Breaking social bonds

Question 1

what is a social bond

Answer 1

-mutual, affectionate, emotional attachment between 2 individuals that is relatively long-lasting and survives temporary separations

Question 2

what kind of behaviours are seen in social bonds

Answer 2

-usually include affiliative behaviours
-allogrooming
-resting in contact
-synchronized activities
-greeting following temporary separations

Question 3

how can social bonds have physiological impacts

Answer 3

-can moderate HPA axis
-reductions in heart rate (dogs/humans, prairie voles and more)
-endorphins released
-reduction in cortisol, noradrenaline
-improved immune function via cort or oxy

Question 4

physiological effects involved with social bonds by moderating HPA axis

Answer 4

-study in primates
-friendship based on similarity in personalities
-fitness benefits including increased survival rates, including infants
-reproductive sucess

Question 5

is the level of the bond identical between two parties

Answer 5

probably not and may vary over time

Question 6

is there a clear “point in time” when bonds break

Answer 6

-not usually sometimes weaned off
-death or removal (selling) is sudden

Question 7

breaking bonds in humans

Answer 7

-emotional response
-results in: behavioural and physiological response

Question 8

response to separation in animals

Answer 8

-when a bond breakage occurs, but there is motivation to reunite :
-protest and dispair
-locomotion
-vocalization
-depression

Question 9

response to short-term seperation in parents and young

Answer 9

-response may differ depending on species
-rabbits: short separation not considered highly stressful
-lamb: short separation quite stressful

Question 10

response to long term seperation

Answer 10

-may adapt and return to normal behaviours
but some mammalian species show prolonged grief at separation
-i.e., unresponsiveness, listlessness, head hanging, sunken eyes, cognitive impairment, depresses immunity

Question 11

what is the strongest kind of bond

Answer 11

mother offspring

Question 12

mother-offspring bonds in farm animals (species difference)

Answer 12

-livestock are mostly
-polygynous (one man many woman)
-precocial
-mothers are responsible for care with young, but there are exceptions
-ie geese and pigions both genders care for their young

Question 13

mother-offspring bonds in farm animals (Genetics)

Answer 13

-dairy cows: young is removed within 24 hrs
-less distressed by calf separation than beef cattle
-more tolerant of adopting other calves
-less mothering behaviour selection

-beef cattle: extensive managemnt
-strong bonds between mother and young
-preference to rear own calves but may sometimes cross-foster

Question 14

mother-offspring bonds in farm animals (proximity)

Answer 14

-strength depends on: proximity of calf
-experiment:
-treatment 1: head and neck of the calf remained in contact (x barrier) but the cow could touch and hear, bond with her calf remained
-treatment 2: cow hobbled, calf behind barrier and strange calf sucked, bond with her own calf remained
-treatment 3: her own calf was removed, new calf was allowed to suckle, formed a new bond with new calf, no bond with her own calf
-this study could help with management at time of weaning

Question 15

mother-offspring bonds in farm animals (litter size)

Answer 15

-litter size in piglets
-bigger=less bonded with mom
-inversely related to strength of attachment

Question 16

mother-offspring bonds in farm animals (length of bond)

Answer 16

-livestock in extensive situation
-beyond weaning may retain some kind of bond
-cattle: less aggression at the feeder between mothers and daughters as compared to unrelated cattle

Question 17

other bonds in commercial livestock

Answer 17

-sibling bonds
-friendship bonds

Question 18

sibling bonds in commercial livestock

Answer 18

-siblings may show bonds
-lambs housed with twins showed less distress when separated from ewe
-litter size likely affected strength of bond between siblings (negative relationship)

Question 19

friendships commercial live stock

Answer 19

-primates (friends can reduce depression and improve health under bond breakage)
-see friendships in livestock
-communal nesting in pigs
-allowing unrelated animals to suckle
-allogrooming in horses
-although limited info in livestock

Question 20

friend ships in different animals

Answer 20

-in primates friends can reduce depression and improve health under bond breakage
-see these friendships in livestock:
-communal nesting in pigs
-allowing unrelated animals to suckle
-allogrooming in horses

Question 21

how can bonds break under natural conditions

Answer 21

-death
-loss or separation of a youngster
-leaving of natal groups
-weaning

Question 22

with separation the longer the time…

Answer 22

the less chance of the bond being revived

Question 23

weaning characteristics

Answer 23

-gradual (less stressful then abrupt)
-various ages depending on species

Question 24

Piglet weaning natural vs human influences

Answer 24

-sucking gradually reduces between 2-4 months
-we wean at 21 days

Question 25

calf weaning natural vs human influences

Answer 25

-between 6 and 1 year -we wean around 6 months

Question 26

why do animals get naturally weaned

Answer 26

-frequency of suckling reduced -aggression -mother walks away -milk volume reduces

