What do you do when
there is nothing to do?
MSc thesis
o
n the characterisation of different forms of inactive
behaviour and
their
consequences
for
pig and cattle
welfare
Background
While the main focus of animal welfare science has been to
redu
ce negative states such as stress or
fear, other
potentially ne
gative states associated with
i
n
creased levels of in
activity h
ave been
somewhat
neglected. As the economic pressure results in more barren environments, perhaps it is
these states that coul
d have the greatest impact on the daily life of the animal. So the question is, does
environmental deprivation lead to negative states like boredom, apathy or even depression
-
like states?
And if so, how can we measure them? What do they
mean for
the welfar
e of pigs and cattle?
Aim
s
of the thesis
Development of an ‘inactivity
-
ethogram’ for pigs and cattle
:
Identification and detailed description o
f different forms of inactive behaviour
Application of the ‘inactivity ethogram’ for further ch
aracterisation of
this behaviour
(
depending on
your
interest, e.g. investigation of diurnal
shifts,
differences
between individuals
, or
association with other behaviours or variables of interest).
Starting date
Preferably April/ May but negotiable.
Contact
details
Sara
Hintze
Division of
Liv
e
stock
Sciences
,
University of Natu
ral Resources and Life Sciences
Vienna, Austria
Email:
sara.hintze@boku.ac.at