To swim or not to swim: an interpretation of farmed mink's motivation for a water bath

How an animal’s behavioural (ethological) needs can be met is a pivotal issue in the assessment of welfare for captive animals. The value of swimming water for farmed mink is an example how scientific and societal questions relating to animal welfare can be answered. A number of studies have addressed the issue of the indispensability of swimming water for mink; however, so far with inconclusive evidence. In this paper, the results of these studies and related literature are reviewed. First, the biological definition of need is discussed. Subsequently, attention is paid to the effects of the presence, absence and the removal of swimming water on behavioural and physiological correlates of well-being including stereotypic and anticipatory behaviour and urinary cortisol. Thereafter we discuss individual differences in the use of swimming water, the price animals pay for access to a water bath, and the effect of access to swimming water on juvenile play. The main conclusions of the literature review are that 1) the use of a water bath for mink is most likely related to foraging behaviour (foraging areas: land and water); 2) absence of swimming water, without prior experience, does not lead to consistent changes in level of stereotypic behaviour, or anticipatory responses; 3) removal of a previously experienced water bath may induce short-term stress as indicated by behavioural parameters and elevated cortisol responses; 4) mink work hard for access to a swimming bath and running wheel in consumer demand studies. Other cage modifications such as tunnels and biting objects, may also provide environmental enrichment, if they are added to otherwise impoverished conditions; 5) There are individual differences in the use of swimming water: these are related in part to variation in prior experience of aquatic resources.; 6) As prior experience is important both with respect to individual use of swimming water and the response to deprivation, swimming water can not be described as biological need in the sense of a fixed requirement for survival. As swimming water appears to act as an incentive that induces its own motivation a more accurate term may be an “incentive induced or environmentally facilitated need”. Given the available evidence, it is not possible to conclude whether mink that have never experienced swimming water, suffer as a consequence of its absence. However, it is possible to predict that mink with access to water have improved quality of life, due to increased behavioural opportunities, in comparison to farmed mink without access to swimming water. In practical terms, it is still open to debate whether mink should be provided with swimming water, or if alternative, less valued, but easier to install and maintain forms of environmental enrichment, should be provided in mink housing. To clarify these issues a number of future studies would be valuable. These include; 1) whether specific environmental cues affect motivation to swim, such as the form of drinking water delivery systems ; 2) whether prior experience of swimming water affects its incentive value; in other words “can you miss what you never experienced?”; 3) do behavioural parameters such as stereotypic behaviour; rebound effects and vacuum activity have any general utility in assessing the value of absent resources; 4) what are preferences for and the value of alternative resources which may act as substitutes for swimming water. In addition we would recommend further work investigating: relationship between access to swimming water and positive indicators of welfare such as play and/or anticipatory behaviour; the effects of preventing the performance of rewarding behaviours and deprivation of a previous experienced resource; and health and hygeine issues related to provision of a water bath. In future work, it would be desirable to present be the actual percentages of animals using a water bath during the experiment and the use of power analyses, to aid their interpretation

Water baths for farmed mink: intra-individual consistency and inter-individual variation in swimming behaviour, and effects on stereotyped behaviour

