Basics of animal behavior and welfare assessment

Laura Hänninen and Anna Valros

Chapter 18 in Research Handbook on Animal Law and Animal Rights, 2025, pp 356-369 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Animal welfare research is a relatively young scientific field that originated from concerns about the impact of intensifying production on animals. Initially, welfare research primarily focused on understanding the effects of management factors on production animals’ biological functions, which still remains a fundamental aspect of the research. Additionally, the importance of allowing animals to exhibit natural behaviors has long been recognized, and recent emphasis has been placed on the significance of animals’ experiences and feelings in defining welfare. Since animal experiences cannot be directly measured, welfare research relies on a multidisciplinary approach, combining behavioral studies and various physiological measurements to provide a reliable assessment of animals’ experiences in the environments and care provided to them. Interpreting and applying the results also necessitate ethical and societal considerations.

Keywords: Animal; Behavior; behavioral need; Stereotype; Welfare indicators; Stress; Pain; Early experiences; Emotional states (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035324873
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