In the UK and Republic of Ireland, the European badger (Meles meles) is considered the most significant wildlife reservoir of the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis, the cause of bovine tuberculosis (bTB). To expand options for bTB surveillance and disease control, the Animal and Plant Health Agency developed a bespoke physical restraint cage to facilitate collection of a small blood sample from a restrained, conscious badger in the field. A key step, prior to pursuing operational deployment of the novel restraint cage, was an assessment of the relative welfare impacts of the approach. We used an established welfare assessment model to elicit expert opinion during two workshops to compare the impacts of the restraint cage approach with the only current alternative for obtaining blood samples from badgers in the field, which involves administration of a general anaesthetic. Eleven panellists participated in the workshops, comprising experts in the fields of wildlife biology, animal welfare science, badger capture and sampling, and veterinary science. Both approaches were assessed to have negative welfare impacts, although in neither case were overall welfare scores higher than intermediate, never exceeding 5–6 out of a possible 8. Based on our assessments, the restraint cage approach is no worse for welfare compared to using general anaesthesia and possibly has a lower overall negative impact on badger welfare. Our results can be used to integrate consideration of badger welfare alongside other factors, including financial cost and efficiency, when selecting a field method for blood sampling free-living badgers.

Over the last twenty-five years, Norway has given priority to research to improve hunting methods for Minke whales. This has resulted in an increase in the instantaneous death rate (IDR) from about 17% in the early 1980s to about 80% today, and, thus, in a considerable decrease in the time to death (TTD) (Øen 2003). TTD data have been collected by official veterinary inspectors on board Norwegian whaling vessels and reported annually to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) since 1983. Estimates of TTD have been based, predominantly, on the ‘criteria of death in whales’ that were established at an IWC workshop in 1980 (IWC 1980). These criteria in principle require complete immobility, ie a whale can only be pronounced dead if it has stopped moving, the jaw and flippers have slackened, and it is sinking passively. However, as early as 1995 the IWC agreed (IWC 1995) that the criteria were incomplete and sometimes misleading, as they did not allow for reflex movements and seizures that occur in the unconscious state after an animal is stunned. This phenomenon is well-known from the slaughter of domestic animals (for review, see eg Knudsen 2005). The IWC identified a need for a more reliable method of determining the time of onset of permanent insensibility in whales (IWC 1995) and in particular asked for research investigating in detail the trauma, and its consequences, caused by hunting methods.

The flight distance from humans and the reaction of the mother to human handling of their offspring are measures that can be used to assess the quality of the human-animal relationship which could vary according to animals’ position in a group. The objective was to determine if the flight distance and the mother's reaction to human handling of her fawn during the first 24 h after birth differ according to pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) hinds’ social rank. A complementary aim was to compare the mothers’ reaction to their fawns being handled relative to its sex. Studies were carried out on a semi-captive population. Animals were classed as high- or low-ranking individuals according to agonistic interactions between hinds recorded during autumn (breeding season) while animals received rations. In the first part of the study, the flight distance was determined in high- and low-ranked hinds. In the second, the minimum distance that the mother stayed from her fawn was recorded while the fawn was weighed and sexed during the first 24 h after birth, and the latency period for the dam to return with her fawn was also recorded. High-ranked hinds presented greater flight distance than low-ranked hinds. High-ranked hinds kept a greater distance from their fawns compared to low-ranked hinds and more high-than low-ranked hinds remained at a farther distance. In summary, high-ranked hinds seem to perceive humans as a greater threat, and thus be more fearful of them. The sex of the fawn did not affect the hinds’ reaction to human handling.

