This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.

Unclaimed
Linda Keeling
Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7068, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden

Honors and Awards

The user has no records in this section


Career Timeline

The user has no records in this section.


Short Biography

The user biography is not available.
Following
Followers
Co Authors
The list of users this user is following is empty.
Following: 0 users

Feed

Journal article
Published: 17 March 2021 in Sustainability
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The mutually beneficial relationships between improving animal welfare (AW) and achieving the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDGs) were further explored and compared to previous work. This was done in the context of a doctoral training course where students selected at least six SDGs and reasoned around their impact on AW and vice versa. Then, students rated the strength of the SDG—AW links. Lastly, students engaged in an assessment exercise. Students reported an overall mutually beneficial relationship between AW and all SDGs, yet with significant differences in strength for SDGs 4, 11, 10, 12 and 13 to that previously found by experts. Students considered SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production the most promising way to integrate AW targets. This study further supports the positive role of AW in the success of the UN’s strategy. Still, the magnitude of the anticipated impacts is modified by stakeholder, context and experience.

ACS Style

Gabriela Olmos Antillón; Håkan Tunón; Daiana de Oliveira; Michael Jones; Anna Wallenbeck; Janice Swanson; Harry Blokhuis; Linda Keeling. Animal Welfare and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals—Broadening Students’ Perspectives. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3328 .

AMA Style

Gabriela Olmos Antillón, Håkan Tunón, Daiana de Oliveira, Michael Jones, Anna Wallenbeck, Janice Swanson, Harry Blokhuis, Linda Keeling. Animal Welfare and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals—Broadening Students’ Perspectives. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (6):3328.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gabriela Olmos Antillón; Håkan Tunón; Daiana de Oliveira; Michael Jones; Anna Wallenbeck; Janice Swanson; Harry Blokhuis; Linda Keeling. 2021. "Animal Welfare and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals—Broadening Students’ Perspectives." Sustainability 13, no. 6: 3328.

Original research article
Published: 28 February 2020 in Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Human activities and anthropogenic environmental changes are having a profound effect on biodiversity and the sustainability and health of many populations and species of wild mammals. There has been less attention devoted to the impact of human activities on the welfare of individual wild mammals, although ethical reasoning suggests that the welfare of an individual is important regardless of species abundance or population health. There is growing interest in developing methodologies and frameworks that could be used to obtain an overview of anthropogenic threats to animal welfare. This paper shows the steps taken to develop a functional welfare assessment tool for wild cetaceans (WATWC) via an iterative process involving input from a wide range of experts and stakeholders. Animal welfare is a multidimensional concept, and the WATWC presented made use of the Five Domains model of animal welfare to ensure that all areas of potential welfare impact were considered. A pilot version of the tool was tested and then refined to improve functionality. We demonstrated that the refined version of the WATWC was useful to assess real-world impacts of human activity on Southern Resident killer whales. There was close within-scenario agreement between assessors as well as between-scenario differentiation of overall welfare impact. The current article discusses the challenges raised by assessing welfare in scenarios where objective data on cetacean behavioral and physiological responses are sparse and proposes that the WATWC approach has value in identifying important information gaps and in contributing to policy decisions relating to human impacts on whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

ACS Style

Christine Nicol; Lars Bejder; Laura Green; Craig Johnson; Linda Keeling; Dawn Noren; Julie Van Der Hoop; Mark Simmonds. Anthropogenic Threats to Wild Cetacean Welfare and a Tool to Inform Policy in This Area. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2020, 7, 1 .

AMA Style

Christine Nicol, Lars Bejder, Laura Green, Craig Johnson, Linda Keeling, Dawn Noren, Julie Van Der Hoop, Mark Simmonds. Anthropogenic Threats to Wild Cetacean Welfare and a Tool to Inform Policy in This Area. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2020; 7 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christine Nicol; Lars Bejder; Laura Green; Craig Johnson; Linda Keeling; Dawn Noren; Julie Van Der Hoop; Mark Simmonds. 2020. "Anthropogenic Threats to Wild Cetacean Welfare and a Tool to Inform Policy in This Area." Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7, no. : 1.

Research article
Published: 28 January 2020 in PLOS ONE
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The horses’ responses to exercise are commonly monitored using physiological variables, nonetheless physical and mental states can also be expressed through body language. The aims of this study were: (i) to identify how facial expressions and other behavioural variables change in ranch horses after a routine workday, and (ii) to investigate if these changes can be used as indicators of physical tiredness by relating them to known variables of physical fitness and workload. Fourteen crossbred ranch horses were assessed pre- and post-workday on two farms, recording the body language, physiological and workload variables. Statistical analysis consisted of four stages: (i) comparisons between the sampling times (pre- vs post-workday) using linear mixed-effects models with repeated measures and a paired Wilcoxon test; (ii) selection of the most powerful variables by applying Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test and principal components analyses (PCA); (iii) evaluations of the relationships within these selected variables utilizing PCA and Spearman rank coefficients; and (iv) identifying a critical level of the most robust behavioural indicators using a non-hierarchical cluster analysis. Results showed that after a workday the horses increased the frequency/duration of body language indicative of resting. They also decreased the frequency/duration of body language indicative of attention and movements to avoid flies. However, some of these behaviours are also shown when horses are in pain, leading us to suggest that some ranch horses were probably experiencing a combination of of tiredness and slight soreness. Of particular interest, because of the ease with which it can be assessed on the farm and generalized to other situations, we suggest that the frequency of shifting weight between the forelegs has potential to be used as an indicator of physical tiredness in horses. The results can also be used in the development of tools to improve the welfare of ranch horses as well as horses used in other activities, although more research is needed to validate this assumption.

