Coping and Adaptation - Behaviour, Physiology, Health and Welfare 

The ability of an animal to cope with, and adapt to, challenges in its environment is a crucial concept in Animal Welfare (Arndt et al 2022). An animal should be able to reach a state that they perceives as positive. This ability to adapt depends on the individual`s traits and on the exposure to environmental stimuli. Especially animals in agriculture undergo a range of interventions, such as maternal separation, social mixing, mutilations, transport, which may affect their behaviour, health and welfare.

During certain phases in development, organisms are more sensitive to external stimuli. During the perinatal period, comprising the prenatal as well as the postnatal period, the social and physical environment may lead to (long-lasting) changes in physiology and behaviour. Experiences made during early life thus shape the individual and determine its future phenotype. These phenotypic changes can even be passed along through generations by epigenetic mechanisms. Research on an individual’s welfare should therefore not only include the current environment but also early experiences and even the experiences of past generations. Birds are valuable models to study prenatal effects. Eggs contain various substances such as nutrients and hormones which affect the development of the chick. The deposition of these substances from the mother to the egg are influenced by the environment of the breeding female. 

Animal welfare risk assessments may help identify potentials hazards and stressors, but also opportunities, in the environment, e.g., husbandry and management. During the Veterinary MSc course, Veterinary public health (Veterinaire Volksgezondheid, BVV), students gain more insight in fundamental concepts and applied aspects of Animal Welfare, which they may deepen during the elective course `Ethology and Welfare`. Following the Veterinary profile `Animal Welfare Management`, thus a combination of courses, students are well-prepared for their future role as advisors on animal welfare.

Animals are part of the human society, may it be in agriculture, as pets, in zoological gardens or in the urban environment. At the Department Population Health Sciences, division of Animals in Science and Society, Goerlich studies fundamental and applied questions regarding the welfare of various species, ranging from pigeons, chicken, and Japanese quail to cows, dogs, and giraffes.