About the Project
Background: Captive/domestic animals are often exposed to long-term housing in confined, particularly barren, monotonous environments restricting behavioural opportunities. Such housing conditions have long been discussed as being at risk of inducing boredom-like states in animals. Indeed, in humans, lack of stimulation or behavioural opportunities while the individual is motivated for accessing such stimulation triggers boredom. Human boredom is an aversive feeling which, when prolonged, can have harmful consequences, e.g. increased aggression, psychological and physical ill-health, self-harming and suicide, and reduced lifespan. Considering the aversiveness of this state, and its longer-term negative consequences for physical and mental health in humans, management-induced prolonged boredom-like states are an important animal welfare issue to tackle. However, little research has been conducted to date on boredom compared to other negative affective states (e.g. fear, pain), primarily because of the challenge of operationalising boredom in animals. Dysfunctional correlates of boredom thus remain unknown in animals. Moreover, although promising evidence for homologous bored states between humans and animals now exists, investigations have been limited to two carnivore species. Responses to stressors are evolutionary conserved across species. Therefore, various species exposed to barren environments preventing motivated behaviours should be affected by boredom-like states, but comparative investigations are still lacking.
Aims and objectives: This cross-institutional project involves two international co-supervisors, Dr Rebecca Meagher from Dalhousie University (Canada) and Dr Sara Hintze from BOKU (Austria). The project aims to investigate risk of farm (pigs, mink) and lab (mice) animals experiencing boredom, and its potential consequences. The project has the following objectives:
- Develop boredom-like operationalisation protocols for mice and pigs kept in restricted conditions, translating methodology existing in mink.
- Identify and collect/analyse measures of dysfunction in mink, pigs and mice
- Comparatively explore the implications of boredom in terms of animal welfare, production, and sustainability goals
Methods The mice experiments will happen at UoB ASU facilities; the pig experiments at Austrian commercial farms (via an existing network with farmers) (≈4-5 months); and the mink work using Rebecca Meagher’s pre-collected data, including a ≈1 month stay in Canada for you to visit the relevant mink farm and the Meagher’s lab. Boredom-like states will be assessed using established behavioural methodology (adapted for mice and pigs) (see key references below), coupled where relevant with physiological methodologies (e.g. glucocorticoid responses, thermography) to quantify arousal. Literature will be reviewed to identify behavioural, cognitive, health and physiological, and production animal-based measures that are i) likely to reflect impaired welfare and ii) implementable within and/or across the tested species. Selected measures will be assessed combining in situ observations and ad hoc telephone standardised interviews. You will therefore gain transferable techniques/skills including in connecting with industry, literature analysis, experimental design, advanced statistical analysis, behaviour quantification, physiological states, cognition and welfare assessment.
Key references:
*If your institution does not give you access to the following references, please email lead supervisor Carole Fureix*
Burn, C. C. (2017) 'Bestial boredom: a biological perspective on animal boredom and suggestions for its scientific investigation', Animal Behaviour, 130: 141-151.
Meagher, R. (2019) 'Is boredom an animal welfare concern?', Animal Welfare, 28(1): 21-32.
Meagher, R. K. and Mason, G. J. (2012) 'Environmental Enrichment Reduces Signs of Boredom in Caged Mink', Plos One, 7(11): e49180.
Supervisors: Dr Carole Fureix (Bristol, lead supervisor), Dr Rebecca Meagher (Dalhousie, Canada), Dr Sara Hintze (BOKU, Austria) and Professor Mike Mendl (Bristol).
How to apply:
Please visit the Bristol Veterinary School website Funded 4-year PhD Scholarship | Bristol Veterinary School | University of Bristol for details of how to apply and the information you must include in your application - please read the Detailed Application Guidance section from the website for more information about this. If your application is shortlisted, you will be invited to interview on or before 17th January. Interviews will take place on Microsoft Teams on 29th January. Start date Sept 2025.
Candidate requirements: Standard University of Bristol eligibility rules apply. Please visit PhD Veterinary Sciences | Study at Bristol | University of Bristol for more information.
Contacts: please contact fohs-pgadmissions@bristol.ac.uk with any queries about your application. Please contact the project supervisor for project-related queries carole.fureix@bristol.ac.uk
Funding Notes
The studentship is available to UK and International applicants.
This studentship is for a four-year PhD, funded through a University of Bristol “Bristol Veterinary School” scholarship. It consists of a waiver of tuition fees, as well as a tax-free stipend matching UK Research Council National Minimum (£19,237 p.a. for 2024/25, updated each year)