ACS Style

Pedro Henrique Esteves Trindade; Elke Hartmann; Linda J. Keeling; Pia Haubro Andersen; Guilherme De Camargo Ferraz; Mateus José Rodrigues Paranhos Da Costa. Effect of work on body language of ranch horses in Brazil. PLOS ONE 2020, 15, e0228130 .

AMA Style

Pedro Henrique Esteves Trindade, Elke Hartmann, Linda J. Keeling, Pia Haubro Andersen, Guilherme De Camargo Ferraz, Mateus José Rodrigues Paranhos Da Costa. Effect of work on body language of ranch horses in Brazil. PLOS ONE. 2020; 15 (1):e0228130.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pedro Henrique Esteves Trindade; Elke Hartmann; Linda J. Keeling; Pia Haubro Andersen; Guilherme De Camargo Ferraz; Mateus José Rodrigues Paranhos Da Costa. 2020. "Effect of work on body language of ranch horses in Brazil." PLOS ONE 15, no. 1: e0228130.

Original research article
Published: 10 October 2019 in Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Reads 0
Downloads 0

This paper systematically evaluates the extent to which achieving the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) is compatible with improving animal welfare. The analyses were based on discussion and independent scoring in a group of 12 participants with academic backgrounds within agricultural or veterinary sciences. We considered all categories of animals; those kept for food production, working and companion animals, but also laboratory and wild animals. The strengths of the links between improving animal welfare and achieving an SDG were scored on a 7-point scale, from being completely indivisible, at one end of the scale, to where it is impossible to reach both the SDG and improved animal welfare at the same time. There was good consensus between participants, with the overall scores being positive, indicating that although animal welfare is not explicitly mentioned in the SDGs, working to achieving the SDGs is compatible with working to improve animal welfare. When analyzing the direction of the links, the impact of achieving an SDG was considered, on average, to be slightly better at leading to improved animal welfare, than the impact of improving animal welfare was on achieving the SDG. The exception to this was for SDG 2, dealing with zero hunger. The two SDGs for which there was strongest mutual reinforcing were SDG 12, which deals with responsible production and consumption, and SDG 14, which deals with life below water. Most of the targets under these two SDGs were considered relevant to animal welfare, whereas when all SDGs were considered, 66 targets of the total of 169 were considered relevant. Although the results of this study suggest a mutually beneficial relationship between improving animal welfare and achieving SDGs, this should be confirmed on a wider group of people, for example people from less developed countries and other stakeholders. Showing the relationships between animal welfare and the sustainable development goals helps highlight the importance of animal welfare when implementing these goals in practice. The methodology described in this study could also be useful to researchers working with other societal and environmental issues not yet considered within the overall SDG framework.

ACS Style

Linda Keeling; Håkan Tunon; Gabriela Olmos Antillón; Charlotte Berg; Mike Jones; Leopoldo Stuardo; Janice Swanson; Anna Wallenbeck; Christoph Winckler; Harry Blokhuis. Animal Welfare and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2019, 6, 1 .

AMA Style

Linda Keeling, Håkan Tunon, Gabriela Olmos Antillón, Charlotte Berg, Mike Jones, Leopoldo Stuardo, Janice Swanson, Anna Wallenbeck, Christoph Winckler, Harry Blokhuis. Animal Welfare and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2019; 6 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Linda Keeling; Håkan Tunon; Gabriela Olmos Antillón; Charlotte Berg; Mike Jones; Leopoldo Stuardo; Janice Swanson; Anna Wallenbeck; Christoph Winckler; Harry Blokhuis. 2019. "Animal Welfare and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals." Frontiers in Veterinary Science 6, no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 06 July 2019 in Preventive Veterinary Medicine
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The increasing number of human cases infected with a highly virulent type of verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) O157:H7 in Sweden is the result of domestic transmission originating in regional clusters of infected cattle farms. To control the spread of the bacteria a comprehensive picture of infection dynamics, routes of transmission between farms and risk factors for persistence is urgently needed. The aim of the study was to investigate different aspects of the epidemiology of VTEC O157:H7 on the Swedish island of Öland by combining information from environmental sampling of VTEC O157:H7 from 80 farms with information from farmer questionnaires, spatial and molecular analyses. The farms were sampled in the spring and fall of 2014 and on four of them additional samples were collected during summer and winter. The results show a high prevalence of VTEC O157:H7 and a high proportion of strains belonging to the virulent clade 8. Farms that became infected between samplings were all located in an area with high cattle density. The most important risk factors identified are generally associated with biosecurity and indicate that visitors travelling between farms may be important for transmission. In addition, whole genome sequencing of a subset of isolates from the four farms where additional sampling was performed revealed ongoing local transmission that cannot be observed with a lower resolution typing method. Our observations also show that VTEC O157:H7 may persist in the farm environment for extended periods of time, suggesting that specific on-farm measures to reduce environmental prevalence and spread between groups of animals may be required in these cases.

