Animal welfare

1. Animal welfare
By
Dr. Rabie Hassan Fayed
Prof. of Animal Management & Behaviour

2. introduction
 Science, Ethics and Law
 Welfare science considers effects of humans
on the animal from the animal’s point of view
 Welfare ethics considers human actions
towards animals
 Welfare legislation considers how humans
must treat animals

3. Concepts in Animal Welfare:
Science, ethics and law
 All three aspects are important for welfare
 The Concepts in Animal Welfare presentations cover different
aspects:
 Some presentations focus on 1 aspect e.g.:

Science : physiological indicators

Ethics : introduction to ethics

Law : protection legislation
 Other presentations cover all 3 aspects e.g.:

Farm animal husbandry

Euthanasia

4. What is the welfare status of the
following dog?
During routine vaccination, a vet observes a
small but aggressive malignant tumour in
the mouth of a dog (the tumour has spread
to the local lymph nodes)
 Current
• Physical status - abnormality
• Mental status - fine
• Future
• Physical status - spread to lungs, etc.
• Mental status - pain, discomfort

5. Two animal welfare concepts
MentalPhysical
Early tumours
Early infections
Fear
Anxiety
Clinical disease
Injury

6. Three animal welfare concepts
MentalPhysical
Restrict natural
behaviour
Naturalness

7. Example of issues affecting physical /
mental welfare and naturalness
 Restricting sows to stalls
 Naturalness:
 Restriction of oral and
social behaviour
 Physical:
 Mouth injuries from bar
biting
 Mental:
 Frustration
 Pain from mouth injuries

8. Three welfare definitions
• Physical status (fitness)
• Mental status (feelings)
• “Naturalness” (telos)

9. Physical status
• Welfare defines the state of an animal as
regards its attempts to cope with its
environment.” (Fraser & Broom, 1990)
• “I suggest that an animal is in a poor state of
welfare only when physiological systems are
disturbed to the point that survival or
reproduction are impaired.” (McGlone, 1993)

10. Mental status
• “neither health nor lack of stress
nor fitness is necessary and/or
sufficient to conclude that an
animal has good welfare.
• Welfare is dependent upon what
animals feel.” (Duncan, 1993)

11. “Naturalness
• “Not only will welfare mean control of
pain and suffering, it will also entail
nurturing and fulfilment of the animals’
nature, which I call telos.” (Rollin, 1993)

12. Combined definition
 Some definitions combine two or three
aspects
 For example : Five Freedoms
 Freedom from hunger and thirst
 Freedom from discomfort
 Freedom from pain, injury and disease
 Freedom to express normal behaviour
 Freedom from fear and distress

13. The concept of needs
 Need: a requirement, fundamental in the
biology of the animal, to obtain a particular
resource or respond to a particular
environmental or bodily stimulus (Broom &
Johnson, 1993)
 If a need is not provided for then there will
be an effect on physiology or behaviour, i.e.
observation of a physiological effect that can
be linked to the absence of a certain
resource is an indication of lack of human

14. Hierarchy of needs
 Some needs may be more important than others
 Provision of food and water is a fundamental need
 Provision of a comfortable lying area may be less
fundamental
Life-sustaining > Health-sustaining > Comfort-
sustaining

15. When is death relevant to
welfare?
 The manner of death is relevant
 e.g. method of slaughter is important
 High death rates can indicate poor welfare conditions
 Poor husbandry conditions can cause disease and death

16. Welfare assessment
and
the Five Freedoms

17. Five Freedoms = Animal welfare
The council believes that the welfare of an animal ... should be
considered with reference to ‘Five Freedoms’.
 Freedom from hunger and thirst
 Freedom from discomfort
 Freedom from pain, injury and disease
 Freedom to express normal behaviour
 Freedom from fear and distress

18. Are all Freedoms equally
important
In your opinion how much
importance should be placed on
providing animals with the Five
Freedoms?

19. Five Freedoms conflict
 Freedom from disease conflicts with:
 Fear from handling during treatment
 Freedom to express normal behaviour
conflicts with:
 Distress during normal social interactions

20. All farming systems restrict normal
behaviour

21. All farming systems restrict
normal behaviour
 Examples:
 Fences and housing restrict normal
ranging behaviour
 Controlled breeding restricts normal
sexual behaviour.

