scholarly journals Animal-appropriate housing of ball pythons (Python regius)—Behavior-based evaluation of two types of housing systems

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0247082
Author(s):  
Tina Hollandt ◽  
Markus Baur ◽  
Anna-Caroline Wöhr
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Behavior ◽  
The Body ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Python Regius ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
Hiding Place ◽  
Uv Lamp ◽  
Abnormal Behaviors ◽  
Indirect Illumination

Considering animal welfare, animals should be kept in animal-appropriate and stress-free housing conditions in all circumstances. To assure such conditions, not only basic needs must be met, but also possibilities must be provided that allow animals in captive care to express all species-typical behaviors. Rack housing systems for snakes have become increasingly popular and are widely used; however, from an animal welfare perspective, they are no alternative to furnished terrariums. In this study, we therefore evaluated two types of housing systems for ball pythons (Python regius) by considering the welfare aspect animal behavior. In Part 1 of the study, ball pythons (n = 35) were housed individually in a conventional rack system. The pythons were provided with a hiding place and a water bowl, temperature control was automatic, and the lighting in the room served as indirect illumination. In Part 2 of the study, the same ball pythons, after at least 8 weeks, were housed individually in furnished terrariums. The size of each terrarium was correlated with the body length of each python. The terrariums contained substrate, a hiding place, possibilities for climbing, a water basin for bathing, an elevated basking spot, and living plants. The temperature was controlled automatically, and illumination was provided by a fluorescent tube and a UV lamp. The shown behavior spectrum differed significantly between the two housing systems (p < 0.05). The four behaviors basking, climbing, burrowing, and bathing could only be expressed in the terrarium. Abnormal behaviors that could indicate stereotypies were almost exclusively seen in the rack system. The results show that the housing of ball pythons in a rack system leads to a considerable restriction in species-typical behaviors; thus, the rack system does not meet the requirements for animal-appropriate housing.

scholarly journals Animal-appropriate housing of ball pythons (Python regius) — Behavior-based evaluation of two types of housing systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Hollandt ◽  
Markus Baur ◽  
Caroline Wöhr
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Behavior ◽  
The Body ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Python Regius ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
Hiding Place ◽  
Uv Lamp ◽  
Abnormal Behaviors ◽  
Indirect Illumination

AbstractConsidering animal welfare, animals should be kept in animal-appropriate and stress-free housing conditions in all circumstances. To assure such conditions, not only basic needs must be met, but also possibilities must be provided that allow animals in captive care to express all species-typical behaviors. Rack housing systems for snakes have become increasingly popular and are widely used; however, from an animal welfare perspective, they are no alternative to furnished terrariums. In this study, we therefore evaluated two types of housing systems for ball pythons (Python regius) by considering the welfare aspect animal behavior. In Part 1 of the study, ball pythons (n = 35) were housed individually in a conventional rack system. The pythons were provided with a hiding place and a water bowl, temperature control was automatic, and the lighting in the room served as indirect illumination. In Part 2 of the study, the same ball pythons, after at least 8 weeks, were housed individually in furnished terrariums. The size of each terrarium was correlated with the body length of each python. The terrariums contained substrate, a hiding place, possibilities for climbing, a water basin for bathing, an elevated basking spot, and living plants. The temperature was controlled automatically, and illumination was provided by a fluorescent tube and a UV lamp. The shown behavior spectrum differed significantly between the two housing systems (p < 0.05). The four behaviors basking, climbing, burrowing, and bathing could only be expressed in the terrarium. Abnormal behaviors that could indicate stereotypies were almost exclusively seen in the rack system. The results show that the housing of ball pythons in a rack system leads to a considerable restriction in species-typical behaviors; thus, the rack system does not meet the requirements for animal-appropriate housing.

scholarly journals Comparing welfare indicators in dairy cattle under different loose housing systems (deep litter vs cubicle barns) using recycled manure solids for bedding

