Applied Animal Behaviour Science最新文献

{"title":"An exploration of the postural, location- and social contact- related sub-characteristics of inactive but awake behaviour as a depression-like indicator in mice","authors":"Anna C. Trevarthen ,&nbsp;Agustina Resasco ,&nbsp;Emily M. Finnegan ,&nbsp;Elizabeth S. Paul ,&nbsp;Michael T. Mendl ,&nbsp;Carole Fureix","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106431","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106431","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Inactive behaviour is essential to life. However, specific forms of inactivity may be indicative of compromised welfare in certain captive conditions. Inactive but awake behaviour (IBA - spontaneous, motionless awake behaviour without interacting with the surroundings) has been documented in some species and may be associated with poor welfare and negatively valenced affective states. In our previous work in laboratory mice, we have identified environmental risk factors (non-enriched housing) and curative factors (antidepressant drug Venlafaxine) for IBA and we hypothesise that greater levels of IBA may represent a depression-like state in this species. Here we aimed to identify which specific sub-characteristics of IBA would show construct validity as a depression-like state by exploring the posture (i.e. lying, curled lying or sitting), social contact position (i.e. in physical contact with a cage mate or not) and location of mice while performing the behaviour during two experiments (respectively investigating the aetiology and the curative factors of IBA). In both experiments we expected that more IBA would be displayed in standard (non-enriched) laboratory cages, compared with large highly-enriched cages and that a move from a highly-enriched to a non-enriched cage would increase IBA, while the opposite treatment would result in a decrease. In our second experiment (curative factors investigation), we predicted that less IBA would be displayed by mice that voluntarily ingested an antidepressant (Venlafaxine) <em>versus</em> a placebo. Because we could not control the number of instances of each IBA sub-characteristic we measured and we had no a <em>priori</em> predictions about which IBA sub-characteristics would match our general IBA treatment predictions, we compared the effect size and the direction of the effect between our treatment groups to explore which of the sub-characteristics matched our general IBA predictions. Overall, we found little variation in the location IBA was performed, with the majority being seen in the nest. Across treatment comparisons in both experiments, overall, the largest effect sizes were measured for IBA performed when in contact with the cage mate and performed when lying and both characteristics generally matched the direction of our treatment-related predictions. We suggest that future work should perform more detailed analyses of the specific characteristics of IBA by identifying behavioural sequences and the co-occurrence of the sub-characteristics to obtain a more complete picture of IBA as a depression-like indicator.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"281 ","pages":"Article 106431"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142658699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Category-dependent contribution of dog facial and bodily cues in human perception of dog emotions","authors":"Kun Guo ,&nbsp;Catia Correia-Caeiro ,&nbsp;Daniel S. Mills","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106427","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106427","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing popularity of human-dog interaction in our society calls for fuller understanding of humans’ ability to appraise dogs’ affective states, yet most research only focuses on recognizing dog facial expressions of primary/basic emotions. While the face is the dominant human emotional expression channel, bodily cues are also informative indicators of dog emotional states. In this online study, with dynamic and naturalistic videos depicting a common range of dog primary (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise) and secondary emotions (appeasement, frustration, pain, positive anticipation, separation-distress), we compared human performance from 447 participants in categorizing dog facial expressions (with a visible dog face only) and bodily expressions (with a visible dog face and body). The analysis revealed when averaging across all tested emotions, bodily expression tended to attract higher categorization accuracy than facial expression. However, the two expression channels demonstrated category-dependent modification of dog emotion categorization accuracy (e.g., higher accuracy in recognizing facial expressions of anger and surprise, but bodily expressions of happiness and fear) and bias (e.g., mistaking fear facial expression as happiness, but fear bodily expression as sadness). Furthermore, the impact of owner experience on recognizing dog emotions was also modulated by the expression channel and emotion category (e.g., prolonged experience with dogs tended to improve performance in recognizing the fear facial expression, and the appeasement bodily expression). Taken together, these results suggest that different channels of emotional expression by dogs may transmit category-specific diagnostic emotional cues, which aid human appraisal of their affective states.