From: IN%"u8421aa@sunmail.lrz-muenchen.de" 8-JUL-1994 02:09:38.49 To: IN%"APPLIED-ETHOLOGY-EXPAND@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Opioids, stereotypies & Brazil Dear All, My name is Adroaldo Zanella. During my Ph.D. work I looked into the relationship between "welfare indicators" in pregnant sows. My most rewarding efford was on the work involving opioid receptors and stereotypies. I looked mu delta and kappa opioid receptors and I found that, particularly kappa (the ones which dynorphin is the endogenous ligand) receptor density were significantly lower in animals which showed stereotypies. The question whether opioid receptors, in different brain, areas have some kind of plasticity ( I mean by that if they can be up or down regulated) has been answered recently in our laboratory. Opioid receptor density was significantly reduced in littermate pigs after social isolation. I keep saying that the "naloxone approach" to opioid research is a very crude (although important) tool to explore this exciting field of research. I am glad that L.C.Pinheiro Machado added the information about applied ethology in Brazil. I believe that our colleagues in Brazil are working hard to organize their Applied Ethology Society. By the way, I am Brazilian, and I had the opportunity to work with the group based in Florianopolis (Brazil). When I put the idea in the network about a Brazilian meeting I confess that the small island where L.C.Pinheiro Machado works seems to be (in my opinion) a very good candidate to host the ISAE international meeting in 2000. Adroaldo Zanella P.S. Since when I left Cambridge I am working in Munich (institut fur Tierhygiene Verhaltenskunde und Tierschutz) ============================================================================== From: IN%"NEWBERRY@BCRSAG.AGR.CA" 11-JUL-1994 12:57:55.76 To: IN%"APPLIED-ETHOLOGY-EXPAND@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Abstract from ISAE North American Regional Meeting POSTING NO. 3: ABSTRACT OF ONE FURTHER ORAL PAPER PRESENTED AT THE FIRST NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR APPLIED ETHOLOGY, JUNE 5, 1994, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH, GUELPH, ONTARIO, CANADA Not for publication. All rights reserved by the authors. Contact the authors directly for permission to refer to the information presented here. EFFECTS OF BRANDING ON WEIGHT GAIN, RECTAL TEMPERATURE AND SUBSEQUENT HANDLING IN FEEDLOT CATTLE K. S. Schwartzkopf, J. M. Stookey, E. D. Janzen and J. McKinnon, Department of Herd Medicine and Theriogenology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 0W0 (SCHWARTZKOPF@sask.usask.ca) Two trials were conducted to investigate the effects of hot-iron and freeze branding on individual weight gain and subsequent handling ease in feedlot cattle. Charolais cross steers averaging 320 +/- 2 kg were ear tagged and vaccinated on arrival to the feedlot and randomly allotted to freeze brand (F), hot-iron brand (H), or control (C) treatments. Animals were branded at arrival in Trial 1 (n=300) and 20 d after arrival in Trial 2 (n=248). Body weights (W) and rectal temperatures (RT) of all animals were recorded on the day of branding and every second day for 10 d. Animals with (RT) of 40.5 C or greater were treated with antibiotics. Antibiotic treatment was used as a covariate in the data analysis. Testing of handling ease followed the same schedule as (W) and (RT) collection but was only conducted in Trial 2. Handling ease was measured by recording the time it took an animal to move from a 4 m chute into the squeeze chute. Each animal was subject to a procedure which put increasing pressure to encourage them to move forward. The following sequence was employed by a handler to move the animal into the squeeze chute: 0-5 s (no assistance), 6-10 s (voice and touch), 11-20 s (hand slap), 21-25 s (voice and hand slap), 26-35 s (tail twist) and > 35 s (pushing the animal). The time required for handling was considered to be an indicator of the animal's aversion to entering the squeeze chute. Branding treatments had no effect on average daily gain or (RT) in either trial. A repeated measures analysis indicated that there were significant time (P < .001) and time by treatment (P < .005) effects on handling ease. Steers in all treatments required increased time and handling pressure to move into the chute over the 10 d period, indicating some aversion to being caught in the squeeze chute and having (RT) taken. Both (F) and (H) animals had greater handling times than (C) animals on days 2 and 4 after branding but these differences were not significant. However, (F) animals had significantly (P < .001) greater handling times than (C) and (H) steers 6 days after branding with lsmean entrance times being 10.46 +/- .88, 7.45 +/- .89 and 5.74 +/- .98 s, respectively. We conclude that branding, regardless of technique, does not affect weight gain following transport, vaccination and ear tagging or following a 20 d acclimation period in the feedlot. Increased handling time for (F) steers on day 6 provides some evidence that freeze branding may be more painful then hot-iron branding. =============================================================================== From: IN%"LTEPPER@Sunburn.liunet.edu" "LOIS M. TEPPER" 11-JUL-1994 To: IN%"APPLIED-ETHOLOGY-EXPAND@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Training seals for aquarium shows Hello. I have just joined the group and hope that this is the appropriate place to ask for the following info. I have a student who is out on CO-OP in ME and will be helping to train seals for a public demonstration. She has not yet taken basic operant conditioning. Was wondering if anyone knows of a somewhat fool proof training guide. Thanks. Lois M. Tepper, Ph.D. Psychology Department Long Island University, Southampton, NY 11968 ============================================================================== From: IN%"serpell@pobox.upenn.edu" "James A. Serpell" 20-JUL-1994 10:28:42.68 To: IN%"APPLIED-ETHOLOGY-EXPAND@sask.usask.ca" CC: Subj: Greetings Greetings to everyone on the applied ethology network. I've been meaning to proclaim myself for sometime but, well, you know how it is.... For those of you who don't know me, I was director of the Companion Animal Research Group in Cambridge, England, until about a year ago when I moved to the University of Pennsylvania to take up a new Chair of Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare at the School of Veterinary Medicine. My background is in companion animal behavior and welfare, and human-animal interactions. My remit at Penn is to develop an active research program on animal welfare and related topics, including the study of human-animal relationships and interactions. Wish me luck (I have a feeling I'll need it)! James Serpell