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. e0501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Molina ◽  
Estrella I. Agüera ◽  
Carlos C. Pérez-Marín ◽  
Francisco Maroto-Molina
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Housing System ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
Welfare Quality ◽  
The Impact

Aim of study: Dairy farmers in Southern Spain are continuously investing in the modernization of their facilities and frequently ask technicians about the type of housing they should choose for their farms. Although some studies have analysed the economic impact of different housing systems, there are no reports evaluating the impact of these systems on animal wellbeing. To remedy this deficit, a study was carried out to analyse animal welfare status in two types of loose housing conditions: deep litter (DL) and cubicle (CU) barns.Area of study: This study was conducted in Cordoba (Spain).Material and methods: A total of 1,597 cows from nineteen commercial dairy farms were involved in this study, of which twelve had CU barns and seven had DL barns. Welfare Quality assessment was used to evaluate animal wellbeing, inn order to compare both housing systems.Main results: The study found some weaknesses for feeding and health indicators of animal welfare in both types of housing systems. The overall welfare assessment based on feeding, housing and health indicators showed no differences between farms with DL or CU barns.Research highlights: A good welfare status could be reached under any type of housing system.

scholarly journals Effects of Nearby Construction Work on the Behavior of Asiatic Lions (Panthera leo persica)

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-74
Author(s):  
Leah J. Williams ◽  
Katherine Finch ◽  
Rose Agnew ◽  
Lisa Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Behavior ◽  
Negative Stimulus ◽  
The Body ◽  
Panthera Leo ◽  
Construction Work ◽  
Construction Period ◽  
High Standards ◽  
One Year

In order to be successful and have high standards of animal welfare, modern zoos strive to regularly modify, improve, and build animal enclosures and visitor areas. However, these periods of development could result in temporary durations of sub-optimal welfare for animals housed nearby. In this study, we monitored the behavior of three Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) prior to, during, and following a period of construction on a nearby building. Our results provide evidence that welfare may have been temporarily reduced during the construction period. Compared to the pre-construction period, the male exhibited an increase in pacing behavior and all three lions reduced the time they spent resting. We infer that the most significant negative stimulus related to the construction was sound and/or ground vibrations, as a physical barrier ruled out stress from visual stimuli. The behavioral response to the construction work was relatively short-lived and no long-term changes were observed one year on. This research highlights the importance of measuring animal behavior around events outside routine husbandry, and considering animal welfare on an individual basis. Finally, this work adds to the body of literature surrounding the impacts of construction on animal wellbeing and outlines some suggestions for potential mitigation.

scholarly journals Design of Free Stalls for Dairy Herds: A Review

Ruminants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Frank van Eerdenburg ◽  
Lars Ruud
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Design ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
High Impact ◽  
The Body ◽  
Dairy Herds ◽  
Productive Life ◽  
To Come ◽  
Available Information

Lying is an important behavior of dairy cattle. Cows should spend more than 50% of a day lying as it has a high impact on their milk yield and animal welfare. The design, size, and flooring properties of the free stalls influence the time cows spend lying, the way they lie down, and their rising movements. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the currently available information with the aim to assist farmers and advisors to come to an optimal design of the free stalls. The design of the free stalls should enable the cows to move and lie in positions as natural as possible. Cows should rest, with all parts of the body, on a clean, dry and soft bed, be able to stretch their front legs forward, lie on their sides with unobstructed space for their neck and head, and rest with their heads against their flanks without hindrance from a partition. When they stand, they should not be hindered by neck rails, partitions, or supports. A comfortable place for cows to lie down helps cows to stay healthy, improve welfare, and increase milk yield. Hence, the probability of a longer productive life for the cows increases and the number of replacements per year decreases.

scholarly journals Investigation of the Morphology of Adrenal Glands in Hens Kept in Two Different Housing Systems—A Pilot Study

