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Animal Behavior

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‘Never an It’: Intersubjectivity and the Creation of Animal Personhood in Animal Shelters
In this paper, Nicola Taylor asks sociologists to open themselves up to the further study of human-animal relationships, and specifically the way that identity and subjecthood is constructed across the human-animal dualism. Using two animal shelters from the U.K. as case studies, Taylor examines the way that animals living at those shelters are treated as persons and accorded personhood through the actions of shelter staff. Taking account of the processes of naming animals, as well as how individuals are placed into homes, Taylor shows that shelter staff take great consideration and labor in making sure that the animals in their care are taken seriously as individuals and persons. READ MORE

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Autonomy in Chimpanzees
In this article, researchers make a strong case for chimpanzee autonomy. Spending most of the piece outlining a definition of autonomy itself, the authors prove that chimpanzees satisfy the basic definition and all of its essential conditions. Citing a variety of already-published research on chimp psychology, they show that acknowledging chimp autonomy is more or less a foregone conclusion if one were to view it from a non-speciesist perspective. The evidence has already been established, and can be easily combined to support the proposal of autonomy. READ MORE

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A Comparison of Body Size, Coat Condition and Endoparasite Diversity of Wild Barbary Macaques Exposed to Tourism
As different communities around the world strive to find ways to preserve and protect threatened species, some are turning to tourism as a means of bringing in revenue to be used towards conservation efforts. However, tourism still has an impact on the environment and animals. This study from Morocco looks at how exposure to tourists is affecting the body size, coat color, and the amount of parasites found in local Barbary macaques, evaluating each group based on different levels of tourist exposure. READ MORE

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Operation Catnip: Working Together to Reduce Free-Roaming Cat Populations Ethically and Effectively
In this well-researched editorial for The Veterinary Journal, Annette Litster presents a strong case for the support of trap-neuter-vaccinate-return programs, which she argues is the best method for both controlling and moderating free-roaming cat populations. Addressing issues such as the effectiveness of lethal animal control methods, human abandonment of cats, and the contention that free-roaming cats are a threat to avian species conservation, Litster discusses each aspect in turn and provides compelling evidence that non-lethal programs are the best possible solution. READ MORE

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Factors Affecting the Human Interpretation of Dog Behavior
This study from Sweden examines the effect of empathy on how humans interpret animal behavior, and specifically how veterinary students interpret the behavior of dogs. Using a combination of written questions and video footage, the researchers sought to determine what factors contribute to the perception of dogs as "aggressive" among vet students. The results of the study suggest that feelings of empathy and interpretations of aggression are (perhaps not surprisingly) negatively correlated, but also that an individual's claims of knowledge about an animal do not necessarily mean that person will correctly interpret that animal's behavior or feel increased empathy towards them. READ MORE

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Cruel Nature: Harmfulness As An Important, Overlooked Dimension in Judgments of Moral Standing
In this study, researchers conducted a series of surveys to try to better understand the role of "harmfulness" in how humans perceive moral standing, especially with animals. Working from the hypothesis that animals who are perceived to have a "harmful disposition" are accorded a lower moral standing - in the same way that humans who are seen as inherently harmful are accorded less moral standing - the researchers considered different angles to better understand why such moral inconsistencies might exist. The results go beyond the usual discussions of moral agency and patiency, and shed light on an often overlooked aspect of how humans do their moral calculus.  READ MORE

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Towards a ‘Good Life’ for Farm Animals: Development of a Resource Tier Framework to Achieve Positive Welfare for Laying Hens
This paper by a group of researchers in the U.K., looks at ways of going beyond a basic definition of animal welfare towards providing animals, specifically laying hens, with a "good life." Using the U.K.'s Farm Animal Welfare Committee's "Five Freedoms," which focused on negative aspects of welfare (such as freedom from pain, and so on), the paper seeks to build a regulatory framework that focuses on positive welfare, and opportunities rather than freedoms. Through a literature review as well as consultations with chicken welfare experts, they arrive at a potential system of grading (Welfare +, ++, and +++). Visits and evaluations at farms around the U.K. offers some initial findings that could help such a system be implemented. READ MORE

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Journey From Wilderness: Facing Dilemmas of Wild Animal Exhibits
In this prose-like journal article, Ken Kawata outlines the common history of zoos and circuses, and describes their relationship to the capture and trade of exotic species from Africa and elsewhere. He explains in detail how the trade and transport of animals for public exhibition has been made logistically easier over the years, and shows the evolution of animal exhibitions from relatively crude caged exhibits to more sophisticated displays attempting a more "natural" appearance. The piece encourages readers not to see zoos and circuses as cultural relics, but rather to understand how their present existence is situated historically. Though he recognizes that zoos and circuses are un-natural settings for animals, his opinion is generally pro-zoo and anti-animal rights, describing anti-zoo activism as "extremist." READ MORE

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Analyzing the Safewalk Program with SAS: Saving Shelter Dogs One Walk at a Time
This 2013 study from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) details their recent success with "Safewalk," a program designed to train staff on how to behave around shelter dogs to help the dogs survive shelter life and increase their chances of adoption. The paper explores not only why and how Safewalk was implemented, but how initial data from the program seemed to indicate that it was actually increasing euthanasia rates and length of stay at the shelter, which later turned out to be false. The paper pays special attention to the case study of Chopper, a dog who was surrendered twice to the shelter due to behavioral problems, but was eventually homed successfully after Safewalk was implemented. READ MORE
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