animal welfare assessment protocols as a management tool for zoos: the african elephant (loxodonta...
TRANSCRIPT
Animal welfare assessment protocols as a management tool for zoos: the African elephant (Loxodonta africana)
as an example
Zoovet ConferenceBussolengo 16th-20th of May, 2012
Manteca X , Almagro V, Enseñat C and Fernández-Bellón H
• Welfare assessment protocols: background
• Developing a welfare assessment protocols for
African elephants (Loxodonta africana)
Plan of the talk
Why welfare assessment protocols?
To identify problem areas
To monitor progress when improvement strategies have been implemented
Not to obtain an overall welfare score
Animal welfare: elements to be considered
Biological functioning – health / nutrition
Emotions
Absence of negative emotions (pain, fear) Presence of positive emotions
Behaviour – possibility to express “important” behaviours
(Duncan and Fraser, 1997)
How to develop a welfare assessment protocol?
Several indicators
Valid, reliable and feasible – avoid subjectivity as much as possible, but be practical!
Balance between animal-based and resource-based indicators
Animal-based measures
More relevant (at least in principle)
Applicable to all types of facilities
Avoid the problem of interaction between environmental factors
Resource-based measures
May be needed for some criteria
May be more feasible
Needed to design improvement strategies
Welfare Quality® asessment protocols
Expressing social behaviour
Good human-animal relationship
Expressing other behaviour
Thirst
Thermalcomfort
Comfort around resting
Ease of movement
No disease
Positive emotional state
Hunger
No injuries
No painful management procedures
Four principles and 12 criteria
Absence of prolonged thirst
Absence of prolonged hunger
(Botreau et al., 2007)
Good housing
Good
feeding
Appropriate
behaviourGood
health
Expressing social behaviour
Good human-animal relationship
Expressing other behaviour
Thirst
Thermalcomfort
Comfort around resting
Ease of movement
No disease
Positive emotional state
Hunger
No injuries
No painful management procedures
Absence of prolonged thirst
Absence of prolonged hunger
Body condition – scale according to breed, age etc
Photos: Brinkmann BOKU
• Welfare assessment protocols: background
• Developing a welfare assessment protocols for
African elephants (Loxodonta africana)
Plan of the talk
Indicator Principle Animal or resource?
Body condition Feeding Animal-based
Appearence of faeces Feeding Animal-based
Quantity and quality of water
Feeding Resource-based
Enclosure size Housing Resource-based
Climatic conditions Housing Resource-based
Lameness Health Animal-based
Skin condition Health Animal-based
Affiliative behaviours Behaviour (social) Animal-based
Intraspecific aggression Behaviour (social) Animal-based
Group size and composition Behaviour (social) Resource-based
Stereotypies Behaviour (other) Animal-based
Time spent foraging Behaviour (other) Animal-based
Environmental enrichment Behaviour (other) Resource-based
Medical training Behaviour (other) Resource-based
Indicator Principle Animal or resource?
Body condition Feeding Animal-based
Appearence of faeces Feeding Animal-based
Quantity and quality of water
Feeding Resource-based
Enclosure size Housing Resource-based
Climatic conditions Housing Resource-based
Lameness Health Animal-based
Skin condition Health Animal-based
Affiliative behaviours Behaviour (social) Animal-based
Intraspecific aggression Behaviour (social) Animal-based
Group size and composition Behaviour (social) Resource-based
Stereotypies Behaviour (other) Animal-based
Time spent foraging Behaviour (other) Animal-based
Environmental enrichment Behaviour (other) Resource-based
Medical training Behaviour (other) Resource-based
RationaleProblems and limitations
Methodological considerationsConclusion
Enclosure size
Perceived as being very important
Wild elephants roam over very large areas
Experimental evidence in other species show that low space allowance may lead to stress and behavioural problems
Easy to measure and objective
However...
(Douglas-Hamilton, 1998; Turner et al., 2000)
Enclosure size
Recommendations are very diverse
Their rationale is not clear
Quality of space is likely to be just as important
(Clubb and Mason, 2003)
Group size and composition
Elephants have a very complex social behaviour and develop strong social bonds with other individuals
Disruption of social bonds has very negative effects on welfare
However, recommendations on the minimum acceptable group size vary from 3 to 6 and their rationale is not very clear. Additionally, group composition is likely to be equally important
(Moss and Pole, 1983; Clubb and Mason, 2003)
Stereotypies
Well accepted as indicators of poorwelfare in a variety of species
However, their relationship with the welfare state of a given individual is not always straightforward and they may persist when conditions have been improved
Therefore, stereotypies should not be taken as a definitive sign that current conditions are sub-optimal
(Rushen and Mason, 2006)
Affiliative behaviours
Evidence in other species show that they are self-rewarding
They may have a buffering effect on stress
However, studies in other species suggest that affiliative behaviours may increase in stressful environments
(Waiblinger et al., 2002; Seyfarth and Cheney, 2011)
Problems and further research
Some indicators (including some that are widely cited) clearly need further evidence
Are we missing something if only “objective” indicators are used?
“Qualitative behavioural assessment” in domestic animals
Is it applicable to zoo animals?
• Assessment protocols are potentially useful and we may build on experience
gained in farm animals
• The protocols should include several indicators addressing the different aspects
of welfare; the WQ® principles are applicable to a wide range of species
• The indicators should be valid, reliable and feasible
• Some indicators widely cited may need further validation
Concluding remarks
