introduction to animal welfare Flashcards
what are the components of animal welfare
1) Welfare science
- what animals need, the human impact on welfare by using scientific methods to objectively assess welfare
2) Ethics
- How humans should treat and care for animals
3) Legislation
- How animals must be treated and cared for, usually country specific
what did Fraser, 2008 state regarding the three aspects of defining animal welfare
that the three defining aspects of animal overlap and include
1) physical state and functioning
2) psychological or mental state = affective state
3) Natural states = the ability to perform natural b behaviours and live according to the the animals natural state
how did the farm animal welfare committee 1979 ensure basic welfare
They defined good welfares according to a framework made up of 5 freedoms along with the provisions needed to achieve said freedoms
what are the five freedoms defined by FAWC in 1979 to ensure basic welfare in animals
freedom to/of
1) hunger and thirst
2) discomfort
3) pain, injury and disease
4) express normal behaviour
5) fear and distress
Outline the freedom of hunger
= the motivational state which leads to feeding and drinking
achieved by the provision of fresh food and water
deprivation = illness, poor welfare and eventually death
unrestricted access = weight gain and obesity
normal feeding behaviour must occur with a structure e.g. bouts or meals at certain times
outline the freedom of thirst
water intake is essential to meet physiological requirements such as homeostasis
even short term restriction can lead to decreased health and welfare –> death
outline the freedom of pain, injury and disease in farm, lab, companion and wild animals
1) farm = Mullenising of sheep, dehorning and branding of cattle, beak or bill trimming of poultry, castration and tail docking of pigs; often performed without anaesthic (numbs pain) or analegiscs (pain relief)
2) lab = National legislation in many countries requires that painful procedures involve use of pain meds unless there is a reason not to; focus often on post procedure pain
3) companion = Painful surgeries on cats and dogs are normally performed under anaesthesia
Management of chronic pain= drugs for treating pain
4) wild = little known but research undergoing
define pain
an averse sensory emotional experience representing an awareness by the animal of damage or threat to the integrity of its tissues; it changes animals physiology and behaviour to reduce or avoid the damage, reduce the likelihood of recurrence, and promote recovery
outline how pain can be recognised
pain assessments limited to
1) physiological responses
- increased heart rate, blood pressure, endocrine responses = indirect method of assessment
2) behavioural responses = avoidance, vocalisations, responses towards site of injury, reduced locomotion and feeding
outline the freedom of fear/ distress
a negative emotion determining how animals respond to physical and social challenge; ideally adaptive with fear behaviour serving to protect the animal from injury
= types of events resulting in a fear include novelty, movement, intensity, duration, suddenness, proximity, association with previous experience, social signals and social isolation
define fear
a negative emotion determining how animals respond to physical and social challenge; ideally adaptive with fear behaviour serving to protect the animal from injury
what are some fear behaviours
1) active defence (attack)
2) active avoidance ( flea)
3) passive avoidance (freeze)
4) odours/pheromones
5) alarm calls
what are some challenges which come with animal agency
1) problem solving = needed when behavioural solutions no longer work to attain a goal
2) exploration = information acquisition to reduce environmental uncertainties
3) play = spontaneous, intrinsically motivated and self motivated activity performed for its own sake rather than to achieve a specific goal
outline the freedom of expressing natural behaviours in regards to frustration and boredom
well fed and provision of resources doesn’t mean good welfare if the individual cant perform natural behaviours
captive environments are often monotonous causing boredom
= provision of cognitive enrichments via cognitive stimuli such as food puzzles
