Abstract
The quality of the animal-human relationship and, consequently, the welfare of animals can be improved by gentle interactions such as stroking and talking. The perception of different stimuli during these interactions likely plays a key role in their emotional experience, but studies are scarce. During experiments, the standardization of verbal stimuli could be increased by using a recording. However, the use of a playback might influence the perception differently than “live” talking, which is closer to on-farm practice. Thus, we compared heifers' (n = 28) reactions to stroking while an experimenter was talking soothingly (“live”) or while a recording of the experimenter talking soothingly was played (“playback”). Each animal was tested three times per condition and each trial comprised three phases: pre-stimulus, stimulus (stroking and talking) and post-stimulus. In both conditions, similar phrases with positive content were spoken calmly, using long low-pitched vowels. All tests were video recorded and analyzed for behaviors associated with different affective states. Effects on the heifers' cardiac parameters were assessed using analysis of heart rate variability. Independently of the auditory stimuli, longer durations of neck stretching occurred during stroking, supporting our hypothesis of a positive perception of stroking. Observation of ear positions revealed longer durations of the “back up” position and less ear flicking and changes of ear positions during stroking. The predicted decrease in HR during stroking was not confirmed; instead we found a slightly increased mean HR during stroking with a subsequent decrease in HR, which was stronger after stroking with live talking. In combination with differences in HRV parameters, our findings suggest that live talking might have been more pleasurable to the animals and had a stronger relaxing effect than “playback.” The results regarding the effects of the degree of standardization of the stimulus on the variability of the data were inconclusive. We thus conclude that the use of recorded auditory stimuli to promote positive affective states during human-animal interactions in experimental settings is possible, but not necessarily preferable.
Highlights
The welfare of animals is strongly influenced by the animals’ perception and evaluation of their environment and the affective reactions induced by it (Veissier and Boissy, 2007)
As the interaction of phase and treatment was not significant for any of the behaviors we analyzed, effects of the phase were not influenced by the type of auditory stimulus used in the treatment
The reduced models revealed a significant main effect of phase for neck stretching (z = 2.594, p = 0.009), ear flicking (χ2 = 32.520, df = 2, p < 0.001) and changes of ear position (χ2 = 31.526, df = 2, p < 0.001): while the durations of neck stretching increased during STIM (Figure 1), the durations of ear flicking and the numbers of changes of ear position decreased (Figure 2)
Summary
The welfare of animals is strongly influenced by the animals’ perception and evaluation of their environment and the affective reactions induced by it (Veissier and Boissy, 2007). The way animals perceive humans and the quality of their interactions has a strong impact on their welfare (Boivin et al, 2003; Waiblinger, 2019). How an interaction is perceived by an animal can be influenced by the behavior shown by the human: characteristics of movements, tactile interactions and the use of voice all contribute to whether an interaction is experienced positively, neutrally or negatively (Waiblinger, 2017). While the perception of tactile stimulation has been investigated in cattle (Schmied et al, 2008; Lange et al, 2020), less is known about the effects of vocal stimulation (Waiblinger, 2017). Despite possible benefits of applying auditory stimuli in farm environments (Waiblinger, 2019), research on the effects of gentle vocal interactions on farm animals is scarce
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
