Animal category: All animals

A consensus on the definition of positive animal welfare

Rault Jean-Loup, Bateson Melissa, Boissy Alain, Forkman Björn, Grinde Bjørn, Gygax Lorenz, Harfeld Jes Lynning, Hintze Sara, Keeling Linda J., Kostal Lubor, Lawrence Alistair B., Mendl Michael T., Miele Mara, Newberry Ruth C., Sandøe Peter, Špinka Marek, Taylor Alex H., Webb Laura E., Whalin Laura and Jensen Margit Bak

Published in 2025

Consensus on the definition of positive animal welfare

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

Keywords:Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Consciousness, Enrichment, Well-being indicator, Memory, Prenatal, Cognitive process, Evolutionary process

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Neutralisation techniques used by defendants charged with animal welfare offences in Finland

Valtonen E, Hänninen L, Valros A, Koskela T.

Published in 2024

Study showing that defendants accused of criminal behavior against animals often invoke personal or financial difficulties to justify themselves, while breeders frequently challenge standards and authorities when accused of offenses against their animals. These differences underline the need to adapt control, support and prevention strategies for each type of crime.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: All animals

Key words:Abuse

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Animal affect, welfare and the Bayesian brain

Lecorps B, Weary D.

Published in 2024

Synthesis exploring the Bayesian hypothesis that the brain is a predictive machine that interprets sensory data through expectations based on past experiences that influence affective responses. Applied to animals, this theory could improve our understanding of their affective states and reveal the impact of deficits in an animal's predictive processing on its welfare.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

Keywords: Cognitive process, Cognitive well-being indicator,Learning

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Near and Dear? If animal welfare concepts do not apply to species at a great phylogenetic distance from humans, what concepts might serve as alternatives?

Arndt SS, van der Staay FJ, Goerlich VC.

Published in 2024

Synthesis examining four possible guiding principles for the treatment of animals, both sentient and non-sentient, in light of their capacity to experience emotions. In particular, it proposes using the concept of animal integrity, potentially complemented by that of ecosystem integrity, while retaining current concepts of animal welfare for sentient species.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

Keywords:Biodiversity, Consciousness, Cognitive process, Evolutionary process, Human-animal relationship, Societal issues, Welfare indicators

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How does perception of zoo animal welfare influence public attitudes, experiences, and behavioural intentions? A mixed-methods systematic review

Nicki Phillips, Laëtitia Maréchal, Beth Ventura, Jonathan Cooper

Published in 2024

Systematic study identifying three types of factors that influence negative public perceptions of zoos whose objectives are conservation and education: human (interactions and ethics), animal (behavior and health), and environmental (facility conditions). These negative perceptions reduce the public's commitment to zoos and conservation, necessitating more structured research to improve the validity of the studies.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: All animals

Key words:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Education, Enrichment, Housing, Living environment, Human-animal relationship

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Animal behaviour and welfare research: A One Health perspective

James William Yeates

Published in 2024

A summary of the ethical principles proposed by the One Health program for research into animal behavior and welfare. Transdisciplinary and multisectoral in nature, such research should describe and apply a harmonious balance between the needs of humans, animals and the environment, and recognize the importance of the integrity of the ecosystem as a whole.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: All animals

Keywords: Biodiversity,Adaptation of the environment to theanimal, Education, Environment, Experimentation, Risk management, One Welfare, Human-animal relationship livestock system, Societal issues.

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Law and animals - For a law Droit et animal – Pour un droit des relations avec les humains

Isabelle Doussan

Published in 2024

Work examining the place of domestic and wild animals in the field of the law, and exploring - albeit not exhaustively - a range of relationships relating to utility, risk, protection, and attachment.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

Keywords: Societal issues, Human-animal relationships

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Sixty Years of Tinbergen's Four Questions and Their Continued Relevance to Applied Behaviour and Welfare Research in Zoo Animals: A Commentary

Robert Kelly, Paul Rose

Published in 2024

Scientific article illustrating how ethologist Tinbergen's four questions - based on the causality, ontogeny, phylogeny and function of animal behavior - can help zoo animal research in areas such as sentience, welfare, conservation and species management.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

Keywords:Animal adaptation to environment, Biodiversity, Population management, Living environment, Evolutionary process, Behavioral disorders

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Animal sentience included in Belgian Constitution

Eurogroup for Animals

Published in 2024

Article announcing the addition of animal sentience to the Belgian Constitution, making Belgium the sixth EU member state to include animals in its Constitution.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: All animals

Key words:Awareness, Societal issues

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Work: what links us to pets

Vanina Deneux-Le Barh and Sébastien Mouret

Published in 2024

Article reflecting on the various forms of work we impose on animals. The authors nevertheless emphasize that while work can be a cause of suffering, it can also be a source of pleasure and emancipation, for the humans as well as the animals. Our working relationships with animals can also be based on respect, love and cooperation.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: All animals

Keywords: Animal mediation, Human-animal relationship,Working animals

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