Keywords: Welfare indicators

Towards Machine Recognition of Facial Expressions of Pain in Horses

Pia Haubro Andersen, Sofia Broomé, Maheen Rashid, Johan Lundblad, Katrina Ask, Zhenghong Li, Elin Hernlund, Marie Rhodin, Hedvig Kjellström

Published in 2021

Scientific review describing two promising systems for the automatic recognition of facial expressions of pain in horses. The first is based on a manual classification system that involves machine learning. The second is based on recurrent neural network learning.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Pain, Precision farming, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships

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Validation of the Donkey Pain Scale (DOPS) for Assessing Postoperative Pain in Donkeys

Maria Gláucia Carlos de Oliveira, Valéria Veras de Paula, Andressa Nunes Mouta, Isabelle de Oliveira Lima, Luã Barbalho de Macêdo, Talyta Lins Nunes, Pedro Henrique Esteves Trindade, Stelio Pacca Loureiro Luna

Published in 2021

Scientific article proposing and testing a scale for acute pain in donkeys during castration. The proposed scale is both reliable and valid.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Pain, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Welfare indicators

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Bien-être animal : vers un label européen ?

Vie Publique Editorial Board

Published in 2021

Article summarising the main findings of a study by the European Parliament Research Service (EPRS) on animal welfare legislation and the EU labelling project. In the view of the EPRS, the legislation is outdated because of structural changes that have occurred in production systems and because it does not allow for recognition of the fact that animals are sentient beings. Europe-wide labelling is viewed as the best response to the increasing number of labelling systems now operating among Member States.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords: Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships

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The importance of considering age when quantifying wild animals' welfare

Luke Hecht

Published in 2021

A scientific review of work on age-related welfare levels in wild animals, which proposes a  new conceptual framework based on welfare expectancy. This quantifies the welfare of a population of wild animals using individual data on average welfare as a function of age.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Wildlife

Keywords: Modelling, Human-animal relationships,Welfare indicators

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Effect of transportation and social isolation on facial expressions of healthy horses

Johan Lundblad, Maheen Rashid, Marie Rhodin, Pia Haubro Andersen

Published in 2021

Scientific paper describing the facial expressions of healthy, pain-free horses before and during transport and social isolation, both of which are potentially stressful management procedures. The following facial features were observed in both cases: increased eye white, dilated nostrils, elevated upper eyelid, elevated inner forehead, exposed tongue, increased ear movements and blinking frequency. Some of these stress markers are already used as indicators of pain.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Pain, Welfare indicators, Stress, Transport

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Automatic Pain Detection on Horse and Donkey Faces

Hilde I. Hummel, Francisca Pessanha, Albert Ali Salah, Thijs J. P.A.M. van Loon, Remco C. Veltkamp

Published in 2021

Summary of a presentation at a conference on the use of automatic facial recognition to develop an automatic pain prediction system for horses, based on grimace scales.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Anxiety, Precision farming, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships, Pain, Stress

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Guide pratique – Pour bien prendre soin de votre animal de compagnie : cet été, ayez les bons réflexes !

French Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Published in 2021

A good practice guide published by the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food, concentrating on the care of pets over the holiday period, how to look after them in hot weather, what arrangements to make when travelling with them, and what to do if you come across a stray dog or cat.

Document Types: Good practice guide

Animal categories: Canines, Felines

Keywords:Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Living environment, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Welfare indicators

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Good animal welfare by design: An approach to incorporate animal capacities in engineering design

H.J.E. van Weeghel, A.P. Bos, M.H. Jansen, W.W. Ursinus, P.W.G. Groot Koerkamp

Published in 2021

Scientific article presenting a method of designing breeding and rearing systems that takes into account the animal as a subject, in order to improve animal welfare. Giving an animal the opportunity to influence its environment through choices and decision making according to its own preferences allows the animal to have positive experiences. The aim of the method is to create a mutually beneficial relationship between human goals and animal welfare in future breeding and rearing systems.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Consciousness, Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Livestock farming system

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Addressing the welfare needs of farmed lumpfish: Knowledge gaps, challenges and solutions

Carlos Garcia de Leaniz, Carolina Gutierrez Rabadan, Sara I. Barrento, Rebecca Stringwell, Paul N. Howes, Ben A. Whittaker, Jessica F. Minett, Robert G. Smith, Craig L. Pooley, Ben J. Overland, Leigh Biddiscombe, Richard Lloyd, Sofia Consuegra, Jake K. Maddocks, Paul T. J. Deacon, Ben T. Jennings, Sonia Rey Planellas, Amanda Deakin, Amber I. Moore, Daniel. Phillips, Guillermo Bardera, Maria F. Castanheira, Maria Scolamacchia, Nancy Clarke, Ollie Parker, John Avizienius, Malcolm Johnstone, Michalis Pavlidis

Published in 2021

A scientific paper to identify the challenges and solutions involved in improving  lumpfish welfare in salmon farming using a Delphi method with stakeholders in the fish-farming sector. Respondents identified 5 behavioural and 12 physical indicators that were useful. However, lumpfish and salmon have very different behavioural and physiological needs, so the welfare standards of one species are not appropriate for the other.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Fish

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Consciousness, Pain, Welfare indicators, Living environment, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Livestock farming system

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Activity Budget Comparisons Using Long-Term Observations of a Group of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) under Human Care: Implications for Animal Welfare

Tim Huettner, Sandra Dollhaeupl, Katrin Baumgartner, Lorenzo von Fersen

Published in 2021

Scientific paper reporting long-term observations of the behaviour of a group of dolphins in a dolphinarium. It highlights that noise leads to decreases in play behaviour and training performance, and increased time spent swimming rapidly, and that significant changes to time allocation in activity budgets can affect the animals' welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Mammals

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Consciousness, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Welfare indicators

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