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"280 ","pages":"Article 106427"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142535440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"No effect of infant nursery rearing on laboratory rhesus monkey dams’ social behavior or long-term cortisol profiles","authors":"Amanda M. Dettmer ,&nbsp;Emily M. Slonecker ,&nbsp;Sylvia Clouse ,&nbsp;Yagmur Ozturkoglu ,&nbsp;Jerrold S. Meyer","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106428","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106428","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While the behavioral and physiological impacts of nursery rearing in laboratory-housed infant monkeys have been well characterized, to date no studies have examined the impact on nonhuman primate dams of their infants being removed for rearing in the nursery. Despite the lack of evidence on the topic, anti-animal research groups often cite mother-infant separation and infant nursery rearing (NR) as a welfare concern for laboratory monkey mothers. As such, important policy decisions regarding research activities may result without adequate evidence. Therefore, we designed this study to examine behavioral and hormonal responses in laboratory monkey dams, who were part of independent long-term longitudinal studies, in response to their infants being NR or mother-peer-reared (MPR). We assessed social, self-care, environmental exploration, and abnormal behaviors for 30 days before and 30 days after parturition in rhesus monkey dams (<em>Macaca mulatta</em>, N=49). Infants were randomly assigned to be either NR <em>(N =</em> 27) or MPR <em>(N =</em> 22). We also analyzed hair samples for cortisol concentrations three times across the study period (Pregnancy, Neonatal Period, Peak Lactation). Dams of NR infants showed no gross behavioral differences relative to dams of MPR infants (all p’s&gt;0.05). Dams of MPR infants showed expected increases in social grooming and social contact, and concomitant decreases in foraging and locomotion, in the 30 days post-partum compared to the 30 days pre-partum (p&lt;0.01). Dams whose infants were NR or MPR showed no differences in hair cortisol concentrations across the study period (p&gt;0.05). We conclude that, with respect to the behavioral and endocrine measures we assessed, nursery rearing of their infants is not detrimental to the welfare of laboratory-housed macaque dams.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"280 ","pages":"Article 106428"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142535441","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":"Welfare and stress of horses used for Equine-assisted services: A systematic review","authors":"Bethany H. Baxley,&nbsp;Howard Rodriguez-Mori,&nbsp;Nichole C. Anderson","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106424","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106424","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Interest in Equine assisted services (EAS) has grown over the past two decades, with research highlighting the benefits for participants in ridden, or mounted services. However, there is a notable lack of studies focusing on the welfare of the horses involved in these services. As research in this area continues to develop, a review is necessary to evaluate the quality of existing studies about the welfare of horses in the EAS industry. Systematic reviews provide a structured approach to organizing current literature and identifying gaps in the research. The goal of this systematic review is to summarize the existing literature on the stress and welfare of horses in EAS and pinpoint areas requiring further investigation. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, five databases were searched using terms relevant to EAS. Of the search result, 28 papers met the criteria for inclusion, requiring research to be published in English, in a peer-reviewed journal, studying EAS and its effects on equine welfare. Of the 28, 24 articles focused on quantitative data, including behavioral and physiological indicators of stress and welfare. The remaining 4 articles were survey and EAS module analysis, providing qualitative data about EAS horses. From the selected papers, we found the following trends related to EAS horse stress indicators. First, 20 (71.4 %) papers investigated physiological indicators, and 16 (57.1 %) investigated behavioral indicators. The sample size in 16 (57.1 %) articles was ten or fewer animals. The results in 17 (60.7 %) of the articles found that there was no significant difference in horses' stress or that no conclusions could be drawn regarding the horses’ stress and welfare. A survey conducted by Rankins et al. (2021) revealed that the most common problems EAS centers face are behavioral and soundness issues leading to high horse turnover. Despite these findings, many studies found a lack of significant differences in their results, likely due to limitations in study design, highlighting significant gaps in the research. We also identified several inconsistent factors that are likely to affect and confound the results of EAS research. Therefore, given the limited knowledge about the welfare of horses working in EAS and the confounding factors that are likely to influence the results of studies, more robust research is needed to better understand the challenges of horses working in EAS and their