Dynamic performances of cattle transporting vehicle on Scandinavian roads and behavioural response of animals.
Driving performance, air quality in the vehicle, and handling during loading and unloading are the main factors, which could affect animal welfare. During transport of animals from farms to abattoirs, animals on the vehicle are subjected to vibrations in all directions. Performances of a typical vehicle for cattle transport have been studied under field commercial conditions. During the experiment, tri-axial vibrations on the vehicle, as well as velocity, slope and position were measured. The animals were video recorded for behavioral analyses. Geographical positions, speed and slope of roads were recorded using, GPS. Measurements were made with and without animals on the vehicle. The roads in the region are narrow almost everywhere, but rather plane and of good quality. Three road types were identified: straight and plain, curvy and graveled roads. Events such as sudden stops and curves were observed and noted. Vibration levels in tri-axial directions have been measured and analysed for different speeds and road types both when the vehicle was fully loaded and unloaded. There is a significant difference between the performances of the vehicle when loaded and unloaded. Very high vibrations values have been noted during the empty driving and these values were reduced by up to 9 times when the vehicle was loaded. Less vibrations amplitudes were observed and animals were calmer on ferry transport than on road transport. It has also been noted that animals prefer to stand perpendicular to the direction of vehicle's motion during transport.
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D000054:Acceleration; D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002417:Cattle / Q000502:physiology*; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway; D012756:Sheep / Q000502:physiology; D013548:Sweden; D014186:Transportation; D014732:Vibration; D014741:Video Recording