21 - Applications of Animal Behaviour by M Gordon

Importance

ky266988 — 2021-09-07 17:44:26 UTC

Studying and understanding animal behaviour is essential for the well-being of the animal and the humans that handle them. Understanding if the animal is in pain, hungry, angry, etc, will help the overall health of the animal by providing medical care, food, water, etc. Also, this will protect the individuals handling the animal by allowing them to take precautions when a certain behaviour is seen. For example, a vet tech could avoid getting bit by a dog by reading their body language and understanding nervous/aggressive behaviours. In a veterinary clinic setting, staff use

their knowledge of animal behaviour to assess an animals condition, to properly handle/restrain the animal, and to help with the diagnosis/prognosis of the animal.

Importance
Kayla Rollin
B00830877

Importance of Understanding Companion Animal Behavior - Fear

2021-09-07 22:41:21 UTC

It is important to understand animal behavior to predict/infer what an animal may be thinking or feeling - it can be argued that non human animals convey as much emotion as people do, simply nonverbally. Studying an animal over time, say with your own pet, helps you to better understand why they may be acting a certain way (my cat is bothering me - did I forget to feed him?). This also applies in more serious situations. For example, with companion animals who have been recently rescued. Often when rescue animals are scared of humans due to past poor experiences, they may be seen with cowered body language and timid behavior. It is common for animals in such a state of fear to lunge at humans who may reach their hands toward the animal (intending to help the animal) as a defense mechanism. Recognizing this defensive behavior is important as it helps to prevent any injury sustained from an animal in defense. Reasons such as this add to why it is so important to study and understand animal behavior.

Hannah MacIntosh
B00857876
Sept. 7/21

Improve production

2021-09-08 00:23:32 UTC

You can use known behaviors of animals to indicate if animals are in destress which can help you correct or prevent it. For example, turkey's are sometimes housed in large barns and in high quantities. Some times the temperature in these barns can rise well over 30 degrees causing heat stroke and maybe death. However turkey's are known to pant when they get too hot. In knowing this and seeing it happen it will alert someone to open the doors/turn on fans to cool the birds down and preventing any fatalities.

Rebecca
B00803969

Importance of Environmental Enrichment

2021-09-08 00:41:33 UTC

The purpose of environmental enrichment is to provide a stimulating habitat that is species-specific in order to provide a better life for animals in captivity as well as prevent stereotypies. The understanding of an animal's naturals habitat and behaviours is the key to providing suitable alternatives in their enclosures. The example above depicts an elephant having been given a tether ball to play with. Animals that are prevented in some way or another from performing natural behaviours are often stressed and develop stereotypies. A common example of this in zoos are pacing lions.

Callie White
B00783311
07/09/21

Importance of Understanding Behavior in Lab Animals - Accurate Results

2021-09-08 12:22:46 UTC

Often the experiments being done on lab animals use behavior observations to determine the results. Is is important to know what they are looking for and to understand why these behaviors are happening so the results are the research are accurate. If the person observing the animal misinterprets the behaviors seen a completely different conclusion may be drawn. An example of this is in behavior modification medication trials. If the behaviors are misinterpreted the medication could be used improperly in the future.

Alexandra Mobus
B00737943

On the farm

2021-09-08 16:34:17 UTC

It is crucial for farmers to have a good knowledge and understanding of animal behaviour.
If farmers don't understand why their animals are behaving a certain way there would be a lot of problems.
For example if an animal is laying down often and not eating a farmer would need to take notice and want to try to understand the issue at hand.

Olivia Walker
B00835598

To improve animal welfare

2021-09-08 17:45:18 UTC

Identifying and understanding why an animal is acting in a certain way can help farmers make welfare improvements for their animals. If an animal is showing undesirable or harmful behaviours (towards themselves or others), farmers could put policies, procedures, enrichment, etc in place to prevent those behaviours from happening again or from happening in the first place. For example understanding what causes tail bitting in pig or pecking in chickens allows the farmers to take preventative measures and reduce the occurrence, which then improves both the health of the animal and production of the farm.