22. Significance of Freedoms
 The Five Freedoms do not give a detailed
account of what should be measured in a
scientific study , Consensus amongst
scientists and politicians in many countries –
welfare should be considered in terms of the
Five Freedoms
 The Freedoms give an initial indication of
what should be assessed and what should be
provided to animals

23. Five Freedoms & welfare inputs /
factors
 It does not define the minimum standards as it is extremely
difficult to always provide all the Freedoms
 Freedom from hunger & thirst by ready access to fresh water
and a diet to maintain full health and vigour
 Freedom from discomfort by providing an appropriate
environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area

24. Five Freedoms & welfare inputs /
factors
 Freedom from pain, injury and disease by prevention or
rapid diagnosis and treatment
 Freedom to express normal behaviour by providing sufficient
space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind
 Freedom from fear and distress by ensuring conditions and
treatment which avoid mental suffering

25. Welfare inputs / factors
Stockman
Environment
Animal

26. Examples of welfare factors
 Stockman
 Empathy, Knowledge, Observation skills
 Environment
 Housing, Bedding, Feed quality, Water
provision
 Animal
 Suitable breed, Age and Sex for the
system

27. Common framework
for quantifying problem
 Severity
 Duration
 Number affected

28. Common framework
for quantifying problem
 Once you have identified which aspects of
the Five Freedoms have potentially been
compromised you also need to consider:
 The severity of any welfare compromises
 The duration that the compromise has
existed
 The number of animals affected.

29. Quantifying severity
 Behaviour
 e.g. fearfulness
 Disease
 e.g. lameness, pneumonia
 Production performance
 e.g. growth rates
 Physiology
 e.g. heart rate, cortisol

30. Severity example
How severe is the social isolation of sheep?

31. Duration example
For how long are sheep sensitive to pain after a
lameness episode?

32. Number affected
• Example:
• At any one time, how many animals are lame ?
15%15%** 22%22% **

33. SDN example: Cattle in poor
condition
 Severity:
 How thin are the cows (e.g. Body
condition score)?
 Duration:
 How long have the cows been thin?
 Number affected:
 How many cattle are thin?

34. Behavioural indicators
 Behaviour is useful in a study of animal
welfare because it gives us an
indication of how animals feel:
 Choices that the animal makes
 Reaction to a variety of stimuli
 Behaviour assessments are, therefore,
often used as indicators of welfare

35. Behavioural indicators
 Animal welfare scientists use behavioural
indicators to identify factors that are
important to animals
 We can use behavioural indicators to
recognise poor welfare or good welfare

36. What is animal behaviour?
The choices that an animal makes as a
result of analysis of environmental
stimuli (often many)
These choices are influenced by:
 experience
 physiological status (e.g. age, pregnancy)
 innate responses (e.g. species, breed)

37. Behavioural indicators in
welfare science
1. Behaviour observation
2. Choices
3. Work that an animal will do to gain
what it wants or needs
4. Work that an animal will do to escape
unpleasant stimuli
5. Deviations from normal behaviour

38. 1.Behaviour observation
 Observe how animals allocate their
time in a natural environment
 Record animal behaviour in a
restricted environment

39. Behaviour observation: example

40. 2.Choices
Offer the animal a variety of options
and allow it to choose

41. Choices
Hens have access to both bean bag (BB) and
flat floor (FF) nests
The number of times they chose each kind of
nest was recorded for 16 egg-laying
Result:
Hens prefer to lay eggs in nests containing
loose material that can be manipulated by
their bodies and feet
Conclusion: Animals choose plenty of space, a
comfortable bed, the opportunity to control
their environment and to interact with others

42. Choices
 This method gives the scientist
information about an animal’s choices
or preferences
 However, it does not answer the
question of whether the animal’s
welfare suffers if cannot get what it
prefers

43. 3.Work that an animal will do to
gain what it needs
 Ask the animal to work for rewards -
such as food or a dust bath
 The amount of work the animal will
perform indicates the importance of the
reward to the animal

44. 4.Work that an animal will do to
escape unpleasant stimuli
Measure how hard an animal will work to
avoid a stressful or painful situation

45. 5.Deviations from normal
behaviour

46. Deviations from normal behaviour
 However, abnormal patterns of
behaviour are most frequent in
restricted environments, and may be
the result of frustration. Most people
agree that they indicate poor welfare.
 Animals may develop abnormal
behaviour patterns such as tail-biting
(pigs), feather-pecking or stereotypies.

47. Deviations from normal behaviour
 (Stereotypies are repeated patterns of
behaviour that have no purpose, for
example, the calf in the picture
repeatedly bites the cage bars.)
 It can be difficult to interpret abnormal
behaviour.

48. Deviations from normal behaviour
 The examples of tail-biting and feather-
pecking both cause immediate suffering in
the victims, but also suggest that the tail-
biters’ and feather-peckers’ welfare is
compromised.
 These abnormal behaviours may not
disappear even after the factors that caused
restriction or frustration have been removed.

