Showing papers on "Animal welfare published in 1992"

Attitudes Toward Animal Use

Abstract: Four hundred and ninety-five people completed a questionnaire in which they rated 35 specific examples of uses of different species of animals on a 5-point scale of acceptabilityunacceptability. Ratings depended on both the particular example used (medical research, behavioral research, product-testing research, use for educational purposes, use for luxury garments, or animals as pests) and the species involved. Examples using dogs, cats, or monkeys were rated less acceptable than those using rats or mice, nonmammalian vertebrates, or invertebrates. Examples in which animals were used to make luxury garments were rated the most unacceptable and educational uses of animals and behavioral research were the most acceptable. Ratings of examples were very consistent within individuals, leading to the conclusion that a person's attitude toward animals may represent a unitary characteristic. Gender, age, pet ownership, and religious affiliation were all significantly related to attitude toward animals, a...

Farm animals and the environment

Abstract: Part 1 Environmental factors influencing the production and welfare of farm animals: effects of cold stress, J.Le Dividich et al heat stress, A. Alnaimy et al photoperiod, C. Phillips the space requirements for housed livestock, M.R. Baxter ventilation, C.M. Wathes walking and lying surfaces in livestock houses, C. Nilsson human factors, M.F. Seabrook and N.C. Bartle. Part 2 Perception of the environment by farm animals: visual perception, D. Piggins auditory perception, H.E. Heffner and R.S. Heffner olfaction and taste, G.C. Perry tactile and pain perception, A. Livingston et al cognition, K.M. Kendrick. Part 3 Animal responses to the environment: behaviour, J.F. Hurnik animal welfare - its scientific measurement and current relevance to animal husbandry, D.M. Broom stress - a general overview, R. Ewbank environment-dependent disease, J.V. Blom genotype-environment interaction, J.B. Owen effects of early environment on behaviour, P.Le Neindre et al. Part 4 The effects of farm animals on the human environment: liquid wastes from farm animal enterprises, J.R. Archer and R.J. Nicholson gaseous pollutants produced by farm animal enterprises, S. Tamminga disease transfer, R.W. Lacey farm animals and the environment - role in landscape and wildlife conservation, M.B. Alcock.

Ethical ideology, animal rights activism, and attitudes toward the treatment of animals

Abstract: In two studies, we used the Ethics Position Questionnaire (EPQ) to investigate the relationship between individual differences in moral philosophy, involvement in the animal rights movement, and attitudes toward the treatment of animals. In the first, 600 animal rights activists attending a national demonstration and 266 nonactivist college students were given the EPQ. Analysis of the returns from 157 activists and 198 students indicated that the activists were more likely than the students to hold an "absolutist" moral orientation (high idealism, low relativism). In the second study, 169 students were given the EPQ with a scale designed to measure attitudes toward the treatment of animals. Multiple regression showed that gender and the EPQ dimension of idealism were related to attitudes toward animal use.

Observations of cattle restraint devices for stunning and slaughtering

Abstract: Proper design of restraint equipment is essential to prevent stress on animals during handling, stunning and slaughter. A small design mistake which may appear to be insignificant to the engineer can be extremely detrimental to animal welfare. Operators of restraint equipment must be properly trained. Cattle will place their heads into stanchion (yoke) or chin-lift types of head-restrainers if they are gently moved forward by a rear pusher gate. Cattle confined in an upright ASPCA (American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) pen for religious slaughter will remain calmer if the apparatus is gently closed around them. The vertical travel of the belly lift should be restricted to 71 cm (28 in) - it should not lift the animals off the floor. The rear pusher gates should be equipped with a separate regulator to prevent excessive pressure from being applied. Stunning or ritual slaughter should be carried out within 10 seconds of the animal's head being restrained. The modified ASPCA pen described is seemingly humane when operated by people concerned about animal welfare.

Beak Trimming Effects on Performance, Behavior and Welfare of Chickens: A Review

Abstract: Beak trimming is a management practice that has long been employed by the poultry industry to reduce the deleterious effects of cannibalism and feather pecking among flockmates of chickens. Most studies of beak trimming have concentrated on the production and economic performance aspects of this practice. Because of the current animal welfare debate, behavioral and physiological responses of animals exposed to this procedure have been examined recently in an effort to measure the effects upon “well being.” These investigations have provided some interesting and useful results. Nevertheless, beak trimming continues to be a sensitive and difficult issue for the poultry industry due to the concerns of individuals who promote animal welfare. The purpose of this article is to review some of the research findings regarding beak trimming of chickens as related to industry usage and the animal welfare debate. Several avenues of research that could prove beneficial to the poultry industry in the future will be discussed.

Companion animals and human health.

Abstract: Pets, or companion animals, are said to be good for people. Until recently there has been little serious study of the effects on people's health of their interactions with companion animals. This is in spite of the fact that they have shared human lives for centuries and their beneficial effects have been known for at least 200 years. This paper reviews the ways in which companion animals have favourable effects on human health and behaviour, for example, as guides for blind and deaf people, for enriching the lives of long stay patients and for providing physical activity like horse riding for the severely disabled. Current knowledge of the effects of animals on human psychological, behavioural, physiological and social development is reviewed, including the use of animals in prison programmes. New findings in Australia show that pet owners had marked reduction in risk factors related to cardiac disease compared with non-owners. Other recent work has indicated that companion animals are able to act as 'early warning systems' for acute human conditions such as epileptic seizures.

