Effects of sensor ear tags with twin pin fixing system on health and well-being of cattle.

INTRODUCTION: A sensor ear tag (SET) containing Global Positioning System (GPS), accelerometer, Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), and Bluetooth technologies was tested for wearing comfort and compliance with animal welfare requirements in cattle in a free stall barn and on summer pasture in Switzerland. The SET was equipped with a long-lasting battery via solar panel and used a «twin pin¼ fixing system. Right ears of 12 newborns and 26 adolescent animals were tagged with the SET. While left ears were tagged simultaneously with official ear tags in newborns, the adolescent animals already carried the official ear tags. The newborns stayed in a free stall barn during the entire experiment, while adolescent animals were housed in a free stall barn and on pasture during summer. All animals developed crusts beginning on day 7 after tagging with the SET. Pain reactions were observed occasionally in the first two weeks. Ear growth in newborns during 11 months of observation did not differ between ears with SET and official ear tags. Cortisol concentration in saliva of newborns decreased in the first week after tagging which is physiological for this age group. In older animals cortisol concentrations in saliva were not affected. We registered 19 incidences in 11 animals with the SET, that required veterinary or staff intervention. Two animals lost the SET with ear injury. Scars due to tag migration were observed in ears of all newborns after the 9th month of observation. In conclusion, SET with a weight of 32 g that need a twin pin fixation in cows do not seem to induce systemic or local inflammations more frequently compared to official ear tags; however, the higher risk of accidental injuries and migration in ear cartilage would not meet Swiss welfare standards and the attachment to the ear needs to be improved for general use.

INTRODUCTION: Une marque auriculaire à capteur (SET) contenant les technologies Global Positioning System (GPS), accéléromètre, identification par radiofréquence (RFID) et Bluetooth a été testée en termes de confort et de conformité aux exigences de bien-être animal chez des bovins dans une étable à stabulation libre et sur des pâturages d'estivage en Suisse. Le SET était équipé d'une batterie longue durée via un panneau solaire et utilisait un système de fixation «twin pin¼. Les oreilles droites de 12 veaux et de 26 génisses ont été équipées avec le SET. Les oreilles gauches ont été marquées en même temps avec les marques officielles chez les nouveau-nés alors que les génisses portaient déjà ces marques officielles. Les nouveau-nés ont été détenu dans une étable à stabulation libre, avec accès à une aire de sortie et aux paturages voisins pendant toute la durée de l'expérience tandis que les génisses ont été logés dans une étable à stabulation libre et en pâturage pendant l'été. Tous les animaux ont développé des croûtes à partir du 7e jour après le marquage avec le SET. Des réactions douloureuses ont occasionnellement été observées au cours des deux premières semaines. La croissance des oreilles des nouveau-nés au cours des 11 mois d'observation n'a pas différé entre les oreilles marquées par le SET et les oreilles marquées de manière standard. La concentration de cortisol dans la salive des nouveau-nés a diminué au cours de la première semaine successive au marquage, ce qui est physiologique pour ce groupe d'âge. Chez les animaux plus âgés, les concentrations de cortisol dans la salive n'ont pas été affectées. Nous avons enregistré 19 incidents chez 11 animaux avec le SET, qui ont nécessité l'intervention d'un vétérinaire ou d'un membre du personnel. Deux animaux ont perdu le SET avec blessure à l'oreille. Des cicatrices dues à la migration des marques ont été observées sur les oreilles de tous les nouveau-nés après le 9e mois d'observation. En conclusion, les SET d'un poids de 32 g qui nécessitent une fixation par deux tiges chez les bovins ne semblent pas induire d'inflammations systémiques ou locales plus fréquemment que les marques auriculaires officielles. Cependant le risque plus élevé de blessures accidentelles et de migration dans le cartilage de l'oreille ne correspondrait pas aux normes suisses en matière de bien-être et la fixation à l'oreille doit être améliorée pour une utilisation généralisée.

Observations on the use of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in teleosts and elasmobranchs at a public aquarium, 728 cases, 2007-2020.