High calf mortality rate is a significant problem facing semi-domestic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) production around the world. Mortality rates, commonly due to predation, can range from 5 to 70%, which constitutes a great welfare concern. This study examined the influence of quantifiable maternal characteristics on reindeer calf survival. Data were compiled from 18 years’ worth of records on the survival of calves in the Cairngorm reindeer herd (Scottish Highlands, UK). Overall, mortality rate of calves (n = 635) in the herd was 34.9% to six months old, rising to 47.8% by one year old. For both Total Calf Survival (including perinatal losses) and Postnatal Calf Survival (excluding perinatal losses) of calves up to six months old, the only maternal trait found to significantly influence calf survival was the age of the cow at calving. Calves of very young and old cows showed higher mortality rates. Only 40% of the cows were associated with 77% of calf deaths and it was demonstrated that there were significant individual differences between cows in relation to their ability to consistently rear calves successfully. These findings can be applied to reduce calf mortality within herds, guiding selection towards females with successful reproductive histories and with ages falling in the prime productive range (3-11 years old). Additionally, annual variation had a highly significant influence on calf survival with rising mortality over the recorded period, indicating a role of environment on survival and an avenue for further research to investigate the impact of external factors, such as climate and pathogen load on post-natal loss.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of an unfamiliar nest and environmental enrichment, ie provision of an additional nest, on farmed blue fox (Alopex lagopus) vixens’ reproductive performance. Two experimental groups were evaluated in the study: i) a single nest (SN) group where vixens had an unfamiliar top nest only, and ii) a group with two nests (TN), an unfamiliar top nest and a familiar floor nest. Since reproductive performance is typically lower in young blue fox vixens, half of the experimental animals consisted of primiparous vixens, to examine whether an unfamiliar and an additional nest affected primiparous and multiparous vixens’ reproduction differently. No significant differences were found in reproductive performance between the experimental groups or between the primiparous and the multiparous vixens with the number of weaned cubs per inseminated vixen 4.8 (± 4.0) and 4.9 (± 4.5) for the primiparous and 5.6 (± 4.9) and 5.5 (± 4.6) for the multiparous vixens in SN and TN groups, respectively. In the multiparous vixens, the cub losses were higher in SN than in TN groups. The higher cub loss in the SN group may have been due to the lack of a familiar nest. In the TN group, where vixens had the opportunity to choose between two nest types, the majority (86%) of the primiparous vixens whelped in the floor nest, whereas the majority (73%) of the multiparous vixens favoured the unfamiliar top nest for whelping. Both nests were used by 43% of all TN vixens, a finding that indicates that an additional nest may have an enrichment value for blue fox vixens. The potential welfare consequences of providing blue fox vixens with an additional nest box should be investigated in future studies.

With this issue the UFAW journal Animal Welfare enters its second year. It is appropriate here to thank two of the Section Editors, Professor Anton Beynen and Dr James Serpell for the work they did on Volume 1 of the journal; they have now stood down as active members of the editorial team but have joined the group of Editorial Advisers. We welcome the two new Section Editors, Professor Jann Hau and Dr Dennis Turner.

Ninety-six pregnant sows, previously penned in individual stalls, were housed in groups of four in pens containing three zones: a) four individual feeding stalls without rear gates, b) a communal sleeping kennel and c) a dunging area between the stalls and kennel. The feeding stalls were either long (2m) or short (1m) with barriers made of wire mesh. The daily allowance of 2.5kg pelleted feed per sow was presented either all at once (dump) or at the rate of approximately 100g/min by a manual system (trickle). Dung disposal systems were either a pit füled with sawdust-based compost, a slatted floor, or straw on a sloped concrete floor. There were two replicates of the 2×2×3 factorial design. The location of sows was observed from time-lapse video recordings taken at regular intervals throughout the 31 day experimental period.

Use of the three zones of the pens was influenced by feeding method, barrier length and dung disposal system. Overall the feeding stalls were used more with trickle than with dump feeding (P<0.05); more with long than with short barriers (P<0.001), and most with slatted floors and least with the straw system (P<0.001). AU these treatments had the opposite effects on the use of the communal kennel The use of the dunging area was not affected by feeding method or stall length but was greater (P<0.01) on the compost compared with the other two dung disposal systems. Throughout the experimental period the use of feeding stalls decreased (P<0.001). Orcadian use of the pen zones interacted with barrier length and dung disposal system. Kennels were used most at night in pens with straw, exceeding 54minlh with half length (1m) stalls. The lowest night-time use of kennels, around 8min/h, was found in pens with full length (2m) stalls combined with either compost or slats. Ambient temperature did not have a major influence on use of pen zones.

The occupation of stalls, especially full length stalls, indicates that offering a choice between solitary and communal areas may improve the welfare of group-housed sows.

Over the past decade there has been huge growth in the implementation of animal welfare assessments and audits in a variety of animal applications around the world. These include quality assurance programmes for meat, milk and eggs, certification for specialty brands or food-labelling programmes, accreditation of zoos, laboratories and animal shelters, and proofs of compliance with animal welfare standards required by regulatory agencies. Assessing animal welfare in such practical settings poses challenges at many levels. The animal welfare measures chosen for an assessment must be valid, repeatable and robust, and the sampling techniques must provide accurate representations of the overall welfare status of large groups of animals. Animal welfare assessors can come from a range of backgrounds with varying skill levels and experience and need to receive adequate training to ensure reliability. Although automated measures for animal welfare assessments can reduce potential for assessor error and bias, save time and reduce costs they must be sufficiently validated.

