Förekomst av smärtbeteende hos ston under de sista två veckorna av dräktigheten

Det kan vara en spännande process att ha ett dräktigt sto och invänta en fölning. Den exakta tidpunkten för fölningen är oftast svår att bedöma vilket leder till långa nätter med fölvaka. När tidpunkten för fölning kommer kan det plötsligt uppstå komplikationer som kräver snabba åtgärder. Med detta som bakgrund har olika övervakningssystem utvecklats för att förbättra överlevnadsvillkoren hos ston och föl i samband med dräktighet och fölning. Tecken på en förestående förlossning är mycket beroende på individen men vanliga tecken som kan förekomma är vaxproppar, rastlöshet, svettningar samt lätta koliksymtom i sista dagarna innan fölning. Genom att hästar är bytesdjur har de lärt sig att dölja smärttecken som bland annat beteendestereotypier, spark mot buken, stretching, flemen och en sänkt huvudposition som ett skydd mot rovdjur. Syftet med pilotstudien var att öka förståelsen för processen inför fölning genom att ta reda på om man kan upptäcka tidiga tecken i stoets smärtrelaterade beteende med hjälp av övervakningskameror. Materialet som användes var tolv befintliga övervakningsfilmer ifrån fyra ston dag tolv, fem samt natten innan fölning. De beteenden som stona uppvisade annoterades i ett softwareprogram utifrån ett framtaget etogram. Denna data bearbetades med kvantitativ metod för deskriptiv statistik. Därtill användes Pearson’s test för att säkerställa funktionen av etogrammet med en kontroll. Resultaten visade att smärtbeteendet hos stona i förhållande till den ekvina smärtskalan uppvisades redan tolv dagar innan fölning. Särskilt smärtrelaterade tecken som skaka, titta mot flanken och trippa uppvisades. Studien visade även att stona minskade ätbeteendet till natten innan fölning och att både rörelseaktivitet och liggbeteende inte ökades till natten innan fölning. Denna studie kan ligga till grund för vidarefördjupning inom ämnet med ytterligare antal övervakningskameror i boxen samt övervakning under en längre sammanhängande period för ytterligare förståelse för stoets beteende inför fölning.Having a pregnant mare and expecting a foal can both be a joyful and a nerve-wracking experience for the horse owner. Foaling dates are not very precise leading to days of waiting and can quickly become a very complex situation requiring immediate actions. Because of this, several surveillance systems have been developed in the means of improving survival rates in both the mare and foal during gestation and parturition. The late signs of an impending parturition are very individual to the mare but are usually related to waxing, relaxed ligaments around the tailhead, restlessness, sweating and general discomfort. As horses are prey-animals they have developed an ability to hide pain related behaviours such as behavioural stereotypes, abdominal kicking, flehmen, stretching and having a lower head position to protect themselves against predators. The aim of this pilot study was to increase the understanding of the mare’s pain related behaviour prior to foaling and how its time budget of some ordinary behaviours changed. The data used in this study was twelve surveillance videos showing four mares in day twelve, five and from the night before parturition. Behaviours shown in the videos were annotated in a software program using a pre-developed ethogram. Quantitative descriptive statistics as well as simple rater agreement were used for this pilot study. The results showed an individual behavioural change in the days prior to foaling. According to this study mares showed signs of pain behaviour as shaking, tripping, and looking at the painful area twelve days before parturition. Furthermore, the mares ate less the night before parturition but did not change in locomotor activity and lying behaviour the night prior to foaling compared to twelve or five days before

Förekomst av stressbeteenden hos ston under de sista två veckorna av dräktigheten