Between 2007 and 2020 at New England Aquarium, Boston, MA, USA, we implanted passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags into 728 fish representing 105 teleost and elasmobranch species to identify animals as individuals. At the time of retrospective data analysis, mean longevity interval (median, range) after tag placement for animals that remained alive (n = 236) was 4.7 years (4.5, 0.3-13.8). Mean interval (median, range) between tag placement and death (n = 317) was 2.1 years (1.6, 0-11.2); and mean interval (median, range) between tag placement and transfer to other facilities (n = 175) was 2.5 years (3.1, 0.1-9.3). Possible adverse effects of tagging were extremely rare. Using the described methods, the equipment cost for every 10 PIT tag implantations was $2.83. PIT tag implantation in fishes is a safe and cost effective method to identify individuals, providing an opportunity to accumulate valuable data regarding individual longevity, welfare, basic demographics, and outcome of medical management. PIT tag implantation is recommended as a routine aspect of acquisition, quarantine, and medical management of fish under human care.

[Dog license taxes and tags]. / Hundesteuern und Hundemarken.

INTRODUCTION: Based on a donation of more than 1000 Swiss dog license tags to the museum of veterinary medical history in Zurich, historic dog license taxes and tags are compared between Switzerland and other European countries. In 2006 the microchip was launched as mandatory identification for dogs in Switzerland and dog license tags became redundant.

INTRODUCTION: Dans le cadre du don d'une collection de plus de 1000 médailles d'identité suisses pour chiens au Musée d'histoire de la médecine vétérinaire de Zurich, le sujet des taxes et médailles pour chiens est étudié en Suisse et comparé à d'autres pays européens. Avec l'introduction de l'identification des chiens au moyen d'une puce électronique en 2006, il n'était plus nécessaire de remettre ces médailles.

Sensing solutions for improving the performance, health and wellbeing of small ruminants.

Diversity of production systems and specific socio-economic barriers are key reasons explaining why the implementation of new technologies in small ruminants, despite being needed and beneficial for farmers, is harder than in other livestock species. There are, however, helpful peculiarities where small ruminants are concerned: the compulsory use of electronic identification created a unique scenario in Europe in which all small ruminant breeding stock became searchable by appropriate sensing solutions, and the largest small ruminant population in the world is located in Asia, close to the areas producing new technologies. Notwithstanding, only a few research initiatives and literature reviews have addressed the development of new technologies in small ruminants. This Research Reflection focuses on small ruminants (with emphasis on dairy goats and sheep) and reviews in a non-exhaustive way the basic concepts, the currently available sensor solutions and the structure and elements needed for the implementation of sensor-based husbandry decision support. Finally, some examples of results obtained using several sensor solutions adapted from large animals or newly developed for small ruminants are discussed. Significant room for improvement is recognized and a large number of multiple-sensor solutions are expected to be developed in the relatively near future.

Innovative use and efficiency test of subcutaneous transponders for electronic identification of water buffaloes.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the viability of using transponders for the electronic identification of water buffaloes and compare their efficiency when used in animals of different age groups. Electronic transponders with RFID technology (2.1 × 12.2 mm) were implanted subcutaneously (D0) in the scutiform cartilage. The animals consisted of four groups: CLF-I (17 calves; 2.1 ± 1.9 months), CLF-II (20 calves; 5.1 ± 3.2 months), HFR (20 heifers; 22 ± 4.7 months) and STR (19 steers; 26.6 ± 6.7 months). The animals were kept under pasture grazing, a part of the year in the dryland and a part in the floodplain, and were monitored for up to 350 days. The average time required for individual transponder implant was 49.46 s, while the time required for reading the code was 3.76 s. The older calves required higher time for individual implant (P = 0.0001) and closer approximation of the reader in the D150 (P = 0.0001). The mean read distance was 2.98 cm in D0 and 1.94 cm in D150. The magnitude of the subcutaneous transponder migration was minimal, and was within an area of 17.2 mm2. A slight bleeding was observed in 15.79% of the animals during the implant. A decreasing incidence of edema was observed until D21, with the heifers being more sensitive until that time (P = 0.0099). Considering the results, it is preferred to implant electronic transponders in calves up to two months of age. The physical rate of transponder loss was 1.3% and the loss of functionality was 9.2%. High reading rate was achieved when animals were raised both in dryland (93.9%) and floodplain (97.2%). Thus, the electronic identification of water buffaloes is a technique capable of replacing traditional and rudimentary methods to identify buffaloes and can provide safe identification of animals.