Nicolas D

2021-09-08 20:09:53 UTC

Studying and understanding animal behaviour when working with animals is vital. Animals don't have a voice to tell us when something is wrong or they are in pain so in order to know what is going on we need to know what there different behaviours mean. In a vet clinic is one place where this really comes into play. People bring there pets to you because they are acting "off" or because they are sick. In order to figure out what is really going on the animals behaviour needs to be understood for the animal to get the help and treatment it needs. Without understanding the behaviour of the animal we may never figure out what is actually wrong.
CL
B00832483

Importance of understanding animal behaviour in zoos

2021-09-08 23:03:33 UTC

It is very important to understand animal behaviour especially for animals that are kept in captivity such as in zoos. Every animal in zoos requires different needs and their behaviours and environments are very different from one another. If the behaviours of the animals are not carefully looked at or understood, then the animal’s welfare may be neglected. The behaviours that the animals display have a strong link with their environment. Every animal enclosure in the zoo should be designed to maximize the species-specific behaviour while minimizing any behaviour caused by stress. For example, primates should be housed in groups since they are social animals, and their enclosure should also include climbing structures to stimulate locomotor activities. Also, primates thrive in warmer climates so this should be kept in mind when designing their enclosure. If these conditions are not met, they might show stereotypic behaviours which is linked to stress. Observing any animals’ behaviour can provide a lot of detail about the animal’s needs, health, and preferences.

Jasmine Bourque

To actually get results

2021-09-08 23:46:56 UTC

Learning and understanding the behaviour of a lab animal is important, because it allows scientists to actually get results. The first sign that a drug is working, or whatever they are testing is having an effect is going to be a change in the animal's behaviour. not acknowledging these signs, or not understanding them can lead to not seeing any change, which can falsify results. You can learn a lot about an animal by looking at its behaviour. For example, a rabbit that curls up to sleep suddenly starts to lie flat on the floor may be a sign of some kind of discomfort. A small change that says a lot.

Elodie LB
B00895032

Application of Behaviour in Companion Animals

2021-09-09 00:15:48 UTC

It is important to take notice of animal behaviour and have a good idea of what you consider to be 'normal' behaviour in your pets. This will be handy because when your pet is acting out of the ordinary, you will know and you can determine what the next steps should be. Examples of this could be that your pet is not wanting to be touched in a certain spot that didn't bother them before or something as simple as them sleeping more than usual. Our pets are unable to talk to us to tell us what is wrong with them, so they have to express their needs through their actions and behaviours. We need to be able to tell when our pet is trying to tell us something and help them because they are unable to help themselves.

Ryleigh
B00826803

Veterinary Medicine

2021-09-09 01:03:18 UTC

There are at least two main reasons as to why understanding animal behaviour is crucial in veterinary medicine, (1) clinical diagnoses and (2) safety. When an owner inquires with veterinary staff about their animal, they almost always communicate new/odd behaviours or an increase/decrease in certain behaviours. A big signalment for owners that their pet isn't well is usually the hike in aggression or the lack of spicy-ness when it is a known personality trait - both usually associated with pain/discomfort. In regard to safety, veterinary staff should be knowledgable on obvious signs of fearfulness/aggression in companion animals - e.g. ear/tail position, stance, and vocalizations (these signs aren't always clear cut though).

Melissa, B00911931

Emergency Situations

sagoodwin2001 — 2021-09-09 18:11:36 UTC

While you hope to never have to deal with an emergency situation, one will inevitably arise in your lifetime. If/when this situation has to deal with animals, then an understanding of animal behaviour can mean the difference between walking away unscathed and having to call 911.
Many people across Canada (and across the world as well), enjoy camping. While camping can nowadays be enjoyed from the safety of a camping trailer, some families still choose to embark into the great outdoors with nothing but what's in their backpack and a sleeping tent. Unfortunately for these families, the great outdoors is often also filled with many different species of wildlife. While most wildlife seeks to run away from danger, there are those rare instances where a more predatory species will come across your campsite, possibly during the night or possibly in broad daylight while you're cooking a meal. In this case, if you're able to distinguish whether this animal is imminently threatening you, or if you are able to simply keep quietly going about you business until they pass through, could be a very useful skill.

