Stereotypic Behaviour in Dairy Animals and its Implications for Animal Welfare

摘要

When behaviour of an animal is considered the two important criteria that are discussed is whether the behaviour observed of an animal is normal or abnormal. The normal behaviour of an animal can either be natural (for instance searching of forage bythe animal, mating behaviour) or it can be unnatural (where the animal moulds its behaviour through adaptation by progressive learning of the situation). The abnormal behaviour of an animal is of global concern which includes stereotypic behaviour. Stereotypies are defined as repetitive, invariant behaviors without obvious goal or function (Mason,- 1991). These are behaviours that have replaced natural activity and have been taken over by the' artificial conditions of management. Different species of animals perform different stereotypies, and the type of stereotypic behaviour displayed usually relates to the root cause of its occurrence. When comparison is done to non-ruminant species such as poultry, cattle generally display less stereotypic behaviour when kept in intensive conditions. More restrictive is the management of animals, higher is the frequency of occurrence of stereotypic behaviour.