The aim of this study was to investigate several production parameters and the level of welfare of organic dairy cows kept in two different geographical and social contexts. The study group included 1,751 cows from 19 organic dairy farms, 11 of which were situated in hilly areas and 8 in plains areas. After an examination had been made of the general characteristics of each farm, the following data were collected: milk production; milk protein and lipid content; somatic cell count (SCC) and microbial count; lameness score (LS); body condition score (BCS) and udder cleanliness score (UHS). Welfare level was assessed using Bartussek's ANI-35-L system and the van Roessel ‘prototype for clinical welfare scoring’. Our data indicate that remarkable organisational and management differences exist between the two types of farms: farms in plains areas have a larger number of cattle and are corporate in structure rather than family run. The levels of welfare, health and production were shown to be high in both types of farms, though in some cases higher welfare scores were observed in farms situated in plains areas. The two types of ‘welfare scores’ we used were positively correlated. Our data indicate that organic farming of dairy cows successfully combines, in the large majority of cases, good levels of productivity, animal health and animal welfare; this latter aspect may be a valuable marketing point for organic milk, considering the propensity displayed by a significant portion of European consumers to buy food produced using systems that assure a high degree of animal welfare.

Routine handling has been shown to affect stress levels in a variety of animal species. This could result in a general decrease in welfare and may confound the results of scientific experiments or observations on captive study animals. In reptiles, there seems to be variation in the effects of handling on stress levels. Furthermore, most studies on reptiles only look at the effect of handling in the short term. In this study we quantified the physiological and behavioural impact of being held, twice daily, for 1 min at a time over a three-week period on the green anole (Anolis carolinensis). Measurements were collected at the end of the three-week repeated handling period. Our results showed no effect of repeated handling on body mass, tail-base width, heterophil to lymphocyte ratios (H/L ratios), behaviour and faecal corticosterone metabolite (FCM) levels for both males and females in the experimental treatments (‘handled’, ‘unhandled’). Our study animals did score very highly for several stress-indicating variables in the three weeks preceding the experiments — suggesting that they had experienced considerable stress during capture, transport and temporary housing in the pet store.

An increasing public concern over the welfare of livestock species is motivating more producers to consider changes to production practices. Providing environmental enrichment for intensively housed animals is one such potentially welfare-enhancing change. The goal of environmental enrichment is to provide biologically relevant environmental stimuli that allows an animal to perform highly motivated, species-specific behaviours. To date, there is no research specific to the applicability of environmental enrichment for commercial boars (Sus scrofa domesticus), nor on commercial boar welfare in general. In this study, eight individually housed, mature boars were observed to prefer interacting with hanging cotton rope enrichment over hanging rubber chew sticks when given the option. There was a significantly negative correlation between the amount of time boars spent interacting with rope and the amount of time they spent performing stereotypic pen manipulation, suggesting that the rope was more effective at reducing stereotypic behaviour than the rubber. Such reductions in amount of time spent performing abnormal stereotypic behaviours could indicate that some of the animals’ behavioural needs are being met by the enrichment object. Thus, the results of this study could help provide producers with more objective, research-based suggestions concerning the efficacy of practical enrichment choices for individually housed boars.

In Canada, the 2014 Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs proposed the continued operation of existing stall barns after 2024 on condition that bred sows be given access to periodic exercise. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of periodic exercise on sow welfare. Sows (n = 180) were assigned to one of three treatments: stall-housed (Control: C); stall-housed and exercised weekly for 10 min (Exercise: E); and group-housed (Group: G). Sow postures and stereotypies were recorded once per week in early, mid and late gestation before (AM) and after (PM) exercise. Female piglets (n = 168 from C, E and G sows) underwent isolation and novel object tests at 19-22 days of age. Postures differed by treatment in AM with G sows lying more and sitting less than C and E sows, which did not differ. In PM, E sows sat more than G sows, with C sows being intermediate. In early gestation, G sows performed fewer stereotypies than E sows, with C sows being intermediate. In mid gestation, G sows performed fewer stereotypies than C and E sows, which did not differ. Piglets from C sows were more active in the novel object test than E and G piglets, which did not differ. Group housing improved sow comfort (indicated by postures) and reduced sow stress (indicated by stereotypies), but periodic exercise did not. Decreased activity level in piglets from sows given greater freedom of movement indicates that gestation housing can influence the behaviour of offspring.