Article
Veterinary Sciences
Becca Franks, Leigh P. P. Gaffney, Courtney Graham, Daniel M. M. Weary
Summary: This study investigates curiosity in zebrafish and finds that they show novelty-seeking behavior and sustained interest in some objects, but habituation occurs over time. Additionally, specific objects also affect the social behavior of fish.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Otto Brookes, Stuart Gray, Peter Bennett, Katy V. Burgess, Fay E. Clark, Elisabeth Roberts, Tilo Burghardt
Summary: This paper describes the application of a facial recognition system developed using machine learning in a zoo. The system was effective at identifying individual animals and automating data collection, but required a high investment and is best utilized for long-term projects.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Isabella L. K. Clegg, Mariana Domingues, Elin Strom, Linda Berggren
Summary: In this study, 11 bottlenose dolphins at Kolmardens Djurpark were provided with alternating weeks of cognitive and non-cognitive enrichment. The dolphins showed more engagement and improved welfare indicators during cognitive enrichment weeks, suggesting that cognitive foraging enrichment may improve dolphin welfare. It is recommended that dolphin facilities prioritize providing goal-oriented cognitive enrichment to improve welfare.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Kelly Jaakkola
Summary: Recent research suggested that environments for dolphins in zoos and aquariums might be impoverished, affecting their brain and cognitive functioning. However, a review of scientific literature on dolphin welfare in zoos and aquariums shows that this claim is false. Modern zoological organizations and studies on dolphin welfare indicate that dolphins are not housed in impoverished conditions, but strategies for providing cognitive challenges are suggested for optimizing their cognitive well-being.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
K. Cassie Kresnye, Chia-Fang Chung, Christopher Flynn Martin, Patrick C. Shih
Summary: Enrichment plays a crucial role in promoting the well-being of captive animals. Technology is increasingly being integrated into animal enrichment, and there is a need for including a wider range of species, shifting design focus from human to animal senses, and promoting standardized study designs across different animal contexts.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Patricia V. Turner, Kathryn Bayne
Summary: Continued evolution of research animal care is crucial for upholding the principles of replacement, reduction, and refinement. Animals' feelings are fundamental to their behavior and welfare, and an updated behavioral management program that considers their needs and desired outcomes is proposed. This approach not only enhances animal welfare but also improves the scientific quality of research. The expansion of these programs to include all research species is necessary to reduce stress, encourage natural behaviors, and generate reliable scientific data. An umbrella-based model for research animal behavioral management programs is described, along with the importance of regular welfare assessments to ensure the program's effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Aude Kleiber, Jean-Michel Le-Calvez, Thierry Kerneis, Axel Batard, Lionel Goardon, Laurent Labbe, Valentin Brunet, Vitor Hugo Bessa Ferreira, Vanessa Guesdon, Ludovic Calandreau, Violaine Colson
Summary: Occupational enrichment shows promise for improving the welfare of farmed fish. This study tested different feeding predictability conditions for rainbow trout and found that using time and bubbles as feeding predictors can enhance their welfare. However, using only time as a predictor may have negative effects on fish welfare.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Elizabeth S. Paul, William Browne, Michael T. Mendl, Gina Caplen, Anna Trevarthen, Suzanne Held, Christine J. Nicol
Summary: This study used a triangulation approach to assess the welfare of captive animals, finding that some indicators were consistent across different time scales but did not converge to identify a precise state of animal welfare.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Johanna Stenfelt, Jenny Yngvesson, Harry J. Blokhuis, Maria Vilain Rorvang
Summary: This study aimed to investigate if dairy cows possess cognitive abilities to acquire new behavior through social learning in a spatial detour task. The results indicate that cows did not utilize social learning mechanisms when solving the detour task, with no significant differences between observers and controls in success and latency.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Giulia Bramati, Pia Stauffer, Martina Nigri, David P. Wolfer, Irmgard Amrein
Summary: The IntelliCage is an automated home-cage system used to investigate the behavior and learning abilities of group-housed mice. By using sweet reward-based protocols, the learning performance of mice can be improved. Environmental enrichment has a positive impact on spatial learning abilities and morphological changes in the hippocampus.
FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Adele Tuozzi, Christine Arhant, Kristina Anderle, Jessica Backes, Catherine Cords, Viola Magierski, Jean-Loup Rault, Ines Windschnurer
Summary: The study found that the presence of a human and playing a prerecorded reading induced greater interest in shelter dogs and cats compared to just audio stimulation.
