BIONÆR-Bionæringsprogram

This project was initiated based on the new regulations for keeping of fur animals and based on the need for additional scientific knowledge on how the housing conditions affects young silver foxes? welfare. Several studies are completed to examine various welfare- and behaviour related effects of weaning procedures and use of additional flooring for cubs. In addition, welfare effects of various housing methods for young foxes until pelting are studied. To examine alternative types of environmental enrichment for silver foxes a study measuring preference for various activity objects are completed. As a basis for using cortisol metabolites in faeces (FCM) as a welfare indicator a validation experiment was performed as a first study. Results shows that elevated plasma cortisol is reflected as an increase in FCM with a peak concentration reached 9-11 h after artificial elevation through ACTH-challenge test. Handling stress was also reflected as elevated FCM with a peak after 9.5 h. The results show that FCM can be used as a stress indicator in silver foxes and it is therefore used as a measure in several of the studies. The study on additional flooring for cubs at 3-6 weeks of age shows that cubs? move more easily when given additional flooring mainly because it prevent their paws slipping through the mesh. When 3 different types of additional flooring was tested we found that cubs from litters with extra small-meshed flooring on top of the traditional floor had higher body weight than cubs with solid floor as additional flooring and cubs with no extra flooring. Cleanliness scores showed that the solid floor was most dirty, followed by small-meshed netting and control. When 30 juvenile silver foxes? use of 5 different activity objects was recorded the results showed that a cattle femur bone was preferred over a rawhide bone, a pulling device as the third ranked; and then a plastic cube and straw as the last ranked objects. Summer 2014 effects of various weaning age on the behaviour and welfare of vixens and cubs was examined in 24 vixens and their litters. The results show that the vixens, independent of weaning age from 7-9 weeks, showed signs of distress at weaning by elevated activity, panting, pacing and/or digging and frequent contact calls. Vixens had high levels of contact calls immediately after separation but after 1 week, their vocalisation had almost vanished. The days after separation from the cubs the vixens? FCM levels were increased 3-4 times compared to pre-separation levels. Vixens that were housed with one female cub after separation had lower FCM levels 1 week after separation compared to vixens that were solitary housed. The cubs were generally more passive and did not show as clear signs of weaning distress. The consequences of social contact in pairs and of various duration was studied autumn 2014 in 180 juvenile foxes. The effects of gender combination and 2 different separation periods on behaviour and welfare was examined. The results showed that foxes separated in December had elevated FCM concentrations compared to foxes separated in September or October, and FCM levels were lower in foxes kept solitary compared to foxes in pairs. These results indicate that extended social housing beyond sexual maturity in October may be stressful instead of acting as environmental enrichment. The second part of the experiment investigating possible compensatory properties of environmental enrichment over social contact was completed December 2015. Preliminary results show that cubs housed in a multi-enriched cage environment had lower levels of stereotypies, were more confident and were bolder in an unfamiliar situation after 4-6 weeks in enriched cages. This project has given and will give future publications in peer review journal, as congress presesntations and scientific reports. Also, the project has contributed to the publishing of the very first textbook chapter on ethology of farmed foxes and mink.

Hos sølvrev finnes begrensete forskningsbasert kunnskap om hvordan ulike prosedyrer for oppstalling og avvenning påvirker valpenes og tispas velferd. Bruk av ekstra gulvunderlag til små valper er et område hvor det foreløpig ikke finnes dokumentasjon. Det samme gjelder avvenning hos rev hvor dagens retningslinjer er basert på erfaringer fra næringa. Sosial kontakt mellom valper er viktig etter avvenning men det er fortsatt ubesvarte spørsmål om hvilken kjønnssammensetning som er optimalt og hvilke tidspun kt valpene bør separeres for å unngå negative velferdskonsekvenser pga økt aggresjon. Bruk av aktivitetsobjekter til rev er i dag obligatorisk men det finnes svært få studier som viser hvilke typer objekter reven prefererer og hvilke velferdmessig konsekv enser bruk av slike objekter har for sølvrev. Noen studier viser at bruk av gnagepinner av tre kan skape betennelseslignende tilstander i fordøyelseskanalens slimhinner, noe som understreker viktigheten av å undersøke egnetheten av aktivitetsobjekter til rev. Utskillelse av glukokortikoider (eks. kortisol) øker ved belastninger og er derfor et vanlig benyttet mål på stress hos dyr, også hos rev. Ulempen ved bruk av plasmakortisol er at dette krever håndtering for blodprøvetaking noe som stresser dyrene sa mt virker forstyrrende på behandlingseffekten. Et alternativ som ikke innebærer håndtering og derfor synes spesielt godt tilpasset for rev er å måle kortisol i feces. Forut for å benytte metoden er det imidlertid behov for å validere fecal kortisol som et gyldig mål på stress hos sølvrev. Behov for forskning innenfor de nevnte områdene er presisert både av nasjonale og internasjonale instanser. Resultatene vil gi kunnskap om hvordan oppstallingsmiljøet til valper bør utformes for best å ivareta deres beho v samt hvordan disse prosedyrene påvirker pelskvaliteten. Denne kunnskapen vil benyttes som veiledning rettet mot oppdretterne som ledd i næringas arbeid for å opprettholde og forbedre velferden for oppdrettsrev.