Biogeographical patterns in the diet of the wildcat, Felis silvestris Schreber, in Eurasia: factors affecting the trophic diversity

Aim To analyse the biogeographical patterns in the feeding habits and trophic diversity of prey of the wildcat, Felis silvestris Schreber. Location The Eurasian distribution range from the Caucasian mountains to the Iberian Peninsula and Scotland. Methods We reviewed 15 studies to collate data on feeding behaviour across the current wildcat distribution range. We considered nine prey groups and recorded the latitude, whether the location was within a Mediterranean bioclimate area, and rabbit presence. Prey groups were reduced into four PCA factors. Regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships of latitude with PCA factors and trophic diversity. anova was used to test if trophic diversity was higher at locations with Mediterranean climates. We also analysed the relationship between small rodent consumption and both Mediterranean climates and rabbit presence using anova . Finally, we confirmed the relationship between the frequency of Murinae and Microtinae in the diets and the presence of rabbits and with respect to Mediterranean climates controlling for latitude (mancova ). Results Diet diversity was greatest in Mediterranean climates. Trophic diversity decreased when rodents formed the bulk of the diet, but increased with the inclusion of alternative prey such as rabbits and invertebrates. Small rodent consumption was also negatively related to rabbit consumption or presence. The inclusion of Murinae and Microtinae in the diet varied with latitude, with higher ingestion of the former in the southern locations and of the latter in northern areas. Main conclusions The trophic diversity of the wildcat diet was associated with Mediterranean climatic conditions, being broader at more southern latitudes. At the continental scale, the wildcat cannot be considered a rodent specialist because rabbits were preferred when they were present. Thus, we consider the wildcat to be a facultative specialist. In addition, our results indicate that general trophic patterns in the diet of a species may not be accurately determined if the availability of alternative prey is not taken into account.     

Veterinary Students’ Beliefs About Animal Sentience: What Role Does Gender Play?

ABSTRACT

Across a 15-year period, annual cohorts of first-year veterinary science students (n = 1,380; 77% female) at a British university completed the Belief in Animal Sentience (BiAS) questionnaire, in which they reported their beliefs about the sentience (capacity to feel) of ten species: dogs, cats, lions, pigs, sheep, rats, rabbits, chickens, bees, and spiders. On the basis of previous findings regarding people’s beliefs about animals’ capacities for mind, it was hypothesized that female students would ascribe more human-like sentience to animals than would male students. It was also hypothesized that the proportion of female students in each of the cohorts studied would have an influence on the beliefs of the year group as a whole: cohorts comprising a larger percentage of women would have higher animal sentience beliefs in both males and females. The data were analyzed using two-level regression models to concurrently investigate the effects of individual respondents’ gender and the percentage of female students in their cohort. Compared with their male counterparts, female veterinary students across all the cohorts studied attributed significantly higher (more human-like) sentience to each of the ten animals listed in the BiAS questionnaire, but the percentage of female students in each year group was not associated with students’ sentience beliefs. It was also found that childhood experience of having owned pet cats or dogs was related to students’ beliefs about the sentience of these species, although this association did not contribute to the differences found between male and female respondents. Given the increasing number of women entering the veterinary profession, and previous findings that beliefs about animals’ capacities for sentience may be associated with the veterinary care they are given, we conclude that gender differences in sentience beliefs could have a significant impact on the future of veterinary practice and patient welfare.     