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2124
Author(s):  
Franziska Keßler ◽  
Angelika Grümpel-Schlüter ◽  
Christian Looft ◽  
Stefanie Petow
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Adrenal Glands ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Adrenal Cells ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
Chronic Effects ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Interrenal Cells

It is difficult to objectively assess the chronic effects of housing systems on livestock and particularly on laying hens. However, this seems to be important in the context of animal welfare. Therefore, we conducted the present study in order to compare the effect of two different housing conditions, single cage (SC) and floor pen (FP), on the morphology of the adrenal gland. A higher amount of interrenal cells, which secrete stress hormones, can lead to a difference in the relation of adrenal and interrenal cells, which could be interpreted as an indication of chronic stress. For this purpose, adrenal glands were extracted, prepared, stained and examined by microscopy, and total area of the cut, total area of interrenal cells and total area of adrenal cells were measured. As a result, all laying hens had a higher percentage of interrenal cells than adrenal cells (FP: interrenal cells/adrenal cells = 78.37%/21.63%; SC: 80.00%/20.00%). The median of adrenal–interrenal ratio did not differ significantly (FP = 0.2503, SC = 0.2499), while the variation of the ratio between laying hens in FP and SC showed a slight tendency of a higher ratio in adrenal glands of FP (p < 0.0870). Body weight and adrenal–interrenal ratio were significantly negatively correlated in laying hens in FP (rS = −0.943, p < 0.0048) but not in SC (rS = −0.162, p = 0.7283). There was no significant correlation between body weight and total cell area for interrenal cells or adrenal cells. Body weight was significantly lower for laying hens kept in SC than for laying hens kept in FP (p < 0.0001). Due to the present results, it can be concluded that keeping laying hens in single cages can have a negative effect on body weight.

scholarly journals Strategies and facilities in order to improve animal welfare

2010 ◽  
Vol 39 (suppl spe) ◽  
pp. 311-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniella Jorge de Moura ◽  
Leda Globbo de Freitas Bueno ◽  
Karla Andrea Oliveira de Lima ◽  
Thayla Morandi Ridolfi de Carvalho ◽  
Ana Paula de Assis Maia Maia
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Behavior ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Litter Quality ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
The Subject ◽  
State Of Art

To keep the position in being a world-wide exporter of chicken meat, Brazil must meet international quality standards, always seeking alternative resources of improvement, without increasing production costs, including litter quality, requirements of animal welfare and environment affairs, such as the use and reuse of broiler litter. Researches are performed in the areas of animal welfare, environment, animal behavior and use of modern climatization technology improving the quality of the environment created to raise broilers, also trying to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and global warming in the environment, becoming a sustainable production system. This paper has a bibliographic revision of the subject mentioned above, intending to show a state-of-art key factors related to a new concept of broiler environment and welfare.

scholarly journals Dropping the Ball? The Welfare of Ball Pythons Traded in the EU and North America

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil D’Cruze ◽  
Suzi Paterson ◽  
Jennah Green ◽  
David Megson ◽  
Clifford Warwick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
North America ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Commercial Enterprise ◽  
Youtube Videos ◽  
Water Provision ◽  
The Eu

Ball pythons (family Pythonidae) remain a commonly exploited species, readily available for purchase in North America and Europe. We assessed the housing conditions of more than 5000 Ball pythons across six exotic pet expositions and 113 YouTube videos. We scored provisions for hygiene, mobility, shelter, substrate and water provision, based on the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals (RSPCA) minimum guidelines. We found most entities involved in this commercial enterprise are not providing housing conditions that meet the minimum welfare recommendations for Ball pythons, either publicly or privately. We found that breeders and vendors typically utilised small and highly restrictive enclosures, with dimensions that prevented occupants from extending their bodies to full and unrestricted natural length. Our study also highlights that most vendors are not providing adequate written husbandry guidance to potential consumers, either at exotic pet expositions, on their commercial website, or on associated social media pages. Furthermore, our study also indicates that most potential consumers may themselves be unable to recognise unsuitable housing conditions that do not meet minimum animal welfare standards for Ball pythons. We suggest that more consistent guidance, adherence to agree principles and more potent operating models that are formally incorporated into relevant legislation would greatly aid existing and future efforts to safeguard animal welfare in this regard.