Vid fölning kan allvarliga komplikationer ske som behöver snabba åtgärder. På grund av detta har flera olika metoder för övervakning av dräktiga ston utvecklats. Det finns mycket kunskap kring stoets beteendeförändringar strax inför fölning men det finns få studier som undersökt tidigare tecken på fölning. Syftet med denna pilotstudie var att undersöka om det går att upptäcka tidiga tecken på fölning genom att studera stoets beteende med hjälp av övervakningskameror. Syftet var även att ta reda på om ston uppvisar tydliga stressrelaterade beteenden, om stressrelaterade beteenden ökar och om stons tidsbudget förändras i samband med fölning. Fyra dräktiga ston spelades in i 40 minuter mellan klockan 00:00-04:00 under nätterna tolv dagar, fem dagar samt natten innan fölning med hjälp av en kamera fäst i taket ovanför boxen. De tolv filmerna analyserades med hjälp av ett program som möjliggör kodning och analysering av inspelade filmer. Programmet utgår från ett användarspecifikt etogram framtaget för denna studie där uppvisade beteenden annoteras. Resultaten visade att vissa stressrelaterade beteenden såsom högre huvudposition, repetitiva huvudrörelser, svansviftningar och rastlöshet uppvisades hos hästarna redan tolv dagar innan fölning. Huvudpositionen var högre hos tre av de fyra hästarna under natten innan fölning jämfört med natten tolv dagar innan fölning. Tydliga svansviftningar uppvisades flertalet gånger under natten innan fölning men även i mindre utsträckning under natten tolv dagar innan fölning. Beteenden hos de fyra stona var individuella. Ett sto uppvisade repetitiva huvudrörelser, vävning och skrapning i marken under natten tolv dagar innan fölning vilket tyder på att hon upplevde stress. Enbart två av de fyra hästarna uppvisade liggbeteende och enbart under en av nätterna vilket gjorde det svårt att analysera hur stonas liggbeteende förändrades. En tendens till minskat ätbeteende, ett tecken på stress, syntes under natten innan fölning då den genomsnittliga ättiden var något mindre jämfört med de två tidigare nätterna. Slutsatsen var att en del stressrelaterade beteenden kan ses hos dräktiga ston redan tolv dagar innan fölning och att dessa beteenden kan ses till viss del med hjälp av en övervakningskamera. Inom det tidsspann som studerades kunde det inte antas att tidsbudgeten förändras närmare fölningen. Denna studie kan ligga till grund för vidare studier med ett större urval av hästar samt studier då varje häst följs under en längre tid för att öka förståelsen för huruvida stons tidsbudget och aktivitetsmönster förändras i samband med fölning.During foaling, complications with serious consequences can occur. Because of this, several methods of monitoring pregnant mares have been developed. Much is known of the mare’s behavioural changes just before parturition but less is known about earlier signs of foaling. The purpose of this study was to examine if earlier signs of foaling can be discovered by analysing the behaviour of the mare with the use of surveillance cameras and find out if mares show signs of stress, if stress-related behaviours increase and if mares’ time budgets change prior to foaling. Four pregnant mares were videorecorded between midnight and 04:00 for a continuous sequence of 40 minutes during the nights twelve, five and the night before parturition using a camera mounted in the ceiling above the stall. The twelve videos were analysed using a software that allows coding and analysing of pre-recorded footage using a specific ethogram developed for this study. The results showed that stress-related behaviours such as a higher head position, repetitive head movements, tail swishing and restlessness were exhibited in some horses as early as twelve days before parturition. The head position was higher during the night before parturition compared to the night twelve days before parturition. Obvious tail swishing was shown multiple times during the night before parturition but also to a lesser extent during the night twelve days before parturition. The behaviour of the four mares was individual. One mare showed both repetitive head movements, weaving and scraping the ground during the night twelve days before parturition which might indicate that she experienced stress. Only two of the four mares were lying and only during one of the three nights which made it irrelevant to analyse how their lying behaviour changed. A tendency of decreased eating was shown during the night before parturition as the average eating time was slightly less compared to the two earlier nights. The conclusion was that some stress-related behaviours can be observed in pregnant mares as early as twelve days before parturition and that these behaviours can to a certain extent be seen using a surveillance camera. It could not be assumed within the studied time span that the time budget changes prior to foaling. This study can be used as a basis for further research with a larger selection of horses where each horse is followed for a longer time leading up to parturition to investigate whether mares’ time budgets and activity patterns change and how early this can be seen

Training and testing dogs on fenced brown bears (Ursus arctos) : longterm effects on behaviour

