Special Issue "Live Animal Transportation: A Risk for Animal and Human Health and Welfare"

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Welfare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Barbara Padalino
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Food Science (DISTAL), University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Interests: equine internal and sports medicine; exercise physiology; horse behavior and welfare; equitation science; animal behavior and welfare; animal transport; human-animal interaction; animal welfare science
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Christopher Riley
E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North 4470, New Zealand
Interests: infrared spectroscopy; biomarkers for immunoglobulins, milk, equine welfare, and transportation; biomarkers for osteoarthritis; humoural and neonatal immunity; equine-related injury; antimicrobial resistance

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Live animal commercial and noncommercial transportation is a major welfare concern and a biosecurity risk. Transportation by road, ship, or air may lead to behavioral and health problems in wild, companion, and large animals. This is why regulations to protect animal health and welfare during transport have been issued in many countries. However, these regulations often are not based on evidence, and there is still an urgent need for scientific results. As animal welfare scientists, we have the duty to carry out applicable research, which could underpin the current regulations to safeguard health and welfare not only of animals, but also of humans. This Special Issue invites colleagues working in animal welfare science, in particular, in animal transportation. It aims at collecting a series of articles that may help to enhance the regulation of animal transportation worldwide. Topics related to training pre transport; fitness for travel; journey duration; space allowance; duration of rest stops; feeding and watering practices before, during, and after traveling; and all other possible risk factors for the transported animals are very welcome. Papers using one health and one welfare approach are particularly welcome. Of particular interest are not only research papers but also reviews, opinion-based articles, and all types of studies suggesting strategies for ways to monitor the animals and protect them before, during, and after transport.

Assoc. Prof. Barbara Padalino
Prof. Christopher Riley
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • transportation
  • welfare
  • behavior
  • protection
  • guidelines
  • journey duration
  • rest stop
  • space allowance
  • feeding
  • watering

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
Equine Transport-Related Problem Behaviors and Injuries: A Survey of Italian Horse Industry Members
Animals 2021, 11(1), 223; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11010223 - 18 Jan 2021
Viewed by 811
Abstract
An online survey was conducted to determine associations between equine transport management and transport-related injuries and problem behaviors in Italy. The survey was composed of four sections: respondents’ demographic information and background, transport management practices, journey details and vehicle design, and transport injuries [...] Read more.
An online survey was conducted to determine associations between equine transport management and transport-related injuries and problem behaviors in Italy. The survey was composed of four sections: respondents’ demographic information and background, transport management practices, journey details and vehicle design, and transport injuries experienced by the horse in the previous two-year period. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression with a binary outcome variable was performed to explore associations between variables (respondents’ and journeys’ details and transport practices) and equine transport-related problem behaviors (TRPBs) and injuries. TRPBs were also considered an explanatory variable for injuries. The survey generated 201 responses; only 148 were complete and analyzed. TRPBs were reported by 14.45% of the respondents and the odds of TRPBs was linked to the respondent gender (p = 0.034), the use of tranquilizers prior to transport (p = 0.002), the use of a whip for loading (p = 0.049), the lack of protection equipment (p = 0.050), and shavings (p = 0.025) on the vehicle floor. Horse injuries (11.49%) were reported by more respondents who did not check the brakes of their transport vehicle before traveling (p = 0.043), had vehicles with padding on the chest bar (p = 0.038), and for horses reported to display TRPBs (p = 0.001). Finally, 10 respondents reported they were injured during horse transport (10/140; 7.14%), 50% simultaneously with their horses. The study findings should be interpreted with caution due to small sample size bias and participants’ recall bias. Nevertheless, the results are in concordance with the literature, confirming that horse transport is a risk for the horse’s and handler’s health and well-being. Further studies are needed to identify best management practices to educate equine industry members on how to minimize transport-related problems. Full article
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