Stress and Animal Welfare

Book excerpt: Stress and Animal Welfare provides students of animal biology with a fresh, integrated coverage of the concepts and scientific measurement of the welfare of animals. This book is the first to explain the basic biological principles of how animals actually cope with stress, and the major part of the work is devoted to explaining scientifically usable concepts in stress and welfare. A wide range of stress indicators are highlighted in detail with examples being drawn from man and other species. This information forms the basis for a synthesis of now ideas presented here for the first time. Among the issues covered are: •how physical systems are regulated by the body and brain; •limits to adaptation •assessing welfare for both short-term and long-term responses; •ethical problems and suggested solutionsProper assessment of animal welfare is essential so that informed decisions can be taken about what is morality acceptable in terms of practice and in the development of more effective legislation. This text encapsulates a very wide body of literature on scientific aspects of animal welfare, and will prove a valuable asset for students and teachers of animal biology.