Understanding the emotional states of animals is a long-standing research endeavour that has clear applications in animal welfare. Vocalisations are emerging as a promising way to assess both positive and negative emotional states. However, the vocal...
We tested the hypothesis that social defensive responses to the vocalisation of a predator still exist in horses. The recordings of a grey wolf, an Arabian leopard and a golden jackal were played to 20 Konik polski and Arabian mares. Durations of gra...
Poultry meat is the world’s primary source of animal protein due to low cost and is widely eaten at a global level. However, intensive production is required to supply the demand although it generates stress to animals and welfare problems, whi...
The social context in which a salient human vocalisation is heard shapes the affective information it conveys. However, few studies have investigated how visual contextual cues lead to differential processing of such vocalisations. The prefrontal cor...
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Due to the increasing scale of farms, it is increasingly difficult for farmers to monitor their animals in an automated way. Because of this problem, we focused on a sound technique to monitor laying hens. Sound analysis has become an important tool...
The poultry meat industry is one of the most efficient biological systems to transform cereal protein into high quality protein for human consumption at a low cost. However, to supply the increasing demand of white meat, intensive production is requi...
Underwater vocalisations of grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) were recorded by static acoustic monitoring (SM2M, Wildlife Acoustics) in the vicinity of a colony located at White Strand beach on Great Blasket Island, southwest Ireland during the pre-bre...
Harbour and grey seals rely on acoustic signals to mate, socialise and defend their territory. Previous studies have focused on their behaviour, movements and communication from the coast, leaving a knowledge gap in the offshore environments, and the...
Heat stress is one of the most important environmental stressors facing poultry production and welfare worldwide. The detrimental effects of heat stress on poultry range from reduced growth and egg production to impaired health. Animal vocalisations...
Individual behavioural testing in sheep is common; however, outcomes may be misleading as they are a highly gregarious species that is usually managed in groups. We investigated whether behaviour expressed by 3–4-month-old Merino lambs (n = 220...
The objectives of this study were to explore owner perception of the causes of increased vocalisation in cats diagnosed with cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) and consider what impact this vocalisation may have on the cat’s household. Owners of ca...
Since human-wildlife conflicts are increasing, the development of cost-effective methods for reducing damage or conflict levels is important in wildlife management. A wide range of devices to detect and deter animals causing conflict are used for thi...
Inconsistency between the environments of indoor pullet rearing and adult outdoor housing may increase the fearfulness in free-range hens. Rearing enrichments and/or range use may reduce adult fearfulness. Hy-Line Brown® chicks (n = 1700) were re...
Cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) signalling is critical for weight gain and for milk intake in newborn pups. This is important as in humans, low birth weight increases the risk for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Moreover, some children...
The Strait of Gibraltar is a major biogeographic bottleneck connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, where migratory cetaceans coexist with an intense maritime traffic. To evaluate the feasibility of broadband passive acoustic monitor...
Effective conservation strategies rely on knowledge of seasonal and social drivers of animal behaviour. Koalas are generally solitary and their social arrangement appears to rely on vocal and chemical signalling. Male koala vocalisations, known as be...
Flying squirrels are nocturnal, gliding relatives of tree and ground squirrels (order Sciuridae). Despite 49 species existing, literature on Asiatic flying squirrels is scarce, thus they are overlooked in conservation action plans. Recently, three sp...
Analgesic products for piglet castration are critically needed. This requires extensive animal experimentation such as to meet regulatory-required proof of efficacy. At present, there are no validated methods of assessing pain in neonatal piglets. Th...
The implementation of an intervention protocol aimed at increasing vocal complexity in three pre-linguistic children with cerebral palsy (two males, starting age 15 months, and one female, starting age 16 months) was evaluated utilising a repeated AB...
Global biodiversity is in rapid decline, and many seabird species have disproportionally poorer conservation statuses than terrestrial birds. A good understanding of population dynamics is necessary for successful conservation efforts, making noninva...
Domestic pigs (Sus scrofa) possess complex socio-cognitive skills, and sows show high inter-individual variability in maternal behaviour. To evaluate how females—reared under natural conditions—react to the isolation calls of their own pi...
Prematurity deprives infants of the prenatal sensory stimulation essential to their correct development; in addition, the stressful environment of the NICU impacts negatively on their growth. The purpose of this review was to investigate the effects...
Piglet castration results in acute pain and stress to the animal. There is a critical need for effective on-farm methods of pain mitigation. Local anaesthesia using Tri-Solfen® (Animal Ethics Pty Ltd., Melbourne, Australia), a topical local anaesthet...
Artificial light at night (ALAN) and noise pollution are two important stressors associated with urbanisation that can have a profound impact on animal behaviour and physiology, potentially disrupting biological rhythms. Although the influence of ALA...
