Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Purpose This study aims to address the lack of research and intervention development specific to animal neglect offences, which are often conflated with intentional animal abuse in the literature. This study seeks to understand the psychological and behavioural factors underpinning animal neglect and evaluate the effectiveness of a newly developed Animal Welfare Pilot Intervention Programme delivered by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (RSPCA). Design/methodology/approach A sample of 50 adults convicted of animal welfare offences participated in the intervention. A pre- and post-intervention design was used to assess changes in animal welfare knowledge, empathy, attitudes towards animals, impulsivity and emotion regulation. Findings At baseline (Time 1), participants demonstrated difficulties in emotion regulation, empathy and holding supportive attitudes towards animals. Post-intervention (Time 2), statistically significant improvements were observed in participants’ animal welfare knowledge, attitudes towards animals and impulsivity. No significant changes were found in measures of empathy and emotion regulation. Practical implications The findings provide initial support for the RSPCA’s Animal Welfare Pilot Intervention Programme in addressing knowledge gaps and attitudinal change in individuals convicted of animal neglect. However, the lack of change in empathy and emotion regulation suggests further adaptation of the programme is required to target these areas more effectively. Originality/value This study contributes to a largely underexplored area of forensic psychology by focusing specifically on animal neglect rather than abuse. It is the first known evaluation of an intervention tailored for this offence type and offers important insights for the development of targeted, evidence-based responses to animal neglect within the criminal justice system.

Horses are separated from other horses as part of routine management practices, such as for training, transport, competition or veterinary procedures. However, being separated from a close companion or being isolated from all other horses are both potentially stressful scenarios for a socially gregarious species like the horse, and some individuals can struggle to cope with this. In addition to social isolation, for a species with strong intraspecific group bonds, separation from an individual to whom the horse is particularly bonded, even with others still present, may also result in distress. What is commonly referred to as separation anxiety is not simply about being alone but may also relate to the loss of anyone to with whom the horse has a close bond. Therefore, the aim of this study was to better understand the nature of what is described as separation anxiety in horses and to build a consensus for the definition of this complaint for future research purposes, considering the contexts in which it may happen and the potential behaviours which can be expressed. To achieve this goal, we sought owner and caregiver opinion on separation anxiety in horses. Content analysis of the transcribed responses was conducted to reveal distinct definitions and contexts of separation anxiety along with the common signs shown by horses with separation anxiety. This was followed by an equine behavioural expert consensus exercise to provide external face validity for our analysis. We highlighted eight different contexts defined along two axes: one based on whether the horse is left behind or actively leaving the group, the other on the timing of the response within the separation process; this was separated into: during ‘preparation’ for departure; when ‘actively leaving or being left behind’; when there is an ‘initial barrier to contact’ and finally when there is a ‘loss of contact’. Moreover, we identified several signs potentially associated with separation anxiety, ranging from increased arousal (e.g., increase locomotor activity, hypervigilance) to ‘apathy’. We provide a theoretical model that integrates this information to illustrate the phenomenon commonly referred to as “separation anxiety in horses”. Future work can test the predictions made here and their clinical implications.

The ethical and sustainable trade of nature and natural products relies on the presence of and compliance with legislation. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has been the global standard for the past half century, but doubts exist about compliance with CITES because of the lucrative nature of illegal trade, and because of misunderstandings regarding the details of specific in-country regulations. For two commonly traded species requiring UK CITES Article 10 (A10) Certificates we collected data on the frequency of reporting of the correct paperwork. We did so on two UK websites that vary in their format: one contains both a free text field and a tick box to capture information on CITES Certificates, the other contains solely a free text field. For each species the tick box captured A10 Certificate ownership in 99% of advertisements, which was significantly higher than that reported in the free text field of the same website. Further, the presence of a tick box also encouraged higher reporting of A10 ownership in the free text field, with a significant difference between websites. These results suggest that the choice architecture of websites can have a significant impact on how effectively advertisers report ownership of the correct Certificates and information. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

Light enables vision and exerts widespread effects on physiology and behavior, including regulating circadian rhythms, sleep, hormone synthesis, affective state, and cognitive processes. Appropriate lighting in animal facilities may support welfare and ensure that animals enter experiments in an appropriate physiological and behavioral state. Furthermore, proper consideration of light during experimentation is important both when it is explicitly employed as an independent variable and as a general feature of the environment. This Consensus View discusses metrics to use for the quantification of light appropriate for nonhuman mammals and their application to improve animal welfare and the quality of animal research. It provides methods for measuring these metrics, practical guidance for their implementation in husbandry and experimentation, and quantitative guidance on appropriate light exposure for laboratory mammals. The guidance provided has the potential to improve data quality and contribute to reduction and refinement, helping to ensure more ethical animal use.