Animal Sciences Commons^™

Stress: What Is It And How Can It Be Quantified?, T. H. Friend

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

An animal may be considered to be in a state of stress if abnormal behavior or extreme adjustments in its behavior or physiology are necessary in order to cope with adverse aspects of its environment. Methods used to determine if an animal is stressed can be either behavioral or physiological. Behavioral methods may be highly erroneous due to their subjective nature since alterations in behavior do not necessarily prove that an animal is stressed. There is no single measure of stress that can be used in all situations at this time. Every measure must be critically evaluated to ensure that …

Problems With Kosher Slaughter, Temple Grandin

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Ritual slaughter to produce kosher meat is rooted in the teachings and writings of the Talmud. However, the preslaughter handling features of modern systems, particularly the shackling and hoisting of large steers, contravene the basic message of humaneness included in the teachings. The throat-cutting of a live, conscious animal is relatively pain-free, provided that certain precautions are followed, but U.S. kosher plants need to install newly developed conveyor-restrainer systems to eliminate the abuses of shackling and hoisting. Conveyor-restrainer systems for large and small animals are discussed.

The Psychological Relations Hip Between Dairy Cows And Dairy Cowmen And Its Implications For Animal Welfare, Martin F. Seabrook

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Stress On Livestock And Meat Quality Prior To And During Slaughter, Temple Grandin

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The effects of stress on cattle, pigs and sheep prior to slaughter are reviewed. Long-term preslaughter stress, such as fighting, cold weather, fasting and transit, which occurs 12 to 48 hours prior to slaughter depletes muscle glycogen, resulting in meat which has a higher pH, darker color, and is drier. Short-term acute stress, such as excitement or fighting immediately prior to slaughter, produced lactic acid from the breakdown of glycogen. This results in meat which has a lower pH, lighter color, reduced water binding capacity, and is possibly tougher. Psychological stressors, such as excitement and fighting, will often have a …

Roadside Zoos Are Not Zoos

Close Up Reports

HSUS launches campaign against more than 1,000 menageries of misery

Sheep Mulesing And Animal Lib, Nancy Heneson

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The practice of mulesing sheep to prevent blowfly strike has recently come under fire from the Animal Liberation movement in Australia. Although it is only one of the many issues which Animal Lib has raised in its campaign to reform various sectors of the livestock industry, it is particularly illustrative of the kinds of conflicts in world view which arise when animal rights activists turn the spotlight on the farming establishment. Spokesmen for the livestock industries are quick to stress the emotional and sometimes sensational portrayal by Animal Libbers of time-honored animal management practices, as well as the sinister role …

Meetings And Announcements

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

1. Meeting Report - Animals in Research
2. Announcement - Abstract exchange
3. New APHIS administrator
4. Newsletter on the Human-Companion Animal Bond
5. Veterinarians for Animal Protection
6. New editor for Equine Study Group
7. Bibliography of Animal Ethology

Drugs & Horse Racing

Close Up Reports

HSUS working to end use of drugs at tracks--new bill introduced in House & Senate

Bruises And Carcass Damage, Temple Grandin

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Bruising and carcass damage is a major source of financial loss to slaughterhouses in the United States, approximately $46 million per annum. The absence of easily administered tests to determine where and/or when bruising occurs results in the slaughter plant absorbing carcass damage costs. Rough, abusive handling of livestock accounts for over half of all bruising. Injuries occur through overuse of persuaders, careless transport methods, and faulty equipment. Other elements relevant to carcass loss include branding cattle, abscesses, spreader and crippling injuries, sickness and death during extreme weather conditions, and carcass shrink. The 1979 regulations under the Humane Methods of …

Amputation Of Vibrissae In Show Dogs, Thomas E. Mcgill

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

Dogs of many different breeds competing in the show-ring are routinely subjected to amputation of the vibrissae, organs that are commonly and incorrectly called "whiskers." This procedure is thought to give the animal's head a cleaner look, which in turn supposedly increases its chances of winning. There are several tricks involved in "whisker trimming" since the animals can retract each vibrissae at least one-quarter inch. Furthermore, they often object strenuously to the operation.

Stress: What Is It And How Can It Be Quantified?, T. H. Friend

Sentience Collection

An animal may be considered to be in a state of stress if abnormal behavior or extreme adjustments in its behavior or physiology are necessary in order to cope with adverse aspects of its environment. Methods used to determine if an animal is stressed can be either behavioral or physiological. Behavioral methods may be highly erroneous due to their subjective nature since alterations in behavior do not necessarily prove that an animal is stressed. There is no single measure of stress that can be used in all situations at this time. Every measure must be critically evaluated to ensure that …

Edging Toward Extinction: The Status Of Wildlife In Latin America, Douglas R. Shane

eBooks

No abstract provided.

Every Fur Coat Hurts!

Close Up Reports

No abstract provided.

Illegal, Secret Dogfights And Cockfights Rampant In U.S.

Close Up Reports

Enforcement is Difficult & Dangerous!

Homeless Cats And Dogs Are Suffering And Dying

Close Up Reports

No abstract provided.

Hsus Opposes Cruel Clubbing Of Harp Seal Pups

Close Up Reports

No abstract provided.