Alex Goodwin
B00829938
09/09/2021

Understanding your pet.

2021-09-09 19:02:44 UTC

It is important to observe and learn what is normal behavior and what is not the usual behaviors for our pets. Most times, our pets become so attached to us that sometimes when we leave them for a period of time they may develop separation anxiety, which may lead then to harm themself or even destroy our home. It is important to pick up on behavioural changes that our pets maybe showcasing so that we may correct this anxiety which would intern keep our pets safe and our property. This keeps the pets from stressing which could also lead to other problems and harm our pets psychologically.
Charity Mardenborough
B00814602

Understanding Behaviour in Companion Animals

2021-09-09 19:22:12 UTC

It is extremely important to understand and be aware of the various behaviours our pets communicate with us. There is no other way for animals to communicate with humans other than their body language/behavior, so this is a very important area to study. Companion animals will try to communicate various things through their behaviour. This can be everyday needs such as pawing their water dish when they are thirsty, sitting by the door when they need to use the bathroom, to more drastic needs such as sleeping all day or sitting and staring at the wall when they are sick. Noticing these behaviours is very important to fulfill our companion animals needs and ensure that they are living comfortably.

Anna Finlayson
B00829784

To ensure a safe work environment

2021-09-09 23:26:26 UTC

It is important to understand animal behaviour to ensure employees are as safe as possible when working around different animals. It is essential to recognize how an animal may react to different stimuli and anticipate any possible adverse behaviours while handling or working alongside them to minimize accidents. For instance, moving cattle is easier to do when you understand how they will perceive your movement. Quietly using “pressure” towards their flank while calmly walking is the most effective way to maximize worker and animal safety while minimizing animal stress. It lessens the chance of the cattle startling, slipping, or kicking. Pressure works by creating a slight psychological discomfort that will encourage cattle to move without being startled. It is also important to recognize “normal” animal behaviour for the species you are working with to potentially identify any transmittable diseases they may be suffering from, to lower the risk of workers or consumers contracting infection.

Ella

Understanding the needs of Companion Animals

2021-09-10 20:21:58 UTC

It is crucial that we understand the needs of our Companion Animals to ensure that they are properly cared for and are getting the care that they need to stay happy and healthy. A happy pet leads to a happy owner. Studies have linked household pets to the happiness and health of their owners. It is claimed that pets have been able to destress their owners, lower blood pressure, and overall improve the owners health. So, understanding the needs of companion animals is not only beneficial to the animal but also for its owner. An animal will present several different behaviours depending on what it needs at that time. For example, If the companion animal is hungry, let's say it's a dog, it may show several behaviours including winning, chewing, pacing or more to try and show you that it is hungry. If they are hurt, they may show behaviours of aggression, shaking, may have their ears pressed down, etc. Understanding these behaviours and what the animal is trying to indicate is crucial in pet owning to ensure the pets safety as well as the owners.

Madelyn Carmichael
B00841731

Veterinary Clinic safety and diagnosis

2021-09-11 12:07:29 UTC

It is essential to understanding an animals body language and what they are trying to tell you. They cannot use their words so it is vital that veterinarians have the ability to 🤬 the animals in a way that will avoid a dangerous situation for both the vet and the vet techs. If an animals body language is misunderstood it could result in a dangerous situation. An animals body language can also help the veterinarian with diagnosis because an animals body language is often very instinctive and natural which can be used to 🤬 the animals situation.