Implications of shared predation for space use in two sympatric leporids

Spatial variation in habitat riskiness has a major influence on the predator–prey space race. However, the outcome of this race can be modulated if prey shares enemies with fellow prey (i.e., another prey species). Sharing of natural enemies may result in apparent competition, and its implications for prey space use remain poorly studied. Our objective was to test how prey species spend time among habitats that differ in riskiness, and how shared predation modulates the space use by prey species. We studied a one‐predator, two‐prey system in a coastal dune landscape in the Netherlands with the European hare (Lepus europaeus) and European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) as sympatric prey species and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) as their main predator. The fine‐scale space use by each species was quantified using camera traps. We quantified residence time as an index of space use. Hares and rabbits spent time differently among habitats that differ in riskiness. Space use by predators and habitat riskiness affected space use by hares more strongly than space use by rabbits. Residence time of hare was shorter in habitats in which the predator was efficient in searching or capturing prey species. However, hares spent more time in edge habitat when foxes were present, even though foxes are considered ambush predators. Shared predation affected the predator–prey space race for hares positively, and more strongly than the predator–prey space race for rabbits, which were not affected. Shared predation reversed the predator–prey space race between foxes and hares, whereas shared predation possibly also released a negative association and promoted a positive association between our two sympatric prey species. Habitat riskiness, species presence, and prey species’ escape mode and foraging mode (i.e., central‐place vs. noncentral‐place forager) affected the prey space race under shared predation.     

Exploring the Grief Experience Among Callers to a Pet Loss Support Hotline

The present study explored the grief experience among callers to the Ontario Veterinary College Pet Loss Support Hotline (PLSH). Summary notes (n = 75) of the conversations between callers and PLSH volunteers were qualitatively analyzed using content analysis. Major content categories emerging from the analysis include personal pet narrative; perceived support sources; grief experiences; relationship with pet; memorialization; grief coping strategies; grief triggers; decision to euthanize; and veterinary interaction. Findings support that pet loss grief is a broad, complex construct, which can be complicated by a pet owner’s perceptions that they have minimal social support sources and negative veterinary interactions. Pet owners involved in the current study appeared comfortable sharing personal stories about their pet’s death when asked. In addition, memorialization appeared to be widely used by PLSH callers and may have helped them cope with their loss. Importantly, the interaction with veterinary staff was identified to potentially aggravate or alleviate a pet owner’s grief experience. Implications for mental health counselors and veterinary staff are that asking pet owners to tell their pet’s story and explore their support network may have value following the loss of a pet. Also, effectively communicating about memorialization and grief coping strategies may be beneficial when talking to owners experiencing grief. Finally, there continues to be a need for curricula and continuing professional training courses for veterinarians and mental health counselors to address topics such as the human–animal bond, grief, euthanasia, and memorialization practices.     

Effect of Experience on Prey Species Selection by the Bivalve Feeder Halla Okudai (Polychaeta: Lysaretidae)

We report on the effects of previous foraging experience on prey-selection by the bivalve feeding polychaete Halla okudai, including whether there was evidence of frequency-dependent predation. Three separate batches of H. okudai were maintained for 30 days on clams, mussels, or oysters, before being offered a choice among these three prey. Initially individuals from all three treatments consumed more clams than mussels, and no oysters. As the number of clams was depleted the polychaetes shifted their diet to include a greater proportion of mussels, but even after 20 days oysters were only eaten by polychaetes that had been previously acclimated to them. Nevertheless, polychaetes from each treatment inspected significantly more of the prey species to which they had initially been acclimated, suggesting that previous experience may increase the likelihood of certain prey being detected. When individuals of H. okudai were repeatedly offered the same prey species, handling time did not decrease (and therefore prey profitability did not increase) with experience, which may be because H. okudai paralyses its prey with toxic mucus. Since repeated experience of the same prey species gives no advantage in terms of reduced handling time, we suggest this may be why this species does not show frequency-dependent prey-selection.     

