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Animals
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New Insights in Human-Animal Relationship: Emotions and Welfare
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New Insights in Human-Animal Relationship: Emotions and Welfare

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Human-Animal Interactions, Animal Behaviour and Emotion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2024) | Viewed by 9991

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Serenella D'Ingeo

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Guest Editor
Animal Physiology and Behavior Unit, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70121 Bari, Italy
Interests: neuroscience; behavior and cognitive science; emotion; animal communication; human–animal relationship
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Angelo Quaranta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Animal Physiology and Behavior Unit, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70121 Bari, Italy
Interests: animal behaviour; animal physiology; brain functional lateralization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Marcello Siniscalchi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Animal Physiology and Behavior Unit, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70121 Bari, Italy
Interests: animal physiology; behavioral neuroscience; brain lateralization; emotion; animal communication; human–animal relationship
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human interactions with animals in different contexts (i.e., work, sport, production, animal-assisted interventions, and in people’s houses) pose a crucial issue about their welfare. Our understanding of the underlying processes that regulate the emotional perception of animals by humans is still incomplete. The knowledge of the mechanisms and the expression of emotions, as well as the factors that influence it, are absolutely critical to identifying the risks to animal welfare.

This Special Issue aims at collecting original contributions and literature reviews on human–animal relationships, with a specific focus on the physiological, cognitive, and behavioral parameters related to animal emotions, in order to provide new evidence on the effect of human–animal interactions on animal welfare, also with reference to the safety and security of people working with animals in different contexts.

Dr. Serenella D'Ingeo
Prof. Dr. Angelo Quaranta
Prof. Dr. Marcello Siniscalchi
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 submissions that pass pre-check are 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 semimonthly 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 2400 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

  • human-animal relationship
  • emotion
  • welfare
  • cognition
  • human-animal interactions