ACS Style

Lena-Mari Tamminen; Robert Söderlund; David Wilkinson; Maria Torsein; Erik Eriksson; Mikhail Churakov; Johan Dicksved; Linda J. Keeling; Ulf Emanuelson. Risk factors and dynamics of verotoxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 on cattle farms: An observational study combining information from questionnaires, spatial data and molecular analyses. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 2019, 170, 104726 .

AMA Style

Lena-Mari Tamminen, Robert Söderlund, David Wilkinson, Maria Torsein, Erik Eriksson, Mikhail Churakov, Johan Dicksved, Linda J. Keeling, Ulf Emanuelson. Risk factors and dynamics of verotoxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 on cattle farms: An observational study combining information from questionnaires, spatial data and molecular analyses. Preventive Veterinary Medicine. 2019; 170 ():104726.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lena-Mari Tamminen; Robert Söderlund; David Wilkinson; Maria Torsein; Erik Eriksson; Mikhail Churakov; Johan Dicksved; Linda J. Keeling; Ulf Emanuelson. 2019. "Risk factors and dynamics of verotoxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 on cattle farms: An observational study combining information from questionnaires, spatial data and molecular analyses." Preventive Veterinary Medicine 170, no. : 104726.

Journal article
Published: 01 June 2019 in Applied Animal Behaviour Science
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Daiana de Oliveira; Linda Jane Keeling; Mateus José Rodrigues Paranhos da Costa. Individual variation over time in piglet´s reactions to early handling and its association to weight gain. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2019, 215, 7 -12.

AMA Style

Daiana de Oliveira, Linda Jane Keeling, Mateus José Rodrigues Paranhos da Costa. Individual variation over time in piglet´s reactions to early handling and its association to weight gain. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2019; 215 ():7-12.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daiana de Oliveira; Linda Jane Keeling; Mateus José Rodrigues Paranhos da Costa. 2019. "Individual variation over time in piglet´s reactions to early handling and its association to weight gain." Applied Animal Behaviour Science 215, no. : 7-12.

Journal article
Published: 15 April 2019 in Scientific Reports
Reads 0
Downloads 0

This study investigates the dynamics of play behaviour within groups of four juvenile pigs and uses a novel clustering and statistical modelling approach to describe new details in how individuals play with a familiar object (toy rope). We examined complex state sequence data collected during a 30 min home pen play test, using the package TraMineR, where the states were defined as object play, locomotor/social play and no play. From behavioural observations, and based on the relative proportion of the different types of object play observed, each individual was later categorised as an initiator or joiner type of player. Initiators were found to be more solitary and to show more object play whereas joiners were more social and showed less object play. The majority of groups did not have an initiator type of player, yet on average they played more. Despite strong group and type of player effects, we identified three general individual play patterns. On a group level, our results demonstrate differences in how a period of playing develops, that playing with the object simultaneously occurs more often in groups than expected by chance and that the number of pigs playing together is stable over time.

ACS Style

Manja Zupan; Therese Rehn; Daiana de Oliveira; Špela Malovrh; Linda Keeling. Individual play patterns stimulated by a familiar object are group-driven. Scientific Reports 2019, 9, 6092 .

AMA Style

Manja Zupan, Therese Rehn, Daiana de Oliveira, Špela Malovrh, Linda Keeling. Individual play patterns stimulated by a familiar object are group-driven. Scientific Reports. 2019; 9 (1):6092.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Manja Zupan; Therese Rehn; Daiana de Oliveira; Špela Malovrh; Linda Keeling. 2019. "Individual play patterns stimulated by a familiar object are group-driven." Scientific Reports 9, no. 1: 6092.