Review
Fisheries
Zonghang Zhang, Wuhan Lin, Yunqi Li, Xianyu Yuan, Xianqing He, Hancheng Zhao, Jiezhang Mo, Jianqing Lin, Liangliang Yang, Bo Liang, Xiumei Zhang, Wenhua Liu
Summary: In recent years, the issue of fish welfare in aquaculture systems has gained significant attention. Environmental enrichment (EE) has shown great potential for improving fish welfare, but there are discrepancies in the results of different studies. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of physical enrichment (PE) on fish welfare. PE has been shown to have positive effects on fish captive welfare, but its impact on disease resistance and reproductive success is limited. For fish post-release fitness, PE has potential for improving natural behaviors and individual fitness, but the results are mixed. The positive impact of PE on fish mental state has been consistently reported. This review provides valuable insights and recommendations for future research and practical application of EE strategies in the aquaculture industry and hatchery release projects.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Gwang-Hoon Lee, Woori Jo, Tae-Ku Kang, Taeho Oh, KilSoo Kim
Summary: This study aimed to find a suitable environment to reduce the stress of captive dogs and concluded that social housing and environmental enrichment can effectively reduce stress levels in dogs. It provides valuable insights for improving the welfare of kenneled dogs in captive animal organizations.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Milene de Paula Figueira, Ita de Oliveira E. Silva, Vanner Boere
Summary: Wild animals in captivity require stimuli to improve their well-being. Canids, particularly hoary foxes, have a strong sense of smell and are responsive to environmental stimuli through scent. An olfactory enrichment method was tested on five hoary foxes, adapted from a successful method used on another canid species. The individuals showed indifferent reactions to the stimuli, possibly due to their insectivorous diet.
Review
Fisheries
Aude Kleiber, Mathilde Stomp, Melanie Rouby, Vitor Hugo Bessa Ferreira, Maria Laure Begout, David Benhaim, Laurent Labbe, Aurelien Tocqueville, Marine Levadoux, Ludovic Calandreau, Vanessa Guesdon, Violaine Colson
Summary: While most animals have now been recognized for their welfare, fish welfare has only recently received attention due to the understanding of their emotions and cognitive abilities. Fish farms often fail to meet the behavioral needs of fish, leading to the proposal of cognitive enrichment (CE) as a way to improve their welfare. Four categories of CE were identified, with self-feeders showing positive effects on zootechnical and physiological parameters. However, more research is needed to confirm the benefits of CE on fish welfare and explore other strategies to trigger positive emotions in fish.
Article
Ecology
Jeppe Have Rasmussen, Katrina Rosenberger, Jan Langbein
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2020)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Neele Dirksen, Jan Langbein, Lindsay Matthews, Birger Puppe, Douglas Elliffe, Lars Schrader
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2020)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Neele Dirksen, Jan Langbein, Lars Schrader, Birger Puppe, Douglas Elliffe, Katrin Siebert, Volker Roettgen, Lindsay Matthews
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
B. Foris, H-G Haas, J. Langbein, N. Melzer
Summary: Regrouping in dairy cow groups can disrupt social relationships and behaviors, but a small group of familiar cows may offer social support and lessen negative effects. Cows tend to prefer familiar individuals as social partners after regrouping, showing positive assortment in grooming and feeding networks.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
K. Rosenberger, M. Simmler, C. Nawroth, J. Langbein, N. Keil
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2020)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Charlotte Goursot, Sandra Duepjan, Birger Puppe, Lisette M. C. Leliveld
Summary: The growing recognition of animals as individuals has broader implications for farm animal welfare research, as studying individual differences in animals can improve welfare research significantly.
APPLIED ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
N. Melzer, B. Foris, J. Langbein
Summary: In this study, the effects of system calibration, data filtering, and smoothing methods on the detection of dairy cow behaviors were investigated using an ultra-wideband real-time location system. Although filtering and smoothing methods did not lead to further improvements when RTLS was accurately calibrated, the quality of tracking data was crucial in accurately capturing dairy cow behavior. Additionally, zone-based approaches resulted in lower mean absolute error when detecting neighbors, highlighting the importance of accurate RTLS calibration and tracking data quality in inferring animal behavior.
COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS IN AGRICULTURE
(2021)
Letter
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Neele Dirksen, Jan Langbein, Lars Schrader, Birger Puppe, Douglas Elliffe, Katrin Siebert, Volker Roettgen, Lindsay Matthews
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Annika Krause, Maren Kreiser, Birger Puppe, Armin Tuchscherer, Sandra Duepjan
Summary: The study found that as pigs grow older, they are able to wait longer for a larger reward, indicating the ontogenetic development of self-control in pigs. Self-control in pigs is likely regulated by the behavioral inhibition system and associated systems, while the lack of self-control may lead to the development of abnormal behaviors.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
K. Rosenberger, M. Simmler, J. Langbein, N. Keil, C. Nawroth
Summary: This study investigated the impact of cognitive tests on future test performance of goats, finding no significant differences between treatment groups in detour or problem-solving performance. However, high variation was observed between research sites, selection lines, and individuals, highlighting potential difficulties in making accurate comparisons of cognitive test performances.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katrina Rosenberger, Michael Simmler, Jan Langbein, Christian Nawroth, Nina Keil
Summary: Current evidence suggests that frequent exposure to situations in which captive animals can solve cognitive tasks may have positive effects on stress responsiveness and thus on welfare. However, confounding factors often hamper the interpretation of study results. In this study, we used human-presented object-choice tests to assess the effect of long-term cognitive stimulation on behavioural and cardiac responses of female domestic goats in subsequent stress tests. Our results highlight the need to consider ontogenetic and genetic variation when assessing stress responsiveness and when interacting with goats.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Serge Alindekon, T. Bas Rodenburg, Jan Langbein, Birger Puppe, Olaf Wilmsmeier, Helen Louton
Summary: Passive RFID technology can advance poultry behavior research by enabling automated, individualized, longitudinal, in situ, and noninvasive monitoring. However, the lack of guidelines for implementing and validating RFID systems hinders its potential in poultry science.
