Abstract:
In laboratory animal research, many procedures will be stressful for the animals, as they are forced to participate. Training animals to cooperate using clicker training (CT) or luring (LU) may reduce stress levels, and thereby increase animal welfare. In zoo animals, aquarium animals, and pets, CT is used to train animals to cooperate during medical procedures, whereas in experimental research, LU seem to be the preferred training method. This descriptive case study aims to present the behaviour of CT and LU pigs in a potentially fear-evoking behavioural test-the novel task participation test-in which the pigs walked a short runway on a novel walking surface. All eight pigs voluntarily participated, and only one LU pig showed body stretching combined with lack of tail wagging indicating reduced welfare. All CT pigs and one LU pig displayed tail wagging during the test, indicating a positive mental state. Hence, training pigs to cooperate during experimental procedures resulted in a smooth completion of the task with no signs of fear or anxiety in seven out of eight animals. We suggest that training laboratory pigs prior to experimental procedures or tests should be done to ensure low stress levels.
摘要:
在实验动物研究中,许多程序会给动物带来压力,因为他们被迫参加。使用点击器训练(CT)或引诱(LU)训练动物进行合作可能会降低压力水平,从而增加动物福利。在动物园动物中,水族馆动物,和宠物,CT用于训练动物在医疗过程中进行合作,而在实验研究中,LU似乎是首选的训练方法。这个描述性案例研究旨在展示CT和LU猪在潜在的恐惧引发行为测试中的行为-新颖的任务参与测试-其中猪在新颖的行走表面上走了一条短跑道。所有八只猪都自愿参加,只有一头LU猪表现出身体伸展和缺乏尾巴摇摆,表明福利降低。在测试过程中,所有CT猪和一头LU猪都显示尾巴摆动,表明积极的精神状态。因此,在实验过程中训练猪进行合作,导致八只动物中有七只顺利完成任务,没有恐惧或焦虑的迹象。我们建议在实验程序或测试之前训练实验猪,以确保低压力水平。