Research article
Published: 14 January 2019 in PLOS ONE
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Birds kept in commercial production systems can be exposed to multiple stressors from early life and this alters the development of different morphological, immunological and behavioural indicators. We explore the hypothesis that provision of a complex environment during early life, better prepares birds to cope with stressful events as well as buffers them against future unpredictable stressful episodes. In this study, 96 one day old pullets were randomly distributed in eight pens (12 birds/pen). Half of the chicks (N = 48) were assigned to a Complex Environment (CENV: with perches, a dark brooder etc.) the others to a Simple Environment (SENV: without enrichment features). Half of the birds from each of these treatments were assigned to a No Stress (NSTR, 33°C) or to an acute Cold Stress (CSTR, 18–20°C) treatment during six hours on their second day of life. At four weeks of age, chicks with these four different backgrounds were exposed to an Intermittent Stressful Challenges Protocol (ISCP). In an immunological test indicative of pro-inflammatory status Phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P), the response of CSTR birds was ameliorated by rearing chicks in a CENV as they had a similar response to NSTR chicks and a significantly better pro-inflammatory response than those CSTR birds reared in a SENV (five days after the CSTR treatment was applied). A similar better response when coping with new challenges (the ISCP) was observed in birds reared in a CENV compared to those from a SENV. Birds reared in the CENV had a lower heterophil/lymphocyte ratio after the ISCP than birds reared in SENV, independently of whether or not they had been exposed to CSTR early in life. No effects of stress on general behaviour were detected, however, the provision of a CENV increased resting behaviour, which may have favoured stress recover. Additionally, we found that exposure to cold stress at an early age might have rendered birds more vulnerable to future stressful events. CSTR birds had lower humoral immune responses (sheep red blood cells induced antibodies) after the ISCP and started using elevated structures in the CENV later compared to their NSTR conspecifics. Our study reflects the importance of the early provision of a CENV in commercial conditions to reduce negative stress-related effects. Within the context of the theory of adaptive plasticity, our results suggest that the early experience of the birds had long lasting effects on the modulation of their phenotypes.

ACS Style

Irene Campderrich; Franco Nicolas Nazar; Anette Wichman; Raul Hector Marin; Inma Estevez; Linda J. Keeling. Environmental complexity: A buffer against stress in the domestic chick. PLOS ONE 2019, 14, e0210270 .

AMA Style

Irene Campderrich, Franco Nicolas Nazar, Anette Wichman, Raul Hector Marin, Inma Estevez, Linda J. Keeling. Environmental complexity: A buffer against stress in the domestic chick. PLOS ONE. 2019; 14 (1):e0210270.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Irene Campderrich; Franco Nicolas Nazar; Anette Wichman; Raul Hector Marin; Inma Estevez; Linda J. Keeling. 2019. "Environmental complexity: A buffer against stress in the domestic chick." PLOS ONE 14, no. 1: e0210270.

Journal article
Published: 09 January 2019 in Preventive Veterinary Medicine
Reads 0
Downloads 0

After the ban of battery cages in 1988, a welfare control programme for laying hens was developed in Sweden. Its goal was to monitor and ensure that animal welfare was not negatively affected by the new housing systems. The present observational study provides an overview of the current welfare status of commercial layer flocks in Sweden and explores the complexity of welfare aspects by investigating and interpreting the inter-relationships between housing system, production type (i.e. organic or conventional), facilities, management and animal welfare indicators. For this purpose, a machine learning procedure referred to as structure discovery was applied to data collected through the welfare programme during 2010-2014 in 397 flocks housed in 193 different farms. Seventeen variables were fitted to an Additive Bayesian Network model. The optimal model was identified by an exhaustive search of the data iterated across incremental parent limits, accounting for prior knowledge about causality, potential over-dispersion and clustering. The resulting Directed Acyclic Graph shows the inter-relationships among the variables. The animal-based welfare indicators included in this study – flock mortality, feather condition and mite infestation – were indirectly associated with each other. Of these, severe mite infestations were rare (4% of inspected flocks) and mortality was below the acceptable threshold (< 0.6%). Feather condition scored unsatisfactory in 21% of the inspected flocks; however, it seemed to be only associated to the age of the flock, ruling out any direct connection with managerial and housing variables. The environment-based welfare indicators – lighting and air quality – were an issue in 5 and 8% of the flocks, respectively, and showed a complex inter-relationship with several managerial and housing variables leaving room for several options for intervention. Additive Bayesian Network modelling outlined graphically the underlying process that generated the observed data. In contrast to ordinary regression, it aimed at accounting for conditional independency among variables, facilitating causal interpretation.

ACS Style

Arianna Comin; Alexandra Jeremiasson; Gilles Kratzer; Linda Keeling. Revealing the structure of the associations between housing system, facilities, management and welfare of commercial laying hens using Additive Bayesian Networks. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 2019, 164, 23 -32.

AMA Style

Arianna Comin, Alexandra Jeremiasson, Gilles Kratzer, Linda Keeling. Revealing the structure of the associations between housing system, facilities, management and welfare of commercial laying hens using Additive Bayesian Networks. Preventive Veterinary Medicine. 2019; 164 ():23-32.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Arianna Comin; Alexandra Jeremiasson; Gilles Kratzer; Linda Keeling. 2019. "Revealing the structure of the associations between housing system, facilities, management and welfare of commercial laying hens using Additive Bayesian Networks." Preventive Veterinary Medicine 164, no. : 23-32.

Encyclopedia
Published: 25 September 2018 in Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior
Reads 0
Downloads 0

There has been research in animal welfare for many decades, but most has been directed towards assessing and preventing poor welfare. The term good welfare is often used to imply that there are few or no indicators of poor welfare. But good welfare is more than the absence of poor welfare. This chapter reviews some of the research to identify indicators of good welfare, or positive welfare as it is sometimes called. It highlights challenges in this area, like the importance of validating animal-based measures, the necessary link to emotional states in animals, and how good welfare can be seen in an evolutionary context. The indicators of good welfare that are discussed in more detail include play, exploration, grooming, affiliative behavior, synchronization, body posture and facial expressions.

