Animal Sciences Commons^™

U.S. Declares War On Coyotes

Close Up Reports

Department of Interior reinstitutes cruel killing methods

Is Your Pet Safe From Laboratory Experimentation?

Close Up Reports

Researchers still claim need for shelter animals as test subjects

Letter To Editor: Producers Respond To Hsus Veal Campaign, Neal Black

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

An advertising campaign by The Humane Society of the United States against veal consumption is a slap in the face of the livestock industry, which has attempted to explore the concerns of animal welfarists about confinement production of livestock and respond to them.

Letter To Editor: Hsus Counters On Veal Study, John Hoyt

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Concerning the letter on the Livestock Conservation Institute's reaction to the HSUS veal campaign, I wish to clarify one point. The letter suggests that HSUS was unaware of Provimi, Inc.'s announced intention to undertake a study of the Quantock group-pen production system for milk-fed veal. This suggestion is not the case. We were informed of Provimi's important role in facilitating the evaluation of the group-pen system under U.S. conditions. That this company has begun such testing is a welcome sign and one we acknowledge in our campaign materials.

Is There Really A Market For Milk-Fed Veal?, Dana H. Murphy

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

In a two-part "Focus" article in this issue, we relate, first, the origins and subsequent growth of the milk-fed veal industry in Europe and in the U.S. and, second, some recent research findings on several current and potential production systems for raising veal, in light of both economic and humane considerations. At the moment, it seems as if the group-pen system, a far more humane method than the confinement crate, has won the day in the U.K. and may become a major production system in the U.S. But one critical question remains: How many people really want milk-fed veal?

Veal Re-Vealed: The Veal Industry, Peter C. Lovenheim

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Veal is meat that comes from the male offspring of dairy cows. These animals are not grown to maturity for beef because dairy breeds have been developed primarily for their milk-producing capability and not for the quality of their meat. Therefore, these animals are slaughtered as calves and marketed as "veal."

Veal-Revealed: The Controversy And New Developments, Dana Murphy

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Veal is meat that comes from the male offspring of dairy cows. These animals are not grown to maturity for beef because dairy breeds have been developed primarily for their milk-producing capability and not for the quality of their meat. Therefore, these animals are slaughtered as calves and marketed as "veal." In May 1981, the HSUS sent a letter to all veal industry companies raising concerns about current veal-rearing practices. Industry spokespersons defended the current system but have also been exploring changes in calf-rearing practices.

No Need To Be Boxed In: Group Pens And Grain For Veal Calves, Michael S. Mosner

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The author’s family has been in the wholesale veal business for 30 years. The basis of this business has been various breeds of female beef calves that are slaughtered at less than 500 lb. These calves are allowed to suck from cows and graze until they are ready for market. However, beef calves tend to vary in quality and quantity depending on the time of the year they are purchased and raised. Generally, calves become scarce in the spring, when feeders are buying calves to put out on pasture. The author comments on the future of the veal industry.

Meetings And Announcements

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Report of the second European conference on farm animals in 1982 – “Between Production and Protection.” Comments on a workshop on the effectiveness of the German Animal Welfare Act of 1972 organized by the Academy for Continuing Veterinary Education and a report of the tenth vertebrate pest conference held in Monterey, California, in 1982.

The Economics Of Farm Animal Welfare, A. J. K. Webster

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The number of ways one can be nice or nasty to animals is legion. This article will consider only one very specific aspect of farm animal welfare, namely, those systems of intensive animal production in which the system itself, irrespective of the quality of the stockmanship within the system appears to restrict the normal behavior of farm animals to an unacceptable degree. The systems that were considered by the House of Commons Select Committee on Agriculture (1981) include egg production from hens in battery cages, production of veal from calves deprived of solid food and isolated in wooden crates, and …

Genetic Adaptation In Relation To Animal Welfare, R. G. Beilharz

Genetics Collection

In this essay I outline the processes of adaptation of animals and of animal populations and discuss their relevance to the problem of animal welfare. Because "animal welfare" has many different aspects including philosophical, ethical, and biological, it is important to examine some of the fundamental issues that underly the concept. Hence, in this essay, I comment on how people come to "know," how information accumulates, and how what we know influences our actions. I also discuss the biological information that is relevant to animal welfare. It is my hope that, when this topic has been placed within a broader …

