Delayed juvenile behavioural development and prolonged dependence are adaptations to desert life in the grey Falcon

Rapid learning in the young of most endothermic animals can be expected to be favoured by natural selection because early independence reduces the period of vulnerability. Cases of comparatively slow juvenile development continue, therefore, to attract scientific attention. In most species of birds, including raptors, the young depend on their parents for some time after fledging for the provisioning of food and for protection whilst they learn to become nutritionally and otherwise independent. Among raptors, post-fledging dependence periods that exceed six months are exclusive to the largest species and these have reproductive cycles that exceed 12 months. By contrast, young of the medium-sized grey falcon Falco hypoleucos have been reported in close company with their parents up to 12 months after fledging, i.e., at a time when the adults are expected to breed again. We investigated the occurrence and characteristics of prolonged adult-juvenile association relative to other falcons and similar-sized raptors. We found that the behavioural development of grey falcon young is extremely delayed, and that they even depend nutritionally on their parents for up to 12 months after fledging. We suggest that these two distinctive features are, ultimately, adaptations of the grey falcon to its extreme environment, Australia’s arid and semi-arid zone, one of the hottest environments in the world.

Behavioural Development of Three Former Pet Chimpanzees a Decade after Arrival at the MONA Sanctuary

Chimpanzees used as pets and in the entertainment industry endure detrimental living conditions from early infancy onwards. The preferred option for ending their existence as pet or circus chimpanzees is their rescue and transfer to a primate sanctuary that will provide them with optimal living and social conditions, so that they can thrive. In this case study, we had the rare opportunity to compare the activity budgets of three chimpanzees from their time as pets in 2004 to their time living at the MONA sanctuary in 2020, after almost a decade in the centre. We found their behaviour patterns changed in accordance with the sanctuaries’ rehabilitation objectives. Resting periods increased considerably while vigilance simultaneously declined sharply. Moreover, the chimpanzees’ social competence increased as allogrooming became the predominant social behaviour, and agonistic interactions diminished even though they were living within a larger social group at the sanctuary. All three chimpanzees expanded their allogrooming and proximity networks at the sanctuary, which included new group members, but they maintained the closest relationships to those conspecifics who they were rescued with. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the sanctuary environment and social group setting made it possible for these three chimpanzees to improve their social competence and increase their well-being over time.

Exploring the positive discipline practices of parents of children aged 1–5 years in Aotearoa New Zealand

Despite more than a century of academic scrutiny on parental discipline of children, parents’ use of positive discipline practices is not well understood. This article draws from a larger study (Southey, 2020) aimed at understanding the prosocial practices parents use to guide their children’s social, emotional, and behavioural development, and how they are informed in their practices. Findings suggest parents used positive discipline strategies at higher rates than coercive strategies. In terms of information and support, early childhood education (ECE) teachers were found to be the leading source of professional support for parents. This article recommends further research to understand the supporting role of ECE teachers.

Epilepsy and pregnancy: identifying risks

Pregnancy is a time of physical, physiological and psychological challenge. For women with epilepsy, as well as its potential for joy and fulfilment, pregnancy may bring additional risks and difficulties. Clinicians must anticipate and prevent these complications, ensuring that pregnancy, delivery and motherhood proceed without obstetric or medical complications, using available evidence to balance individual risks of undertreatment and overtreatment. Here we review epilepsy management in pregnancy, identifying some of the known effects of epilepsy and its treatment on gestation, fetal malformation, delivery, and neurocognitive and behavioural development. We outline strategies to reduce obstetric and fetal complications in women with epilepsy, while recognising the sometimes competing need to maintain or improve seizure control. We reinforce the importance of identifying those at highest risk, who may require additional measures or safeguards.

Maternal postnatal depression and offspring emotional and behavioural development at age 7 years in a UK-birth cohort: the role of paternal involvement