The ethical judgment of animal research.

Abstract: One hundred sixty subjects acted as members of a hypothetical Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and evaluated five proposals in which animals were to be used for research or educational purposes. They were asked to approve or reject the proposals and to indicate what factors were important in reaching their ethical decisions. Gender and differences in personal moral philosophy were related to approval decisions. The reasons given for the decisions fell into three main categories: metacognitive statements, factors related to the animal, and factors related to the design of the experiment.

The Impact of Companion Animals in Later Life and Considerations for Practice

Abstract: Interaction with companion animals, or pets, is increasingly recognized as a contributor to well-being in later life. This article focuses on the actual impact of animal companionship on older adults' (institutionalized and community dwelling) physical, social, and psychological health. Considerations for practice are discussed, with particular emphasis on professionals' recognizing the effect of multiple life-course factors that may moderate the therapeutic value of companion animals. Such factors include older persons' health, financial status, housing situation, and current and previous attitudes and attachments to pets.

Implications of the human/animal bond for human health and veterinary practice.

Abstract: Topics covered are: the role played by the veterinary surgeon in the prevention of zoonoses; the link between animal sentinels and the human population; and pet ownership and human physical and mental health.

Anaemia in lambs and kids caused by feeding cow colostrum

Abstract: Agnes Winter qualified from Liverpool in 1965. After spending two years as house surgeon at the University Field Station, Leahurst, she worked in mixed practice in North Wales and developed a particular interest in sheep. In 1986 she returned to Liverpool to carry out research into cow colostrum-induced anaemia in lambs and kids. She gained her PhD as a result of this work. She was appointed a member of the Farm Animal Welfare Council in 1991.

Spiritual care: diagnosing spiritual pain in patients.

Abstract: Although spiritual pain has achieved comparable recognition to physical and emotional pain in the care of patients with terminal disease, it is less well recognised in those who are not terminally ill. This article describes the signs of spiritual pain in hospital patients and emphasises the crucial role of nurses in diagnosing and alleviating it.

The Cat's Mind: Understanding Your Cat's Behavior

Abstract: Anyone who owns cats knows that even the ones they think they understand best behave peculiarly sometimes. This books helps cat owners understand why their pets act the way they do by explaining a cat's senses, learning patterns and ways of communicating with each other and humans. It's a fascinating journey beyond observations and into the feline mind.

A role for fertility control wildlife management in australia

Abstract: Author(s): Bomford, Mary; O'Brien, Peter | Abstract: Increasing community awareness of the moral and animal welfare issues associated with conventional pest animal control has focussed interest on non-lethal alternatives, such as fertility control. In Australia, animal welfare organizations have proposed fertility control as a solution to pest problems with feral horses and kangaroos. Wildlife damage control achieved by non-lethal, non-toxic and humane means would have wide appeal and application. Importantly, assessments of effectiveness must focus on damage control, rather than fertility control, per se. Most tests of fertility control drugs and techniques examine effects on reproduction, rather than on population dynamics. Many tests and models have not been robust enough to allow clear conclusions about the usefulness of the technique in damage mitigation. The present role of fertility control in wildlife management in Australia is extremely limited. Its longer-term potential will depend on the successful outcome of future research, development and extension. It also requires an assessment of the economic, environmental and welfare implications of using fertility control for wildlife management. The main barrier to the use of fertility control to manage pest animals is the lack of delivery techniques suitable for widespread and abundant animals. If drugs become available that cause permanent infertility with a single dose, or if current research leads to a technique for the passive spread of anti-fertility agents via infectious organisms, the potential for population management by fertility control for some species, such as foxes, will be increased. No such drugs or techniques are currently available.

"Kindness to All Around": The Changing Ethics of Animal Treatment in the Middle-Class Household, 1820-1870

Abstract: Samuel Clemens (the author Mark Twain) always was extremely fond of animals, especially cats. He recalled that he learned kindness to animals from the example of his mother in small-town Missouri in the 1830s and 1840s. She defended cart horses from abuse by their drivers, took in scores of stray cats and would not allow her children to have pets in cages: "An imprisoned creature was out of the question-my mother would not have allowed a rat to be restrained of its liberty." Yet Mrs. Clemens …

Ethical issues in the ownership of companion animals: an empirical and normative analysis.

Abstract: This article deals with the ethical aspects of companion animal ownership. Research was done by means of interviews (n = 40) and questionnaires (n = 871). Respondents were randomly chosen from Dutch telephone directories. Euthanasia, docking tails, ear clipping and sterilisation are discussed on the basis of the opinions of respondents. Owners of companion animals very often seem to have insufficient knowledge about animal behaviour. Companion animal owners as a group differ rather strongly in their moral opinions about the acceptability of certain actions towards animals. At the individual level also people are not always consequent in their reasoning as was illustrated by their opinions about ear clipping and the stopping of tail docking and vice versa. Respondents live in a community with animals and usually use a utilitarian balancing model. The different outcomes of the uses of this balancing model indicate how far the respondents are willing to adapt their life style to the needs of an animal; in other words to what extent intrinsic values and integrity are taken into account within the process of (re)creating a living community.