The Problem Of Pain: What Do Animals Really Feel?, Dana H. Murphy

Sentience Collection

Much of the contention and confusion that seem inevitably to arise whenever the subject of pain in animals comes up appear to stem principally from problems with the word "pain" itself. When used to describe responses in humans, "pain" can mean any subset of an incredibly broad spectrum of sensations and emotions, ranging from the instantaneous, galvanizing effect of a dentist drill hitting the nerve in a molar, to more airy notions such as the "pain" of rejection or "painfully" embarrassing situations. Humans even use concepts as abstruse as the German term, weltschmerz, or "world pain," which denotes a vaguely …

Hsus Veal Campaign Takes Off

Close Up Reports

Milk-fed calves the focus of national public-education campaign

Hsus Uncovers Cruel Puppy Mills

Close Up Reports

Investigator exposes hidden misery on mass breeding farms

Hsus Helps Bust Cruel Dogfights

Close Up Reports

Thirty-eight arrested in raids in Georgia and Ohio

Shade Management In Subtropical Environment For Milk Yield And Composition In Holstein And Jersey Cows, R. J. Collier, R. M. Eley, A. K. Sharma, R. M. Pereira, D. E. Buffington

Management and Monitoring of Farm Animals Collection

Forty-eight cows were assigned randomly to shade (15 Holsteins, 8 Jerseys) or no shade (16 Holsteins, 9 Jerseys) for 102 days beginning 12 June 1977 to examine effects of solar heat load on milk yield and composition. Rectal temperatures, respiration rates, and rumen contractions/min were monitored between 1200 and 1700 h on 20 randomly selected days. Morning and evening milk weights were recorded daily. Once weekly, morning and evening milk samples were collected from each cow and analyzed for fat, protein, acidity, freezing point depression, and somatic cell number. Black Globe temperature, rectal temperature, and respiration rate were elevated in …

Fight For Alternatives Gathers Momentum

Close Up Reports

Commitments to help lab animals are extracted from industry and government

Breeding And Use Of Nonhuman Primates In The Usa, Joe R. Held

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Several species of nonhuman primates, each possessing specific characteristics of particular value, are used by the United States biomedical community in various health-related activities. These animals are man's closest relatives and are indispensable in understanding and controlling human health problems. The destruction of primate habitats and embargoes on the export of primates from source countries have decreased the supply of these animals. The inadequate and erratic supply of these resources threatens the continuation of many ongoing and new activities contributing to improving human health. In the U.S., a program has been developed to meet the health needs of primates:

1) …

A Strategy For Dog-Owner Education, Ian Dunbar

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The author comments on the large number of animals being euthanized in shelters and suggests that dog owners undertake an education program before acquiring a dog as a pet. The author acknowledges to difficulties involved in such a change and recommends procedures to address them.

The Psychology Of Euthanizing Animals – The Emotional Components, Charles E. Owens, Ricky Davis, Bill Smith

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The emotional effects of euthanizing unwanted animals on professional animal control personnel are examined using written statements and oral discussions of twenty-six euthanasia technicians at a workshop during a national session

of the Animal Control Academy (Tuscaloosa, AL]. Emotional conflicts arise in significant part from the dilemma that the same public responsible for the problem of unwanted animals also has a markedly negative perception of euthanasia,

and by extension, of those who perform euthanasia. During discussions, the euthanasia technicians revealed various strategies for coping with feelings of isolation, alienation, and sorrow. These included intellectualization, avoidance of unnecessary contact with the …

Behavior And Weight Loss Of Feeder Calves In A Railcar Modified For Feeding And Watering In Transit, T. H. Friend, M. R. Irwin, A. J. Sharp, B. H. Ashby, G. B. Thompson, W. A. Bailey

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The behavior of Angus and Hereford calves was studied in a double deck 26m x 2.6m "jumbo" railcar equipped with feed and water. A 4,180-liter water tank positioned in the center of each deck divided the car into four compartments. Fifty heads were loaded into the lower and upper forward compartments (252kg/m² floor space], each containing 675kg of hay in racks. The two rear compartments served as quarters for equipment and researchers. Two video cameras were mounted in the upper forward compartment containing calves. The behavior of the calves was monitored, with portions video-taped during rail transport from Memphis, …

Letter To Editor: Livestock Abuse In Trucks And Sale Yards, Temple Grandin

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Grandin adds comments on her observations of livestock abuse occurring in transport trucks and sale yards.

