8 research outputs found
Perception du bien-ĂȘtre et hĂ©bergement des chevaux : enquĂȘte auprĂšs de gĂ©rant.e.s de structures Ă©questres
Dans le cadre du projet Bien-Ătre Social financĂ© par le Conseil Scientifique de lâIFCE et portĂ© par Odile PETIT et Sophie BOYER, une dizaine de gĂ©rant.e.s de structures Ă©questres ont Ă©tĂ© rencontrĂ©.e.s afin de comprendre leur perception de la vie sociale des Ă©quidĂ©s et ses implications en termes dâhĂ©bergement. Cette enquĂȘte qualitative donne des clĂ©s importantes pour Ă©valuer lâacceptabilitĂ© dâoutils innovants tel que le box de rencontre et accompagner dâĂ©ventuels changements de pratiques
Impact de la socialisation sur les réactions lors de l'apprentissage chez le jeune cheval.
International audienceAvoir la possibilitĂ© dâĂ©tablir des relations avec des congĂ©nĂšres constitue un prĂ©requis au bien-ĂȘtre des espĂšces sociales. Certaines dâentre elles, comme le cheval domestique (Equus caballus) sont nĂ©anmoins hĂ©bergĂ©es en isolement social, une situation gĂ©nĂ©ratrice de stress chez lâanimal. Les consĂ©quences nĂ©gatives de cet hĂ©bergement individuel sur le bien-ĂȘtre et la santĂ© des Ă©quidĂ©s sont aujourdâhui largement connues et pourraient sâĂ©tendre Ă des domaines tels que la cognition. Le but de cette Ă©tude Ă©tait dâĂ©valuer lâimpact de la socialisation sur les capacitĂ©s cognitives et lâĂ©tat Ă©motionnel du jeune cheval au dĂ©bourrage (mise au travail initiale du cheval). La comparaison portait sur 12 chevaux, ĂągĂ©s de 2 Ă 3 ans issus dâĂ©levages diffĂ©rents et hĂ©bergĂ©s dans des boxes individuels, durant une pĂ©riode de dĂ©bourrage dâun mois : 6 individus avaient la possibilitĂ© dâinteragir socialement par paire pendant deux heures par jour (condition sociale), et 6 individus nâavaient pas accĂšs Ă un partenaire social (condition isolĂ©e). Nous avons collectĂ© diffĂ©rentes variables comportementales lors du travail (comportements de dĂ©fense, dâinconfort, Ă©tat de tension et position des oreilles comme indicateur de lâĂ©tat Ă©motionnel). Les rĂ©sultats ne montrent pas de diffĂ©rence significative de performance dâapprentissage (p= 0,113) ni de comportements de dĂ©fense entre les deux conditions (7,39% en condition sociale et 9,38% en condition isolĂ©e) (ajouter description GLM), en revanche, les comportements dâinconfort ont plus Ă©tĂ© exprimĂ©s par les chevaux de la condition sociale que par les chevaux de la condition isolĂ©e (p <0,001). Dâautre part, les chevaux de la condition sociale Ă©taient moins tendus au travail que ceux de la condition isolĂ©e (p<0,001) et ont passĂ© moins de temps avec les oreilles en position dissymĂ©trique que les chevaux de la condition isolĂ©e (GLM, p<0,001). Cette Ă©tude nâa pu mettre en Ă©vidence une amĂ©lioration statistiquement significative de lâapprentissage grĂące aux contacts sociaux et dĂ©montre nĂ©anmoins lâinfluence positive de ces contacts sur lâĂ©tat Ă©motionnel des jeunes chevaux au dĂ©bourrage
Influence des contacts sociaux sur le cheval au débourrage
International audienceEn tant quâespĂšce sociale, le cheval a un besoin fondamental dâinteragir avec ses congĂ©nĂšres. Pourtant, il est couramment hĂ©bergĂ© en box individuel, un mode dâhĂ©bergement qui empĂȘche lâexpression des comportements sociaux. Cet isolement social intervient prĂ©cocement dans la vie du cheval, dĂšs le dĂ©bourrage. Afin de dĂ©terminer lâimpact des contacts sociaux sur le bien-ĂȘtre et les capacitĂ©s dâapprentissage du jeune cheval au dĂ©bourrage, nous avons Ă©tudiĂ© 12 chevaux, ĂągĂ©s de 2 Ă 3 ans, durant une pĂ©riode dâun mois. Tous les individus de lâĂ©tude Ă©taient logĂ©s dans des boxes classiques sans possibilitĂ© dâentrer en interaction. Lâeffectif Ă©tait sĂ©parĂ© en deux conditions expĂ©rimentales : les chevaux nâayant aucune possibilitĂ© dâinteractions sociales (condition isolĂ©e) et les chevaux ayant la possibilitĂ© dâinteragir avec un congĂ©nĂšre temporairement (condition sociale). Ces derniers Ă©taient amenĂ©s par paire 2h/jour dans un box permettant des contacts sociaux. En parallĂšle de ces mises en contact, nous avons collectĂ© diffĂ©rentes