Animals 2018, 8(9), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani8090146
Thermography as a Non-Invasive Measure of Stress and Fear of Humans in Sheep
Simona Cannas 1,*
, Clara Palestrini 1, Elisabetta Canali 2, Bruno Cozzi 3, Nicola Ferri 4, Eugenio Heinzl 1, Michela Minero 1, Matteo Chincarini 5, Giorgio Vignola 5 and Emanuela Dalla Costa 1
, Clara Palestrini 1, Elisabetta Canali 2, Bruno Cozzi 3, Nicola Ferri 4, Eugenio Heinzl 1, Michela Minero 1, Matteo Chincarini 5, Giorgio Vignola 5 and Emanuela Dalla Costa 1
1
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
2
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
3
Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
4
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
5
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Loc. Piano d’Accio, 64100 Teramo, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 30 May 2018 / Revised: 10 August 2018 / Accepted: 18 August 2018 / Published: 21 August 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Emotion)
Simple Summary
The ability to non-invasively measure fear is an essential component of animal welfare assessment. Infrared thermography (IRT) was used to obtain images from five Sarda breed ewes during restraint and immediately after two voluntary animal approach (VAA) tests. Our preliminary results suggest that IRT, combined with behavioral data, is a non-invasive technique that can be useful to assess stress and infer about negative emotions in sheep.Abstract
No data have been published on the use of infrared thermography (IRT) to evaluate sheep emotions. We assessed whether this technique can be used as a non-invasive measure of negative emotions. Two voluntary animal approach (VAA) tests were conducted (and filmed) on five ewes before and after being restrained. The restraining process was performed by a handler for five minutes. IRT was used during restraint and the VAA tests. The lacrimal caruncle temperature was significantly higher during restraint and in the VAA test after the restraint compared with the VAA test before the restraint (Wilcoxon’s test; p = 0.04). The latency period until first contact was longer in the second VAA test (132 s) than in the first one (60 s). Our preliminary results suggest that IRT, combined with behavioral data, is a non-invasive technique that can be useful to assess stress and infer about negative emotions in sheep. View Full-TextKeywords:
thermography; sheep; fear; stress; handling
▼
Figures
Figure 1
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).
Share & Cite This Article
MDPI and ACS Style
Cannas, S.; Palestrini, C.; Canali, E.; Cozzi, B.; Ferri, N.; Heinzl, E.; Minero, M.; Chincarini, M.; Vignola, G.; Dalla Costa, E. Thermography as a Non-Invasive Measure of Stress and Fear of Humans in Sheep. Animals 2018, 8, 146.
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.