Subject: Emotion

Grief-like distress responses in horses after the death of a conspecific

Claire Ricci-Bonot, Emily Wilson, Stefania Uccheddu, Daniel Simon Mills

Published in 2025

Study showing that the loss of the companionship of another equid frequently leads to behavioral changes in horses (excitement, alertness, vocalizations, interactions) lasting up to 6 months, especially when there has been a strong emotional bond. The authors suggest that these behavioral changes could be grief-related. 

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

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Just like humans, many animals get more aggressive in the heat

Katarina Zimmer

Published in 2025

Article showing that high temperatures influence aggressive behavior in many species. From salamanders to fish and mammals, aggression increases when temperatures rise, as heat stimulates the metabolism and intensifies competition for resources.

Document types: Technical Paper

Animal categories: All animals

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An analysis of behavioral characteristics and enrollment year variability in 47,444 dogs entering the Dog Aging Project from 2020 to 2023

Li Y, Sexton CL, DAP Consortium, Fitzpatrick A, Ruple A

Published in 2025

Study from the Dog Aging Project establishing baseline behavioral measures for over 47,000 dogs in order to use changes in behavior as health and welfare indicators. It shows that the year of registration (especially after Covid), as well as factors such as breed, age and sex, significantly influence scores for the four composite behavior domains, Fear, Attention/Exitability, Aggression and Trainability.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

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Structuring and enriching the rearing environment in conventional broiler chicken production: effects on behavioral indicators, emotional states, and cecal microbiota composition

M. Guinebretière, M. Guyard-Nicodème, F. Mocz, L. Calandreau, A. Scheubel, J.P. Moysan, M. Chemaly, A. Keita, L. Warin

Published in 2025

Study showing that complex, enriched farming environments promote natural behaviors, curiosity and cognition in broilers, while reducing their emotional reactivity. These environments also improve the diversity of intestinal microbiota, confirming their potential to improve the on-farm welfare of chickens.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

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Assessing the Welfare of Spiny Lobsters and True Lobsters in Aquaria: Biology-Informed Best-Practice Guidelines for Captive Conditions

Fruscella L., Elwood R.W., Passantino A.

Published in 2025

Study assessing the welfare of spiny lobster and true lobster in captivity, highlighting the gaps between their biological and behavioral needs and current commercial practices. It recommends appropriate housing conditions (separation and appropriate stocking density, provision of shelter, claws should not be tied, no direct light, monitoring for water quality) to improve their health and welfare..

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Crustaceans

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Efficacy of pain management for cattle castration: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Emeline Nogues, Jane Stojkov, Biljana Jonoska Stojkova, Marina A.G. von Keyserlingk, Daniel M. Weary

Published in 2025

Systematic review and meta-analysis showing that multimodal analgesia temporarily reduces pain from bovine castration, notably via a reduction in blood cortisol levels. However, lack of data, the varied nature of the studies and the risk of methodological biais make it impossiible to establish clear science-based recommendations for good practice.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines

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Effects of music enrichment on the welfare of small ornamental fishes

Tianyu Niu, Bochun Xiang, Puyi Huang, Xigui Yang, Longhui Chai

Published in 2025

Scientific article demonstrating that certain musical styles and tempi, notably slow guzheng (Chinese zither) music, reduce stress and cortisol levels in aquarium fish. Music can produce positive or negative behavior, depending on the species and the tempo. Slow guzheng music was found to be the most soothing of the styles in the experiment, especially for guppies.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Fish

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Welfare of American mink, red and Arctic foxes, raccoon dog and chinchilla kept for fur production - EFSA

EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW)

Published in 2025

Recent scientific opinion from the EFSA, identifying the main welfare risks to animals bred for their fur (mink, foxes, raccoon dogs, chinchillas), which are mainly associated with lives spent in cages without enrichment, resulting in restricted movement, stress and behavioral disorders.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Mammals

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The evaluation of animal welfare indicators based on transport duration and lighting differences in the slaughter of broiler chickens

Siska W., Latif, H., Purnawarman T

Published in 2025

Study showing that blue lighting in the pre-slaughter room reduces stress (corticosterone) in broilers, shortens bleeding time and maintains carcass quality. The authors recommend the use of blue lighting in poultry abattoirs.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

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Chickens perceive humans as social buffers and may follow human-given cues: A pilot study

Vitor Hugo Bessa Ferreira, Elise Calesse, Lucille Dumontier, Fabien Cornilleau, Julie Lemarchand, Auriane Foreau, Maxime Quentin, Léa Lansade, Céline Tallet, Xavier Boivin, Ludovic Calandreau

Published in 2025

Study showing that chickens, especially those with positive human interactions, can perceive humans in a beneficial way and associate them with rewarding experiences. It also highlights the importance of taking racial specificities into account to adapt human-animal interactions and improve poultry welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

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