Infrared Thermography Camera: A non-invasive tool to aid in the development of science based solutions for improving the welfare of animals

UBC动物福利计划的总体目标是通过研究，教学和推广来改善动物的生活。这项具体提案的目的是申请资金购买一台红外摄像机和两个镜头，以便在环境或生理应激源之前、期间和之后，对动物周围皮肤和/或眼睛温度的变化进行客观的非侵入性测量。皮肤和眼睛温度的变化被用来评估动物的疾病（即与传染病或炎症问题相关的发烧）和情绪状态。农场动物产业正面临越来越大的压力，以尽量减少农场动物在遭受阉割、去角或运输等常规管理程序时所经历的痛苦和痛苦。迄今为止，这一领域的大多数研究都集中在需要采血的生理变化上，这需要身体上的约束，可能会带来一些不适。相比之下，所要求的红外技术是非侵入性的，可以进行实时测量。我们的第一个目标是使用这种非侵入性方法来提高我们对日常管理实践对动物情绪（例如恐惧）的影响的理解，并确定这些实践的改进是否有助于减轻动物表达这些负面情绪的程度。尽管越来越多的证据表明，农场动物能够经历非常复杂的情感生活，但除了恐惧之外，几乎没有什么情绪被描述在农场动物身上。也有越来越多的证据表明，动物应对负面经历的能力是不同的。因此，我们的第二个目标是评估个体行为差异（通常被称为“人格特征”）与压力反应强度差异之间的关系。总的来说，这些研究将使我们更好地理解个体差异，最重要的是它对农场动物福利的影响。尽管人们通常认为，具有挑战性的情况是个体感知的，因此不同动物（在同一物种中）会产生不同类型的反应，但很少考虑到农场动物物种的个体特征。在行为和生理水平上提高对个体反应的理解是理解农场动物个体情感生活的重要一步。购买红外摄像机是实现这些目标的重要必要步骤。

The overall aim of the UBC Animal Welfare Program is to improve the lives of animals through research, teaching and outreach. The aim of this specific proposal is to request funds to purchase an Infrared Camera and two lenses that will allow for objective non-invasive measurement of changes in peripheral skin and/or eye temperature of animals before, during and after an environmental or physiological stressor. Changes in skin and eye temperature have been used to assess both disease (i.e. fever associated with infectious diseases or inflammatory issues) and emotional states of the animals. The farm animal industries are under increasing pressure to minimize the pain and distress farm animals experience when exposed to routine management procedures such as castration, dehorning, or transport. To date the majority of research in this area has focused on physiological changes that require blood sampling, which requires physical restraint and likely some discomfort. In contrast the infrared technology requested is non invasive and allows for real-time measurements. Our first aim is to use this non-invasive method to improve our understanding the effects of routine management practices on animal emotions (e.g. fear) and to determine if refinements in how these practices can aid in mitigating these extent to which animals express these negative emotions. With the exception of fear, few emotions have been described in farm animals despite a growing body of evidence suggesting that they are able to experience a very complicated emotional life. There is also a growing body of evidence that animals differ in their ability to cope with negative experiences. Thus, our second aim is to assess the relationship between consistent individual differences in behaviour, frequently referred as ‘personality traits’, and differences in the intensity of the stress response. Collectively these lines of research will lead to a better understanding of individual variation and most importantly of its consequences on the welfare of farm animals. Although it is commonly assumed that challenging situations are individually perceived and consequently result in different types of responses by different animals (within the same species) little consideration have been taken regarding individual characteristics within a farm animal species. Improved understanding of individual responses at the behavioural and physiological level is an important step in understanding the individual emotional life of farm animals. The purchase of the infrared camera is an important necessary step in achieving these aims.