ACS Style

Linda J. Keeling. Indicators of Good Welfare. Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior 2018, 134 -140.

AMA Style

Linda J. Keeling. Indicators of Good Welfare. Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior. 2018; ():134-140.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Linda J. Keeling. 2018. "Indicators of Good Welfare." Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior , no. : 134-140.

Journal article
Published: 06 June 2018 in Applied Animal Behaviour Science
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Working dogs often spend a large amount of their time in cars. It has been hypothesized that a larger compartment in the car would be more comfortable for the dog, but that a smaller space could be safer, especially while driving. This presents a potential conflict. In this study, working dogs of the breeds German Shepherd (N = 8) and Springer Spaniel (N = 8) from the Swedish Police and Customs respectively, were each tested in four different car cage sizes; two cages were the minimum size allowed according to Swedish regulations (one of fixed size and one adapted to the size of the dog) and for comparison we tested one larger (fixed sized) and one smaller (adapted sized) cage. These were tested under two different driving phases; normal driving (including turns and changes in speed) and slow cruising (without turning forces and of an even speed). The study was conducted at a test track using an estate car, typical of that used by these organizations. Testing of each cage size involved 30 minutes in the car, excluding the habituation period. The dogs’ behaviour and heart rate activity was recorded. Statistical analyses used a mixed model and pairwise comparisons. We found a large effect of our two driving phases, for example heart rate was higher and behavioural stress indicators more frequent during normal driving, implying that this was a more demanding situation for dogs compared to the slow cruising. Regarding cage size effects, there were fewer overall movements and body position changes by dogs in three smaller cages compared to the largest cage size. That this could be a sign of decreased comfort is supported by the finding that dogs could not turn around in these cages without curving their back upwards or lowering their rump in these cages. This could have negative physical effects, especially in German Shepherds which are predisposed to musculoskeletal disease. Furthermore, German Shepherd dogs showed more bracing postures, i.e. more attempts to maintain their balance, in the small fixed cage size. For these dogs this cage size was shorter than their own body length. However, this bracing did not result in them losing their balance any less often, illustrating the importance of space allowance for maintaining balance during transportation and implying that a smaller cage is not necessarily safer.

ACS Style

Lena Skånberg; Oskar Gauffin; Yezica Norling; Johan Lindsjö; Linda J. Keeling. Cage size affects comfort, safety and the experienced security of working dogs in cars. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2018, 205, 132 -140.

AMA Style

Lena Skånberg, Oskar Gauffin, Yezica Norling, Johan Lindsjö, Linda J. Keeling. Cage size affects comfort, safety and the experienced security of working dogs in cars. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2018; 205 ():132-140.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lena Skånberg; Oskar Gauffin; Yezica Norling; Johan Lindsjö; Linda J. Keeling. 2018. "Cage size affects comfort, safety and the experienced security of working dogs in cars." Applied Animal Behaviour Science 205, no. : 132-140.

Review
Published: 25 May 2018 in Animals
Reads 0
Downloads 0

As farm animal welfare becomes an increasingly important component of contemporary global livestock production, animal welfare science and animal welfare policy-making need to find new ways of entering global debates over food security and sustainability. In this paper, we explore the means by which both animal welfare science and policy should articulate with these emerging global debates. Having first established the important gains in animal welfare policy and the maturity of animal welfare science, we identify and explore the potential impact of these current debates and argue that they have the potential for profound change in our understanding of, and our response to, the welfare of animals. We conclude the paper with a number of possible recommendations for how a scientifically informed, sustainable animal welfare policy might flourish.

ACS Style

Henry Buller; Harry Blokhuis; Per Jensen; Linda Keeling. Towards Farm Animal Welfare and Sustainability. Animals 2018, 8, 81 .

AMA Style

Henry Buller, Harry Blokhuis, Per Jensen, Linda Keeling. Towards Farm Animal Welfare and Sustainability. Animals. 2018; 8 (6):81.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Henry Buller; Harry Blokhuis; Per Jensen; Linda Keeling. 2018. "Towards Farm Animal Welfare and Sustainability." Animals 8, no. 6: 81.

Research article
Published: 02 May 2018 in PLOS ONE
Reads 0
Downloads 0

We assessed dairy cows’ body postures while they were performing different stationary activities in a loose housing system and then used the variation within and between individuals to identify potential connections between specific postures and the valence and arousal dimensions of emotion. We observed 72 individuals within a single milking herd focusing on their ear, neck and tail positions while they were: feeding from individual roughage bins, being brushed by a mechanical rotating brush and queuing to enter a single automatic milking system. Cows showed different ear, neck and tail postures depending on the situation. When combined, their body posture during feeding was ears back up and neck down, with tail wags directed towards the body, during queuing their ears were mainly axial and forward, their neck below the horizontal and the tail hanging stationary, and during brushing their ears were backwards and asymmetric, the neck horizontal and the tail wagging vigorously. We then placed these findings about cow body posture during routine activities into an arousal/valence framework used in animal emotion research (dimensional model of core affect). In this way we generate a priori predictions of how the positions of the ears, neck and tail of cows may change in other situations, previously demonstrated to vary in valence and arousal. We propose that this new methodology, with its different steps of integration, could contribute to the identification and validation of behavioural (postural) indicators of how positively or negatively cows experience other activities, or situations, and how calm or aroused they are. Although developed here on dairy cattle, by focusing on relevant postures, this approach could be easily adapted to other species.