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

36 pages, 1763 KiB  
Article
Guinea Pig (Cavia porcellus) Welfare: Associations Between Husbandry Practices, Human–Animal Interactions, and Animal Behaviour
by Tanja Elsbacher, Andrea Sommese, Susanne Waiblinger, Frank Künzel, Christine Arhant and Ines Windschnurer
Animals 2025, 15(8), 1157; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15081157 - 17 Apr 2025
Viewed by 496
Abstract
Research on the welfare of pet guinea pigs and connections between their behaviour and husbandry practices is scarce. Through an online survey among 1181 German-speaking guinea pig caretakers, we investigated husbandry practices (including social composition, housing type, free roaming, enrichment, and feeding), human–animal [...] Read more.
Research on the welfare of pet guinea pigs and connections between their behaviour and husbandry practices is scarce. Through an online survey among 1181 German-speaking guinea pig caretakers, we investigated husbandry practices (including social composition, housing type, free roaming, enrichment, and feeding), human–animal interactions, and guinea pig behaviour. Most participating caretakers seemed attentive to their animals’ needs and welfare, as shown by the prevalence of self-built enclosures (42.8%) and fenced floor areas (21.1%), with various enrichment and furnishings, and mostly balanced nutrition. Husbandry practices that can negatively impact welfare, such as individual housing and no constant access to hay, were observed for 7.5% and 0.4% of the animals, respectively. Eating and resting next to conspecifics and locomotor play occurred several times per day in 87.6%, 48.1%, and 19.9% of animals, respectively. Biting, running up and down and bar chewing were rare (several times per day in 0.4%, 2.9%, and 0.7% of animals, respectively). We found significant associations of guinea pig behaviour with human–animal interactions and housing conditions. For instance, affiliative behaviour and locomotor play and use of enrichment were more frequently reported in the case of more frequent positive human–animal interactions and food enrichment. Our results provide additional knowledge to support consultations on behaviour and husbandry practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Human-Animal Relationship: Emotions and Welfare)
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21 pages, 3045 KiB  
Article
Why Are Some Snakes More Terrifying and What Is Behind the Fear?
by Daniel Frynta, Markéta Janovcová, Hassan Sh Abdirahman Elmi, Iveta Štolhoferová, Veronika Rudolfová, Kateřina Rexová, David Sommer, David Král, Daniel Alex Berti, Eva Landová and Petra Frýdlová
Animals 2025, 15(5), 731; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15050731 - 4 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1105
Abstract
Snakes are stimuli inducing an ancestral fear response in humans and other primates. Certain snakes evoke more subjective fear than others. True vipers are high-fear-eliciting snakes for both African and European respondents. This can be explained by the evolutionary experience of human ancestors [...] Read more.
Snakes are stimuli inducing an ancestral fear response in humans and other primates. Certain snakes evoke more subjective fear than others. True vipers are high-fear-eliciting snakes for both African and European respondents. This can be explained by the evolutionary experience of human ancestors in Africa. The question arises as to how snakes living in the Americas and Australia, with which humans have no evolutionary experience, will be evaluated. While these snakes belong to broader taxonomic groups that have distant relatives in the Old World, they have evolved independently for tens of millions of years. We prepared a set of 32 pictures depicting eight American pit vipers, eight Australian elapids, eight constrictors, and eight colubrids and asked the respondents to rank these stimuli according to the fear these snakes evoke. Here, we show a high cross-cultural agreement between evaluations by African and European respondents. Snakes characterized by a robust body shape, such as American pit vipers, Australian death adders, pythons, and boas, were the most fear-evoking. The body width was the strongest predictor of evoked fear. The contribution of coloration and pattern of the stimulus to the fear response was not proved. This supports the view that the patterns of fear are not dependent on direct experience, but its underlying mechanisms are shared cross-culturally. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Human-Animal Relationship: Emotions and Welfare)
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13 pages, 2079 KiB  
Article
Generative AI Meets Animal Welfare: Evaluating GPT-4 for Pet Emotion Detection
by Bekir Cetintav, Yavuz Selim Guven, Engincan Gulek and Aykut Asım Akbas
Animals 2025, 15(4), 492; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15040492 - 10 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1306
Abstract
Animal emotion detection has emerged as a critical domain in understanding animal welfare and enhancing human–animal interactions. This study evaluates the performance of GPT-4, a generative AI model, in recognizing and classifying pet emotions from images, with a particular focus on dogs. The [...] Read more.
Animal emotion detection has emerged as a critical domain in understanding animal welfare and enhancing human–animal interactions. This study evaluates the performance of GPT-4, a generative AI model, in recognizing and classifying pet emotions from images, with a particular focus on dogs. The research was conducted in two phases: a general pet emotion classification across multiple species and a dog-specific classification. In Phase 1, GPT-4 achieved an overall accuracy of 50.2%, reflecting its baseline capability in handling diverse animal images. In Phase 2, accuracy significantly improved to 76.7% due to refined prompts and the use of a targeted dataset. Sentiment analysis of the model’s textual justifications revealed alignment with visual cues in correct predictions and highlighted challenges in ambiguous cases. These findings demonstrate the potential of generative AI in animal emotion detection and emphasize the importance of targeted datasets and advanced prompt engineering. This study contributes to bridging the gap between AI capabilities and practical applications in animal welfare and behavioral research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Human-Animal Relationship: Emotions and Welfare)
