title: Rapid animal welfare assessment: an archaeological approach.
abstract: The welfare of an individual depends on its capacity to overcome suboptimal conditions in its environment; otherwise, its physical and psychological health becomes compromised. A situation that clearly indicates lack of control of the environment is the expression of abnormal behaviours, such as stereotypies. This study aimed to verify the well-being of police horses using a new rapid form of welfare assessment: an archaeological approach. To this end, we sampled and quantified marks found on the stables, deposited as a result of abnormal behaviour. We cross-referenced these physical marks with veterinary records of diseases, such as colic, known to be associated with stress. A total of 46 horses were sampled and the results showed a significant medium-strength, positive correlation between bite mark frequency on stable doors and the incidence of colic. A weak significant positive correlation was found between length of scratch marks (from pawing) and the incidence of lameness. We conclude that these marks reflect the accumulated expression of abnormal behaviour and can provide rapid insight into the welfare of individual animals.
authors.affiliation: Conservation, Ecology and Animal Behaviour Group, Prédio 41, Mestrado em Zoologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Avenida Dom José Gaspar, 500, Coração Eucarístico, 30535-610 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil.
authors.forename: Ivana Gabriela
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Schork
authors.affiliation: Conservation, Ecology and Animal Behaviour Group, Prédio 41, Mestrado em Zoologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Avenida Dom José Gaspar, 500, Coração Eucarístico, 30535-610 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil School of Environment and Life Science, University of Salford Manchester, Peel Building, Salford M5 4WT, UK r.j.young@salford.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Robert John
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D001106:Archaeology; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003085:Colic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006736:Horses; D006799:Housing, Animal; D007794:Lameness, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male
keywords: abnormal behaviour; police horses; rapid welfare assessment; stress