Emily Marriott

Differing Behaviour Across Breeds

oboot — 2021-09-11 17:06:42 UTC

A very important part to understanding the behaviours of companion animals starts with understanding major behavioural differences between different species of household pets. This research is important to understanding the underlying demeanour of many different animals, and how they will interact with its owners and any other species. For example, it is very important to understand the behavioural differences in a cat and dog for families to understand which pet many fit better into their home environment. By studying the differences in the animal's behaviours, we can determine which species/breed of pet a specific family may want. When it comes to choosing a life-long pet, the behaviour/personality of the pet should align with the environment/personality of its owners.

Olivia B
B00828991

Importance of safety

2021-09-11 22:52:29 UTC

I completely agree with everything that has already been added to this section of the padlet, so I thought I would add a bit about safety.

Understanding animal behavior with regards to animals that are in captive wildlife facilities or zoos, directly relates to their welfare which is turn relates to the safety of the keepers, the other animals, as well as those who come to view the animals. Understanding how a animal should be properly cared for will in turn effect how they behave. If an animal is not happy or is not getting what they need, they may show signs of depression, aggression etc. For example, if there is a species that requires a larger area to roam that is held in a small environment, they may show signs of aggression which can impact the safety of the keepers as well as the other species surrounding them. Understanding how different species behave will also allow the keepers to make academic decisions with regards to the placement of species in a specific environment, as well as with other species they may get along with. In turn, it will provide a safe atmosphere for all parties involved.

- Emma O.

Zoos

2021-09-13 14:51:03 UTC

It is important to understand animal behaviour for wildlife at zoo's to ensure the animals are receiving the proper care and enclosures to exhibit their natural behaviours for their health and wellbeing. The welfare needs of any animals must be met, and this is especially important for zoos as the animals are on display to the public. - Mikahla Dorey

Vet Clinics

2021-09-13 14:55:36 UTC

Knowing animal behaviour and being able to recognize it is especially important during vet visits to ensure the safety of the animal(s) and all humans involved. If an animal is scared, nervous, or timid while at the vets, their behaviour may escalate to something serious such as a bite. Being able to recognize the signs an animal is showing is important. Muzzles can be a great tool to utilize during vet appointments, especially with dogs who are uncomfortable and scared. How we handle an animal when it is at the vet is dependent on the animals behaviour and body language. Knowing body language is key for assessing an animal and can help to prevent any serious harm occurring from an animal. -Mikahla Dorey

Importance of Understanding the Behaviour of Wildlife

2021-09-13 15:05:35 UTC

In our everyday lives, we don't only encounter companion and farm animals, but also wildlife. This may include animals such as chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, deer, moose, geese, bears, coyotes, etc. All of these animals despite their size and stereotypical demeanor have the ability to be aggressive and harm someone. Therefore, it is absolutely crucial for the average person to have a general understanding of animal behaviour as it could mean life or death. Behaviour provides a window into the animal's world since with careful observation we are able to decipher what they are thinking/feeling in different situations. If someone were to come across a bear when camping, they would need to carefully observe the bear's behaviour and body language to determine whether or not it is an immediate threat. Such indications could include stalking or chasing you. In an emergency situation like that, a person would be smart to attempt to get as far away from the bear as possible in a calmly manner. However, if the bear is simply crossing paths with you, meaning it is exhibiting behaviours such as not looking towards you or walking away from you, simply staying calm and moving from your current position in a given amount of time would be smart in order to prevent any dangerous situation from occurring in the future. There are many other situations where we encounter wildlife where understanding their behaviour could save our lives and the lives of the wildlife like driving in country/wooded areas.

-Jordyn Waines
B00841879

To Ensure Animal Welfare

2021-09-13 17:26:32 UTC

Understanding and learning the behaviour of animals that are being tested on should greatly be taken into consideration. Not only will the behaviors be crucial to the outcome of the study they also need to be looked at for the safety and welfare of the animals being tested on. A large part of lab animals have their welfare tested and played with so proper observation and management should be put into place to make sure that data is being received but not to due to the extreme negligence of animal welfare.

