The DOI matches its Crossref record; 72 of the 74 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Why is There no Simple Way of Measuring Animal Welfare?
Abstract
Abstract Although the physiological and behavioural changes that can indicate poor welfare are generally agreed upon, using these measures in practice sometimes yields results that are hard to interpret. For example, different types of measure may suggest quite different things about an animal's welfare. Such contradictions are often due to the differing properties of the variables being measured. How each variable responds to a stressor can be affected by several factors - the type of unpleasant stimulus to which the animal is exposed; when and for how long exposure occurs; the animal's psychological state, eg does it feel that it is in control?; and the time at which the measurement is made, relative to the stressor. Typical responses also often differ between species and between individuals, and may even change in a single individual over time. Furthermore, some responses used to assess welfare lack specificity: they can be elicited by neutral or even pleasant events as well as by aversive ones. Appreciating these factors is vital when designing experiments, when choosing what to measure along with each welfare variable, and when interpreting results. Even after taking these factors into consideration, interpreting a result can still be difficult. One approach then is to consider the effects on welfare of the changes measured, eg if there is immunosuppression, does the animal succumb to disease? Another is to use the animal's behaviour to indicate its preference for, or aversion to, particular environments. Ultimately, however, interpreting welfare measures involves subjective judgements which will be influenced by the nature of our concern for the animal under consideration. By raising these problems, we hope that this review will highlight and clarify the apparent contradictions that sometimes emerge in scientific studies of animal welfare, and help researchers improve the designs of their experiments for the benefit of the animals concerned.
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“Animals of different ages may react differently to the same scenario or resource allocation (110).”
From Comparison of animal welfare assessment tools and methodologies: need for an effective approach for captive elephants in Asia (2024) · cites this paper as [110]
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“” However, no such definitive and clear-cut definition of animal welfare (Mason & Mendl 1993; Fraser 2008; Mellor & Webster 2014; Mellor 2016) or animal integrity (Bovenkerk et al. 2002; Gavrell Ortiz 2004; Röcklinsberg et al. 2014) exists.”
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Cravana, C., Fazio, E., Ferlazzo, A., & Medica, P. (2021) · Journal of Veterinary Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2021.07.013 · Cited by 21
From human wellbeing to animal welfare
Williams, L. A. (2021) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.014 · Cited by 22
Kubasiewicz, L. M., Rodrigues, J. B., Norris, S. L., Watson, T. L., Rickards, K. J., Bell, N., Judge, A., Raw, Z., & Burden, F. A. (2020) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani10040546 · Cited by 21
Ethical regulation and animal science: why animal behaviour is not so special
Cuthill, I. C. (2007) · Animal Behaviour · doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.04.003 · Cited by 21
“Furthermore, although animal behaviour does have a special role in informing the debate (Mason & Mendl 1993; Dawkins 1998, 2003; Correspondence: I. C. Cuthill, Centre for Behavioural Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UG, U.K. (email:…”
BackgroundBehavioural responses of dogs to dog-human social conflict situations
Kühne, F. (2016) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2016.05.005 · Cited by 20
Cross-disciplinary perspectives on animal welfare science and animal-computer interaction
Rault, J., Webber, S. E., & Carter, M. (2015) · International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology (ACE) · doi:10.1145/2832932.2837014 · Cited by 20
“Although considerable attention is given to the way animals cope with challenges, an important determinant of an animal’s welfare is the consequences of these actions (for example: weight loss, suffering), rather the action itself [15].”
BackgroundDefining the concept of animal welfare: integrating the opinion of citizens and other stakeholders
Poucke, E. V., Vanhonacker, F., Nijs, G., Braeckman, J., Verbeke, W., & Tuyttens, F. (2006) · Wageningen Academic Publishers eBooks · doi:10.3920/9789086865758_097 · Cited by 20
Swaisgood, R. R., White, A. M., Zhou, X., Zhang, G., & Lindburg, D. G. (2005) · Journal of comparative psychology · doi:10.1037/0735-7036.119.3.325 · Cited by 20
How does the running wheel affect the behaviour and reproduction of golden hamsters kept as pets?
Gebhardt‐Henrich, S. G., Vonlanthen, E. M., & Steiger, A. (2005) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2005.02.019 · Cited by 21
“The measurement of animal welfare is difficult and includes physical and psychological aspects (Mason and Mendl, 1993).”