Race and ethnicity are not primary determinants in utilizing veterinary services in underserved communities in the United States

A retrospective database analysis (2011–2015) evaluated associations between race and ethnicity and veterinary service utilization by sampling 83,260 companion animals whose guardians (owners) self-identified as White, Black, or Latino/a from 39 Humane Society of the United States Pets for Life (PFL) sites across the United States. Controlling for socioeconomic status, the percentage of nonhuman animals sterilized through PFL whose owners were Latino/a or Black was substantially higher than in previously reported findings. While Latinos/as had the highest mean number of days from first contact with the program to consent, they also had the highest percentage of owners accepting the voucher during initial contact. Logistic regression models suggested that although meaningful, race and ethnicity were not primary determinants of veterinary service utilization. When veterinary and animal welfare organizations deliberately remove structural barriers embedded with racial inequalities, individuals, regardless of race and ethnicity, proceed with companion-animal sterilization. Therefore, service providers must use unbiased, informed, and culturally competent practices to improve companion-animal welfare through the optimization of veterinary services, including spay and neuter.     

Baseline Knowledge of Potential Pet Toxins among the US General Public

In 2014, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals Animal Poison Control Center fielded more than 167,000cases of potential nonhuman animal toxicosis. Concomitantly, thereremain limited free and reputable veterinary toxicology resourcesavailable for companion-animal (pet) caregivers (owners) seekingassistance and advice about potentially harmful exposures inanimals. The objective of this study was to assess pet toxicantknowledge among a representative sample of Americans andgauge the need for additional toxicology resources. The studyinvolved a survey designed to capture participants’ ability to identifypotential animal toxicants and what resource they would use ifan accidental toxic ingestion occurred. Participants were ableto correctly identify 52% of potential pet toxins. Women, olderparticipants and participants from the South expressed moreconcern about each potential pet poison. Approximately halfof participants indicated they would consult a veterinarian andwhereas most others indicated they would search the Internet formore information about pet toxicology. The findings suggest moreveterinary poisoning education is needed for pet owners to be ableto accurately distinguish potential pet toxicants from nontoxicants.     

Large-scale spatio-temporal shifts in the diet of a predator mediated by an emerging infectious disease of its main prey

Aim To explore the influence of an emerging infectious disease (EID) affecting a prey species on the spatial patterns and temporal shifts in the diet of a predator over a large geographical scale. We reviewed studies on the diet of Bonelli’s eagles (Hieraaetus fasciatus) in order to determine the repercussions of the reduction in the density of its main prey, the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), caused by outbreaks of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) since 1988. Location Western continental Europe. Methods We compiled published and unpublished information on the diet of breeding Bonelli’s eagles from Portugal, Spain and France for a 39‐year study period (1968–2006). Nonparametric tests were used in order to analyse temporal shifts in diet composition and trophic diversity (H′) between the periods of ‘high’ (before outbreak of RHD) and ‘low’ rabbit density (after outbreak of RHD). A combination of hierarchical agglomerative clustering and non‐metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analyses were used to test for the existence of geographical patterns in the diet of Bonelli’s eagles in each period. Results The diet of the Bonelli’s eagle consisted of rabbit (28.5%), pigeons (24.0%), partridges (15.3%), ‘other birds’ (11.6%), ‘other mammals’ (7.1%), corvids (7.0%), and herptiles (6.4%). However, RHD had large consequences for its feeding ecology: the consumption of rabbits decreased by one‐third after the outbreak of RHD. Conversely, trophic diversity (H′) increased after outbreak of RHD. At the same time, the analyses showed clear geographical patterns in the diet of the Bonelli’s eagle before, but not after, RHD outbreak. Main conclusions Geographical patterns in the diet of the Bonelli’s eagle in western Europe seem to be driven mainly by spatio‐temporal variation in the abundance of rabbits and, to a lesser extent, by the local (territorial) environmental features conditioning the presence and density of alternative prey species. We show that an EID can disrupt predator–prey relationships at large spatial and temporal scales through a severe decline in the population of the main prey species. Hence we argue that strict guidelines should be drawn up to prevent human‐aided dissemination of ‘pathogen pollution’, which can threaten wildlife not only at the population and species level but also at the community and ecosystem scale.     

