A note on the effects of an unobstructed view on cage choices in farmed foxes

Impact of Visual Barrier Removal on the Behavior of Shelter-Housed Dogs

With millions of dogs housed in shelters each year, it is important to consider how the shelter environment impacts welfare. Social isolation and a lack of control over the environment can negatively impact wellbeing. However, providing social opportunities requires costly resources and can raise concerns about increased barking. In this study, 17 dogs were observed before, during, and after a visual barrier was partially removed to increase the ability to see to other dogs and the surrounding room. Stress behaviors, crate position, and resting behaviors did not differ significantly across phases; however, vocalizations were lower in the visual access and post phases (Friedman's test, p = .02). In addition, in-room barking data (N = 66) revealed no change in barking duration when barriers were removed. This absence of an increase in vocalizations should alleviate some concerns with allowing visual social contact. However, the lack of impact on stress and resting behaviors may indicate that visual social contact alone is insufficient for providing significant welfare benefits and that shelters should prioritize increasing social contact through playgroups or group housing.

The Effects of Elevated Platforms and Concealment Screens on the Welfare of Blue Foxes

Nowadays in Europe, farmed blue foxes are kept for most of the year in wire-mesh cages furnished with a platform for resting and observing the environment but without any opportunity for hiding from other foxes or from man. We studied the welfare effects of providing an elevated platform and two types of concealment screens in singly housed juvenile male blue foxes (n = 46) from August to December. The foxes were allocated to four experimental groups: group C had no furnishing in the cage, group P had a platform in the cage, group U had a platform and a concealment screen in the cage, and group O had a platform and a concealment screen on the outer wall of the cage. The blue foxes with platforms (groups P, U and O) spent the majority of their time on the platforms both when their cages were approached by man and as revealed by 24 h video recording. The 24 h recordings revealed that the foxes tended to avoid those locations in the cage where the screens obstructed their view (groups U and O); however, when the screens allowed the foxes to hide from an approaching man (group U), they were used for that purpose to some extent. There were no differences between the four groups in terms of growth, increase in rectal temperature after an acutely stressing situation, adrenal size, or fearfulness. The urinary cortisol: creatinine ratio showed that foxes in group U may have been less stressed than those in groups P and O in September, but no differences were observed in October. The concealment screens of group U may have improved the welfare of these blue foxes.

Trade-off between floor level and floor material in farmed silver foxes

Farmed silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were allowed to balance their known preference for an elevated floor against their presumed preference for a sand floor. In Experiment 1, foxes had to choose between two identical cages, connected with an opening. One cage had a wire floor and the other had a sand floor, but the cages either were on the same (low or elevated) or on different levels (one cage 40 cm higher than the other). In Experiment 2, the cage pairs were connected with a 1.2 m long wire-mesh tunnel, one cage was always on a higher level (50 cm) than the other. In Experiment 1, foxes always preferred the sand floor during their active time. They also preferred the sand floor for resting, if it was on the same level as wire floor, but did not show any genuine preference if the floors were on different levels. In Experiment 2, foxes never preferred the lower floor. They preferred the elevated sand floor for activity and the elevated wire floor for lying. When two floors were identical they preferred the elevated one. Their rest consisted of 11-22 bouts, a major part of these being spent in the preferred cage. They also preferred a previous lying site to a new one, often exclusively and independently of floor material. In Experiment 1 foxes preferred the sand floor whereas in Experiment 2 they preferred the elevated floor indicating that the ability of a trade-off situation to rank resources depends on the method it is inflicted.

Preference for various nest box designs in farmed silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and blue foxes (Alopex lagopus)

Nest box choice experiments were carried out outside the breeding season on adult silver and blue fox vixens with no previous permanent nest box experience. Nest boxes were varied in height of placement, number of rooms, presence of entrance room or platform and light conditions. Only one parameter was varied in any one experiment. Both fox species clearly preferred an elevated multi-room nest box; while silver foxes showed preference for boxes supplied with a platform, blue foxes preferred boxes with an entrance room. There was no significant box preference with respect to light conditions. The possible welfare implications of the preferences are discussed.