Comportamiento y bienestar de los pequeños rumiantes: Un enfoque integrativo desde las relaciones humano-animal

Introducción. La domesticación de los pequeños rumiantes data del neolítico, en la actualidad cabras y ovejas tienen una distribución cosmopolita debido a que son parte importante de la vida rural, los modos de vida, la cultura y la culinaria de las sociedades humanas. Justificación. Por lo cual, la cría de ambas especies sigue siendo altamente diversificada en términos productivos, geográficos y ecosistémicos. Esta diversidad constituye sin duda uno de los grandes retos para el desarrollo de estándares y monitoreo del bienestar animal actuales y futuros. Objetivo. Esta ponencia intenta profundizar en las relaciones humano animal y su relación con el comportamiento y bienestar de los pequeños rumiantes. Metodología. Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica sobre aspectos de las relaciones humano-animal en pequeños rumiantes, además de integrar los hallazgos más recientes de nuestro grupo de investigación. Resultados. La presente ponencia hace un análisis de los diversos tópicos actuales de las relaciones humano-animal que tienen un impacto de diversas magnitudes en el bienestar de los pequeños rumiantes. Conclusiones. Es posible que el impacto de las relaciones humano-animal provocado por los sistemas de manejo en la producción caprina y ovina, hayan sido subestimados en el pasado. Sin embargo, existen evidencias que indican la importancia de invertir en cambios importantes en el presente, para garantizar una producción sostenible e integrativa en el futuro

Meat consumption and consumer attitudes in México: Can persistence lead to change?

Meat is an essential element of contemporary Mexican culture. Its consumption is linked to ancestral elements as well as to agri-food globalization. Currently, the three types of meat most consumed by Mexicans are chicken (35 kg/person/year), pork (20 kg/person/year) and beef (15 kg/person/year). The consumption of these types of meats is highly influenced by price, regional preferences and emerging trends related to health, environmental and animal welfare concerns. The Mexican diet also includes other types of meats such as turkey, horse, sheep, goat and rabbit; their consumption is related to factors associated with health, tradition and availability. Mexico is the Latin American country with the highest number of people who follow plant-based diets, with 19% being vegetarian, 15% flexitarian and 9% vegan. This overview shows that the persistence of meat consumption in the country is not a uniform phenomenon, where deep-rooted culinary traditions coexist with changes in the horizon influenced by globalization, health and environmental concerns, animal welfare and household income

BIENESTAR EN REPTILES EN CAUTIVIDAD: ASPECTOS BÁSICOS Y REPORTES DE CASOS

La tenencia de reptiles en cautividad se ha incrementado en los últimos años, al mismo tiempo, su población silvestre cada vez se ve más disminuida en la naturaleza. Muchas de las especies que se comercializan están protegidas, y las condiciones de captura y de exportación les están llevando al borde de la extinción. Los reptiles atraen la atención de muchos potenciales propietarios pero la gran mayoría no sabe cómo mantenerlos en condiciones de cautiverio, ni las necesidades a cubrirpara cada especie. Las principales causas de problemas de salud en reptiles en cautiverio están relacionadas con las condiciones inadecuadas de cría y manejo de los mismos. El objetivo general de este trabajo está dirigido a hacer una revisión bibliográfica sobre aspectos generales del mantenimiento de reptiles en cautividad y las principales enfermedades derivadas de un manejo inadecuado. Reflexionar sobre las graves consecuencias que para muchas especies exóticas conlleva su comercio ilegal o incontrolado. Además, se presentan tres estudios de casos clínicos relacionados con problemas de salud y bienestar detectados durante la estancia de la autora en el hospital veterinario de la Universidad de Medicina Veterinaria y Farmacia en Kosice.<br /

Geophagia in a large felid in captivity: A case report of lethal gastrointestinal impaction in a Bengal tigress (Panthera tigris tigris)

Deliberate geophagia or sand-eating behaviour has been widely documented in herbivorous and omnivorous mammals, but never in large felids at captivity. Here we report a case of apparent lethal gastrointestinal impaction from sand intake in a 10-year-old captive Bengal tigress. After 2 days of anorexia and prostration the tigress was admitted to the University Veterinary Hospital with abdominal distension and diarrhoea and died shortly afterwards. A post-mortem examination revealed oesophageal perforation, abundant liquid in the stomach and pyloric obstruction due to the presence of compacted sand and some masses of poultry bones. It is hypothesized that geophagy (of sand) may have been a strategy to alleviate indigestion by consumption of rotten poultry carcasses, but evolved into a compulsive/obsessive-compulsive disorder over time, possibly due to a restricted and barren environment. Zoo animal welfare involves a series of challenges that include an adequate diet in quantity and presentation, as well as complex behaviours such as the motivation to ingest non-food substances under certain contexts during life in captivity

Relación vaca-ternero: Una perspectiva desde el bienestar animal.