Background: There is considerable variability in emotional and behavioural outcomes of children whose mothers experience depression. Few longitudinal studies have examined potential contributions of dimensions of paternal involvement in the association between maternal postnatal depression (PND) and offspring development. Methods: We examined pathways from maternal PND at 8 weeks postnatally (assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) to offspring emotional and behavioural development at 7 years (assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) through behavioural, affective and cognitive child-focused and mother-influenced dimensions of paternal involvement in 3,434 members of the UK-based birth cohort, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Analyses were adjusted for a range of baseline confounders and paternal postnatal depression (PND) as an intermediate confounder. Results: Maternal PND was associated with higher levels of some aspects of child-focused and mother-influenced paternal involvement in models accounting for paternal PND, however these pathways were not associated with offspring emotional and behavioural development at age 7 years. There was strong evidence of direct effect from maternal PND to offspring development, but no evidence of mediation through the combination of all indirect pathways through child-focused and mother-influenced paternal involvement. However, higher levels of father-child conflict were associated with increased risk of offspring emotional and behavioural difficulties, and this pathway mediated a proportion of the maternal PND to offspring risk. Additionally, maternal PND was associated with paternal PND, which, in turn, was associated with lower levels of child-focused and mother-influenced paternal involvement. Conclusions: The positive associations between maternal PND and some aspects of paternal involvement suggest that non-depressed fathers may engage in 'compensatory' parenting strategies in response to maternal PND, which although important may not be sufficient in reducing the adverse impact of maternal PND on offspring emotional and behavioural development. Conflictual father-child relationships emerged as a risk factor for adverse offspring development and as an explanatory mechanism in the association between maternal PND and offspring development. These results suggest that interventions that reduce father-child conflict may reduce the risk of emotional and behavioural difficulties in offspring of depressed mothers.

Understanding Behavioural Development of Calves in Natural Settings to Inform Calf Management

One important type of animal welfare concern is “natural living” (i.e., that animals are able to express natural behaviours that are important to them, and to engage with aspects of the natural world that they find important). The aims of this narrative review were to describe the behavioural development of calves (Bos taurus) in natural settings and use this to identify characteristics of natural systems that may be important to consider relative to this natural living conception of animal welfare. At birth, calves are licked by their mothers and soon stand to suckle for colostrum, and during the milk-feeding period, calves spend much of their time lying down. In natural systems, calves perform a variety of social behaviours with herd-mates, and slowly transition from their mother’s milk to eating solid food, by gradually increasing time spent grazing and ruminating. In contrast, on most commercial dairy systems, dairy calves are removed from their mothers at birth, housed individually, fed restricted amounts of milk and weaned abruptly at a young age. The results of this review suggest that accommodating key natural behaviours, for example through the use of teat feeding of milk, social housing, and gradual weaning, can help address welfare concerns.

Prenatal and Early Postnatal Behavioural Programming in Laying Hens, With Possible Implications for the Development of Injurious Pecking

Injurious pecking (IP) represents a serious concern for the welfare of laying hens (Gallus gallus domesticus). The risk of IP among hens with intact beaks in cage-free housing prompts a need for solutions based on an understanding of underlying mechanisms. In this review, we explore how behavioural programming via prenatal and early postnatal environmental conditions could influence the development of IP in laying hens. The possible roles of early life adversity and mismatch between early life programming and subsequent environmental conditions are considered. We review the role of maternal stress, egg conditions, incubation settings (temperature, light, sound, odour) and chick brooding conditions on behavioural programming that could be linked to IP. Brain and behavioural development can be programmed by prenatal and postnatal environmental conditions, which if suboptimal could lead to a tendency to develop IP later in life, as we illustrate with a Jenga tower that could fall over if not built solidly. If so, steps taken to optimise the environmental conditions of previous generations and incubation conditions, reduce stress around hatching, and guide the early learning of chicks will aid in prevention of IP in commercial laying hen flocks.

Facilitators and Barriers to Assistance Dog Puppy Raisers’ Engagement in Recommended Raising Practices

Many assistance dog providers use volunteer raisers to manage each puppy’s learning and daily experiences, which partly determines the puppy’s behavioural development. Therefore, it is important that raisers engage in recommended practices. Three common recommendations from the literature include frequent socialisation and consistent training for the puppies, and effective training for the raisers. However, what facilitates or hinders raisers’ engagement in these practices remains unclear. To understand this, we interviewed eight raisers (three men and five women) every month during their year-long puppy raising program, and pseudo-randomly selected 16 from 48 interviews for data analysis. Thematic analyses revealed several facilitating and/or hindering factors corresponding to each of the three recommended practices. Frequent socialisation was influenced by the raisers’ availability, sharing of puppy raising responsibility with others, support from their workplace, and the puppy’s behaviours (e.g., soiling indoors, jumping). Consistent training was challenged by the presence of everyday distractors, accessibility to timely advice, perceived judgement from others, and the puppy’s undesirable behaviours. Effective learning was facilitated by having information available in raisers’ preferred learning modality, opportunities for peer-learning, and willingness to seek help. Future research should examine these factors quantitatively, which will enable more robust evaluation of programs aimed at supporting puppy raisers.