ACS Style

Daiana de Oliveira; Linda J. Keeling. Routine activities and emotion in the life of dairy cows: Integrating body language into an affective state framework. PLOS ONE 2018, 13, e0195674 .

AMA Style

Daiana de Oliveira, Linda J. Keeling. Routine activities and emotion in the life of dairy cows: Integrating body language into an affective state framework. PLOS ONE. 2018; 13 (5):e0195674.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daiana de Oliveira; Linda J. Keeling. 2018. "Routine activities and emotion in the life of dairy cows: Integrating body language into an affective state framework." PLOS ONE 13, no. 5: e0195674.

Article
Published: 29 March 2018 in Scientific Reports
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Cognitive processes are often biased by emotions. In humans, affective disorders are accompanied by pessimistic judgement, while optimistic judgement is linked to emotional stability. Similar to humans, animals tend to interpret ambiguous stimuli negatively after experiencing stressful events, although the long-lasting impact on judgement bias has rarely been investigated. We measure judgement bias in female chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) after exposure to cold stress, and before and after exposure to additional unpredictable stressors. Additionally, we explore if brain monoamines can explain differences in judgement bias. Chicks exposed to cold stress did not differ in judgement bias compared to controls, but showed sensitivity to additional stressors by having higher motivation for social reinstatement. Environmental complexity reduced stress-induced negative judgement bias, by maintaining an optimistic bias in individuals housed in complex conditions even after stress exposure. Moreover, judgement bias was related to dopamine turnover rate in mesencephalon, with higher activity in individuals that had a more optimistic response. These results demonstrate that environmental complexity can buffer against negative effects of additive stress and that dopamine relates to judgement bias in chicks. These results reveal that both internal and external factors can mediate emotionally biased judgement in animals, thus showing similarities to findings in humans.

ACS Style

Josefina Zidar; Irene Campderrich; Emelie Jansson; Anette Wichman; Svante Winberg; Linda Keeling; Hanne Løvlie. Environmental complexity buffers against stress-induced negative judgement bias in female chickens. Scientific Reports 2018, 8, 1 -14.

AMA Style

Josefina Zidar, Irene Campderrich, Emelie Jansson, Anette Wichman, Svante Winberg, Linda Keeling, Hanne Løvlie. Environmental complexity buffers against stress-induced negative judgement bias in female chickens. Scientific Reports. 2018; 8 (1):1-14.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Josefina Zidar; Irene Campderrich; Emelie Jansson; Anette Wichman; Svante Winberg; Linda Keeling; Hanne Løvlie. 2018. "Environmental complexity buffers against stress-induced negative judgement bias in female chickens." Scientific Reports 8, no. 1: 1-14.

Original research article
Published: 30 November 2017 in Frontiers in Psychology
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The aim of this study was to investigate if an owner’s adult attachment style (AAS) influences how their dog interacts and obtains support from them during challenging events. A person’s AAS describes how they perceive their relationship to other people, but it may also reflect their caregiving behavior, and so their behavior toward the dog. We measured the AAS of 51 female Golden retriever owners, using the Adult Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), and observed the reactions of the dog-owner dyads in response to different challenging situations [visual surprise, auditory stressor and social stressors like a person approaching dressed as ghost or in coat, hat and sunglasses]. In addition, the dog was left alone in a novel environment for 3 min. Interactions between the dog and owner were observed both before and after separation. Spearman rank correlation tests were made (between owner AAS and dog behavior) and where correlations were found, Mann–Whitney U-tests were made on the dogs’ behavioral response between high and low scoring groups of owners of the different subscales of the ASQ. The more secure the owner (ASQ subscale ‘Confidence’), the longer the dog was oriented to the two sudden stressors (the visual and auditory stressor). The more anxious the owner (ASQ subscale ‘Attachment anxiety’), the longer the dog oriented toward the owner during the approach of the strange-looking person and the dog showed less lip licking during separation from the owner. The more avoidant the owner (ASQ subscale ‘Avoidant attachment’), the longer the dog oriented toward the owner during the visual stressor, the less it was located behind the owner during the auditory stressor and the less it was oriented toward the auditory stressor. These links between owner attachment style and dog behavior imply that dogs may develop different strategies to handle challenging situations, based on the type of support they get from their owner.

ACS Style

Therese Rehn; Andrea Beetz; Linda J. Keeling. Links between an Owner’s Adult Attachment Style and the Support-Seeking Behavior of Their Dog. Frontiers in Psychology 2017, 8, 1 .