The main cause of adult Brown bear (Ursus arctos) mortality in Sweden is due to legal hunting and there has been a game culture for this specie since 1943. Today there is two game enclosures for brown bears located in Sweden, one in Almunge and one in Junsele. The main reason for training dogs on bears in these enclosures is to ensure bear-safe dogs both for encounters when tracking bears that been wounded due to hunting or accidents, for bear hunting and in case of bear encounters when hunting other game species in bear-tight areas. Although the ideas would be favourable for either the safety of the hunters and their dogs or the welfare of potentially injured wild bears, the welfare of the animals used in these operations must be taken into consideration. In Chapter 3 1§ p.1 of the Swedish Animal Protection Act it states that it is forbidden to use animals in training or tests in such a way that they are subject to suffering. In 2019, a government assignment came to the Swedish National Board of Agriculture and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency to investigate whether training for pre-trial and predatory tests in game fences will cause suffering for the animals involved. This pointed out that there was a need for studies within the subject and this study is carried out in collaboration with SCAW without any connection to the mentioned government assignment. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on the behaviour of fenced bears after being exposed to training/test with dogs. This was made to give an insight into the welfare of the bears from an ethological perspective. Results showed that the inactive behaviours had the highest proportion of observations throughout the study for all three bears. It also showed that one of the individuals performed stereotypic behaviour, pacing, before and after exposure but not during control observations. There was a connection between stereotypic behaviour and whether a training/test had been carried out. A pattern was seen between proportion of observations of stereotypic behaviour and number of trainings/tests that same day. Active behaviours were most frequent on the day with the highest number of trainings/tests and the proportion of observations of inactive behaviours increased with the number of trainings/tests. A conclusion was made that the behaviour was affected by the number of trainings/tests to some extent. There was also a pattern for fence usage and training/test under the conditions that the bears were not disturbed more than normally. Lastly the results showed that humans and more than one dog at the same time resulted in a stronger stress response than usually observed and the results exhibited an individuality in the experience and eventual stress management after exposure. The study showed that behaviors that correspond to stress and negative experiences of exercise were noted in the study, which indicates that there are welfare problems. Training with dogs on wild animals that subject the animal to stress can cause suffering, based on the above study this cannot be ruled out. To be able to understand with greater certainty how training / test occasions with dogs affect the well-being of bears, more studies on the behavior and physiological stress response of bears are needed. Research should also be devoted to exploring different alternatives to live animals. Keywords: Ursus arctos, brown bear, dog, dog training, behaviour, stress, welfare, natural behaviou

Finns det kattbeteenden som påverkar tiden till adoption?

Cat shelters play an important part in the housing, caring and rehoming of homeless cats and other cats in need of a new home. Despite many cats finding new homes after a temporary stay, some cats end up spending a long time at the shelter. Shelter environments include different stressors to cats which can affect their behaviour and welfare. Cats’ stay at shelters are therefore recommended to be short. A longer stay can lead to welfare issues for the cat which can contribute to stress and behavioural issues. Consequently, a cat risks developing behaviours which can decrease the chance of adoption and extend the stay. Prior studies have shown that different factors such as age, gender, health, temperament, appearance and behaviour can affect the time of stay at shelters. Specific cat behaviours like friendliness and playfulness were the most desirable behaviours for adopters according to surveys. The aim of this study was to investigate if there were specific cat behaviours which could be linked to a shorter or longer stay at cat shelters. The study also aimed to use the results to contribute to increased knowledge about different behaviours of cats. In the long term, there was also an ambition that the study could promote shorter stays at cat shelters which would benefit cats' welfare. Direct observations of 21 cats took place at a cat shelter over a period of 15 days. Each cat was observed for 5 minutes per day, using an ethogram and continuous recording. A subjective assessment was made at the end of each observation, in order to gain a more complete understanding of both the cats’ behavioural and emotional state. The most frequent behaviours overall were Slow Blinking 20%, Eye Contact 15%, Social Vocalization 8%, Hiding 6% and Sitting 6%. There was a large individual variation between the cats but in 51% of observations, the cats were assessed as content. In conclusion, there was a large behavioural variation observed among cats in the shelter. Social behaviours were exhibited more among cats with a shorter time spent at the shelter. Contact-seeking was exhibited 6% by cats with 0-3 months spent at the shelter, compared to 0% by cats with > 7 months spent at the shelter. Other behaviours like resting and hiding were exhibited more by cats with a longer time spent at the shelter. However, further research is needed in order to draw clear conclusions about specific cat behaviours linked to time spent at shelters. The cats’ behaviour itself may influence the adoption time, but there are still many other factors affecting the adoption time as well

Horses’ (Equus caballus) behavioural response to warm respective cold bits : an experimental study

Bits of different varieties are hypothesized to have been used for horses for at least 4000 of the 6000 years of domestication. However, the focus of previous studies regarding bits have mainly been on physical injuries caused by pressure points, effects of different shapes and their influence on the horse. Limited focus has been put on the temperature of the bit and its impact, although this aspect affects many horses daily. The present study aimed to investigate and compare horses’ responses of both facial expressions and body language when being bridled with warm respective cold bits. The study was performed in April in Sweden with an air temperature of 5°C. It was performed on ten Icelandic horses and behaviours were divided into positive and negative expressions. Facial expressions and posture of the head were analyzed as proportion of time, while body languages and full eye blinks were analyzed as frequencies of observation occasions. The results suggested that the horses, on average, seemed to prefer warm bits of 35°C, roughly equivalent with the temperature of their mouth, over cold bits with a temperature of 6°C. This was reflected in a higher proportion of time correlated with positive behaviours when being bridled with a warm bit compared to a cold bit. The results also suggested that a cold bit was perceived as more uncomfortable than not being bridled, while a warm bit, and its connection to perceived discomfort between being bridled and not, was less clear. The effect of the bit temperature needs further investigation in future studies. Based on present study, one could speculate that horses might accept or like warmer bits more than cold bits. This could potentially affect initial responses to training and handling as evasive behaviours could be eliminated