scholarly journals Sustainability in the Canadian Egg Industry—Learning from the Past, Navigating the Present, Planning for the Future

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Pelletier ◽  
Maurice Doyon ◽  
Bruce Muirhead ◽  
Tina Widowski ◽  
Jodey Nurse-Gupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
The Past ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Face ◽  
Effective Decision Making ◽  
And Shifts ◽  
Societal Expectations ◽  
Management Changes

Like other livestock sectors, the Canadian egg industry has evolved substantially over time and will likely experience similarly significant change looking forward, with many of these changes determining the sustainability implications of and for the industry. Influencing factors include: technological and management changes at farm level and along the value chain resulting in greater production efficiencies and improved life cycle resource efficiency and environmental performance; a changing policy/regulatory environment; and shifts in societal expectations and associated market dynamics, including increased attention to animal welfare outcomes—especially in regard to changes in housing systems for laying hens. In the face of this change, effective decision-making is needed to ensure the sustainability of the Canadian egg industry. Attention both to lessons from the past and to the emerging challenges that will shape its future is required and multi- and interdisciplinary perspectives are needed to understand synergies and potential trade-offs between alternative courses of action across multiple aspects of sustainability. Here, we consider the past, present and potential futures for this industry through the lenses of environmental, institutional (i.e., regulatory), and socio-economic sustainability, with an emphasis on animal welfare as an important emergent social consideration. Our analysis identifies preferred pathways, potential pitfalls, and outstanding cross-disciplinary research questions.

Applied Research on New Pig Housing Systems

1996 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 257-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Den Hartog ◽  
H. M. Vermeer ◽  
J. W. G. M. Swinkels ◽  
N. Verdoes ◽  
G. B. C. Backus
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Environmental Regulations ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Housing Systems

Developments In pig housing during the last decade have been influenced not only by economics but also by animal welfare and environmental regulations. Because the different requirements may cause conflicts for some aspects of pig housing, an integrated approach is necessary. Housing systems which partly or fully meet today's animal welfare and environmental regulations in the Netherlands are described.

scholarly journals Feather Corticosterone Measurements of Greater Flamingos Living under Different Forms of Flight Restraint

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Reese ◽  
Katrin Baumgartner ◽  
Lorenzo von Fersen ◽  
Roswitha Merle ◽  
Mechthild Ladwig-Wiegard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
High Variability ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Measurable Effect ◽  
Behavioral Observations ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Greater Flamingos ◽  
Feather Corticosterone

Deflighting zoo birds is a practice that receives increasing criticism due to its presumed incompatibility with animal welfare. To our knowledge, this is the first approach to address this problem in a scientific way. To do this, we compared feather corticosterone (CORTf) from Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus, n = 151) of different flight status (i.e., pinioned, feather clipped, airworthy) from twelve different zoological institutions. To complement the hormone measurements, behavioral observations (scan samplings) were conducted prior to feather sampling within the presumed time frame of feather growth. We hypothesized that CORTf of the deflighted flamingos would differ from CORTf of their airworthy conspecifics. No significant difference in CORTf was found between the three groups, and our hypothesis was rejected. However, the impact of the institution itself (i.e., the housing conditions) proved to be the most dominant variable (variance between the institutions = 53.82%). Due to high variability, the behavioral observations were evaluated descriptively but did not give rise to doubt the findings in CORTf. Therefore, we assume that the method of flight restraint of Greater Flamingos does not have a measurable effect on CORTf. We consider this model for evaluating animal welfare of zoo birds a useful tool and provide ideas for further adjustments for consecutive studies.

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