Technical note: Random forests prediction of daily eating time of dairy cows from 3-dimensional accelerometer and radiofrequency identification.

Feed intake and time spent eating at the feed bunk are important predictors of dairy cows' productivity and animal welfare, and deviations from normal eating behavior may indicate subclinical or clinical disease. In the current study, we developed a random forests algorithm to predict dairy cows' daily eating time (of a total mixed ration from a common feed bunk) using data from a 3-dimensional accelerometer and a radiofrequency identification (RFID) prototype device (logger) mounted on a neck collar. Models were trained on continuous focal animal observations from a total of 24 video recordings of 18 dairy cows at the Danish Cattle Research Centre (Foulum, Tjele, Denmark). Each session lasted from 21 to 48 h. The models included both the present time signal and observations several seconds back in time (lag window). These time-lagged signals were included with the purpose of capturing changes over time. Because of the high costs of installing an RFID antenna in the feed bunk, we also investigated a model based solely on 3-dimensional accelerometer data. Furthermore, to address the trade-off between prediction accuracy and reduced model complexity and its implications for battery longevity, we investigated the importance of including observations back in time using lag window sizes between 8 and 128 s. Performance was evaluated by internal leave-one-cow-out cross-validation. The results indicated that we obtained accurate predictions of daily eating time. For the most complex model (a lag window size of 128 s), the median of the balanced accuracy was 0.95 (interquartile interval: 0.93 to 0.96), and the median daily eating time deviation was 7 min 37 s (interquartile interval: -6 to 15 min). The median of the average daily eating time during sessions was 3 h 41 min with an interquartile interval of 2 h 56 min to 4 h 16 min. Exclusion of RFID data resulted in a considerable decrease in prediction accuracy, mainly due to a decreased sensitivity of locating the cow at the feed bunk (median balanced accuracy of 0.87 at a lag window size of 128 s). In contrast, prediction accuracy only slightly decreased with decreasing lag window size (median balanced accuracy of 0.94 at a lag window size of 8 s). We suggest a lag window size of 64 s for further development of the prototype logger. The methodology presented in this paper may be relevant for future automatic recordings of eating behavior in commercial dairy herds.

Technical note: validation of a system for monitoring individual behavior in beef heifers.

The objectives of the 2 studies conducted were to validate the accuracy of an automated monitoring device (AMD; HR-LDn tags, SCR Engineers Ltd., Netanya, Israel) for different types of behaviors or cow-states (side lying, resting, medium activity, high activity, rumination, grazing, walking, and panting) in beef heifers and to determine if the total time per cow-state recorded by the AMD corresponds to the total time per cow-state recorded by instantaneous observations. Cow-state is recorded every second and, within 1 min, the most prevalent cow-state is considered to be the behavior presented by the animal during that interval. Study personnel (n = 2) observed heifers (n = 10) for 20 min from 0800 to 1140 h and 10 min from 1500 to 1640 h during 4 consecutive days and recorded continuously each cow-state at started and ended. Thus, study personnel were able to determine within a 1-min interval, which cow-state was most prevalent and represented the heifer's behavior. Because the proprietary machine learning algorithm prioritizes certain behaviors over others based on their contribution to the understanding of generalized bovine behavior patterns, we also determined the most prevalent behavior observed in 5-min intervals. Test characteristics (sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and negative and positive predicted values) were calculated using the observer as the gold standard. In study 2, heifer behavior was scanned by observers (n = 2) every 5 min from 0800 to 1100 h and 1500 to 1800 h for 3 consecutive days. Total minutes per cow-state according to the observer were compared with the total minutes per cow-state according to the AMD during the same period to determine the correlation coefficient. In study 1, test characteristics were high (low ≤ 40%, moderate = 41 to 74%, high ≥ 75%) for rumination (≥ 89.7%), grazing (≥ 76.5%), and side lying (≥ 81.8%), and moderate for resting (≥ 48.8%). In study 2, the correlation coefficient for rumination (R2 = 0.92) and grazing (R2 = 0.90) were high and the correlation coefficient for resting (R2 = 0.66) and walking (R2 = 0.33) were moderate. We conclude that the AMD used in this study showed high accuracy when measuring rumination and grazing, but it was subpar when measuring resting and walking. The algorithms employed by the AMD used need to be improved for determination of walking and resting behaviors of beef cattle.