welfare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"280 ","pages":"Article 106424"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142535438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Safe or sound? Factors influencing outdoor access, cat behavior, and hunting history with implications for conservation and welfare","authors":"Hee Jin Chung ,&nbsp;Jasmyn Aulakh ,&nbsp;Jennifer Link ,&nbsp;Andrew Sih ,&nbsp;Carly Moody","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106425","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106425","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Outdoor access may provide mental stimulation and enrichment for companion cats (<em>Felis catus</em>); however, it also raises concerns regarding their safety and predation of vulnerable local wildlife. Understanding factors that shape cats’ outdoor access and behavioral outcomes is therefore crucial for identifying nuanced solutions to the human-cat-wildlife conflict. In this exploratory study, we aimed to 1) explore owner attitudes towards providing or reducing outdoor access, 2) identify general predictors of free-roaming outdoor access, and 3) identify predictors of hunting behavior among cats that are allowed outside. Using a quantitative questionnaire (n=75 questions), we collected information on cat owners’ demographics and attitudes, their cat’s characteristics and behaviors in the home, home environment, outdoor lifestyle, and hunting history. Of 631 cat owners living near Davis, California, USA, recruited through convenience and snowball sampling, 36.7 % indicated they were keeping their cat indoor-only (n=232), 34.1 % providing supervised or controlled outdoor access (n=215), and 29.2 % providing uncontrolled, or free-roaming outdoor access (n=184). More than half of outdoor cat owners reported they were likely or somewhat likely to reduce outdoor access if they lived near busier streets (59 %, n=235), if more dangerous animals were around (59 %, n=235), if their cat stopped coming home consistently (56 %, n=223), or if they knew their cat was negatively impacting wildlife (53 %, n=211). We found that cats had higher odds of freely roaming if they were 7–10 years old compared to &lt;1 year old (p=0.030), obtained from the street rather than a shelter (p=0.007), living within 500 ft of traffic (p=0.002), living with a dog (p=0.014) or a child (p=0.005), or if they showed aggressive behaviors in the home (p=0.008). Cats had lower odds of freely roaming if they had scratching areas in the home (p=0.017), or were living with one (p=0.020) or two (p=0.017) other cats. Among those allowed outside, cats had higher odds of having hunted prey in the last year if they were allowed to freely roam without supervision (p=0.016), or were allowed outdoors between 6:00–11:59 am (p=0.014). These results generate directions for future research in the field of companion animal management, and emphasize the role of cat owners in the intersection of animal welfare and wildlife conservation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"280 ","pages":"Article 106425"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142535456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How should one design and position straw feeders in group-housed horses? A case study on occupancy and agonistic interactions at straw feeders in a large group of horses","authors":"N. Puttkammer ,&nbsp;F. Hildebrandt ,&nbsp;J. Krieter ,&nbsp;I. Czycholl","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106423","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106423","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As group housing of horses can be associated with increased injury risk especially when there are limited resources, the aim of this study was to allow initial, scientifically based recommendations regarding the positioning and design of straw feeders. Data collection took place in a Hinrichs Innovation + Technik (HIT) active stable with 50–62 horses kept in one single group. Occupancy, feeding distances, prevalence of agonistic interactions (AIS) as well as the percentage of feeding disturbances at two different straw feeders were analysed. Equine behaviour was recorded for 6 h/day on 15 summer and 15 winter days. Using generalised linear mixed models, considering the fixed effects of feeder, a fresh straw supply and the interaction of observation day and time period delivered the best prediction for the number of feeding events/h and the prevalence of AIS/h. Here, both feeders differed (p &lt; 0.05) with twice as many feeding events/h, but threefold more AIS/h respectively twice as many AIS/horse at the larger feeder, where conspecifics fed side by side. Sixty-five % of the AIS with low risk of injury and 92 % of the AIS with high risk of injury led to feeding disturbances. The latter made up 25 % of all AIS in total with no differences between both feeders. Feeding distances did not differ either. The horses tended to use only every third opening space when feeding simultaneously. This knowledge should be taken into account when making assumptions about the de facto animal:feeding place ratio and the design of straw feeders in the future. Moreover, regarding the smaller feeder, the horses preferred to feed simultaneously with the feeder edge between them, so that the actual animal distances were smaller. Additional research is needed to investigate, how feeding in rectangular position to