49. 6.Interaction with humans
 Animals learn by experience
 Their experience with people enables
them to associate humans either with
pleasure or with pain and fear
 This has been explored in animal
welfare science

50. Behavioural indicators in welfare in
comparison with physiological measures
Advantages
 Easier/less invasive
 Requires less equipment
 Can be done away from the lab
Disadvantages
 Interpretation is difficult
 Some consider less rigorous

51. Behavioural indicators
for ‘normal’ animal
 Alertness
 Curiosity
 Range of activities
 Interaction with other members of the
herd/flock
 Interaction with humans/Aversion to
humans
 Play

52. The ‘normal’ animal: Alertness

53. The ‘normal’ animal: Curiosity

54. The ‘normal’ animal: Range of
activities

55. The ‘normal’ animal: Range of
activities
 Many factors affect the range of activities
seen:
 Species (for example, a dog has
very different activities from a
chicken).
 Breed.
 Age - young animals are more
active, more likely to play, and
spend more time sleeping.

56. The ‘normal’ animal: Range of
activities
 Environment - may be limited to what is
available within a pen. Animals in the wild
may have adapted to new urban
environments.
 Group size and interaction (e.g. presence
of dominant male and young males).
 Season (e.g. breeding, migration).

57. The ‘normal’ animal: Interaction with other
members of group/herd/flock

58. The ‘normal’ animal: Interaction
with other members of
group/herd/flock
 A number of factors influence interaction
between members of the group.
 Species: Some are solitary or form small
family groups. Others, such as wild dogs,
sheep and cattle, live in groups.
 Breed.
 Size of group: On the farm, group size may
be very large (e.g. broiler chickens, dairy
herds). Animals get to know individuals in
small groups, not in very large groups.
Hierarchy can be much better established
in small groups.

59. Interaction with other members
of group/herd/flock
 Presence or absence of breeding males or
dominant adult female to take the lead.
 Age range: There may be competition
between animals of different ages in a
group. For example, older cows may bully
heifers when they join the dairy herd and
prevent them from feeding.

60. The ‘normal’ animal: Interaction
with humans

61. The ‘normal’ animal: Interaction
with humans
 The behaviour of a ‘normal’ animal varies with
its previous experience:
1. If never handled or wild, it is likely to be fearful,
and may show aggression when cornered.
2. If previous experience with humans has been
positive, the animal is likely to be friendly, curious,
and will approach a stationary human after a
period.
3. If previous experience with humans has been
negative, the animal may be fearful and restless or
aggressive.

62. The ‘normal’ animal: Play

63. The ‘normal’ animal: Play
 Young animals tend to play more than adults,
and we associate play with a feeling of well-
being.
 Potential reasons for play include:
 To develop activities they will need when older;
e.g. young cats learn to hunt by stalking other
members of the group or the mother’s tail.
 To develop and strengthen muscles (needed for
flight, hunting, fighting, etc.).
 To strengthen bonds with other members of the
group.

64. Behavioural indicators of
poor welfare
1. Limited range of activity
2. Panting and/or sweating
3. Huddling or shivering
4. Depression
5. Abnormal fear or aggression towards
humans
6. Stereotypies and other behavioural
abnormalities

65. 1a) Limited range of activity
May affect individuals or a whole group,
and includes:
 Restricted space in intensive farming
systems or laboratory housing
 Close tethering
 Lameness
 Increased lying time (due to lameness,
disease, obesity or weakness)

66. 1b) Limited range of activity due to
confined housing

67. Limited range of activity due to
confined housing
 An animal such as an orang-utan should
perform a vast range of activities. A lot of time
would be spent travelling through the forest
and foraging for suitable feed. When confined
to a small cage the animal has few
behavioural options.
 We intuitively can assume that animals that
are prevented from carrying out most of their
normal activities will suffer.

68. Limited range of activity due to
confined housing
 However, as discussed in module 6
(Behavioural indicators 1), we cannot be
sure, and other behavioural and physiological
assessment techniques have been used to
explore the welfare implications of factors
such as confined housing. Animal welfarists
would probably all agree that animals should
be given the benefit of the doubt and
 ‘Freedom to express normal behaviour’ is one
of the Five Freedoms revised by FAWC in
1993.

69. 1c) Limited range of activity due to
close tethering

70. Limited range of activity due to
close tethering
 Close tethering similarly prevents animals
from expressing many forms of natural
behaviour. Tethering sows is now banned in
countries in the European Union (to come into
force in 2006).
 The animal in the picture is perhaps showing
signs of ‘learned helplessness’ as a result of
close tethering. This is a condition where
animals lose responsiveness to stimuli, as a
result of a prolonged period of being
prevented from performing normal activities.

