Environmental Enrichment

Includes structural, behavioral, food, and auditory enrichment.

Nannoni, E., Sardi, L., Vitali, M. et al. 2016. Effects of different enrichment devices on some welfare indicators of post-weaned undocked piglets. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 184, 25-34.

Two experimental trials were carried out in order to test the effectiveness of different environmental enrichments in improving the welfare of weaned pigs. A total of 120 undocked piglets was used. In trial one, group...

Horback, K. M., Pierdon, M. K., Parsons, T. D. 2016. Behavioral preference for different enrichment objects in a commercial sow herd. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 184, 7-15.

Increased public concern about farm animal welfare is driving both legislative initiatives and market forces to change how sows are housed and managed. This study investigated the use and preference for enrichment items at a...

Carreras, R., Mainau, E., Arroyo, L. et al. 2016. Housing conditions do not alter cognitive bias but affect serum cortisol, qualitative behaviour assessment and wounds on the carcass in pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 185, 39-44.

Measures of animal emotions are essential to assess animal welfare. Recently, the cognitive bias technique has been proposed as a measure of animal affective state. This technique is based on the premise that subjects in...

Kim-McCormack, N. N. E., Smith, C. L., Behie, A. M. 2016. Is interactive technology a relevant and effective enrichment for captive great apes? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 185, 1-8.

All non-human great apes are endangered, and for these animals, captive individuals play an important role in the species’ conservation management plan. Therefore, information about their current enrichment activities is essential for maintaining a healthy...

Ullah, I., Zuberi, A., Khan, K. U. et al. 2017. Effects of enrichment on the development of behaviour in an endangered fish mahseer (Tor putitora). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 186, 93-100.

Structural enrichment in the rearing environment, not only promotes fish welfare, but also affects several aspects of behavioural biology of fish in aquaculture. Here an attempt was made to use physical-enrichment to improve the behaviour...

Williams, I., Hoppitt, W., Grant, R. 2017. The effect of auditory enrichment, rearing method and social environment on the behavior of zoo-housed psittacines (Aves: Psittaciformes); implications for welfare.

The psychological and physiological effects of different genres of music are well documented in humans. These concepts have also been studied in kenneled dogs and some exotic animals, implying that animals may experience benefits similar...

van der Staay, F. J., van Zutphen, J. A., de Ridder, M. M. et al. 2017. Effects of environmental enrichment on decision-making behavior in pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 194, 14-23.

The animal’s emotional state, potentially modulated by environmental conditions, may affect cognitive processes such as interpretation, judgement and decision making behaviour. The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is a common method to examine decision making behavior...

Casal-Plana, N., Manteca, X., Dalmau, A. et al. 2017. Influence of enrichment material and herbal compounds in the behaviour and performance of growing pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 195, 38-43.

Pigs reared in barren conditions are exposed to many different stressors, compromising their welfare and producing physiological and behavioural changes. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of environmental enrichment (EE) consisting...

Nasirahmadi, A., Edwards, S. A., Matheson, S. M. et al. 2017. Using automated image analysis in pig behavioural research: Assessment of the influence of enrichment substrate provision on lying behaviour.

Visual monitoring of pig behaviours over long periods is very time consuming and has possibility for observer bias. Automated image processing techniques now give the potential to carry out behavioural research in a more effective...

Meagher, R. K., Campbell, D. L. M., Mason, G. J. 2017. Boredom-like states in mink and their behavioural correlates: A replicate study. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 197, 112-119.

Scientists and laypeople have long expressed concern that animals in non-enriched, unchanging environments might experience boredom. However, this had attracted little empirical study: the state is difficult to assess without verbal self-reports, and spontaneous behavioural...

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