Heather Bacon

Analyses of fecal and hair glucocorticoids to evaluate short- and long-term stress and recovery of Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) removed from bile farms in China

Demand for traditional Chinese medicines has given rise to the practice of maintaining Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) in captivity to harvest bile. We evaluated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity in Asiatic black bears on a bile farm in China by measuring cortisol in hair. We also monitored hair and fecal glucocorticoid metabolites as bears acclimated to improved husbandry at the Animals Asia Foundation China Bear Rescue Center (CBRC) after removal from other bile farms. Fecal samples were collected twice weekly for ~1 year, and hair was obtained from bears upon arrival at the CBRC and again ≥163 days later. Paired hair samples showed declines in cortisol concentrations of 12-88% in 38 of 45 (84%, p<0.001) bears after arrival and acclimation at the rehabilitation facility. Concentrations of cortisol in hair from bears on the bile farm were similar to initial concentrations upon arrival at the CBRC but were higher than those collected after bears had been at the CBRC for ≥163 days. Fecal glucocorticoid concentrations varied across months and were highest in April and declined through December, possibly reflecting seasonal patterns, responses to the arrival and socialization of new bears at the CBRC, and/or annual metabolic change. Data from segmental analysis of hair supports the first of these explanations. Our findings indicate that bears produced elevated concentrations of glucocorticoids on bile farms, and that activity of the HPA axis declined following relocation. Thus, hair cortisol analyses are particularly well suited to long-term, retrospective assessments of glucocorticoids in ursids. By contrast, fecal measures were not clearly associated with rehabilitation, but rather reflected more subtle endocrine changes, possibly related to seasonality.

Scoping review of indicators and methods of measurement used to evaluate the impact of dog population management interventions

BackgroundDogs are ubiquitous in human society and attempts to manage their populations are common to most countries. Managing dog populations is achieved through a range of interventions to suit the dog population dynamics and dog ownership characteristics of the location, with a number of potential impacts or goals in mind. Impact assessment provides the opportunity for interventions to identify areas of inefficiencies for improvement and build evidence of positive change.MethodsThis scoping review collates 26 studies that have assessed the impacts of dog population management interventions.ResultsIt reports the use of 29 indicators of change under 8 categories of impact and describes variation in the methods used to measure these indicators.ConclusionThe relatively few published examples of impact assessment in dog population management suggest this field is in its infancy; however this review highlights those notable exceptions. By describing those indicators and methods of measurement that have been reported thus far, and apparent barriers to efficient assessment, this review aims to support and direct future impact assessment.

BVA policy on bovine TB and badger control

THE BVAs position of support for the forthcoming pilot culls of badgers in the west of England is, we believe, not representative of majority scientific or veterinary opinion. As members of the veterinary profession, we are deeply concerned that the shooting of free-roaming badgers at night with shotguns and rifles is very likely to have detrimental welfare impacts on a large number of individual badgers, which may be shot, maimed and severely injured, but not killed outright. The natural behaviour of …

Challenges of charity veterinary work in developing countries

THE charities and non-governmental organisations involved in clinical veterinary work abroad are both numerous and diverse, as are the challenges, frustrations and rewards that the staff working in the clinics face. In this article, Heather Bacon draws on the experiences of a number of vets, nurses and volunteers who have worked in veterinary clinics in developing countries in order to offer guidance on the type of challenges that a vet may face when undertaking charity work abroad.

Say what you see – or don’t: how labelling patients might influence their welfare

Abstract: Animal welfare is a complex and often emotive subject, but one that many veterinary professionals care deeply about. However, sometimes we ourselves can actually be barriers to optimising patient welfare. This article looks at some common practices that occur within veterinary clinics and evaluates the potential impacts of our own human behaviour and biases on delivering good patient welfare within the veterinary clinic. It explores how the language we use, the way we perceive the world and the way we interact with our patients may inadvertently influence their behaviour and in turn impact upon their welfare.

Behaviour-Based Husbandry—A Holistic Approach to the Management of Abnormal Repetitive Behaviors

Simple Summary This paper outlines some of the barriers to implementing improved zoo animal welfare in practice, and proposes a new strategy for the development of behavioral husbandry routines focused on the management and mitigation of abnormal repetitive behaviors. Focusing on enhancing zoo animal welfare by integrating aspects of ecology, ethology and clinical animal behavior into a practical and comprehensive approach to behavior-based husbandry. Abstract The field of zoo animal welfare science has developed significantly over recent years. However despite this progress in terms of scientific research, globally, zoo animals still face many welfare challenges. Recently, animal welfare frameworks such as the five domains or five needs have been developed and suggested to improve the welfare of zoo animals, but without practical guidance, such tools may remain abstract from the daily experience of zoo animals. Similarly specific practical strategies such as those for enrichment development exist, but their lack of holistic integration with other aspects of animal husbandry and behavioral medicine means that overall, good zoo animal welfare may still be lacking. This paper outlines some of the barriers to implementing improved zoo animal welfare in practice, and proposes a new strategy for the development of behavioral husbandry routines focused on the management and mitigation of abnormal repetitive behaviors. Focusing on enhancing zoo animal welfare by integrating aspects of ecology, ethology and clinical animal behavior into a practical and comprehensive approach to behavior-based husbandry.

Canine trap-neuter-return: a critical review of potential welfare issues

Free-roaming dogs (Canis familiaris) may be viewed positively or negatively within their communities. Negative aspects of the presence of free-roaming dogs include noise, fouling, disease transmission, dog-bite injuries, road traffic accidents and potential hybridisation with endangered wildlife species. Due to these concerns, control of free-roaming dog populations may be required. Surgical sterilisation of free-roaming dogs through the implementation of ‘trap-neuter-return’ (TNR), initiatives is often recommended as a welfare-friendly method of dog population control. Welfare assessments in TNR are often absent. Where they do exist they may rely upon proxy assessment, or be limited to relatively few measures of health status. As a result, there is a paucity of literature regarding the welfare impacts of surgical control of canine populations despite this practice often being promoted for animal welfare reasons. We outline the primary welfare issues associated with surgical population control of free-roaming dogs, suggest steps that may be taken to mitigate these problems and discuss barriers to improving dog welfare in TNR. Many opportunities for welfare problems exist within the spectrum of surgical TNR initiatives. We recommend that further research is needed to set appropriate standards for surgical approaches to free-roaming dog population management.

Emergency treatment of owned and wild animals.

IN view of the controversial removal of Munhuwepasi Chikosis name from the RCVS Register, for actions including the failure to attend to an injured animal for one hour, we would appreciate it if the RCVS could please issue clear and unequivocal guidance on the duration of suffering permitted in a wild animal as a result of veterinary neglect, before disciplinary hearings are triggered. In respect of the badger cull, the Chief Veterinary Officer, Nigel Gibbens, states in a letter we received on September 12, 2013 that ‘there are . . . no definitive criteria for determining humaneness …

Influencing welfare worldwide

Heather Bacon is veterinary welfare and outreach manager at the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education at Edinburgh vet school. Here she outlines the role of the new centre, and how she got involved