The Omura’s whale (Balaenoptera omurai) is one of the most recently described species of baleen whale. Initially known only from stranding and whaling specimens, it has now been identified in all ocean basins excluding the central and eastern P...
Aim: We compared early vocal development in children “at risk” for cerebral palsy (CP) with typically developing (TD) infants aged 6 to 15 months using the SAEVD-R, investigating potential pre-linguistic markers of communication impairmen...
Shelter environments are stressful for dogs, as they must cope with many stimuli over which they have little control. This can lead to behavioural changes, negatively affect their welfare and downgrade the human‐animal bond, affecting re-homing succe...
In southern white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum simum), pant calls are well-studied contact vocalisations, whereas the function of frequently emitted snorts remains unclear. We conducted playback experiments with 15 rhinoceroses at three European...
Tropical forest hornbills display complex social and reproductive behaviours that make them hard to reliably and frequently breed in ex situ facilities. This study investigated potential behavioural indicators of pair compatibility for two wreathed h...
The aim of this study was to improve surgical caponisation and identify stress factors associated with different pain management methods and post-operative periods. A total of 72 Prelux-G cockerels were caponised at six weeks of age. Eight experiment...
Young territorial songbirds have calls to learn, especially calls that may be vital for maintaining territory. Territoriality is largely reinforced and communicated by vocal signals. In their natal territory, juvenile magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen) enj...
There are significant welfare concerns with the use of calves in calf roping (also known as rope-and-tie) events in rodeos. However, little work has been carried out to scientifically assess calves’ behavioural responses to the stressors of the...
This experiment compared the stress responses of piglets to tail docking. Two hundred and eighty-eight piglets were allocated to the following treatments at 2 d post-farrowing: (1) sham handling treatment; (2) surgical castration; (3) tail docking us...
To investigate the effects of valley topography on the acoustic transmission of avian vocalisations, we carried out playback experiments in Daqinggou valley, Inner Mongolia, China. During the experiments, we recorded the vocalisations of five avian s...
This experiment assessed the efficacy of the cauterisation procedure with or without pain relief (injectable meloxicam) in mitigating the acute stress response to tail docking. Male piglets (n = 432) were allocated to the following treatments at 2-d...
We tested whether dogs and 14–16-month-old infants are able to integrate intersensory information when presented with conspecific and heterospecific faces and vocalisations. The looking behaviour of dogs and infants was recorded with a non-inva...
The aim of this study was to test the intranasal administration of different anaesthetics in piglets less than seven days of age undergoing castration for their suitability for providing good-quality sedation and short induction and recovery time wit...
Literary works of contemporary Australian Aboriginal writers are widely read for their engagement with expressions of resilience and resistance against colonial supremacy. But these works have a greater significance in modern times, as they carry for...
Bottlenose dolphins’ broadband click vocalisations are well-studied in the literature concerning their echolocation function. Their potential use for communication among conspecifics has long been speculated but has yet to be conclusively estab...
Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is widely used as an initial step towards an assessment of environmental status. In the present study, underwater ambient sound recordings from two monitoring locations in marine-protected areas (MPAs) of the Gulf of...
The existing domestic cat literature predominantly contains lists detailing its behaviour. However, these lists are neither specific enough for domestic cats nor general enough for all behaviours on a macro level of the domestic cat. Furthermore, the...
Four entire male sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps) belonging to the same colony were presented for elective orchiectomy. After clinical examination, dexmedetomidine (120 μg/kg) in combination with ketamine (5 mg/kg) were administered subcutaneous...
It has been reported that during the first few days following entry to a kennel environment, shelter dogs may suffer poor welfare. Previous work suggests that motor bias (the preferred use of one limb over the other) can potentially be used as an ind...
During the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns provided an opportunity to assess what factors, including changes in an owner’s routine and time spent at home, were associated with changes in dog behaviour. We undertook a longitudinal survey over a per...
Winter resources are crucial for wildlife, and, at a local scale, some anthropogenic and environmental factors could affect their availability. In the case of wolves, it is known that vocalisations in response to unfamiliar howls are issued to defend...
The goal of this study was to assess whether or not a separation period of 2 h is stressful for jennies and foals, as measured by changes in behaviour, salivary cortisol, and milk production. This study was reviewed and approved by the Committee for...
(1) Background: age-related changes in behaviour and health may be thought of as “normal” ageing; however, they can reflect under-diagnosed, potentially treatable, conditions. This paper describes the prevalence of age-related behavioural...
To identify characteristics that distinguish long-term (LT: stay > 1 year) from short-term shelter dogs (ST: ≤5 months) and to investigate if a long-term stay impairs welfare, we compared ST and LT dogs in Austrian no-kill shelters. Analyses in...
Pigs (and minipigs) are often restrained with a maxillary sling for blood collection. They mainly produce strong vocalisations and show resistance to the procedure, which subjectively appears to be stressful for the animals. The present study investi...
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