Abnormal Behavior As An Indication Of Immaterial Suffering, Hans Hinrich Sambraus

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

I do not believe I am the only one who has occasionally been satisfied to take three steps forward and two steps back. Despite the setback, "progress" of one step has been made. At present, the animal welfare task seems to me to be preserving that small bit of progress. In the animal welfare laws of various countries that have come into force in the last few years, terms like "appropriate conditions" and "species-specific activity requirements" have appeared. (These are the three steps forward.) Only the ethologist can determine what they mean in specific cases. But many ethologists who have …

One Answer To The Confinement Pig Problem, Arthur Hehring

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

A new design for an intensive hog finishing operation is presented. The "maze deconfinement" system consists of 4-walled concrete pens arranged in a T-maze within a confinement building designed to utilize solar energy. In addition to low cost and efficient energy use, the system has the following advantages: higher feed conversion rate; less fighting among and injuries to hogs; some freedom for hogs to exercise and explore; decreased labor. The system has been used on the author's farm since the end of 1976.

The Buller-Steer Syndrome, Richarad Ulbrich

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Bulling among steers is an abnormal behavioral trait and is a common health and economic problem in feedlot operations. Factors associated with the buller-steer syndrome are hormonal implantation, seasonality and environmental conditions, stress, overcrowding, and social interaction between individuals. Research has examined relationships between these and other factors and buller occurrence. Boredom of feedlot cattle may contribute more to buller occurrence and other undesirable behavior than we might suspect. Research is needed to determine the feasibility of enriching the environment of penned livestock in general, the goal of which would be, in theory, eliminating undesirable behavior and increasing performance.

Productivity And Farm Animal Welfare, Michael W. Fox

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

In the search for and debate over objective indices of farm animal welfare, productivity Is regarded by many animal scientists and others in the livestock industry as the most reliable measure of an animal's overall well-being and adaptability. On the surface, this would seem so, as productivity, in terms of growth rate, milk yield, feed conversion, and egg production, can be easily quantified. However, there are flaws in this assumption.

Breeding And Use Of Nonhuman Primates In The Usa, Joe R. Held

Experimentation Collection

Several species of nonhuman primates, each possessing specific characteristics of particular value, are used by the United States biomedical community in a wide variety of health-related activities. These animals are man's closest relatives and are indispensable in the effort to understand and control human health problems.

The destruction of primate habitats and embargoes on export of primates from source countries have decreased the supply of these animals. Continuation of many ongoing and new activities contributing to the improvement of human health is threatened by inadequate and erratic supply of these resources. In the U.S., a program has been developed to …

Social And Cognitive Capabilities Of Nonhuman Primates: Lessons From The Wild To Captivity, William C. Mcgrew

Sentience Collection

All anthropoid primates in nature lead highly sociable lives. In infancy and childhood this is characterized by stability and familiarity for both sexes; in adulthood either one or the other sex changes groups. The natal group provides a social network of matrilineal kinship; after sexual maturity incest avoidance and exogamy are the rule. Important differences exist across species and between the sexes in mating strategies. In most species, males emigrate, but in others females do so. Male sexual behavior is based on competition between peers; females exercise choice in selecting sexual partners. Normal development of sexual behavior and maternal caretaking …

A Function Of The Subelytral Chamber Of Tenebrionid Beetles, Con Slobodchikoff, Kim Wisman

Entomology Collection

1. The subelytral chamber is an air space between the elytra and the dorsum of the abdomen of some Tenebrionid beetles. Postulated functions for the subelytral chamber have been a reduction of transpiratory water loss and a thermal buffer for heat flow from the elytra to the abdomen.

2. We show that there is a significant correlation between water loss and the depth of the subelytral chamber.

3. This implies that the chamber may be a structure that permits the rapid expansion of the abdomen, providing the beetles with a mechanism by which they can quickly drink large quantities of …

Ethology And Laboratory Animal Welfare, James A. Cohen

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

No abstract provided.