El bienestar animal es un concepto transversal que abarca todas las disciplinas involucradas en el desarrollo y la optimización de los sistemas de producción animal. En los últimos años, una serie de evidencias indican que la falta de bienestar repercute en el comportamiento productivo de los animales y la calidad sus productos. Convirtiéndose en un argumento importante en la promoción del bienestar en la industria ganadera. El comportamiento materno se puede definir como el sistema motivacional mediante el cual la madre y la cría establecen lazos desde el nacimiento hasta el destete. Esta relación es importante porque en función de la calidad del vínculo se aumenta la probabilidad de supervivencia y capacidad de adaptación al ambiente productivo. Uno de los factores de riesgo en la producción bovina es la ruptura de la relación vaca-ternero, que de acuerdo al sistema de producción de leche o carne se puede ver interrumpida de manera gradual o abrupta. Existen evidencias crecientes que apuntan hacia la idea que la calidad de la relación entre la vaca y el ternero es determinante en la salud y bienestar de ambos.<br /

Long-Distance Transport of Finisher Pigs in the Iberian Peninsula:Effects of Season on Thermal and Enthalpy Conditions, Welfare Indicators and Meat pH

Long-distance transport in the global swine industry is more the rule than the exception. We tested the impact on the rates of temperature change and air enthalpy on the stress response and muscle pH in pigs subjected to long-distance travel from Spain to Portugal performed in the summer and winter. We found that winter journeys are more adverse for the animals because during the journey, abrupt variations in rates of temperature change and air enthalpy caused a marked physiological stress response and effects on the meat pH after 45 min. These results indicate the need to develop new environmental control strategies that mitigate abrupt temperature changes during travel to attenuate the biological cost of such long-distance transport on the animals

Consumer Attitudes Toward Animal Welfare-Friendly Products and Willingness to Pay: Exploration of Mexican Market Segments

The study aim was to identify consumer segmentation based on nonhuman animal welfare (AW) attitudes and their relationship with demographic features and willingness to pay (WTP) for welfare-friendly products (WFP) in Mexico. Personal interviews were conducted with 843 Mexican consumers who stated they purchased most of the animal products in their home. Respondents were selected using a quota sampling method with age, gender, education, and origin as quota control variables. The multivariate analysis suggested there were three clusters or consumer profiles labeled "skeptical, " "concerned, " and "ethical, " which helped explain the association between AW attitudes, some demographic variables, and WTP for WFP. This study is one of the first to address consumer profiling in Latin America, and the findings could have implications for the commercialization of WFP. Hence, customers should receive information to consider welfare innovations when deciding to purchase animal products. The growth of the WFP food market establishes an element of a far more multifaceted phenomenon of sustainable consumption and support of a new paradigm called responsible marketing in emerging markets such as Mexico

Welfare of small ruminants during transport

In the framework of its Farm to Fork Strategy, the Commission is undertaking a comprehensive evaluation of animal welfare legislation. The present Opinion deals with the protection of small ruminants (sheep and goats) during transport. The main focus is on welfare of sheep during transport by road but other means of transport and concerns for welfare of goats during transport are also covered. Current practices related to transport of sheep during the different stages (preparation, loading and unloading, transit and journey breaks) are described. Overall, 11 welfare consequences were identified as being highly relevant for the welfare of sheep during transport based on severity, duration and frequency of occurrence: group stress, handling stress, heat stress, injuries, motion stress, predation stress, prolonged hunger, prolonged thirst, restriction of movement, resting problems and sensory overstimulation. These welfare consequences and their animal-based measures are described. A wide variety of hazards, mainly relating to inappropriate or aggressive handling of animals, structural deficiencies of vehicles and facilities, unfavourable microclimatic and environmental conditions and poor husbandry practices, leading to these welfare consequences were identified. The Opinion contains general and specific conclusions in relation to the different stages of transport. Recommendations to prevent hazards and to correct or mitigate welfare consequences have been developed. Recommendations were also developed to define quantitative thresholds for microclimatic conditions within the means of transport and spatial thresholds (minimum space allowance). The development of welfare consequences over time were assessed in relation to maximum journey time. The Opinion covers specific animal transport scenarios identified by the European Commission relating to the export of sheep by livestock vessels, export of sheep by road, roll-on-roll-off vessels and ‘special health status animals’, and lists welfare concerns associated with these.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio