Special Issue "How Animal Welfare Reforms Are Reshaping Societal Institutions Charged with Animal Management"
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Welfare".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 February 2022.
Special Issue Editors
Interests: human-wildlife interactions; wildlife conservation; social conflict; animal welfare
Special Issue Information
Summary: Concern for non-human animals is on the rise and has shown to be core to maintaining the social license to have animals in human care. This increased concern has manifested in many ways from official acts and policies to advocacy and activist groups, all affecting the ways in which humans interact with animals. The effects have created entire paradigm shifts for many animal institutions (i.e., animal agriculture, wildlife management, zoos & aquariums, research laboratories, shelters, therapy institutions) and continue to be transformed over time from both internal and external pressures. Thus, examining how animal welfare reforms have and will reshape human–animal interactions will be paramount for the future of societal institutions charged with animal stewardship. In this Special Issue, we welcome submissions exploring this topic broadly or specifically (one institution and/or one aspect of animal welfare). Our goals are to create a forum to highlight the complexity of animal welfare reform implementation and to serve as a catalyst for discussion of new considerations related to human–animal interactions.
Prof. Jeremy Bruskotter
Dr. Kelly A. George
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
- animal welfare
- human–animal interactions
- conservation
- one-health
- animal agriculture
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: The effect of human-horse interactions on equine behaviour, physiology, and welfare: a scoping review
Authors: Kate Jennifer Kelly; Laurie Anne McDuffee; Kimberly Mears
Affiliation: University of Prince Edward Island
Abstract: Human-horse interactions (HHIs) are diverse and prominent in the equine industry. Stakeholders have an interest in making sure that HHIs are humane. Assessment of equine welfare goes beyond physical health and includes assessment of the emotional state of the animal. HHIs can have a permanent effect on human-equine relationships thereby influencing welfare. Therefore, an understanding of the horse’s affective state during HHIs is necessary. A scoping review was conducted to: (1) map current practices related to the measurement of HHIs; (2) explore the known effects of HHIs on equine behaviour and physiology; and (3) clarify the connection between HHIs and equine welfare. A total of 45 articles were included in this review. Studies that used both physiological and behavioural measures of equine response to human interactions accounted for 42% of the included studies. A further 31% exclusively used physiological measures and 27% used behavioural observation. Current evidence of equine welfare during HHIs is minimal and largely based on the absence of a negative affective state during imposed interactions. Broadening the scope of methods to evaluate a positive affective state and standardization of methodology to assess these states would improve the overall understanding of the horse’s welfare during HHIs.