A study was carried out in Australia and the UK of the legislation and procedures relating to the welfare and use of animals in scientific research. In Australia, a National Code of Practice for the Care and Treatment of Laboratory Animals has been adopted and it is a legal obligation for all Institutions to adhere to the Code. Each institution has an Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) responsible for ethical review and animal welfare which must include, within certain stipulated parameters, a veterinarian, a research scientist, a member of a rights/welfare organisation and an additional lay member. In the UK the situation is different, as the Home Office directly administers the law regarding the use of animals in research. In April 1999 the Ethical Review Process (ERP) was introduced; every Institution must establish an ERP which must include a named veterinarian and representatives from the Animal Care and Welfare Officers and others. In both countries great emphasis is placed on the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement in experimental research. Substantial differences in culture and ethical review structure between the two countries are identified. However, various recommendations are outlined, based on the Australian experience, to build on existing structures and further develop the UK ERP. These recommendations should be seen as long-term aims and seek to further improve animal welfare through facilitating communication, increasing accountability and creating an environment conducive to open discussion.

A review of the literature was undertaken to consider the possible effects of human intervention (shepherding) at around the time of parturition in extensively farmed sheep. There is little clear empirical evidence to suggest that shepherding ensures either easy births or the integrity of ewe–lamb contact — factors closely linked to the welfare of the animals at this time. There is similarly no clear support for shepherding being harmful. However, the following suggestions are made: first, human presence can inhibit or delay parturition; second, extended parturition can increase the risk of, or is associated with, dystocia; and third, disturbance at birth can compromise ewe-lamb bonding and consequently lamb survival. Furthermore, sheep populations that have undergone rigorous selection for ease of lambing and minimal shepherding in extensive environments have well-documented physical and behavioural traits underlying their predisposition for enhanced lamb survival. Although our cultural legacy may impose a duty to intensively monitor animals at lambing, it is concluded that, at least in some situations, shepherding may not be entirely beneficial. The commonly held view of the necessity for some human intervention in extensive livestock systems is perhaps overly paternalistic, and requires a more comprehensive appraisal.

Following domestication of the cat about 5000 years ago, it followed man into many areas of the world. The vast resources available in urban environments have led to increasing numbers of free-roaming cats on the streets. The high population density of these cats and, in many cases, the lack of suitable nourishment and veterinary care, is conducive to their poor condition of health. They are frequently perceived as a nuisance to human society. This article surveys the different methods of management of free-roaming cat populations, focusing on the urban environment, and discusses the animal welfare implications and the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

This paper reports a study of the behaviour of captive orang utans (Pongo pygmaeus) at Chester Zoo, UK. The study addressed two questions: what is the effect of the presence of fresh browse on the animals’ behaviour; and what is the effect of the presence of visitors? The first part of the study analysed the animals’ time budgets. The results indicated that the provision of fresh browse led to a decrease in the time spent sitting inactive by both adults and infants; it also led to an increase in the time spent by adults foraging for small food items in the woodchip floor-covering beneath the branches of browse. The time-budget data also showed differences in the animals’ behaviour between periods when large groups of visitors arrived and other periods on the same days when visitors were fewer. Specifically, adults used available paper sacks to cover their heads more during periods of high visitor density, and infants held onto adults more. The second part of the study comprised an experiment in which visitor behaviour was manipulated. Visitor groups of similar sizes were asked to behave either quietly or noisily (making vocal noise), in order to determine whether the observed effects of visitors were attributable to group size or to the fact that larger groups tend to be noisier. The experiment indicated that the animals responded particularly to noise: when confronted with noisy groups, all animals looked more at the visitors, and infants approached and held onto adults more. The findings suggest that zoo managers may need to take visitor behaviour into account in order to promote orang utan welfare.