Swimming behaviour and effects of water baths on stereotyped behaviour in farmed mink (Mustela vison) were studied in three experiments. The singly-housed mink had access from their home cages to extra cages with 20.5 litre water baths. Two short-term experiments aimed to investigate how quickly adult and juvenile mink start using and how consistently they use water baths over 10 days, and whether the extent of the use correlates between dams and their females kits. A four-month experiment was designed to compare the development of stereotyped behaviour in juvenile mink housed with and without swimming opportunity. The behavioural analyses were based on several 24-hour video recordings carried out in all three experiments. There were obvious inter-individual differences and intra-individual consistency in swimming frequency and time. Farmed minks motivation to swim can be assessed in short-term experiments, and measurement of water losses from the swimming baths and use of instantaneous sampling with 10 min sampling intervals provide quite reliable measures of the amount of swimming. The bath use of the juveniles correlated with that of their dams, indicating that an individual minks eagerness to swim may have a genetic component. The lower amount of stereotyped behaviour in mink housed with water baths indicates that long-term access to baths may alleviate frustration in singly-housed juvenile farmed mink.;Tutkimme turkistiloilla kasvatettavien minkkien (Mustelavison) uimakäyttäytymistä ja sen mittaamista, uimakäyttäytymisessä esiintyvää yksilöllistä vaihtelua sekä uimismahdollisuuden vaikutusta stereotyyppiseen käyttäytymiseen kolmessa erillisessä kokeessa. Minkit kasvatettiin kaikissa kokeissa yksin kotihäkeissään, joista niillä oli pääsy toiseen häkkiin, jossa oli 20,5 litran uima-allas. Kahdessa lyhytkestoisessa (10 vuorokautta) kokeessa tutkittiin yksilöllistä vaihtelua uimisen määrässä sekä nuorilla että aikuisilla naarasminkeillä. Yhdessä pitkäkestoisessa (4 kuukautta) kokeessa verrattiin käyttäytymistä nuorilla naarasminkeillä, joilla ei ollut ja joilla oli käytettävissään uima-allas. Käyttäytymisen analysoinnit tehtiin 24 tunnin videonauhoituksista, joita tehtiin lyhytkestoisissa kokeissa kaksi tai kolme kertaa ja pitkäkestoisessa kokeessa neljä kertaa. Yksilöiden väliset erot uimakäyttäytymisessä olivat suuria, mutta yksilöiden uimakäyttäytyminen ei kuitenkaan vaihdellut paljoa eri mittauskertojen välillä, ja minkkien uimamotivaatiota voidaankin siten mitata luotettavasti myös lyhytkestoisissa kokeissa (etenkin nuorilla eläimillä). Minkkien turkin mukana uima-altaasta poistuneen veden määrä oli melko luotettava uimisen määrän mittari. Samoin käyttäytymisseurannoissa kymmenen minuutin tarkkailuväli riitti melko luotettavan kuvan saamiseen vuorokautisesta kokonaisuintimäärästä. Pitkäkestoisessa kokeessa havaittiin, että uima-altaiden kanssa eläneillä minkeillä oli vähemmän stereotyyppistä käyttäytymistä kuin ilman uima-altaita eläneillä minkeillä. Tämä osoittaa, että uima-altaat saattavat vähentää yksin kasvatettujen nuorten minkkien turhautumista ja parantaa siten niiden hyvinvointia

To swim or not to swim : an interpretation of farmed mink's motivation for a water bath

v2008o

2-hydroxy arachidonic acid: a new non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.

BackgroundNonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a family of COX1 and COX2 inhibitors used to reduce the synthesis of pro-inflammatory mediators. In addition, inflammation often leads to a harmful generation of nitric oxide. Efforts are being done in discovering safer NSAIDs molecules capable of inhibiting the synthesis of pro-inflammatory lipid mediators and nitric oxide to reduce the side effects associated with long term therapies.Methodology/principal findingsThe analogue of arachidonic acid (AA), 2-hydroxy-arachidonic acid (2OAA), was designed to inhibit the activities of COX1 and COX2 and it was predicted to have similar binding energies as AA for the catalytic sites of COX1 and COX2. The interaction of AA and 2OAA with COX1 and COX2 was investigated calculating the free energy of binding and the Fukui function. Toxicity was determined in mouse microglial BV-2 cells. COX1 and COX2 (PGH2 production) activities were measured in vitro. COX1 and COX2 expression in human macrophage-like U937 cells were carried out by Western blot, immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR analysis. NO production (Griess method) and iNOS (Western blot) were determined in mouse microglial BV-2 cells. The comparative efficacy of 2OAA, ibuprofen and cortisone in lowering TNF-α serum levels was determined in C57BL6/J mice challenged with LPS. We show that the presence of the -OH group reduces the likelihood of 2OAA being subjected to H* abstraction in COX, without altering significantly the free energy of binding. The 2OAA inhibited COX1 and COX2 activities and the expression of COX2 in human U937 derived macrophages challenged with LPS. In addition, 2OAA inhibited iNOS expression and the production of NO in BV-2 microglial cells. Finally, oral administration of 2OAA decreased the plasma TNF-α levels in vivo.Conclusion/significanceThese findings demonstrate the potential of 2OAA as a NSAID