Finding Fern: should microchip scanning be compulsory?

This month, Jodie Ferrier describes the six-year hunt for her lost dog, Fern.

Nail varnish helps researchers pinpoint numbers of rare bats.

Emma Huntley explains how researchers from the Zoological Society of London are using an inventive way to calculate bat populations.

Technology adoption on farms: Using Normalisation Process Theory to understand sheep farmers' attitudes and behaviours in relation to using precision technology in flock management.

Evidence suggests that UK sheep farmers experience lower productivity and profit margins than other livestock sectors and that they do not necessarily know where they gain or lose income from their flocks. More efficient use of precision technology has been identified as a potential way of addressing this problem. The mandatory requirement for Electronic Identification (EID) tags to be placed on all sheep offers an opportunity for sheep farmers to adopt precision technologies to manage herd health and maximise production and profit. Although the charactistics of farmers that are associated with adoption or non adoption of technology have been identified little is known about the social processes, meanings and experiences that influence uptake. This paper is novel as it draws on data from 36 sheep farmers in the UK and applies Normalization Process Theory (NPT) to gain an understanding of the reasons they do or do not use EID related precision technology on their farms. The interviews were tape recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using NVivo. Although respondents acknowledged the potential value of precision technology to improve their farm businesses they appeared to have alternative beliefs that were counter productive. Their beliefs that using precision technology posed a threat to their role as a good stockman, that it could not replace the need for hands-on interaction with their animals and that it was costly and difficult to use created an implementation gap. The use of NPT as an evaluation framework provided a valuable tool for increasing the understanding of contextual characteristics that undermine the routine embedding of such technology by sheep farmers. The data suggests that normalisation of the use of precision technology amongst sheep farmers could potentially be increased if manufacturers/suppliers co-design and work with farmer's to ensure that the technology enables the farmer to be in control and operates as an aid to achieving high quality stockmanship rather than a mechanism for profit maximisation.

A survey of opinions towards dog and cat management policy issues in New Zealand.

Aims: To describe the opinions of respondents to an online survey on desexing, microchipping and pet registration, and the management of cats, and aggressive dogs in New Zealand. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted online from 18-22 June 2015 using a permission-based panel of New Zealand residents aged ≥18 years. Questions included demographics of respondents, number of dogs and cats owned, and opinions on desexing, microchipping, pet registration, management of cats and aggressive dogs. Results: Of the 1,572 survey respondents, 216 (13.7%) owned ≥1 dog and ≥1 cat, 227 (14.4%) owned ≥1 dog and no cats, 480 (30.5%) owned ≥1 cat and no dogs, and 559 (35.6%) did not own any pets. The majority of dogs (456/613; 74.8%) and cats (974/1,045; 93.2%) were desexed. The most common reasons for not desexing pets were cost, feeling that it was not needed, or keeping the dog for breeding. Of the 613 dogs, 557 (90.9%) were registered with the local council, and 434 (71.0%) were microchipped, but only 290 (47.3%) were registered in the national database. Of the 1,045 cats, 326 (31.2%) were microchipped and 279/486 (57.4%) owners felt that it was unnecessary. Of the 1,572 respondents, 947 (60.2%) were unaware of stray cats in their local community, and 479 (30.5%) stated that local councils, or animal welfare organisations (546/1,572; 34.7%) should be responsible for managing strays. Among all 1,572 respondents, 787 (50.1%) thought stray cats should be assessed and subjected to euthanasia. Compared with non-pet owners, a lower percentage of cat owners agreed that cats should be confined (p < 0.001). When asked to choose the most appropriate course of action for dogs that had bitten people or other animals, 849 (54.0%) and 820 (52.5%) respondents, respectively, agreed that the dog should be assessed by an expert who would then determine the appropriate action. Compared with non-pet owners, a lower percentage of dog owners supported registration and education of dog owners, aggressive dogs being destroyed, and giving more power to local councils (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The results highlight opportunities to improve owner compliance with desexing, microchipping and registration of dogs and cats. Opinions towards management of stray cat and aggressive dogs varied between pet owners and non-owners. Further research is needed to better understand how to engage the public in important dog and cat management policy issues.

