framework to evaluate published research on introductions of unfamiliar individuals in zoos, aquariums, and sanctuaries. Peer-reviewed studies from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were screened and extracted using Covidence software. Studies were included if they provided quantitative data and before-and-after comparisons. Of 25 studies meeting criteria, most focused on primates, especially western lowland gorillas, followed by Asian and African elephants. Measured outcomes included activity levels, stereotypic behaviours, and social interactions. Although introductions often had positive welfare effects, negative impacts were also common. The most frequent introduction types were single-to-multiple and multiple-to-multiple, with evidence suggesting that multiple-to-multiple introductions may help mitigate negative welfare effects. This review emphasizes the need for more systematic introduction protocols and species-specific considerations to minimize welfare risks. Future studies should include diverse species and physiological indicators for a more comprehensive understanding of introduction effects on zoo animal welfare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 106737"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144535858","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}