Question 27

leaving of natal groups

Answer 27

-animals moving from their birth groups to their new breeding or reproductive groups -if moving a far distance, bonds with original group break

Question 28

how old are horses when they leave there natal groups

Answer 28

-between 1 and 4 years in wild -7-8 months in domestic horses

Question 29

what causes bonds to break in farm conditions (permanent)

Answer 29

-livestock often have no choice -weaning (sort of) -sale -Division of growing group numbers -slaughter -Removal of sick animals -this often leads to very unstable groups structures

Question 30

what causes bonds to break in farm conditions (temporary)

Answer 30

-breeding -health checks -foot care -horse riding -grooming -animal shows

Question 31

what happens to animals with permanent separations and even temporary if they arent used to being split

Answer 31

-often results in very unstable group structures -disrupts hierarchy and causes stress

Question 32

what are some physiological consequences of broken bonds

Answer 32

-Separation distress can cause permanent physiological effects -Permanent changes to corticotrophin-releasing hormone gene expression -higher levels of CRH (cort) -Proliferation of CRH receptors -Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis becomes more sensitive -physiological and physiological indications of depression

Question 33

dogs and removing them from their bonded owner

Answer 33

-can build tolerance -but can have separation anxiety -due to having changes in HPA axis -Hand-reared livestock show this same phenomenon

Question 34

temporary absences and changes in group membership impact on immune function

Answer 34

-causes decreases immunity due to high cort -for example lambs seperated daily from ewes at 3.5 weeks of age more sensitive to parasitic infections then older lambs suddenly weaned -younger animals can have a much more severe effect

Question 35

breaking bonds in poultry

Answer 35

-not uncommon to move animals from one group to another -stressor -redevelopment of dominance which leads to agression -cost for immune function, production -HPA may happen -establishing hierarchy

Question 36

what is additivity of stressors

Answer 36

-more stress can add to existing stress -so sometimes just limiting one factor can really help with this

Question 37

example of addictive effects of stress in young calves

Answer 37

-sudden early weaning -results in a number of changes -breaking bond with mother-offspring -abrupt changes to digestive tract (whole system changes ie. microbes) -no allowance for suckling behaviour (comfort)

Question 38

how to help with stress for sudden early weaning

Answer 38

-calves often attempt to suckle other body parts of pen mates -drink urine -piglets will ear and tail chew -giving them a bucket with nipple allows aleviation of stress and reduces negative issues (reduces on added stressor)

Question 39

issues in turkey poults with no access to their mother

Answer 39

-removes the ability of the mother to teach the young specific things (seen in other animals too) -they learn to feed more efficiently if they have a mother -but if mother figure is removed the young may bond to another figure

Question 40

slaughter of a group member

Answer 40

-they know its not there but dont understand slaughter -no evidence but may be stresses by vocalization , posturingm odors -pigs and sheep theres no impact on slaughter alone

Question 41

what happens if group member is exposed to blood of a pen mate

Answer 41

-some evidence it is averse in chickens other evidence that the birds are attracted to the blood -pigs prefer to chew on tails with blood -cattle showed more sniffing and differing locomotory behaviours, but did not impact feeding behaviour

Question 42

death of a group member: mourning behaviour

Answer 42

-seen in highly social, long-lived animals -remaining with the dead after group has left -revisiting -investigation of the bones -unsure if seen in dogs -animals such as chickens and pigs may consume the dead (no evidence if that differs if a bond has been formed with the dead

Question 43

can we lessen the impact of breaking bonds

Answer 43

-substitute stimuli -substitution may help reduce stress -teat for non-nutritive sucking also reduces digestive hormones -human contact -goats weaned at a week but handled twice a day less distracted than those with no handing -auditory stimuli -opposite effect -sounds of the dam or other noises can actually reinitiate the distress of the young -but music appeared to calm young chicks -mirror -Works in some species (chicks, cattle) but not not as effective in others as companion (sheep)

Question 44

can we lessen the impact of breaking bonds for weaning

Answer 44

-artificially breaking mother-offspring bonds is less stressful -There is management systems that don't allow for this (family pen systems for pigs) -management systems that allow for short periods of separation help minimize distress (get-away penning for pigs/piglets -weaning techniques in cattle (allowing contact across the fence, use of paddles in calves caused less stress for 3 days post weaning (vocalization) if allowed contact across fence, and higher weight gains during this period