Emma Bretzer
B00801890

Companion animal behaviour

2021-09-13 18:25:02 UTC

Understanding companion animal behaviour is important for Both the pet and the owner. Being capable of understanding your pets behaviour results in a more happy. and healthy animal, as their needs can be easily understood and met. Deciphering companion animal behaviour is especially crucial in multi-pet homes. Whether they are the same species or different, being able to know what they need from you and from each other is helpful. If one animal is fearful of the other or very territorial it is important to be able to see this and make adjustments in the home, so all feel safe and comfortable. In addition, when taking your pet to the park you should be able to understand their behaviour towards other animals, as well as the behaviour of other animals towards your own. Applying knowledge of companion animal behaviour is important for the safety of not only your companion but the companion of others as it can help prevent a scared or aggressive pet from hurting another.

Karetta A. Simmons

Behaviours and Safety

2021-09-13 18:35:36 UTC

I think it is very important to know the behaviours of animals in Wildlife Parks, Zoos, and Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers for the safety of the animals and the handler. Knowing their own individual behaviours, as well as species specific behaviours becomes very important. This is because if you are handling these animals, or if you are in their enclosure, you need to know what they are feeling and thinking for your own safety, as well as the animals safety.

These behaviours change majorly between different animals, as well as individual animals of the same species. It is also important to know the animals back story, which could also influence behaviour. For example, if an animal was born in captivity, they can be more docile and 'used' to humans. However, if an animal is at a facility such as the Shubenacadie Widlife Park, they could be there because they were a wild animal that was injured, then rehabilitated, but would not be able to survive in the wild on their own (Eg. An eagle the could no longer fly). Therefore taking the time to learn the animals and observe them before interacting with them is also very important.

Attached is a photo of me while working at the Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park

Codie O'Neil
(B00773467)

Importance of Understanding animal behaviour in veterinary medicine

mc801674 — 2021-09-13 19:07:46 UTC

The two biggest reasons for understanding animal behaviour in a vet medicine setting are safety and diagnosis. When an owner is talking to someone at a vet clinic, they normally see a change in or odd behaviour from their pet. Pets can not speak to us, so to show they are in pain or something is wrong you normally see behaviours like an increase in aggression, sleeping more, bowel movements in the house or just odd behaviours that the pet normally does not normally demonstrate. It is crucial for the staff in a vet clinic to pick up on off behaviours as well as the pet owner because animals can not tell us what we need to know. These behaviours help us to determine what is wrong.
All vet staff should understand animal behaviour when an animal shows signs of fear or aggression. Animals can show this by the position of the tail, ears or vocalization etc.

Mackenzie, B00773672

Why Understanding the Behaviour of Companion Animals is Important

2021-09-14 21:15:21 UTC

The behaviour of your pets can tell you a lot about their state of wellbeing. It is important to understand this because if there happens to be something wrong with your pet it will most likely be presented in their behaviour first. By acknowledging and noting the change in behaviour, such as eating less, lethargy, etc. you could catch what might be a serious medical condition early and save your animal companion from further suffering. Taking note of the behaviours observed and informing the vet and others can help towards diagnosing future animals as well.