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10 pages, 1264 KiB  
Article
Animal-Assisted Interventions: Factors Affecting Donkey Behaviours and Attitude Toward Humans
by Serenella d’Ingeo, Valeria Straziota, Marcello Siniscalchi, Onofrio Depalma, Sara Petrassi, Michela Romano and Angelo Quaranta
Animals 2024, 14(21), 3139; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14213139 - 1 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1518
Abstract
The relationship between humans and donkeys has ancient origins. In recent years, donkeys’ involvement in Animal-Assisted Intervention (AAI) has grown, raising major concerns about their welfare during these activities. We investigated the factors affecting donkeys’ behaviour during an AAI programme for migrants. We [...] Read more.
The relationship between humans and donkeys has ancient origins. In recent years, donkeys’ involvement in Animal-Assisted Intervention (AAI) has grown, raising major concerns about their welfare during these activities. We investigated the factors affecting donkeys’ behaviour during an AAI programme for migrants. We observed an effect of human distance from the animal, the interaction mode, and food presence on the animals’ behaviours and attitudes toward humans. Moreover, we provide preliminary evidence of the effect of AAI on migrants’ welfare and prosocial behaviours and offer insights into the issues to address in future studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Human-Animal Relationship: Emotions and Welfare)
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13 pages, 368 KiB  
Article
Australian University Students’ Experience of Animal-Assisted Education: An Exploratory Study
by Jessica Hill, Lucy Waldby, Teresa Quinlan, Jennifer Fleming, Melanie Hoyle and Carlie Driscoll
Animals 2024, 14(19), 2792; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14192792 - 27 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1901
Abstract
University students experience poorer mental health outcomes when compared to the general population. Poor mental health has been associated with reduced wellbeing and low academic performance, resulting in higher rates of withdrawal. Animal-assisted education is an intervention found to result in a reduction [...] Read more.
University students experience poorer mental health outcomes when compared to the general population. Poor mental health has been associated with reduced wellbeing and low academic performance, resulting in higher rates of withdrawal. Animal-assisted education is an intervention found to result in a reduction in anxiety and an increased learning engagement among primary and secondary students. However, minimal research has been conducted regarding the inclusion of therapy dogs in the learning environments of students in tertiary education. This study explored the influence of animal-assisted education on the experience of university students. A total of 56 university students engaged with animal-assisted education over a 13-week period and completed an online survey comprised of open- and closed-response questions. The findings showed that all perceived benefits of the therapy dog, including improved mood and reduction of anxiety, increased motivation and engagement in learning activities, as well as an improved social engagement with peers and the educator. Preliminary findings demonstrated that the inclusion of animal-assisted education into the teaching of university students may assist in supporting their mental health and overall learning experience. Research is needed to explore the most effective ways to incorporate animal-assisted education into university settings for both students and therapy dogs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Human-Animal Relationship: Emotions and Welfare)
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19 pages, 1005 KiB  
Article
Affective Implications of Human–Animal Relationship on Pig Welfare: Integrating Non-Linear Heart Rate Variability Measures
by Javiera Calderón-Amor, Belén Zuleta, Maria Camila Ceballos, Daniel Cartes, Christopher J. Byrd, Benjamin Lecorps, Rocío Palomo, Sergio A. Guzmán-Pino, Daniela Siel and Daniela Luna
Animals 2024, 14(15), 2217; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14152217 - 31 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2925
Abstract
The human–animal relationship is crucial for animal welfare. Gentle handling enhances pigs’ comfort while rough handling causes fear and stress. This study examined how different human–animal relationship qualities affect the behavior and heart rate variability (linear and non-linear parameters) of 36 nursery pigs. [...] Read more.
The human–animal relationship is crucial for animal welfare. Gentle handling enhances pigs’ comfort while rough handling causes fear and stress. This study examined how different human–animal relationship qualities affect the behavior and heart rate variability (linear and non-linear parameters) of 36 nursery pigs. Over six weeks, pigs experienced positive (n = 12), minimal (n = 12), or negative (n = 12) human handling. Their responses to handlers were then assessed in an experimental arena with four phases: habituation, exposure to the handler standing and sitting, and forced interaction. Pigs subjected to negative handling exhibited increased fear-related behaviors, spending less time in contact with the handler. They also exhibited heightened stress responses, with greater LF/HF ratio and Lmean values compared with positively handled pigs. Conversely, gently handled pigs displayed affiliative behaviors, accepting more strokes, and higher parasympathetic activation, indicated by greater RMSSD/SDNN and SampEn values, suggesting a more positive affective state. Minimally handled pigs exhibited some behavioral similarities to gently handled pigs, although physiological data indicated that the interaction was likely more rewarding for the gently handled pigs. These results emphasize the impact of human–animal relationships on pig welfare and highlight the value of incorporating non-linear heart rate variability parameters in such evaluations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Human-Animal Relationship: Emotions and Welfare)
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