BackgroundIs animal welfare better on smaller dairy farms? Evidence from 3,085 dairy farms in Germany
Lindena, T., & Heß, S. (2022) · Journal of Dairy Science · doi:10.3168/jds.2022-21906 · Cited by 21
Tiemann, I., Fijn, L. B., Bagaria, M., Langen, E. M. A., van der Staay, F. J., Arndt, S. S., Leenaars, C. H. C., & Goerlich, V. C. (2023) · Frontiers in Veterinary Science · doi:10.3389/fvets.2022.954607 · Cited by 22
Advancing the quantitative characterization of farm animal welfare
Bartlett, H., Balmford, A. P., Holmes, M. A., & Wood, J. L. N. (2023) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2023.0120 · Cited by 19
“WQ protocols are used widely, but have been criticized over the choice of measures included, their focus on group-level welfare rather than on individuals, how they are combined into an overall score, the level of compensation between different aspects of animal welfare, and for their snapshot approach to welfare quan…”
BackgroundEthical Considerations for Echinoderms: New Initiatives in Welfare
Crespi-Abril, A. C., & Rubilar, T. (2023) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani13213377 · Cited by 22
Animal welfare in a global perspective
Bracke, M. B. M. (2009) · Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling · Cited by 19
Measuring Humaneness: Can It Be Done, and What Does It Mean If It Can?
Hadidian, J., Unti, B., & Griffin, J. (2014) · Proceedings - Vertebrate Pest Conference · doi:10.5070/v426110335 · Cited by 18
“They may not always co-vary, they can often be difficult to interpret, and they may differ from one individual or situation to another (Mason and Mendl 1993).”
BackgroundRelationship between behavior and cardiac response to round pen training
Wilk, I., & Janczarek, I. (2015) · Journal of Veterinary Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2015.01.001 · Cited by 18
Whittaker, A. L., & Barker, T. H. (2020) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani10060989 · Cited by 18
“The nature of affective states experienced by the animal, and their relative weighting over time, typically defines whether an animal has, on balance, good or poor welfare [42,43].”
BackgroundRacehorse welfare across a training season
Annan, R., Trigg, L. E., Hockenhull, J., Allen, K., Butler, D. A., Valenchon, M., & Mullan, S. M. (2023) · Frontiers in Veterinary Science · doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1208744 · Cited by 19
“Welfare assessments are suggested to be most informative by both scientists (8, 9) and racing stakeholders alike (10), when they are multi-faceted, as no single measure will represent an animals’ overall welfare.”
BackgroundAnimal behaviour and welfare research: A One Health perspective
Yeates, J. W. (2024) · Research Ethics · doi:10.1177/17470161241236941 · Cited by 22
“Animals’ responses and motivations are a source of information about what animals assess as harms and benefits (Dixon et al., 2013; Leach et al., 2004; Mason and Mendi, 1993; Meijer, 2013; Rushen, 1996).”
Cockram, M. S., & Mitchell, M. A. (1999) · BSAP Occasional Publication · doi:10.1017/s0263967x00033243 · Cited by 17
Computer Vision for Detection of Body Posture and Behavior of Red Foxes
Schütz, A. K., Krause, E. T., Fischer, M., Müller, T., Freuling, C. M., Conraths, F. J., Homeier‐Bachmann, T., & Lentz, H. H. K. (2022) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani12030233 · Cited by 16
“Thus, due to its multidimensional character, it is influenced by many factors [4].”
BackgroundChaney, P. (2013) · Parliamentary Affairs · doi:10.1093/pa/gss108 · Cited by 16
Behavioural reactions before and during vaginal examination in dairy cows
Pilz, M., Fischer‐Tenhagen, C., Thiele, G., Tinge, H., Lotz, F., & Heuwieser, W. (2012) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2012.01.011 · Cited by 16
“Animal welfare per se is difficult to measure, because the complexity of behaviour relies on subjective interpretations of different observers (Mason and Mendl, 1993).”
BackgroundLeeds, A., Elsner, R., & Lukas, K. E. (2016) · Animal Behavior and Cognition · doi:10.12966/abc.02.05.2016 · Cited by 16
“…as a sign of suboptimal welfare is that stereotypic behavior can also be a “scar” of past experiences, can become habitual over time (Mason & Latham, 2004; Mason & Mendl, 1993), or may even be anticipatory of positive aspects of the animal’s daily routine (Keen et al., 2014; Watters, 2014).”
Background
Metadata
- Authors
- Mason, G., & Mendi, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Mason, G
- ORCID
- Mason, G
- Venue
- Animal Welfare
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 1993-11
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 301-319
- ISSN
- 0962-7286 (ISSN-L)
- 2054-1538
- OpenAlex
- W2620308027
- Cited by
- 391
- References
- 74
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 11.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Animal Welfare (publishedVersion)
- WBI Studies Repository (submittedVersion)
- The Atrium (University of Guelph) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Veterinary Pharmacology and Anesthesia
- Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal testing and alternatives
- Keywords
- animal welfare assessment, stress response, individual differences in stress response, immunosuppression
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