Synergy between two invasive species,redback spiders and rabbits,threaten the endangered Cromwell chafer beetle

Interactions between invasive species can be difficult to predict and can result in unanticipated impacts of significance for native fauna. Here we show that introduced European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) create habitat that enables invasive redback spiders (Latrodectus hasselti Thorell, 1870) to establish and prey upon the nationally endangered, endemic Cromwell chafer beetle (Prodontria lewisii Broun, 1904). We examined the spatial relationship between rabbit holes and redback spider occurrence, recorded all prey caught in redback spider webs over a 4-month period, and tested the role rabbit holes play in providing habitat for redback spiders experimentally, by filling in rabbit holes in areas used by spiders and monitoring subsequent occupation of the areas over four months. Redback spiders predominately resided in old rabbit holes, with the highest densities of spiders coinciding with high densities of rabbit holes. Cromwell chafer beetles were commonly caught in webs. Filling in rabbit holes eliminated the presence of redback spiders at all treated sites and reduced prey capture in those areas. Conservation management to protect Cromwell chafer beetles should focus on eliminating rabbits and their holes from beetle habitat.     

Effect of Experience on Prey Species Selection by the Bivalve Feeder Halla Okudai (Polychaeta: Lysaretidae)

We report on the effects of previous foraging experience on prey-selection by the bivalve feeding polychaete Halla okudai, including whether there was evidence of frequency-dependent predation. Three separate batches of H. okudai were maintained for 30 days on clams, mussels, or oysters, before being offered a choice among these three prey. Initially individuals from all three treatments consumed more clams than mussels, and no oysters. As the number of clams was depleted the polychaetes shifted their diet to include a greater proportion of mussels, but even after 20 days oysters were only eaten by polychaetes that had been previously acclimated to them. Nevertheless, polychaetes from each treatment inspected significantly more of the prey species to which they had initially been acclimated, suggesting that previous experience may increase the likelihood of certain prey being detected. When individuals of H. okudai were repeatedly offered the same prey species, handling time did not decrease (and therefore prey profitability did not increase) with experience, which may be because H. okudai paralyses its prey with toxic mucus. Since repeated experience of the same prey species gives no advantage in terms of reduced handling time, we suggest this may be why this species does not show frequency-dependent prey-selection.     

Social Dimensions of the Human–Avian Bond: Parrots and Their Persons

Though birds are among the most popular companion animals in the United States, little scholarly research has focused on the human– companion parrot relationship. This study uses an ethnographic approach and qualitative analysis to examine the parrot–pet owner relationship. Two and onehalf weeks of ethnographic fieldwork were carried out in a veterinary clinic specializing in avian and exotic medicine. These observations complement the results of quantitative data and qualitative analysis of texts from questionnaires completed by 100 parrot owners outside the clinic. Both textual analysis and observations in the veterinary clinic revealed some interesting insights into the social dimensions of the human–companion parrot relationship, which was rated superior to that of cats and dogs by some bird owners. Various patterns of human–avian interactions emerged from the data, including childhood experience with birds, affection and physical contact with birds, birds as family members and the nature of the human–parrot bond, infantilization (delayed weaning and parrot as child surrogate), anthropomorphism (celebration of holidays, diet, death and spirituality, and misinterpretation of bird behavior), intersubjectivity and cognition, and anthropocentrism (bird as object). Misinterpretation of bird behavior and failure to recognize the unique physiological and social needs of their species may lead to impaired welfare. On the other hand, according the bird a social status as cherished family member, may enhance their welfare. In addition, other factors are considered that may enhance or detract from the welfare of companion parrots. In a discussion of hypotheses regarding the human–pet bond, it is concluded that the data presented by this study best support the social support hypothesis.     

