1,721,267 research outputs found
Italian breed-specific legislation on potentially dangerous dogs (2003): assessment of its effects in the city of Florence (Italy)
Full text linkCanine aggression is a very discussed topic, especially when a person is injured. The problem of dog bites towards human beings must be tackled and scientifically analysed, in order to address the policy makers to effective measures. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of Italian breed-specific legislation on potentially dangerous dogs (Sirchia’s Ordinance issued on the 9th September 2003 called “Protection of the public safety against the risk of aggressions by potentially dangerous dogs”) on the trend of dog bites towards people in the city of Florence (Italy). Data for the current study were collected by the Veterinary and Urban Health, Local Sanitary Enterprise 10 in the city of Florence (Italy). Reports drew from the certifications of medical reports coming from different Hospital Emergency Departments in Florence, from the denunciation done at the canine registry office, and from the observational reports carried out at the observatory for the prophylaxis of the rabies. Reports referred to dog bites occurred in the city of Florence from September 2002 to August 2005. In total, 556 cases were gathered. The characteristics of injuries, dogs, owners and victims involved in dog bites in the year preceding the Sirchia’s Ordinance were compared to the same characteristics in the two years after the issue of such Ordinance (short and long-term effects) using the c2 test (p<0.05).The findings suggest that the above-mentioned ordinance has not caused any significant change on the trend of dog bites in the taken sample, nor in the short-term neither in the long-term. In fact, even if a numerical decrease has been observed in the period following the ordinance, a trend of reduction was already in progress since 1986. In addition, the characteristics of owners, injured people and dogs involved in the aggressive episodes remained unvaried, apart from a decrease in minor injuries. Finally, after the Ordinance the number of dog owners whose personal details were unknown increased. These findings suggest that restrictive legislative measures regarding potentially dangerous dogs are not effective for the control of canine aggression towards people
Azione proteolititca delle larve di Anisakis Simplex sulla muscolatura di alcune specie ittiche
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Influence of environmental enrichment framework on the behaviour of stabled horses [Influenza di un protocollo di arricchimento ambientale sul comportamento dei cavalli in scuderia]
No full textThe latest research shows that animal welfare might be affected by the possibility of performing a behavioural repertoire which is as natural as possible, as already stated in the fifth of the "Five Freedoms" developed by the Farm Animal Welfare Council. To make up for modem stabling methods, there is a trend to use environmental enrichment programmes that increase the animals' behavioural repertoire and make it as similar as possible to that of animals in the wild. Also for horses, the modern stabling methods cause alterations between the behaviour of stabled animals and that of animals in the natural state, with remarkable differences above all in terms of sociality, eating and motor behaviours. The goal of this paper was to develop an environmental enrichment protocol for the horses of a horse-riding school that allows to change the current social, feeding and locomotor conditions of the stabled animals through structural, stable management and staff training measures. The programme we proposed and implemented was then assessed by comparing the horses that undergone the protocol with a control group that maintained the original structure and management. Such comparison involved behavioural tests and analyses of in-box ethograms, and the results showed that horses tend to align their behaviours to the natural repertoire when they have an opportunity to do so, and that environmental enrichment may also affect behaviours that are important for the perception of the environment, such as attention and exploration of objects and people. This suggests that stabling methods that provide quantitative/qualitative changes in the stabled horses' behavioural repertoire should be developed and implemented, since this aspect might affect their welfare
Effect of aging on behavioural and physiological responses to a stressful stimulus in horses (Equus caballus)
No full textIn humans the expression of emotions varies with aging, but for domestic animals we have little
information on this subject. Our aim was to verify the influence of aging (life experience) on
the expression of emotions in horses (Equus caballus) in reaction to a stressful stimulus. A total
of 98 horses were subjected to the sudden inflation of a balloon in a familiar environment for
a period of 5 min, on the assumption that this would induce a negative state. When the balloon
was inflated, heart rate variability as an indicator of stress response was monitored. Behaviour
related to emotional expression (latency of onset, frequency and length of looking and exploration,
frequency of avoidance) was also monitored. The younger horses showed a significantly higher
frequency of avoidance as well as greater exploratory activity, while the older subjects were less
behaviourally responsive and showed a shift toward control by the sympathetic nervous system,
as indicated by lower heart rate variability. The results suggest that aging influences the behaviour
and physiology of emotional expression to stressful stimuli in horses. Knowing the effect of aging
on stress response could be a critical factor in understanding equine welfare and the development
of behavioural patterns
Indagini preliminari sull'impiego di un integratore vitaminico in cavalli trottatori in attivita' agonistica.
No full textPost-conflict friendly reunion in a permanent group of horses (Equus caballus) RID B-4841-2011
No full textGregarious animals living in permanent social groups experience intra-group competition. Conflicts over resources can escalate into costly aggression and, in some conditions, non-dispersive forms of conflict resolution may be favoured. Post-conflict friendly reunions, hence reconciliation, have been described in a variety of species. The aim of this study was to explore, for the first time, the occurrence of reconciliation in a group of domestic horses (Equus caballus) and learn more about strategies used to maintain group cohesion. The behaviour of seven horses living as permanent group in an enclosure for at least 2 years was observed by video for 108 h from June to August 2007. We used a Post-Conflict/Matched Control method to assess the existence of reconciliation and third-party affiliation. Behaviours recorded Post-Conflict, or during Matched Control periods, were classified as affiliative based on previous descriptions of visual communication patterns in horses. The proportion of attracted pairs over total post-conflict situations was significantly greater than the proportion of dispersed pairs, both during dyadic interactions (p < 0.001) and during triadic interactions (p = 0.002). The results of the present study show that both dyadic reconciliation and third-party post-conflict affiliative interactions form important social mechanisms for managing post-conflict situations in horses. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Detour behaviour in horses (Equus caballus)
No full textThe objective of this study was to investigate the ability of horses (Equus caballus) to detour around symmetric and asymmetric obstacles. Ten female Italian saddle horses were each used in three detour tasks. In the first task, the ability to detour around a symmetrical obstacle was evaluated; in the second and third tasks subjects were required to perform a detour around an asymmetrical obstacle with two different degrees of asymmetry. The direction chosen to move around the obstacle and time required to make the detour were recorded. The results suggest that horses have the spatial abilities required to perform detour tasks with both symmetric and asymmetric obstacles. The strategy used to perform the task varied between subjects. For five horses, lateralized behaviour was observed when detouring the obstacle; this was consistently in one direction (three on the left and two on the right). For these horses, no evidence of spatial learning or reasoning was found. The other five horses did not solve this task in a lateralized manner, and a trend towards decreasing lateralization was observed as asymmetry, and hence task difficulty, increased. These non-lateralized horses may have higher spatial reasoning abilities
Ricerche sul contenuto in acidi grassi del burro prodotto in un allevamento della valle di Magra
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