Japanese people have little interest in livestock welfare. This study aimed to enhance their interest by implementing an educational programme in a zoo through two different types of carcass-feeding activities to encourage a personal connection between visitors and animals. Observers of jaguars Panthera onca being fed carcasses of laying hens (YouTubeTM streaming: 27 August 2021; exhibit: 13 October-3 November 2021) showed significantly less concern for the husbandry environment of laying hens than the control group, even though the observers were highly conscious of animal welfare. There is a clear bias in the subject of visitors' animal welfare concerns. Participants who watched the streamed video before viewing the exhibit were not considerably different from control group visitors. At this point, there was no difference in the price of eggs purchased between these groups. In a postevent survey conducted three months later, the exhibit participants were as interested in the hens' husbandry environment as the non-exhibit participants and the price of eggs purchased was significantly higher than that of the non-exhibit participants. Thus, interest in hen welfare was maintained and welfare-oriented eggs were selected, which likely resulted in higher egg purchase prices. However, since this study is based on respondents' self-reports, it is unclear whether respondents' egg purchase prices actually increased. The carcass-feeding exhibit is thought to have at least broadened the zoo visitors' interest in livestock welfare. The provision of knowledge on hen care and management and the first-hand experience of gaining empathy for the animals were considered effective in making this change. Continued implementation of educational programs will be necessary to increase the number of visitors who are interested in the welfare of hens, to increase egg purchase prices, and ultimately to improve the environment in which hens are kept.

Browsing enrichment may aid in developing species-specific behaviors for giraffes managed in zoos as a means of improving animal welfare. By nature, giraffes are tree-feeding animals, including tree bark, but the extent of food other than leaves as a form of browsing enrichment has not been well investigated. Therefore, to investigate the effectiveness of non-leaf foraging, three giraffes at the Kyoto City Zoo in Japan were observed for 228 h from May 2019 to February 2020. In conjunction with behavioral instantaneous sampling, tree use (landscape tree or enrichment branch) and plant part (leaves, twigs, or barks) were recorded by the 1-0 sampling method. There was no significant change in the foraging behavior on the leaves of enriched branches, nor was there any significant change in the foraging behavior of the giraffes, except for one animal in the deciduous phase. No significant changes were observed in rumination or other behaviors between the two phases. Although vegetation foraging behavior significantly decreased, except for one animal, dry hay foraging behavior significantly increased in all the animals during the deciduous phase. Some individuals also showed a significant increase in the foraging behavior for non-leafy parts of the enrichment branches (twigs and bark) during the deciduous phase. This suggests that in some tree species, giraffes forage on the bark and twigs to compensate for the loss of leaves during the deciduous phase, similar to feeding on hay or hay cubes as a substitute for tree leaves.

Enclosure environments for captive giraffes can be improved by promoting species-specific behaviors and extending foraging behavior. To date, however, the effects of climatic (temperature-humidity index, THI) and environmental factors (landscaping trees) on the enrichment of captive settings have not been studied. Therefore, the present study explored the effects of browsing enrichment on the licking behavior of captive giraffes. From May 2019 to February 2020, three giraffes in the Kyoto City Zoo, Japan, were observed for 270 h over two consecutive seasons (pre- and post-deciduous). Overall, branch foraging behavior and licking behavior were weakly and negatively correlated. In the pre-deciduous period, THI was significantly and negatively correlated with giraffe activity, and some individuals exhibited significantly reduced foraging behavior. Therefore, browsing enrichment under extreme heat may not improve giraffe rearing environments. Moreover, in the post-deciduous period, with decreased availability of leaves on landscaping trees, the non-branch foraging behavior of giraffes was significantly increased, with a corresponding significant increase in licking behavior. Therefore, landscaping trees affect the foraging behavior of captive giraffes.