Nancy

To improve animal welfare & production

2021-09-14 21:49:08 UTC

It is important to study and understand animal behaviour in animal production for many reasons. One of the main reasons is because animals cannot verbally tell us what is wrong, how they are feeling, if they are comfortable, etc. Instead, we must rely on being able to read their body language and analyze their behaviours to figure out these things. By being able to do read their body language and analyze their behaviours, we are able to tell what kind of mood the animal is in, if they are in pain, scared, alert, content, etc. as well as if they are not feeling good or if something is wrong. An animal scared or in pain can be dangerous so by being able to tell when an animal is distressed, it increases the safety of both the animal and the handler by allowing proper precautions to be taken. You can also usually tell if something is wrong in production animals by their behaviour. Abnormal behaviours in dairy cattle in particular can include laying down a lot, missing their milking intervals or not getting up for milking, limping, bawling/mooing more than usual, and not eating as much as usual among others. Sometimes these abnormal behaviours can occur for something as simple as a new calf being present so the maternal instincts of the cows nearby kick in and results in them bawling at the calf, or it could be worse and the cow has a bad case of mastitis and that's why it is missing its milkings. Overall happy, comfortable & healthy animals produce a lot better than sore, malnourished & uncomfortable animals so it is important to know the difference between the two in order to ensure good animal welfare as well as good production.

Taylor Andersen

Rating an animals FAS level

2021-09-15 00:56:31 UTC

A very important step in assessing an animal before handling/treating it is rating it's FAS (fear, anxiety, stress) level. A algorithm spectrum using colors and numbers is referred to in order to rate the animal's FAS according to its behaviors. It is so important to be able to recognize what certain behaviors mean in regards to what the animal is feeling. For example, by looking at how the animal is positioning its ears or tail and mouth you can deduce if the animal is more relaxed/excited versus if the animal is very fearful and stressed. You can also tell from other signs such as by the pupils, if it's trembling or if that animal will accept treats or not. This is very useful since patients with a low FAS can be easily assessed and handled to figure out a treatment plan where as animals with a high FAS will need precautionary measures such as wear cat gloves, muzzling or even sedation in order to safely assess and treat it.

Courtney Gibbons
B00915296

Behavior of companion animals in large groups (daycare)

2021-09-15 13:53:13 UTC

in a kennel or daycare setting often many different types of dogs are grouped together. it is extremely important to monitor the behavior of the group. often times a group of dogs that are used to each other will be perfectly fine and play well. but if a new member is added to the group it can cause the once happy group of dogs to become unsettled, not just with the new member of the group but with other dogs that previously got along fine. This is most likely due to dominance which has been previously established and is now getting mixed around once again. usually with most dogs they may wrestle around and sniff each other until the dominance order is reestablished. But it is very important to keep an eye on any large groups because at any moment one dog can get irritated with another and cause them to snap or growl, this happens even with the most well behaved pets. having experience working at a dog daycare, i was trained to make sure the dogs were watched very closely for behavior changes that may indicate uneasiness amongst the group long before any action had to be taken. Behaviors to watch out for were; turning heads away from other dogs, snarling or showing teeth, hair standing up on the back, bowing in a non-playful manner. It was very important to have an idea of behavior to properly group dogs together that would get along and play peacefully.
-Erin R

Improving Sustainability

2021-09-21 22:04:56 UTC

By monitoring animal behaviour in natural settings, such as plains animals (bison, antelope, etc.), we are able to observe the cycles of behaviours such as grazing in a self-sustaining ecosystem. The way that we manage our livestock can mimic these natural behaviours. A great example of this is mob grazing, which was designed to mimic large herd animals moving quickly in a tight group over grassland. By using this method, we are able to increase carbon sequestration on pastures. Behaviours and diurnal rhythms of wild plains animals have been sustainable for far longer than we have been farming, and by learning from how they live, we can adjust our farming methods to make them more natural for the animals and more sustainable for the planet.

Maria Duynisveld

Zoos

ellasutton444 — 2024-09-04 13:53:45 UTC

Ensure animals aren't developing abnormal/ unhealthy behaviours due to boredom/ lack of stimulation or becoming harmful to themselves or others

If it is known how healthy normal behaviour looks in a species, it makes it easier to identify when that animal is becoming ill, mentally or physically. This is very important for the welfare of the individual animal, the animals around it and also the staff. For example, if an individual animal starts developing aggressive tendencies, this needs to be noted quickly to protect all present. Having a solid understanding of behaviour may mean staff are able to see this progression early on and determine the cause of the change to rectify it before anything dangerous happens.

Ella S