We shall not practice to endure : a pilot study on four horses’ behavior and heart rate during various forms of horse-assisted interventions

Att hästar har hjälp människor att må bättre har länge varit känt. Under de senaste årtiondena har hästar mer och mer börjat användas som ett hjälpmedel i terapi. I och med den ökade användningen av hästarna och den hela tiden utvecklande synen på välfärd, uppkommer frågor kring hästens välfärd i dessa terapisammanhang. Hästar kan påverkas negativt av stressade och nervösa personer. På grund av detta har terapihästar utpekats att vara större i större risk att utsättas för bristande välfärd. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur hästarna i terapisammanhanget på Humlamaden upplevde sin situation emotionellt. De olika momenten som undersöktes var ”Avslappning på hästrygg”, ”Mindful ridning” och ”Tuggande i box”. För att uppnå syftet undersöktes beteende och hjärtfrekvens på gårdens fyra terapihästar under de olika terapimomenten. Hästarna fungerade som sina egna kontroller och terapisituationer jämfördes med antingen att hästarna fick vara själva eller ridna av vana ryttare. Hjärtfrekvensen mättes innan, under och efter de olika momenten och observation för beteende gjordes under tiden för terapi och under kontrollmomenten. Resultaten är ett medelvärde av hjärtfrekvens och utförda beteenden. Ingen signifikans gick att räkna ut av resultatet på grund av för lite data. Utförda beteenden skilde sig inte åt under ”Avslappning på hästrygg” och ”Tuggade i box” jämfört med dess kontroll. Under ”Mindful ridning” utfördes svischande av svans och öron bak mer ofta under terapiridning. Ingen hjärtfrekvensökning som indikerar psykologisk stress kunde ses under ”Avslappning på hästrygg” eller ”Mindful ridning”. Dock sågs en höjning av hjärtfrekvens hos ponnyerna i slutet av momentet ”Tuggande i box”. Det är för studien oklart vad denna höjning beror på. Vidare studier angående hästarnas beteende under terapiridningen och höjningen av ponnyernas hjärtfrekvenshöjning i ”Tuggande i box” är av intresse för att kunna dra korrekta slutsatser. I övrigt finns inget som i studien som tyder på att hästarna skulle uppleva terapin stressande. Det finns heller inget som tyder på att hästarna istället upplever den positiv. Förhoppningen är att denna pilotstudie kan ge en inblick i situationen för dessa hästar och vara vägledande för vidare forskning.It has been known, for a long time, that horses have the ability to make people feel better. In recent decades, horses used in therapy has increased rapidly. And with the increased use of horses and the constantly evolving view of welfare, questions about the welfare for the "therapy horses" arise. Horses can be negatively affected by stressed and nervous people. Because of this, therapy horses have been named to be at greater risk of being exposed to inadequate welfare. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the horses in the therapy context at Humlamaden experienced their situation emotionally. The various elements that were examined were "Relaxation on horseback", "Mindful riding" and "Chewing in box". To achieve the purpose, the behavior and heart rate of the farm's four therapy horses were examined during the various therapy sessions. The horses acted as their own controls. The heart rate was measured within, during and after the various steps, and observation of behavior was made during therapy and control situations. The results are a mean value of heart rate and behaviors performed. No significance could be calculated from the result due to too little data. Performed behaviors did not differ during "Relaxation on horseback" and "Chewed in a box". During "Mindful riding", tail swishing and ears back was performed more often during therapy riding. No increase in heart rate indicating psychological stress could be seen under "Relaxation on horseback" or "Mindful riding". However, an increase in heart rate in the ponies was seen at the end of the session "Chewing in box". It is unclear to the study what this increase is due to. Further studies regarding the horse’s behavior during therapy riding and the increase in the ponies' heart rate during "Chewing in a box" are of interest to be able to draw correct conclusions. Otherwise, there is nothing in the study that indicates that the horses would experience the therapy stressful. There is also no indication that the horses instead experience it in a positive manner. Hopefully, this pilot study can provide an insight into the situations for these horses and be a guide for further research

