Social conditions.

Abstract

AbstractIn this chapter we describe how the constrained structure of managed social groups may lead to the occurrence of animal welfare problems and discuss potential solutions. Solving socially induced welfare problems is particularly challenging because it is usually more difficult to predict how animals will respond to each other than it is to predict how they will respond to changes in the physical environment. One approach is to design social environments which allow the expression of the types of behaviour and social organization that seem to be important for stable social structures and harmony in natural groups. For example, housing animals in relatively stable groups, and allowing them the freedom to separate themselves from the main group, to select which individuals they associate with and to avoid others, may reduce susceptibility to disease and other welfare problems and promote harmonious social life. This preventive approach requires basic research into the principles affecting social organization under unconstrained free-ranging situations, and takes time to develop into practical and viable alternatives to existing systems. An alternative approach is to tackle specific welfare problems by altering existing social environments, either by providing opportunities for avoidance or by distributing resources in such a way that aggressive competition and social stress are minimized. We suggest that this trouble-shooting approach is most likely to be successful when the social history and social skills of group members are taken into account, and when the causes of problems, rather than their symptoms, are addressed. Other practical solutions to social problems in managed groups, such as genetic selection and social learning, are also discussed.