Continental‐scale analysis of feral cat diet in Australia,prey‐switching and the risk: benefit of rabbit control

Recent analyses of geographical variation in cats’ diet across Australia have been used to highlight rabbit control as a conservation risk, on the basis that prey‐switching by cats following rabbit control is likely to threaten Australian fauna. There is no direct evidence to support that proposition. However, there is direct evidence of repeated prey‐switching due to seasonal fluctuations in uncontrolled rabbit populations, of long‐term suppression of rabbit numbers by effective rabbit control, and that reduced rabbit abundance leads to reduced cat abundance, reduced predation of native fauna and recovery of threatened prey populations. Furthermore, rabbits are a known threat to many Australian native plants and rabbit control has proven benefits for their recovery, thereby offering long‐term benefits for dependent fauna and broader ecosystem function. On the balance of evidence, rabbit control should be encouraged in Australia wherever possible, as a national conservation priority.     

Attitudes toward Animals of Students at Three European Veterinary Medicine Schools in Italy and Spain

The European Veterinary Code of Conduct recognizes the crucial role of veterinarians in improving animal welfare and maintaining its standards. However, several studies have claimed that veterinary students’ attitudes toward animals may worsen as they progress through their academic training. This study aimed to investigate students’ attitudes toward nonhuman animal use in three European veterinary medicine schools (Italy and Spain). For this purpose, 565 veterinary students completed a questionnaire consisting of a range of items grouped into four animal-use categories: “Research,” “Entertainment,” “Utilitarianism,” and “Veterinary Issues.” Items were scored on a 5-point Likert-type scale, with higher scores indicative of higher concern regarding animal welfare. Results showed that the use of animals for “Entertainment” and questions related to “Veterinary Issues” raised the most concern among the veterinary students, while the use of animals for “Research” was of least concern. Moreover, we also examined some potentially confounding factors: age, academic year (first to fifth), gender, previous experience with pets, and university. Female students had a higher concern for animal welfare compared with their male counterparts. Students in their earlier stages of training as veterinarians also exhibited a greater concern for animal welfare compared with those of later academic years. Other factors affecting students’ attitudes toward animal use were the age of the students and the university they were enrolled at. The findings of this study confirm that attitudes toward animal use are not homogeneous and are associated with students’ demographic, educational, and personal characteristics.     

Reptile Ownership in Balkan Countries: Demographics and Reliance on Veterinary Advice

The objective of the research was to determine the profile of reptile owners (n = 238) in terms of their socio-demographic characteristics and evaluations of veterinarians’ expertise. Reptile owners living in four non-EU Balkan countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia) were randomly selected from two social networks. Statistically significant differences were found in snake, lizard, and turtle owners (p < 0.05) in terms of gender, employment status, and monthly earnings. Male owners of reptiles were slightly more numerous (52%) compared with female owners (48%). Sixty-four percent of reptile owners were over 20 years old. The unemployed reptile owners (16%) were about five times fewer in number compared with those who studied at university and those who were employed. Forty-one percent of reptile owners declared high monthly incomes. Forty percent of reptile owners never contacted and had no experience with veterinarians. Fifty-eight percent of reptile owners contacted or visited veterinarians due to the medical condition of their animals, 14% of them contacted veterinarians for advice on reptile keeping, and only 6% did so for a preventive veterinary examination. Forty-seven percent of reptile owners were satisfied with veterinary services. The importance of the results of this survey is that they can provide a basis for adopting legislation on the ownership of reptiles as pet animals, together with being a baseline for monitoring subsequent changes in interest in these animals as pets. The results also identify the need for more dedication from veterinarians in educating reptile owners, and for necessary adjustments in veterinary education.     