each other influences threatening behaviour inside a feeder. In this study, a central positioning within a paddock was beneficial with respect to feeder usage, but disadvantageous regarding AIS and displacements. However, the investigation of further straw feeders and farms is essential to allow general statements, as the study also proves that many factors such as season and rank order stability potentially influence equine behaviour at straw feeders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"280 ","pages":"Article 106423"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142445069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Potential of Nail Cortisol for Welfare Assessment in Shelter and Owned Cats","authors":"Pham Quoc Anh Minh,&nbsp;Thanida Nampimoon,&nbsp;Siraphop Sirirut,&nbsp;Sarinee Kalandakanond-Thongsong,&nbsp;Chutamas Benjanirut","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106422","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106422","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Shelter cats often experience considerable stressors, such as confinement and unfamiliar surroundings, leading to welfare challenges. Evaluating and enhancing their well-being is crucial, and measuring cortisol levels in cats’ nails offers a minimally invasive method for assessing stress and welfare. This study compared nail cortisol concentrations (NCCs) between owned cats (OC), and shelter cats in favorable conditions (FS) and unfavorable conditions (UFS) in Thailand and Vietnam. Nails from 31 OC, 29 FS, and 27 UFS cats were collected twice, approximately 28 days apart, with details of living conditions recorded at the second collection. Nail clippings were processed for NCC measurement using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. NCC levels of UFS cats were significantly higher than those of FS and OC cats in both collections, with no gender-based differences. NCCs positively correlated with dog exposure, and negatively correlated with space allowance, number of litterboxes, free-roaming time, air conditioning, and the presence and variety of enrichment (hiding places, elevated areas, outdoor views, scratching structures, and toys). These findings indicate that improved living conditions positively impact welfare, as indicated by NCCs. Nail cortisol can serve as a minimally invasive method for assessing cat welfare, particularly considering long-term factors, and offers valuable insights into the well-being of cats in various conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"280 ","pages":"Article 106422"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142421969","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 networks of pregnant gilts during outdoor feeding and the effects on their offspring","authors":"Leandro Sabei ,&nbsp;Marisol Parada Sarmiento ,&nbsp;Cihan Çakmakçı ,&nbsp;Sharacely de Souza Farias ,&nbsp;Thiago Bernardino ,&nbsp;Rosangela Poletto ,&nbsp;Erika Alejandra Becerra Mendez ,&nbsp;Beatriz Kaori ,&nbsp;Adroaldo José Zanella","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106410","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106410","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social relationships are important aspects of the behavioural biology of pigs and can be affected by the type of housing pigs are kept in. Exploring agonistic interactions and affiliative behaviours can reveal effects on adult pigs and their descendants. This research investigated the social dynamics among gilts throughout pregnancy during collective feeding in an outdoor housing system and the effects of these dynamics on the stability of the group and the offspring of the group members. For this study, 15 gilts were oestrus synchronised and artificially inseminated with three different semen pools. The paddocks where the gilts were housed contained a mud pool, natural tree shade, and two nipple drinkers. Two daily meals (∼2.5 kg/day/gilt) were provided to the group on the floor. Feeding behaviour was recorded for three continuous days (20 min in the morning and again in the afternoon) every gestational (a total of 42 h of video recording). Saliva samples were collected at 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on these same days. A trained observer evaluated all the videos using Boris software to determine agonistic and affiliative behaviours. After farrowing, the piglet data collected included sex, mortality, and body weight (BW) at 10, 25, 29, and 36 d of age. Elo scores were calculated to quantify the relative hierarchy among the gilts based on the behaviour assessment. Generalised linear mixed models (GLMMs) were used for data analyses, and the significance of fixed effects was determined at p &lt; 0.05. The tendency of the gilts to feed together decreased as gestation progressed. Heavier gilts had lower salivary cortisol concentrations, and higher gilt rank was correlated with higher morning salivary cortisol concentrations and heavier piglets. Maternal modulation of offspring performance in pigs warrant further investigation. Assessment of gilts' social feeding behaviours is relevant for considering pigs' behaviour in genetic selection and improving commercial facilities and management practices to improve animal welfare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"280 ","pages":"Article 106410"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142535439","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":"Identifying