We assessed the contributions of seven factors (calving number, lactation period, milk yield, body weight, body condition score, month of hair sampling, and hair color) to the hair cortisol level of lactating dairy cows. Hair of 19, 19, 19, and 21 lactating Holstein cows was sampled in January, March, June, and September, respectively. Most cows were repeatedly sampled over the four months. Cortisol was extracted from washed hair using methanol, and its level was determined using a cortisol immunoassay kit. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the month of hair sampling was significant predictor of the hair cortisol level of lactating cows (β = -0.496, t = -4.209, P < .001, partial correlation = -0.501), and milk yield was the second most associated variable (β = 0.263, t = 1.989, P = .052, partial correlation = 0.264). In a multiple comparison test, hair cortisol (pg/mg of hair) showed the highest value in June (median: 11.2, range: 7.7–17.2), followed by January (4.4, 3.1–7.2), March (2.2, 1.3–6.4), and September (1.4, 0.9–2.6). The results indicate the necessity to consider seasonal variation when we use hair cortisol level as an indicator of a lactating cow’s endocrine response to stress in a field investigation.

We developed a rapid and sequential analysis system to determine stress marker in the milk. One of the famous stress markers, cortisol, was detected using our method. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method with a twin sensor was used in this study. One channel detected stress marker corresponding to antigen-antibody interaction and the other channel was used as a reference to remove environmental influences. Although nonspecific adsorption was monitored on each channel, frequency difference between them was within a few Hz on the injection of sample solution. One determination cycle including regeneration step could be performed within 10 minutes. The system could detect the cortisol level from 0.1 pg/mL to 100 pg/mL. These results show that our system has a potential to check the daily feeding condition for cows in terms of animal welfare.

We compared the hair cortisol levels of lactating dairy cows in a cold- and a warm-temperate region out of four climatic zones in Japan. We simultaneously investigated the effects of calving number, lactation period and month of hair sampling. Hair of nine Holstein lactating cows chosen from each region (i.e. 18 cows per sampling) was sampled in March, June, September and December. Number of calvings (1, 2, ≥3) and lactation duration (early: <100, middle: 101-200, and late: >201 days) were balanced between regions. Cortisol was extracted from hair by methanol, and its level was determined with a cortisol immunoassay kit. A multi-way analysis of variance revealed that the effects of month of hair sampling (P < 0.001) and its combination with region (P < 0.05) were significant. In a multiple comparison test, significant differences (P < 0.01) in hair cortisol level (pg/mg of hair) were found between June (13.0 ± 1.0) and the other 3 months, and between September (1.6 ± 0.2) and December (4.5 ± 0.3). The rise in cortisol level from March to June was more intense in the cold-temperate region. These results demonstrate the necessity of considering seasonal variations in each climatic region when we use hair cortisol level as an indicator of stress.

Volatile components of faeces from 55 domestic entire cats (36 males and 19 females) aged 1–12 were investigated using gas chromatograph–mass spectrometer headspace techniques. Twenty-four volatile organic compounds were found in the faecal samples. There was no significant difference in complexity, in terms of the number of compounds detected, between males (mode: 23, median: 23, quartile range: 0.6) and females (23, 21, 2.0). On the other hand, males (15.0, 13.0, 8.9) had a significantly (P < .05) higher concentration (mg/kg) of 1-butanol than females (11.0, 7.1, 3.1). In male cats, the concentrations of six compounds were significantly correlated with age: 1-propanol (rs = 0.409, P < .05), methyl propionate (rs = 0.464, P < .01), propionic acid (rs = 0.443, P < .01), ethyl propionate (rs = 0.333, P < .05), phenol (rs = 0.370, P < .05), and indole (rs = 0.467, P < .01). Similar correlations were not found for the females. These results suggest that domestic cats get information about the sex and age of males via the volatile organic compounds of faeces.

In Japan, the human population is aging rapidly, and the abandonment of dogs by the elderly people who have died or been hospitalized becomes a problem. It is hypothesized that elderly dogs have difficulty adapting to the novel circumstances when brought to an animal shelter. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess stress levels and demonstrate stress responses of elderly dogs just after admission to an animal shelter. As stress indicators, fecal corticosterone levels and changes in the ethogram of the dogs were investigated during the first week of admittance. Fecal corticosterone levels (mean ± SE) stayed high during the first week of residence, although they fell gently from the day after admittance (16650.1 ± 3769.7 ng/g) to the seventh day (12178.4 ± 2524.4 ng/g) (P < 0.001). The proportions of behavioral expressions changed as the days passed (P < 0.001). In particular, stereotypies decreased from 35.7% on the first day to 2.6% on the sixth day, and time spent sleeping increased from 0.0 to 42.7%. These results indicate that elderly dogs admitted to an animal shelter seem to behaviorally adapt themselves to their novel circumstances but might be stressed even on the seventh day of residence.