European rabbits recognise conspecifics in their predators’ diets

Rabbits can successfully avoid their enemies by evaluating the risk of predation. They have various defensive strategies, such as morphological adaptations and behaviours patterns, which enable them to perceive their predators and thus reduce the risk of predation. It is well documented that rabbits recognise the scats of terrestrial predators and avoid those areas in which they are present. However, few studies show whether the prey species can recognise the presence of congeners in carnivores’ scats, which would allow them to identify their predators in a more efficient manner. We have carried out a comparative analysis of the use of space made by rabbits on plots on which a neutral odour (water) or the odours of the ferrets’ scats that had consumed either rabbit or another mammal (beef) were applied. Our results showed a lower number of rabbit pellets on those plots containing predator odours than on the control plots. During the first 6 days after applying the first odour, the number of rabbit pellets was lower on plots on which rabbit had been included in the diet when compared with scats obtained from a beef diet. However, no differences between the two experimental plots were recorded during the third visit (9 days after applying the first odour). Our results suggest that rabbits may be able to detect congeners in their predators’ scats, thus leading them to, in the short term, avoid areas in which their terrestrial predators’ diet is based on conspecifics, probably as the result of them perceiving a higher risk of predation.     

Factors affecting the Human Attribution of Emotions toward Animals

ABSTRACT

Attribution of emotions to animals can affect human–animal interactions and dictate animal welfare laws. However, little is known about the factors that influence these attributions. We investigated the effect of belief in animal mind, pet ownership, emotional intelligence, eating orientation, and gender on the attribution of different emotions to a variety of species, from different taxonomic classes, considered as Pet, Use (e.g., used for food, experimentation), or Pest animals. Three hundred and forty-seven participants, aged between 16 and 65 years, completed a questionnaire that measured their belief in the capacity for animals to experience seven primary and secondary emotions. The results showed that attribution of emotions to animals is inconsistent. The ambiguity appears to hinge, in part, upon an animal's functional category and their perceived place in the commonly supposed, though inaccurate, linear hierarchy of species. Nonetheless, the wide range of emotions that were attributed to all species highlights the complex and potentially disorganized thoughts that humans have concerning animals. Belief in animal mind was found to be the strongest and only predictor of emotion attribution to animals in general, but is probably because both are part of the same underlying construct. Ownership of some species—rabbits, horses, rodents and birds—mediated the emotions attributed to that particular species. We conclude that ambiguous attitudes influence the standards of welfare for animals used by humans and that the dichotomous attitudes permit exploitation and welfare violations against animals. Greater understanding of emotion attribution has the potential to improve humane education methods, and suggestions for future research are made.     

Rat Tickling in Pet Stores: Effects on Employees,Customers, and New Owners

Rat tickling is a technique used by humans with rats to mimic rough-and-tumble play, improve welfare, and reduce fear. Anecdotal information suggests that rat tickling is also beneficial for humans, yet this assertion has not been empirically validated. We hypothesized that rat tickling would be beneficial to multiple populations interacting with or viewing rats at pet stores, including employees, customers, and new rat owners. We sampled nine employees, 806 customers, and 35 rat owners in two pet stores across three replicates. Employees were assessed after caring for rats (using tickling or minimal handling methods) and after the sale of each rat with the Animal Empathy Scale and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale. Customers were asked via a survey to determine which cage of rats they would purchase and which cage of rats looked the happiest. New rat owners’ reasons for purchase, satisfaction, and attachment were assessed with surveys, including the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale. Data were analyzed using general linear models (employees and owners) and generalized linear mixed models (customers). Employee affect was unaltered by handling treatment in the first four days. At the point of sale, employee positive affect was higher when selling controls versus tickled rats, pets versus feeders, and rats that had been in the store for a shorter time. Customers were more likely to identify tickled high-calling and control rats as being happier. Customers were more likely to choose rats from cages with a higher proportion of colored rats for purchasing. Owners and customers frequently cited behavioral reasons as important for selection of rats. In conclusion, based on the measures used in our study, short-term tickling of pet store rats may have minimal effects on humans. However, future research is warranted to investigate effects of more frequent or longer-term tickling.     

