This study examined how different environmental enrichments affect the welfare of eight male shelter dogs in Italy, using telemetric physiological measures to develop objective welfare indicators. Researchers collected heart rate, muscle activity, and body temperature data over 28 days, introducing enrichments including objects, human presence, and female dog companionship. They developed new welfare metrics: predictability (similarity to baseline), sleep quality, and day-night cyclicity. Results showed all enrichments improved welfare, with female companionship being most effective, positively affecting sleep quality and physiological cyclicity. Human presence also showed benefits even with limited interaction, while entertaining objects had less impact. The study provides objective measures for shelter management, emphasizing the importance of social enrichment, particularly with conspecifics, for improving sheltered dogs’ welfare.
Non-Invasive Computer Vision-Based Fruit Fly Larvae Differentiation: Ceratitis capitata and Bactrocera zonata
This paper proposes a novel, non-invasive method using computer vision