A comparison of population estimation techniques for individually unidentifiable free-roaming dogs.

BACKGROUND: Measuring the size of free roaming dog populations quickly and accurately is critical in the implementation of numerous preventive health and population control interventions. However, few studies have investigated the relative performance of population size assessment tools when applied to dogs. The aim of this study was to compare the commonly used mark-resight methodology with distance sampling methods, which are less resource intensive, to estimate free-roaming dog abundance in Goa, India. Twenty-six working zones were surveyed along all roads twice by the same surveyor at the same time of day, following a vaccination campaign which included marking of vaccinated dogs with a coloured paint. The Chapman estimate was then used to evaluate the mark-resight abundance. Additionally, the number of dogs and perpendicular distance from the road for all dogs sighted was recorded. This was used to estimate dog density and abundance using distance sampling methods. The detection function was fitted based on goodness-of-fit and AIC. RESULTS: The Chapman abundance estimate for the entire study area was 5202 dogs (95%CI 4733.8-5671.0), and the distance sampling method abundance estimate was 5067 dogs (95%CI 4454.3-5764.2). For individual working zones, after taking other factors into account in a mixed effects model, the average distance sampling estimate was 35% higher (95%CI 20-53%) than the Chapman estimate. There was also evidence of a difference in estimates between surveyors of 21% (95%CI 7-37%) and between days (22% lower on day 2, 95%CI 8-38%) for individual working zones. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that the distance sampling estimates were comparable overall to the Chapman method of abundance estimation of free roaming dogs across the entire study region but there was noticeable variation between the two methods when individual zones were compared. Consequently, distance sampling methods may be suitable to enumerate dogs over large areas in a more time efficient manner than the widely used mark-resight approach.

Welfare and Scientific Considerations of Tattooing and Ear Tagging for Mouse Identification.

Ear tagging is perceived as less painful or stressful than tattooing and therefore is generally considered less harmful or costly to welfare. However, ear tags are more difficult to read than tattoos and can fall out, and mice usually require restraint for the tag numbers to be read accurately. We assessed the welfare and scientific implications of tattooing by using a commercial device compared with restraint in a device versus ear tagging. Male and female BALB/c mice (n = 32) underwent procedures after 1 wk of tail or nonaversive (tunnel) handling to determine whether tunnel handling reduced anxiety. Pain was evaluated using both the Mouse Grimace Scale (MGS) and manual and automated behavior analyses; light-dark preference testing and voluntary interaction with the handler's hand were used to assess anxiety. Tail inflammation after tattooing was quantified using bioluminescent imaging, and ear tag and tattoo misidentification rates were estimated from volunteer staff records. Tunnel handling reduced anxiety compared with tail handling. According to the MGS, tattooing was not more painful than ear tagging but caused significant tail inflammation and more agitation and anxiety. However, all tattoos were read correctly without handling, whereas all ear tagged mice needed restraint, and at least 25% of the tag codes were misread. Handling stress together with identification errors at this rate represent potentially serious concerns regarding the scientific integrity of data from studies using ear tagging. These concerns are unlikely to arise with tattooing. Although tattooing was stressful, so were restraint and ear tagging. However, considering the other major advantages of tattooing, the total costs associated with tattooing were not substantially greater than for ear tagging.

Evaluating the recently imposed English compulsory dog microchipping policy. Evidence from an English Local Authority.