We examined the effects of two different methods of castration on the behaviour of lambs of two age groups. Rubber ring castration and combined rubber ring and Burdizzo clamp castration were compared in groups of one-week-old lambs and four-to six-week-old lambs. Behaviour was assessed by examining time-lapse video recordings made continuously over four days. Postures and behavioural states were instantaneously sampled and the mean daily frequencies of these behaviours calculated. Behaviours were assigned to different groups: standing still, moving, eating, lying, playing and abnormal postures. The times spent performing each group of behaviours on the days following castration (days 2, 3 and 4) were compared to those on the day preceding castration (day 1). Castration resulted in significant reductions in the times spent performing play behaviour in one-week-old lambs and lying behaviour in four-to six-week-old lambs. There was also a significant increase in abnormal postures following castration in four- to six-week-old lambs. There were no detectable differences between castration methods. The results show that lambs exhibit changes in behaviour over the three-day observation period that are suggestive of the presence of prolonged acute pain. These results have important implications regarding the sheep welfare recommendations of the Farm Animal Welfare Council, which propose to extend the maximum legal age for rubber ring castration from one week to six weeks of age.

One aim of environmental enrichment techniques is to replicate ‘wild-like’ behaviour in captivity. In this study, three captive troops of Sulawesi crested black macaques (Macaca nigra) were each observed for 100 h in large naturalistic enclosures. Activity budgets constructed from these observations were compared with published data collected from wild troops in the DuaSudara Nature Reserve, Sulawesi (O ‘Brien & Kinnaird 1997). No significant difference was found between the activity budgets of the wild and the captive macaques, although social, resting and feeding behaviours were significantly different between zoos. There was more rest and less movement and feeding in captivity, although these differences were not significant. The relatively large number of individuals, the wide variety of age-sex classes and the large and complex naturalistic enclosures provided for them may have been important factors in promoting wild-like behaviour. This study shows that captive primates can exhibit wild-type activity budgets.

The effects on stickling lambs of two stocking densities during transport (high stocking density: eight lambs per m2; low stocking density: four lambs per m2) and two periods of lairage before slaughter (1.5 h and 3 h) were studied. The behaviour of lambs transported for short-duration journeys at the two stocking densities was recorded. At slaughter, blood samples were obtained after a lairage period and some physiological parameters related to stress were analysed: lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), calcium (Ca2+), Cortisol, and packed cell volume (PCV). There was a significant effect of stocking density on lambs’ behaviour during transit. The number of lambs walking was greater at low than at high density (84 and 20 observations, respectively: P < 0.001) whilst the number standing was lower at low density (852 and 366 observations, respectively). There was a significant effect (P < 0.001) of stocking density on the plasma concentration of LDH. The length of the period of lairage significantly affected plasma concentrations of LDH (P < 0.001), CK (P < 0.05), Ca2+ (P < 0.001) and Cortisol (P < 0.05), as well as PCV (P < 0.01). The results show that stocking density affects the lambs’ behaviour during transport. After the longer lairage period, plasma Cortisol concentration is lower; meanwhile, the activity of LDH and CK is higher.

Farmed mink are known for showing stereotypies and tail biting, behaviours that are mostly viewed as indicators of reduced welfare. Among the factors that are often described as being relevant for the welfare of mink are food management systems, age at weaning, and type/presence of nest boxes and bedding. In the present study of commercially farmed mink, all of these factors have been integrated in one housing system. The occurrence of stereotypies and tail biting were observed at six Dutch mink farms, which differed from one another with respect to the number of modifications and the time since the introduction of these modifications. On each farm, 60 non-lactating female mink were observed during winter and 50 lactating female mink (with kits) were observed during summer. Mink on the farm with the most modifications spent 4.1% and 0.8% of their time performing stereotypies in winter and in summer, respectively. Mink on the farm with the least modifications spent 32% and 10.9% of their time performing stereotypies in winter and in summer, respectively. The occurrence of stereotypic behaviour in winter gradually increased as feeding time approached. This gradual increase was not observed at the farm with the least modifications. In general, mink spent less time performing stereotypies in summer than in winter. No clear differences were found between the farms for the occurrence of tail biting in relation to the modifications of the new system, although one farm showed a lower percentage (4%) of tail biters during summer. In conclusion, the farms that had introduced more modifications into their husbandry system housed animals showing less stereotypic behaviour. The results of this field study demonstrate an inverse relationship between the number of modifications and the occurrence of stereotypies; because of the experimental design, however, a causal relationship is not implied. Further work is required to investigate the impact of each measure both in isolation and in the integrated system under more carefully standardised conditions.