Marsvin (Cavia) som djurunderstödda insatser till äldre människor med demens

Guinea pigs are used as Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) to people with different disabilities and are often used in healthcare environments. There are studies made that highlight guinea pigs as AAI for children with autism and the results show that there are plenty of positive effects for the children, but there are not a lot of studies on the effects for the animals. There are studies that have come to the conclusion that dogs show positive effects on humans when used in AAI. This study is made as a literature study that aimed to answer the following questions: 1) Could Guinea pigs be used as animal assisted interventions for people with dementia? 2) Are guinea pigs’ natural behaviours catered to when being used as animal assisted interventions to people with dementia? 3) Is there anything to suggest that people with dementia get positive or negative effects of having guinea pigs as animal assisted interventions? The information was collected from different articles, books and scientific studies from Primo (SLU-university library search engine), PubMed and Google Scholar. The results show that guinea pigs are social animals that have been domesticated by humans to have more social interactions and vocalisations that make them the pets they are today. Used in AAI guinea pigs have positive effects on children with autism, such as the children got less aggressive, more social towards other children and calmer. In some studies with guinea pigs in AAI, the results have shown that the guinea pigs’ natural behaviours are not met, as they are stressed by being restrained, however if these are taken into account AAI can provide as a kind of enrichment for the guinea pigs. However, there are not any studies on guinea pigs and dementia. To conclude, there need to be more research on guinea pigs’ effect on people with dementia. Also, there is need for more information on the effects on the animals used in animal assisted interventions

Social interactions and space use in African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) at Borås Zoo

The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) is a social carnivore known for its complex social structure. The species is listed as Endangered on the IUCN redlist and conservation efforts have involved establishment of protected areas, research on human-wildlife conflicts and reintroduction programmes. Reintroductions have involved both wild-caught and captive-born individuals but have proven to be more successful if the majority of the individuals in the reintroduction group are wild-caught. Thus a sustainable management of captive populations of the species, such as zoo populations, to conserve genetic diversity as well as natural behaviour is important. Enclosure design, feeding regime and group composition are important factors for zoo animal welfare. In this study social interactions and space use in four adult African wild dogs at Borås Zoo were observed during nine days in April 2020. The aim of the study was to investigate social interactions before and during feeding as well as during times of the day when no feeding occurred and to investigate if there was a relationship between social interactions and space use. The results suggest that the African wild dog group at Borås Zoo is integrated and stable with an established hierarchy. Social interactions in the holding area before feeding were mainly submissive and dominant interactions between the two females and the most common social interactions during feeding were dominant food-related interactions. During times of the day when no feeding occurred the wild dogs were mainly inactive and all individuals were observed resting together with other individuals in various combinations. The results show a possible relationship between space use and participation in positive interactions. The life of zoo animals includes a variety of different events, both daily and less regularly occurring, and to learn more about how these events affect social interactions is beneficial to improve animal welfare, management of ex situ populations and long-term species conservation. Further research on social interactions in African wild dogs in zoos is therefore recommended

Mapping of pacing in a male tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)

Zoos have an important role when it comes to the conservation of endangered species. Animals kept in captivity have the same behavioral needs as animals in the wild and it is important that zoos provide them with a stimulating environment. If the environment in the enclosure is not optimal, abnormal behaviors such as stereotypies can develop. Tigers often express abnormal behavior in the form of pacing and there are many factors that can influence the degree to which the behavior is carried out. The purpose of this study was therefore to map the pacing of a male tiger on Nordens Ark. The mapping included how much pacing the male tiger performed, during which times it occurred and where in the enclosure the behavior was performed. Data collection was done by continuous recording and lasted for a total of 50 hours. The behaviors that the tiger spent the most time performing were pacing, locomotion and resting. The result showed that pacing often had a peak between 09:00-10:00 for both frequency and duration. However, the behavior occurred at all timings the tiger was observed. When the tiger was in the small middle cage between the enclosures, he spent more than half of the time performing pacing. When it came to placement for the behavior, it mainly occurred along the fence or next to the small middle enclosure in all of the tiger enclosures. It is difficult to determine why the behavior occured to the extent that it did because there are several factors that can influence it, but the results of the study could be strengthened with already existing research. No general conclusions for tigers in captivity can be drawn from the study but it can be used as a pilot study for future research. The study can also be used to try to improve the enclosure for the male tiger at Nordens Ark