AMA Style

Therese Rehn, Andrea Beetz, Linda J. Keeling. Links between an Owner’s Adult Attachment Style and the Support-Seeking Behavior of Their Dog. Frontiers in Psychology. 2017; 8 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Therese Rehn; Andrea Beetz; Linda J. Keeling. 2017. "Links between an Owner’s Adult Attachment Style and the Support-Seeking Behavior of Their Dog." Frontiers in Psychology 8, no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 November 2017 in Animal Welfare
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Good animal welfare is crucial for the success of circuses and zoos. Epidemiological studies of animal welfare that investigate associations between animal-based measures (ABMs) and resource- and management-based measures are needed. However, due to the relatively low numbers of animals within each species kept at individual facilities, such investigations can be difficult to carry out. In this paper, we report the analysis of a multi-facility epidemiological study using data from all regulatory inspections of circus and zoo animals in Sweden for 2010 to 2014. Information from 42 inspections of 38 circuses, and 318 inspections of 179 zoos was analysed. For ABMs assessed during routine inspections of circuses (n = 14) and zoos (n = 61), 9.1 and 14.3% did not comply with requirements for general care of hooves/claws and coat, 10.0 and 8.6% for body condition, and 0 and 1.7% for animal cleanliness, respectively. In addition, the zoo checklist assessed whether animals were kept in appropriate groups, finding non-compliance in 17.0% of inspections. The most frequent non-compliant resource- and management-based measures at routine inspections of circuses were for space (41.7%) and exercise requirements (38.5%). For zoos, 29.4% did not comply with space followed by 28.8% for enrichment requirements. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, zoos that had inadequate or unsafe housing and space design, inadequate bedding, or failed to meet nutritional requirements, were more likely to be non-compliant with at least one ABM. The checklists should be improved to better assess welfare status by including more ABMs; benchmarking of risks and trends over time is also recommended.

ACS Style

Peta Hitchens; J Hultgren; J Frössling; Ulf Emanuelson; Linda Keeling. Circus and zoo animal welfare in Sweden: an epidemiological analysis of data from regulatory inspections by the official competent authorities. Animal Welfare 2017, 26, 373 -382.

AMA Style

Peta Hitchens, J Hultgren, J Frössling, Ulf Emanuelson, Linda Keeling. Circus and zoo animal welfare in Sweden: an epidemiological analysis of data from regulatory inspections by the official competent authorities. Animal Welfare. 2017; 26 (4):373-382.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Peta Hitchens; J Hultgren; J Frössling; Ulf Emanuelson; Linda Keeling. 2017. "Circus and zoo animal welfare in Sweden: an epidemiological analysis of data from regulatory inspections by the official competent authorities." Animal Welfare 26, no. 4: 373-382.

Journal article
Published: 01 November 2017 in Preventive Veterinary Medicine
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Few studies have previously investigated how poor animal welfare might be associated with infection of zoonotic pathogens in humans. This paper assesses the predictive value of the presence of Campylobacter spp. in broiler chicken flocks when animal-based measures related to footpad dermatitis, hock burns, body lesions and arthritis are identified under commercial conditions (high density). The study population included 32 flocks analysed on farm and at slaughter, slaughtered between April and August 2008 in six different slaughter plants in Brittany, France. Welfare and health indicators are those indicated by the European legislation and sampling was carried out in the framework of the European baseline survey on the prevalence of Campylobacter in broiler chicken. Caecal contents, sampled both on farm and at slaughter, and carcass skin samples from the neck and breast at slaughter, were investigated for the presence of Campylobacter spp. Logistic models/classification trees were used to estimate the probability of the presence (or absence) of a specific foodborne pathogen in a flock based on specific animal-based measures (or combinations of measures) in order to study the potential relationship between welfare indicators and foodborne pathogen prevalence/incidence levels. On farm, flocks with more than 25% animals with severe lesions on between 25 and 50% of the footpad are predicted to be Campylobacter-positive whereas flocks where less than 13 individuals have arthritis are predicted to be Campylobacter-negative. The error rate on farm and at slaughter was 10 and 4% respectively indicating good predicting abilities. A poor welfare environment may result in stress, which reduces chicken immunocompetence making them more susceptible to Campylobacter spp. An infection with Campylobacter spp may lead to impaired defence and susceptibility to other pathogens which may result in greater intestinal excretion. Poor welfare and high growing rate lead to digestive troubles that lead to litter humidity. Litter humidity that, among other things, causes footpad dermatitis may also influence the horizontal transmission of the Campylobacter spp. infection due to the normal coprophagic behaviour of poultry. Reducing welfare problems by a better management of rearing conditions would not only improve broiler welfare, but it would also decrease the risks of Campylobacter contamination, of carcass condemnations and of economic loss for the poultry industry.

ACS Style

Irene Alpigiani; Josè Cortinas Abrahantes; Virginie Michel; Adeline Huneau-Salaün; Marianne Chemaly; Linda Jane Keeling; Andrea Gervelmeyer; Cristina Bacci; Franco Brindani; Silvia Bonardi; Franck Berthe. Associations between animal welfare indicators and Campylobacter spp. in broiler chickens under commercial settings: A case study. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 2017, 147, 186 -193.