Food Animals Are Suffering

Close Up Reports

HSUS intensifies campaign to eliminate cruelty on 'factory farms'

Hsus Investigation Leads To Fifty Arrests In Cockfight Raid

Close Up Reports

Participants fined up to $500

Oil-Soaked Birds Saved

Close Up Reports

HSUS participates in historic bird rescue

Hsus Fights Cruelty In Pounds

Close Up Reports

Unlike privately owned animal shelters, the pound was not instituted for the benefit of the animals.

Hsus Spotlights Circus Cruelty

Close Up Reports

Society has sideshow operator arrested in three states

Struggle To Save Dolphins Continuing

Close Up Reports

New House Bill OKs Dolphin Deaths; HSUS Continuing Battle in Senate

Social Communication In Canids: Evidence For The Evolution Of A Stereotyped Mammalian Display, Marc Bekoff

Ethology Collection

The variability in the duration and form of the canid play bow was studied in infant coyotes, wolves, wolf-dog hybrids, beagles, and adult free-ranging dogs. Both duration and form showed marked stereotypy. It appears that the role of this context-specific social signal in the communication of play intention has been fostered by selection for "morphological" stereotypy.

Vocalizations Of Isolated Piglets. Ii. Some Environmental Factors, D. Fraser

Communication Skills Collection

The vocalizations of suckling piglets were studied during brief tests which involved social isolation, restriction of movement, and exposure to unfamiliar surroundings. Similar trends were shown in most cases by the three classes of call studied - closed mouth grunts, open mouth grunts, and squeals. The rate of calling was much lower when a piglet was in the home pen than when alone in an unfamiliar pen, and more calls were given in both situations when the animal’s movement was restricted by caging. The presence of the dam and four littermates in unfamiliar surroundings caused a large reduction in calling, …

Vocalizations Of Isolated Piglets. I. Sources Of Variation And Relationships Among Measures, D. Fraser

Communication Skills Collection

The vocalizations and activity of suckling piglets aged 4 to 25 days were studied during 5-min periods of social isolation in an unfamiliar enclosure. The animals became very active and vocalized repeatedly during the test, but the reaction was attenuated among older litters. Calls were predominantly closed mouth grunts at low rates of calling, and mainly squeals and open mouth grunts at high overall rates. Squealing correlated with open mouth grunting and with the activity measure both within and between litters. Even so, the measures appeared to be affected independently by the piglets’ behaviour in the home pen just before …

The Behaviour Of Swine, J. P. Signoret, B. A. Baldwin, D. Fraser, E. S. E. Hafez

Mammalogy Collection

The pig was a forest-dwelling animal from the beginning of its history. In some parts of the world it has been domesticated for at least 7000 years. The European breeds of domestic swine were derived from the local wild pig, Sus scrofa. Herds ranged in pastures and forests and kept indoors only for fattening. The breeds in the Far East were derived from another wild pig, Sus vittatus, a smaller animal with shorter legs and a higher reproductive ability (Mohr 1960; Zeuner 1963). The two types interbred readily. The modem breeds of pig evolved from different crossings between the two …

Special Report On Controlling America's Pet Population

Special Reports

HSUS estimates that public and private animal control programs cost the nation as much as $500 million a year. Much of this expense is required for the feeding and care of unwanted animals during the 5 to 10 days they are held for adoption, killing the 80% that are not adopted or redeemed, and disposing of the carcasses. The result is both an unconscionable waste of life and a needless drain on public and private money.

A large part of the blame for people undertaking pet ownership without having made a total commitment to the animal lies with the pet …

The Communication Of Play Intention: Are Play Signals Functional?, Marc Bekoff

Sentience Collection

No abstract provided.

Systematic And Evolutionary Implications Of Parthenogenesis In The Hymenoptera, C. N. Slobodchikoff, Howell V. Daly

Entomology Collection

Two types of parthenogenesis, arrhenotoky and thelytoky, exist in the Hymenoptera. Arrhenotoky, the development of males from unfertilized eggs, is present in all wasps and bees. Thelytoky, the development of diploid females from unfertilized eggs, is present in a few species. Two types of thelytoky, apomixis and automixis, are known. Most thelytokous Hymenoptera are automictic. No meiosis, only mitosis, occurs in apomixis. Meiosis does occur in automixis, allowing crossing-over and segregation of genes. Advantages of thelytoky are that heterotic combinations become fixed, gene loss is reduced, and reproduction requires only a single individual. One advantage of arrhenotoky is that genetic …

Estimates Of Heritability Of Beef Cattle Performance Traits By Regression Of Offspring On Sire, C. J. Brown, Maximo Gacula

Genetics Collection

Data used in this study were taken from performance test records of Hereford, Aberdeen-Angus and Shorthorn sires and their progeny that were raised and performance tested at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station during the years 1951 through 1962. Heritability estimates based on regression of offspring on sire were obtained from 201 male progeny belonging to 20 sire groups. The estimates obtained were 0.19±0.19 for 120-day weight, 0.27±0.13 for initial test weight, 0.93±0.18 for test daily gain, 0.43± 0.18 for feed consumption, 0.41±0.25 for feed conversion, 0.15±0.15 for type score, 0.37± 0.14 for final test weight, and 0.79±0.18 for production index.