Animal Welfare - the UFAW journal

🔍Do tourists really benefit from interacting with lion cubs? For this study, researchers surveyed 300 visitors across three lion interaction facilities in South Africa to explore the motivations, perceptions, and expectations of tourists participating in cub encounters. Key findings: ▪️While 84% of visitors felt their expectations were met, 61% reported that the experience had no lasting impact on them. ▪️74% of respondents claimed they would have visited even if cub interactions were not offered. ▪️69% participated for their children, and 58% considered the experience educational. However, only 2% stated they had learned about the plight of lions in the wild. ▪️Freedom from discomfort and freedom to express natural behaviour were seen by visitors as the most important welfare factors. The study suggests that facilities could use these findings to better prepare visitors, ensuring that animal interactions effectively contribute to their intended role as conservation ambassadors. 🔗 Read the full study here: https://ow.ly/s1rs50VpPaN #WildAnimals #AnimalWelfare #AnimalWelfareScience

🔍 Do budgerigars prefer to work for their food? This new study on contrafreeloading (CFL), the tendency of animals to work for food rather than take it for free, examined how budgies make their food choices. Researchers tested how pre-training, food deprivation, and effort levels influenced CFL behaviour. Key Findings: ▪️Budgies showed no strong preference for easier or harder food containers. ▪️Only half were identified as strong contrafreeloaders, suggesting an intermediate CFL level. ▪️Food deprivation reduced CFL with hungrier birds choosing easier food options. ▪️Pre-training increased CFL with trained birds preferring more challenging food tasks. These results suggest that moderate effort and experience encourage CFL, while excessive effort and hunger reduce it. Understanding CFL could help improve feeding strategies and welfare for captive birds. 🔗Read the full study here: https://ow.ly/AbIX50Vpv7Z #AnimalWelfareScience #AnimalWelfare

🔍Can forum theatre be used as a tool to improve understanding of donkey welfare? This new study introduces forum theatre as an innovative, community-based approach to promoting donkey welfare on Lamu Island, Kenya. Conducted by researchers from the University of Portsmouth, in collaboration with The Donkey Sanctuary and the Lamu Arts and Theatre Alliance (LATA), this study is the first to evaluate theatre as a method for improving donkey welfare awareness. Researchers gathered post-performance data from adults and pre- and post-performance data from schools to measure changes in knowledge and attitudes. Performances held in three locations reached approximately 600 adults, addressing issues like overloading, beating, inadequate nutrition, and plastic ingestion. A child-friendly version, featuring a donkey puppet, was presented in four schools, engaging 120 students. Key findings: ▪️93% of adult respondents strongly enjoyed the performance; 85% reported increased awareness of donkey welfare. ▪️74% preferred theatre over other methods like talks, leaflets, or radio. ▪️Significant improvements were observed in young people’s understanding of donkey welfare and empathy towards the animals. The findings suggest that forum theatre is a culturally relevant, participatory tool for raising animal welfare awareness and promoting behavioural change. Researchers aim to expand this approach to other donkey-reliant communities worldwide to improve welfare outcomes for both animals and people. Read the full study here: https://ow.ly/nETh50Vi2yG

🔍Can early-life experiences help prevent separation-related behaviours (SRBs) in dogs? This study examined early-life risk factors for SRBs in six-month-old dogs using owner-reported data from 145 puppies in a longitudinal study. Key findings: ▪️Puppies crated or confined overnight with ≥9 hours of sleep by 16 weeks were less likely to develop SRBs. ▪️Poor house-training by 16 weeks increased SRB risk. ▪️Using treats or novel kibble as rewards correlated with higher SRBs. ▪️Aversive owner responses increased SRBs. ▪️Puppies fussed over in response to 'bad' behaviour upon their return were six times more likely to develop SRBs. The findings suggest that SRB development might be prevented by: 🔹Ensuring puppies have at least 9 hours of sleep in early life. 🔹Providing enclosed spaces overnight. 🔹Refraining from aversive training methods. 🔹Avoiding excessive attention in response to unwanted behaviour following separation. 🔗Read the full study here: https://ow.ly/B5gq50VcFPw #DogWelfare #Dogs #CanineWelfare #Puppies

I joined the editorial board of Animal Welfare - the UFAW journal 2 years ago and I can feel how the journal is really focusing on the quality of publications and not quantity. In a world that is filled with overtly quick turnaround time for everything - publications, review process and even thoughts - it is good to see journals that value quality, not just of the publications but also respecting the quality of life for the editors and reviewers too. We always appreciate the time and efforts reviewers put into the process and never rushed. They also value openness and accessibility for all. It is a journal I will recommend in our field, and please also consider responding to our reviewer requests! Thank you! 🙏 #peerreview #openscience #animalwelfarescience

📑Ethical approval in animal research: a work in progress This editorial by Joint Editors-in-Chief Dr Birte Nielsen and Prof Bas Rodenburg highlights the ongoing efforts to improve ethical approval processes for studies involving animals. While progress has been made, there’s still work to be done in moving ethical considerations of animal research forward. Key considerations: ▪️Ethical approval should go beyond listing committee names: This journal encourages authors to briefly describe the harm-benefit analysis of their studies. ▪️If researchers explain in their articles how they mitigate harm and uphold welfare – that way, we all learn. ▪️The 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) is a good starting point for describing animal welfare improvements. ▪️Papers may be rejected if the ethical justification isn’t clear, even with committee approval. Read the full article here: https://ow.ly/bHv650V71lW #AnimalWelfareScience #AnimalWelfare #3Rs #Research

🔍 For this new study, authors introduced a novel approach to assessing #animalwelfare by quantifying behavioural complexity, offering a more nuanced understanding of individual well-being. Applying this approach to real datasets showed consistent patterns, suggesting this aggregated measure could serve as an individual-based welfare indicator for intensively kept animals. Read the full study here: https://ow.ly/9ZAC50V5g3z #AnimalWelfareScience

🔍What’s missing in our approach to assessing companion parrot welfare? For this study, authors conducted a systematic literature review to identify valid and feasible outcome measures that could be used as welfare indicators for companion parrots. Of 1,512 outcomes evaluated, only 572 were considered feasible. Feasible measures included: ▪️Behavioural changes (eg activity level, social interactions, exploration) ▪️Body measurements (eg body weight, plumage condition) ▪️Abnormal behaviours and more ▪️Plumage condition was the only validated welfare measure The study highlights the urgent need for further research to develop validated welfare indicators for companion parrots, which are crucial for accurately assessing their welfare in captivity. While challenges in validation prevented the creation of a definitive list of reliable welfare measures, this systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of current scientific knowledge and identifies potential welfare indicators for future use. Read the full paper here: https://ow.ly/TMYi50UWQCM #AnimalWelfareScience #AnimalWelfare #Parrots

📢 We need your help! The Benefact Group’s #MovementforGood is awarding £5000 grants to charities making a real difference for animal welfare, and with your nomination, UFAW could be one of the winners! Your nomination could help us win this prize and continue our vital work advancing animal welfare through science. 🔗Nominate us here: https://ow.ly/gRbN50V1Nj2 ⏳ Deadline: Midnight, 23 February 2025 There's only five days left, so submit your nomination today! #ScienceInTheServiceOfAnimalWelfare #AnimalWelfare #AnimalWelfareScience

We’ve talked alot about AI today - positives as well as negatives. This makes an interesting addition to the discussion.