AMA Style

Irene Alpigiani, Josè Cortinas Abrahantes, Virginie Michel, Adeline Huneau-Salaün, Marianne Chemaly, Linda Jane Keeling, Andrea Gervelmeyer, Cristina Bacci, Franco Brindani, Silvia Bonardi, Franck Berthe. Associations between animal welfare indicators and Campylobacter spp. in broiler chickens under commercial settings: A case study. Preventive Veterinary Medicine. 2017; 147 ():186-193.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Irene Alpigiani; Josè Cortinas Abrahantes; Virginie Michel; Adeline Huneau-Salaün; Marianne Chemaly; Linda Jane Keeling; Andrea Gervelmeyer; Cristina Bacci; Franco Brindani; Silvia Bonardi; Franck Berthe. 2017. "Associations between animal welfare indicators and Campylobacter spp. in broiler chickens under commercial settings: A case study." Preventive Veterinary Medicine 147, no. : 186-193.

Research article
Published: 18 October 2017 in PLOS ONE
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Little is known about the cat’s (Felis silvestris catus) need for human contact, although it is generally believed that cats are more independent pets than e.g. dogs. In this study, we investigated the effect of time left alone at home on cat behaviour (e.g. social and distress-related) before, during and after separation from their owner. Fourteen privately owned cats (single-housed) were each subjected to two treatments: the cat was left alone in their home environment for 30 min (T0.5) and for 4 h (T4). There were no differences between treatments in the behaviour of the cat (or owner) before owner departure, nor during the first 5 min of separation. During separation, cats were lying down resting proportionally less (T = 22.5, P = 0.02) in T0.5 (0.27±0.1 (mean±SE)) compared to in T4 (0.58±0.08), probably due to a similar duration of higher activity early in the separation phase in both treatments. Comparisons of the time interval (min 20–25) in both treatments indicated no differences across treatments, which supports such an explanation. Towards the end of the separation phase (the last two 5-min intervals of separation in both treatments), no differences were observed in the cats’ behaviour, indicating that cats were unaffected by separation length. At reunion however, cats purred more (T = 10.5, P = 0.03) and stretched their body more (T = 17, P = 0.04) after a longer duration of separation (T4:0.05±0.02; 0.03±0.01; T0.5: 0.01±0.007; 0.008±0.003). Also, owners initiated more verbal contact (T = 33.5, P = 0.04) after 4 h (0.18±0.05) compared to after 30 min (0.12±0.03). There was no evidence of any correlations between the level of purring or body stretching by the cat and verbal contact by the owner implying that the behavioural expressions seen in the cats are independent of the owner’s behaviour. Hence, it seemed as cats coped well with being left alone, but they were affected by the time they were left alone, since they expressed differences in behaviour when the owner returned home. The increased level of social contact initiated by the cats after a longer duration of separation indicates a rebound of contact-seeking behaviour, implying that the owner is an important part of the cat’s social environment.

ACS Style

Matilda Eriksson; Linda Keeling; Therese Rehn. Cats and owners interact more with each other after a longer duration of separation. PLOS ONE 2017, 12, e0185599 -e0185599.

AMA Style

Matilda Eriksson, Linda Keeling, Therese Rehn. Cats and owners interact more with each other after a longer duration of separation. PLOS ONE. 2017; 12 (10):e0185599-e0185599.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Matilda Eriksson; Linda Keeling; Therese Rehn. 2017. "Cats and owners interact more with each other after a longer duration of separation." PLOS ONE 12, no. 10: e0185599-e0185599.

Journal article
Published: 01 September 2017 in Applied Animal Behaviour Science
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Linda Keeling; Ruth Newberry; Inma Estevez. Flock size during rearing affects pullet behavioural synchrony and spatial clustering. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2017, 194, 36 -41.

AMA Style

Linda Keeling, Ruth Newberry, Inma Estevez. Flock size during rearing affects pullet behavioural synchrony and spatial clustering. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2017; 194 ():36-41.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Linda Keeling; Ruth Newberry; Inma Estevez. 2017. "Flock size during rearing affects pullet behavioural synchrony and spatial clustering." Applied Animal Behaviour Science 194, no. : 36-41.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2017 in Journal of Veterinary Behavior
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Ann-Kristina Lind; Eva Hydbring-Sandberg; Björn Forkman; Linda J. Keeling. Assessing stress in dogs during a visit to the veterinary clinic: Correlations between dog behavior in standardized tests and assessments by veterinary staff and owners. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 2017, 17, 24 -31.

AMA Style

Ann-Kristina Lind, Eva Hydbring-Sandberg, Björn Forkman, Linda J. Keeling. Assessing stress in dogs during a visit to the veterinary clinic: Correlations between dog behavior in standardized tests and assessments by veterinary staff and owners. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 2017; 17 ():24-31.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ann-Kristina Lind; Eva Hydbring-Sandberg; Björn Forkman; Linda J. Keeling. 2017. "Assessing stress in dogs during a visit to the veterinary clinic: Correlations between dog behavior in standardized tests and assessments by veterinary staff and owners." Journal of Veterinary Behavior 17, no. : 24-31.