71. Limited range of activity due to
close tethering
 Webster (1994) suggests that learned
helplessness describes “the state of mind in
an animal that has given up” and calls it
‘hopelessness’.
 Others have suggested that there may be
some adaptive benefit from the state (so that
the animal no longer notices its state of
deprivation), although this is a contentious
viewpoint.

72. 1d) Limited range of activity due
to lameness
Lame animals suffer as:
 They are in pain
 They do not interact normally with other
herd members
 They are often thin because they
cannot move easily to feed
 They may suffer urine scalding or
develop sores from lying down for long
periods

73. 1e) Increased lying time due to
weakness, disease, obesity
 Weakness may be the result of chronic
starvation
 Many diseases cause exhaustion or
collapse
 Obesity is an important issue among
pet animals

74. 2.Panting and/or sweating
 Heat stress
 Fever
 Overcrowding
 Fear
Identify the cause by measuring ambient
temperature, stocking density, and by
clinical examination for other signs of
disease

75. Panting and/or sweating
 Identify the causes of panting and/or
sweating:
 Measure ambient temperature and
ventilation.
 Measure stocking density (area available for
stock divided by number of animals housed).
 Measure body temperature of affected
animals to check for fever.
 Make thorough clinical examination to
identify disease (for example respiratory or
cardiac problem that may cause panting) or
focus of pain.


76. 3.Huddling or shivering
 Cold
 Does not usually affect most animals
except in extreme environments
 Often affects very young animals
 More likely where animals are wet and
chilled by wind
 More likely if young animals have not been
fed
 Fear

77. 4.Depression

78. Depression
 It is not difficult to recognise that
animals showing these signs are
suffering.
 The donkey in the picture is very thin,
its coat is in poor condition (perhaps a
sign of tick infestation or other disease)
and it appears to be lame (right
foreleg). It may also be exhausted.

79. Depression
 It shows no interest in the group of
people behind it, nor in other donkeys
(in the background of the picture).
 The ears are not pricked up, nor are
they actively following sounds (signs of
an alert animal). The eyes are dull. It
shows many signs consistent with
depression.

80. Depression signs
 Depression can be a clinical sign of
disease due to fever, pain, toxaemia or
starvation. It demonstrates the
following:
 Drooping ears
 Head down
 Standing in hunched posture or
collapsed

81. Depression signs
 Listless, not interested in surroundings
 Separate from others in group
 Does not feed
 These generalised clinical signs do not
allow the veterinarian to identify the
cause of disease.

82. 5.Abnormal fear or aggression
towards humans
Normal’ depends upon species, breed and
previous contact with humans
Animals learn from experience: abnormal
fear or aggression may indicate previous
cruelty

83. Negative tactile interactions
 Negative interactions for 15 - 30 seconds
daily cause pigs to be less willing to
approach stationary humans
 Positive interactions cause pigs to be more
willing to approach stationary humans

84. 5.Abnormal fear or aggression
towards humans
‘Normal’ depends
upon species, breed
and previous contact
with humans.
Dairy cows who are
frequently handled
should not be afraid
of people

85. 6.Stereotypies and other
behavioural abnormalities
 Stereotypic behaviour are repeated
patterns of behaviour that have no
apparent purpose. Other behavioural
abnormalities include self-mutilation in
pets, feather-pecking (chickens) and
tail-biting (pigs).

86. Stereotypies and other
behavioural abnormalities
 These are complex behaviours whose
causes are not fully understood. Tail-biting
in pigs, for example, may occur even in rich
outdoor environments. Self-mutilation in
pets may begin as a response to a genuine
irritation, but continues once the irritation is
removed (or heals).

87. Stereotypies and other
behavioural abnormalities
 Horses display a variety of stereotypies
including weaving, crib-biting, and wind-
sucking.
 These are often associated with loss of body
condition and greatly reduce the economic
value of affected horses.
 Many methods have been tried to control
these behaviours – most not completely
effective.

88. Stereotypies and other
behavioural abnormalities
 Some consider that affected horses derive some
satisfaction from these behaviours so should not be
stopped from performing them.
 at least in part, a sign of frustration or boredom, some
are associated directly with suffering (e.g. victims of
tail-biting and feather-pecking, self-mutilated pets).
 Even young animals may develop stereotypic
behaviour if kept in a barren environment. The
behaviour may persist even when the animals are
moved to an enriched environment (for example, zoo
elephants may continue to rock even when offered
access to plenty of space and a stimulating
environment).

89. Crib-biting in horse

90. Conclusion
 The behaviour of animals can tell us a
great deal about their welfare
 If animal behaviour indicates poor
welfare, we need to investigate its
causes and then identify potential
solutions

91. ‫أبريل‬2007