barriers to providing daily playtime for cats: A survey-based approach using COM-B analysis","authors":"Mikel Delgado ,&nbsp;Ellen Marcinkiewicz ,&nbsp;Paul Rhodes ,&nbsp;Sarah L.H. Ellis","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106420","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106420","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Play behaviour is often considered a sign of good welfare in companion animals. To meet their pets’ environmental needs, owners are encouraged to provide opportunities for the expression of natural behaviours. Owners can provide cats with an outlet for hunting behaviour through interactive play, where they move a wand toy in a way that mimics prey. However, not all owners play this way regularly, or at all, with their cats. In this study, we implemented part of the Behaviour Change Wheel framework, specifically the COM-B model in relation to human behaviour change, via an online survey to assess barriers (in the areas of Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation) for owners playing with their cats with wand toys and to quantify and understand current owner-cat play behaviour. Forty-seven percent of owners reported playing with their cat regularly in a baseline survey of 1599 respondents from 47 countries. Using COM-B analysis, we identified several barriers to playing relating to capability, opportunity, and motivation. Specific examples included being too mentally or physically tired, forgetting to play with their cat, not having time due to work, not being able to make play a daily habit, life getting in the way and the perception that their cat seems to prefer other toys or activities to wand toys. Greater knowledge about play and identifying fewer barriers were associated with more frequent interactive wand toy play. Interventions to improve feline welfare should focus on helping cat owners overcome these identified capability, opportunity, and motivation barriers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"280 ","pages":"Article 106420"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142441924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physiological and behavioral indicators of water buffaloes with access to heat mitigation resources in a grazing system during the hot season in the subtropics","authors":"Cindy Anne Klausberger Ximenes,&nbsp;Arthur Fernandes Bettencourt,&nbsp;Bruna Schmitz,&nbsp;Delane Ribas da Rosa,&nbsp;Juliany Ardenghi Guimarães,&nbsp;Betina da Cunha Borges,&nbsp;Caren Paludo Ghedini,&nbsp;Vivian Fischer","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106409","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106409","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Water buffaloes are increasingly being raised in similar way to dairy cows, in grazing systems frequently deprived of shade and water for immersion. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different heat mitigation resources, 1) only shade and 2) shade plus water for immersion, on the behavioral repertoire and physiological characteristics of female grazing buffaloes in the subtropics during the hot season. Twenty buffaloes (<em>Bubalus bubalis</em>), including calves, heifers and non-lactating cows were allocated throughout the hot season (from December 2021 to April 2022) in a grazing system with two different heat mitigation resources (treatments): only shade (SH) and shade plus water for immersion (SHW). Diurnal behavioral repertoire was recorded every 15 days, individually and focally, at every 5 minutes for 12 hours per day. Heart rate (HR; beats/min), respiration rate (RR; breaths/min), rectal temperature (RT; °C) and panting score were also measured. Buffaloes reduced grazing time especially with THI above 75. Buffaloes at SHW spent more time grazing and lying than SH buffaloes (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Cows and heifers had higher ruminating (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) and standing time (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) compared with calves. Physiological variables did not differ (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05) between treatments (SH vs. SHW) and were positively correlated with air temperature and THI (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). HR was higher for heifers (59.6) and calves (63.5) than for cows (53.3; P &lt; 0.05). RT tended to be higher for heifers (38.4) and calves (38.3) than for cows (38.1; 0.05 &lt; P &lt; 0.10). However, respiration rate did not differ across buffalo categories (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05). Panting behavior was not reported throughout the observation days (panting score = 0). When both heat mitigation resources, shade and water for immersion were available, buffaloes preferred water for immersion to mitigate the effects of heat stress. Regardless animal category, buffaloes were able to maintain physiological variables within the normal range, indicating that providing shade and/or water for immersion, as environmental enrichment resources for thermoregulation, is suitable for heat stress mitigation in water buffaloes throughout the hot season in the subtropics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"280 ","pages":"Article 106409"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142422044","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}