Studies of bruises, as detected on carcasses at the slaughterhouse, may provide useful information about the traumatic situations the animals endure during the pre-slaughter period. In this paper, we review scientific data on the prevalence, risk factors and estimation of the age of bruises in beef cattle. Risk factors such as animal characteristics, transport conditions, stocking density, livestock auction and handling of the animals are discussed. Investigation of the age of bruises could provide information on when in the meat chain bruises occur and, could help to pinpoint where preventive measures should be taken, from the stage of collecting the animals on the farm until slaughter. We review the methods available to assess the age of the bruises; data on human forensic research are also included. The feasibility to identify traumatic episodes during the pre-slaughter period, in order to improve animal welfare is discussed.

Several types of enrichment can be used to improve animal welfare. This review summarizes the literature on the use of mechanical brushes, tactile udder stimulation, music, and visual stimuli as enrichment methods for dairy cows. Mechanical brushes and tactile stimulation of the udder have been shown to have a positive effect on milk yield and overall behavioral repertoire, enhancing natural behavior. Classical music reduces stress levels and has similarly been associated with increased milk yield. A slow or moderate tempo (70 to 100 bpm) at frequencies below 70 dB is recommended to have this positive effect. Evidence on the impacts of other types of enrichment, such as visual stimulation through mirrors, pictures, and color lights, or the use of olfactory stimuli, is equivocal and requires further study.

Animal welfare is a societally relevant issue that is globally attracting increased attention. This is in addition to the importance placed on welfare for the animals themselves. However, the content and application of laws protecting animals’ welfare vary across countries. In Latin America, there are a range of common practices or activities involving certain animal species, many of which are legal, that can impair an animal’s quality of life. These include the performance of aesthetic surgical procedures; bull-, cock-, and dog fighting; and the existence of circuses that exhibit animals. The extent and impact of these practices being dependent on the socioeconomic, cultural, territorial, and regulatory landscape of each country. Particularly, Ibero-American regions face welfare challenges that might be influenced by traditions and relevant legal gaps. The objective of this article is to review controversial practices carried out in companion and entertainment animals in Latin America, with a focus on legal aspects, as well as the current efforts being made to address and incorporate global welfare standards into domestic and wild animal practice and regulation.

The slaughter process in livestock is considered a stressor where the transport and handling of animals, as well as the selected stunning and bleeding methods, can cause acute pain, distress, and suffering. In water buffaloes, although stunning is known to be performed before bleeding to induce unconsciousness, no emphasis is made on the nociceptive events during this process. Particularly, current mechanical stunning methods applied to cattle are unsuitable for water buffaloes due to anatomical differences in the skull from other large ruminants. Furthermore, although very high-pressure pneumatic (200–220 psi) may be effective in the frontal position for lighter-weight water buffalos, for heavier animals, it is less likely to be effective. The present review aims: (1) to analyze the anatomical particularities of water buffaloes to discuss the importance of selecting a stunning method suitable for buffaloes, and (2) to revise the potential pain-related consequences, such as hyperalgesia and sensitization, and the signs to assess the stun quality and death to comprehend the relevance of a proper technique according to the species.

A study was conducted to collect information on the welfare status of salmonids reared in freshwater in southern Chile and to identify the most suitable operational welfare indicators (OWIs) for application in hatcheries. The study was carried out with the voluntary participation of 54 hatcheries that represent 36% of the total number of freshwater hatcheries operating in Chile, which were classified according to the production stage and comprised 12 hatcheries with recirculation system (RAS); 32 hatcheries with flow-through system (FTS); 7 hatcheries with water reuse system (REU) and 3 hatcheries with mixed system (FTS+RAS). Thirty OWIs were selected as the most suitable from the consulted literature and from a questionnaire administered to the fish farmers participating in the study. Three aspects were considered: animal welfare, feasibility, and economic cost, which were grouped into indirect (15) and direct OWIs (15). The OWIs were validated in 16 hatcheries where incubation, fingerling, and smoltification steps were covered. The results enabled the identification of critical conditions for the welfare of farmed fish, both in flow-through hatcheries and recirculation hatcheries, for the three salmonid species reared in Chile (Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch, and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss). Water quality was considered the most critical issue for smolt production in freshwater, followed by precocious maturation in Atlantic salmon males, observed primarily in RAS hatcheries, and mortality classified as non-infectious. The latter included the culling of fish that are considered not suitable for commercial production.