This is the first empirical study examining the effectiveness of the newly imposed English compulsory dog microchipping policy. A dataset of 2974 records was retrieved from an English local authority's website. Records were from the period 2010-2018 and were analysed based on the three periods of the policy timeline: initial period includes data recorded prior to the intent of imposing the microchipping policy (April 1, 2010 - February 2, 2013); second period includes data recorded between the announcement of the intent and the date of the policy coming into effect (February 3, 2013-April 5, 2016); and the final period includes data recorded after the policy came into effect (April 6, 2016-July 4, 2018). A preliminary binary univariable logistic regression model analyzed the initial period which revealed that microchipping was an effective means of traceability providing evidence supporting the imposition of the policy. Thereafter, a multinomial logistic regression model was employed for the complete dataset and all policy periods. It revealed that both the period after the announcement of intent to impose the policy and the period after the policy came into effect have had a significant effect on the return of stray dogs, with the latter of greater magnitude. In particular for Staffordshire bull terriers and its crosses, which is the leading breed in animal welfare organization and local authority kennels, this study identifies the need for further research. Overall, these findings are encouraging in terms of the success of the policy however, more insights are required on keeping microchip details up-to-date and on the link of deprived areas, youth and the ownership of Staffordshire bull terriers. Although the findings of this study may not be generalized to all English local authorities, its conclusions could be used as a benchmark and starting point for further investigation.

Best Practice Approach for Assessment of Microchip-associated Tumors in Preclinical Safety Studies: Position of the Registry of Industrial Toxicology Animal-data (RITA).

Microchip (passive radio-frequency identification device) implantation is a common and widely employed means of animal identification in laboratory animal facilities. However, these devices have been associated with tumors of the skin and subcutis in rodents. While microchip-associated tumors are rare, they pose a challenge for accurate diagnosis and documentation in preclinical toxicity studies. Documentation of these tumors should differentiate microchip-associated lesions with spontaneously occurring or test article-induced tumors. Standardizing criteria for microchip-associated lesions will aid the diagnostic process and allow for preclinical regulatory standardization. To this end, the Registry of Industrial Toxicology Animal-data have developed clear recommendations for diagnosis and documentation of microchip-associated lesions.

Characterization of inappetent sheep in a feedlot using radio-tracking technology.

The feeding and drinking behaviours of sheep were monitored using RFID technology at a commercial pre-embarkation feedlot in Western Australia with the aim of characterizing feeding and drinking patterns of inappetent sheep that might allow them to be treated. Feeding and drinking behaviours of sheep were compared with their survival and change in body condition. Patterns of number of visits and the time spent at feed and water troughs were analyzed for a total of 8,206 sheep, representing four consignments that were monitored for a range of 6-31 d. Data for feeding and drinking behaviours were compared for the first 6 d. For animals that were alive at exit, 18.9% of sheep attended the feed trough for less than 0.25 h d-1 (15 min per day) on day 1; this decreased to only 2.4% of sheep by day 6. Of the sheep monitored, 0.93% died (n = 76); Salmonella spp. infection was the leading cause of death (n = 40; 52.6% of all deaths) across all months and was accompanied with inanition. There was marked variability in the average time spent at the feed trough for sheep that died eventually from salmonella/inanition (contributing to the lack of statistical difference in time spent at feed trough between sheep dying from different causes; P = 0.056). Over half (55%) of the animals diagnosed with salmonella/inanition spent an average of less than 0.50 h d-1 (30 min per day) and 45% less than 0.25 h d-1 at the feed trough. There was a negative correlation (r) in time spent at the feed trough overtime for individual sheep that died from salmonella/inanition, indicating that these individuals went off their feed. This pattern was not evident for animals that died from other causes (significant difference in r values between five categories of cause of death; P = 0.040). Characterization of feeding behaviour of sheep that died from salmonella/inanition therefore appears to require more than simply monitoring daily intake. There was no difference in time spent at water troughs between sheep that died or were alive at exit (average 0.30 ± 0.23 h d-1). This study reveals that the patterns of feeding and drinking behaviours during pre-embarkation feedlotting do not readily allow identification of animals that warrant singling out for veterinary care or alternative feed arrangements. This result highlights the need for experienced stockmanship in handling these animals.