わが国では，中山間地域において耕作放棄地が増加しており，その有効活用が課題となっている。近年その対策の1 つとして，反芻動物の放牧が注目され全国的に様々な試みが進められている。当研究室でも，長野県須坂市において耕作放棄地を利用しためん羊放牧について，一連の研究を実施してきている。本研究は，日本で飼育されている主要品種であるサフォーク種と現地で少数飼育されているポールドーセット種の行動比較を行い，耕作放棄地におけるめん羊放牧の技術向上につなげる一助とすることを目的とした。

This study investigated the baseline level of faecal corticosterone in dogs relinquished to a shelter and compared changes in it caused by social events that dogs experienced. Faecal corticosterone was measured to assess the average stress levels of dogs that depend on the actual conditions of the shelter. One category of subject animals was dogs relinquished by their owner or stray dogs who were penned in a group (group RG) or caged individually due to their incompatibility (group RI), and the other category was demonstration dogs kept for dog training classes (group DT) and petting activities held in welfare facilities for the elderly and in elementary schools (group DP). While the number of dogs that were included in groups RG and RI fluctuated almost daily, the demonstration dogs were kept together for three months. The average level of faecal corticosterone was significantly higher in group RG than in groups DT and DP. The level of group RI was also relatively high, but the difference from the other three groups was not statistically significant. Faecal corticosterone concentrations of groups DT and DP rose somewhat from the baseline levels on the day after social service activities. The results of this study reaffirm that temporarily relinquished and socially unstable dogs especially suffer a certain level of stress in a shelter.

中山間地の耕作放棄地に馴致期間を設けずに羊を放牧し，それまでの放牧経験の有無が放牧行動に与える影響と順化までの過程を明らかにすることを目的とした。まず2010 年に，放牧経験が無い羊のみを放牧し（観察Ⅰ），その行動と場所利用の変化を観察した。2013 年には，放牧経験が有る羊と無い羊が含まれる群れを同じ耕作放棄地へ導入して（観察Ⅱ），その行動と場所利用の変化および個体間距離を観察し，導入後2 ヵ月間における放牧地への順化を比較検討した。

We reported previously that behavioral development of chicks was promoted remarkably by the presence of a broody hen. Here we report that these effects at an early age persist after maturity. A total of 60 female chicks were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: six pens with five chicks (brooded group) each were reared by a broody hen and six pens with five chicks (non-brooded group) each were provided with an infrared heating lamp. We evaluated the persistent effects of broody hens by measures of behavior, physical condition and production at 9, 16, 35 and 55 weeks of age. The numbers of threatening, aggressive pecking, fighting and severe feather pecking behaviors were higher in non-brooded than in brooded chickens (all P < 0.05). Egg production was lower in brooded than in non-brooded chickens (P < 0.05), while the number of brooding chickens was higher in the brooded than in the non-brooded group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the presence of broody hens at an early stage of chicks' lives has a persistent effect on behavior. Although brooded chickens showed more brooding and lower egg production than non-brooded chickens, feather pecking and aggressive interaction were decreased in brooded hens.

To assess the stress level of cheetahs reared in J apan and to identify the prime components of the climatic conditions that affect their thermal stress, fecal corticosterone was monitored for 8 months from M ay to the following J anuary. A total of 203 fecal samples were gathered in the morning from seven adult cheetahs that were kept at a zoological garden in W akayama, J apan. Cheetahs were on exhibit singly or together with a harmonious conspecific during the day, but housed singly at night. Although the monthly fluctuation in corticosterone concentrations was not significant, the concentrations were relatively low during the summer season. Individual differences among cheetahs and the interaction effect between individual and month on the corticosterone concentrations were significant. Whereas the corticosterone concentrations negatively correlated with air temperature, they were positively correlated with the amount of rainfall. The highest air temperature and the amount of rainfall were extracted as the prime factors affecting corticosterone concentrations. These results suggest that cheetahs reared in J apan are somewhat subjected to thermal stress, particularly on cooler and/or rainy days.