The development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for measuring the potency of vaccines containing Clostridium chauvoei antigens

Current standards (British Pharmacopeia (Veterinary) 1985) for vaccines containing Clostridium chauvoei require a potency test based on a challenge assay in guinea-pigs. Animal welfare and cost considerations favour the development of alternatives. Most veterinary clostridial vaccines are multi component, requiring assays in rabbits to test the potency of components other than C. chauvoei. We describe the application of an ELISA to measure the response to C. chauvoei vaccines in rabbits. The antigen is a sonicated extract of C. chauvoei strain CH4, intended to include a mixture of cellular and soluble antigens. The rabbit response to more than 70 vaccines containing C. chauvoei has been assessed against a reference serum which has been assigned an arbitrary potency of 100 units ml-1. The antibody titres of rabbit sera have been compared with the results of guinea-pig challenge potency tests on the same vaccines. The pass level in the guinea-pig potency test is equivalent to a rabbit ELISA titre of 50 units ml-1.     

Selection of food patches by sympatric herbivores in response to concealment and distance from a refuge

Small herbivores face risks of predation while foraging and are often forced to trade off food quality for safety. Life history, behaviour, and habitat of predator and prey can influence these trade‐offs. We compared how two sympatric rabbits (pygmy rabbit, Brachylagus idahoensis; mountain cottontail, Sylvilagus nuttallii) that differ in size, use of burrows, and habitat specialization in the sagebrush‐steppe of western North America respond to amount and orientation of concealment cover and proximity to burrow refuges when selecting food patches. We predicted that both rabbit species would prefer food patches that offered greater concealment and food patches that were closer to burrow refuges. However, because pygmy rabbits are small, obligate burrowers that are restricted to sagebrush habitats, we predicted that they would show stronger preferences for greater cover, orientation of concealment, and patches closer to burrow refuges. We offered two food patches to individuals of each species during three experiments that either varied in the amount of concealment cover, orientation of concealment cover, or distance from a burrow refuge. Both species preferred food patches that offered greater concealment, but pygmy rabbits generally preferred terrestrial and mountain cottontails preferred aerial concealment. Only pygmy rabbits preferred food patches closer to their burrow refuge. Different responses to concealment and proximity to burrow refuges by the two species likely reflect differences in perceived predation risks. Because terrestrial predators are able to dig for prey in burrows, animals like pygmy rabbits that rely on burrow refuges might select food patches based more on terrestrial concealment. In contrast, larger habitat generalists that do not rely on burrow refuges, like mountain cottontails, might trade off terrestrial concealment for visibility to detect approaching terrestrial predators. This study suggests that body size and evolutionary adaptations for using habitat, even in closely related species, might influence anti‐predator behaviors in prey species.     

Exploring Children’s Perspectives on the Welfare Needs of Pet Animals

Children are increasingly viewed as important recipients of educational interventions to improve animal welfare, yet research examining their perspectives is lacking, particularly within the UK. Helping children to care appropriately for animals depends, not least, on an ability to understand the needs of different species and correctly identify cues given by the animal that indicate its welfare state. This study began to explore: (a) children’s perceptions of welfare needs, focusing on four common pet animals; (b) influences on the development of knowledge; (c) beliefs about whether or not (all) animals are sentient, and (d) their confidence in identifying when their own pets are in need. Fourteen focus groups were carried out with 53 children aged 7 to 13 years. Findings highlighted an affirmative response that animals have feelings (dogs especially), albeit with doubts about this applying universally. There was wide variation in children’s knowledge of welfare needs, even among owners of the animal in question. Conversely, some children lacked confidence in spite of the extensive knowledge they had developed through direct experience. An important finding was a perceived difficulty in identifying the needs of particular species or specific types of need in their own pets. Fitting well with a recent emphasis on “positive welfare,” children felt that many animals need demonstrative love and attention, especially cats and dogs. While there is clearly scope for educating children about common needs and cues that indicate animals’ welfare state, other areas pose a greater challenge. Emotional connection seems important in the development of extensive knowledge and concern for welfare. Accordingly, animals that do not possess the kind of behavioral repertoire that is easy to interpret or allows for a perceived sense of reciprocity are possibly at risk of negative welfare experiences.