variables comportementales au travail (comportements dâinconfort, de dĂ©fense, Ă©tat de tension, position des oreilles) et des indicateurs de mal-ĂȘtre au box classique.Au travail, les contacts sociaux quotidiens ont eu un impact positif sur lâĂ©tat Ă©motionnel des chevaux qui Ă©taient plus relaxĂ©s et plus attentifs. Cet Ă©tat Ă©motionnel positif contribue probablement Ă de meilleures conditions dâapprentissage pour ces jeunes chevaux avec, sans doute, un impact sur le dĂ©veloppement de la relation avec lâhumain pendant le travail. Contrairement Ă ce que lâon pourrait penser, les chevaux de la condition sociale ont Ă©galement exprimĂ© de nombreux comportements dâinconfort. Notre interprĂ©tation est que lâisolement social rendrait les individus de moins en moins expressifs et rĂ©actifs - syndrome de rĂ©signation acquise - tandis que les chevaux de la condition sociale, en conservant cette capacitĂ© Ă rĂ©agir, exprimeraient une rĂ©sistance au dĂ©bourrage par ces signes dâinconfort. Au box, les chevaux de la condition sociale ont exprimĂ© moins de comportements de mal-ĂȘtre que ceux de la condition isolĂ©e. Il semble donc que le maintien de contacts sociaux quotidiens amĂ©liore le bien-ĂȘtre des chevaux en gĂ©nĂ©ral
Neigh-bours: Why every young horse needs good friends. A pilot study during the breaking-in period
International audienceIn natural conditions, horses (Equus caballus) are social animals that live in stable groups. However, horses are often housed in individual stalls from the moment they begin their initial training, also called breaking-in. Individual stabling induces social isolation and confinement, and is a source of particularly stressful events for the young horse alongside the breaking-in process. These experiences can lead to behavioural disorders in individual stalls and dangerous defensive behaviours in human-horse interactions. This study aimed to evaluate how the maintenance of social contacts impacts the behaviour of young horses during breaking-in. The comparison involved 12 young horses all housed in individual stalls for one month: six individuals had the opportunity to interact socially in pairs for two hours a day (hereafter called "Social Condition") in a "social box", and six individuals had no access to a social partner (hereafter called "Isolated Condition"). We collected data for various behavioural variables during training sessions (body tension, conflict behaviours, cooperation and ear positions used as an indicator of the emotional state) and activities in the individual stalls. We found that horses in the Social Condition expressed fewer abnormal behaviours (p<0.001) and stayed still more often (p<0.01) in the individual stall compared to horses in the Isolated Condition. During training, we did not find any difference in ear positions (p=0.068) and cooperation (p=0.766) between the two groups of horses. However, horses in the Social Condition adopted a more relaxed attitude (p<0.01) than those that were isolated. Although more stressrelated behaviours like defecation (p<0.001) and a tense attitude were observed in isolated horses (p<0.001), these horses reacted less to the discomfort associated with training by head-tossing behaviour (p=0.026) and tail switching (p=0.033) than horses in the Social Condition. The latter would remain capable of reacting during the sessions. Our results indicate a possible beneficial impact of this socially enriched context on the first training experience of horses in the Social Condition. Finally, the device we used will promote the welfare of horses in equestrian facilities and will be in line with changes in society regarding respect for our domestic companions
Influence des contacts sociaux sur le cheval au débourrage
International audienceEn tant quâespĂšce sociale, le cheval a fondamentalement besoin dâinteragir avec ses congĂ©nĂšres. Pourtant, il est couramment hĂ©bergĂ© en isolement social dĂšs le dĂ©bourrage. Nous avons Ă©tudiĂ© 12 jeunes chevaux afin de dĂ©terminer lâimpact des contacts sociaux sur le bien-ĂȘtre et les capacitĂ©s dâapprentissage au dĂ©bourrage. Tous les individus de lâĂ©tude Ă©taient logĂ©s dans des boxes classiques. Lâeffectif Ă©tait sĂ©parĂ© en deux : six chevaux nâayant aucune interaction sociale (condition isolĂ©e) et six individus ayant la possibilitĂ© dâinteragir avec un congĂ©nĂšre temporairement (condition sociale). En parallĂšle de ces mises en contact, nous avons observĂ© leur comportement au travail et au box classique. Au travail, les contacts sociaux quotidiens ont eu un impact positif sur lâĂ©tat Ă©motionnel des chevaux qui Ă©taient plus relaxĂ©s. Au box, les chevaux de la condition sociale ont exprimĂ© moins de comportements de mal-ĂȘtre que ceux de la condition isolĂ©e. Il semble donc que le maintien de contacts sociaux quotidiens amĂ©liore le bien-ĂȘtre des chevaux en gĂ©nĂ©ral
Hamsters in the city: A study on the behaviour of a population of common hamsters (Cricetus cricetus) in urban environment
International audienceAnimals in urban environments face challenging situations and have to cope with human activities. This study investigated the ecology and behaviour of a population of European hamsters (Cricetus cricetus) living in the city centre of Vienna (Austria). We recorded the surface activities of 35 hamsters in May 2015. Each focal animal was observed for 15 minutes , and a total of 66 focal samples were analysable. As a prey species in an environment teeming with human activities, we predicted a high level of vigilance by the hamsters. The results show that while animals dedicated a lot of time to vigilance, most of their time was spent foraging. The study also explores whether the frequency of vigilance behaviours differ between males and females. We found that vigilance behaviours were expressed in a different manner by males and females. Finally, we investigated the distribution of the burrows on green spaces depending on proximity to trees and on noise levels. We found a biased distribution of burrows, with a spatial preference for location protected by the vegetation and distant to noise sources. Although burrows were located preferentially under vegetation cover, levels of noise did not determine their positions. Moreover, this species does not respond to disturbances like daily urban noises, probably due to habituation. The common hamster is an endangered species; our results lead to a greater knowledge of its behaviour in a persistent urban population
Genetic dissection of Rift Valley fever pathogenesis: Rvfs2 locus on mouse chromosome 11 enables survival to early-onset hepatitis
International audienceInfection of mice with Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) reproduces major pathological features of severe human disease, notably the early-onset hepatitis and delayed-onset encephalitis. We previously reported that the Rvfs2 locus from the susceptible MBT/Pas strain reduces survival time after RVFV infection. Here, we used BALB/cByJ (BALB) mice congenic for Rvfs2 (C.MBT-Rvfs2) to investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms impacted by Rvfs2. Clinical, biochemical and histopathological features indicated similar liver damage in BALB and C.MBT-Rvfs2 mice until day 5 after infection. However, while C.MBT-Rvfs2 mice succumbed from acute liver injury, most BALB mice recovered and died later of encephalitis. Hepatocytes of BALB infected liver proliferated actively on day 6, promoting organ regeneration and recovery from liver damage. By comparison with C.MBT-Rvfs2, BALB mice had up to 100-fold lower production of infectious virions in the peripheral blood and liver, strongly decreased RVFV protein in liver and reduced viral replication in primary cultured hepatocytes, suggesting that the BALB Rvfs2 haplotype limits RVFV pathogenicity through decreased virus replication. Moreover, bone marrow chimera experiments showed that both hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells are required for the protective effect of the BALB Rvfs2 haplotype. Altogether, these results indicate that Rvfs2 controls critical events which allow survival to RVFV-induced hepatitis