WELFARE OF FARM-ANIMALS - A BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEW

Emotional state may be viewed as a time- and situation-dependent varia ble, representing the perception of the internal state in animals. The welfare (well-being) is a state which is indicative of an animal's ab ility to cope with and to adapt to the environment and to make an emot ional assessment of the result. The question of the ethical and biolog ical function of welfare is particularly relevant to animal husbandry in laboratory, zoo and farm animals living in a bare environment. The present paper reviews the most common views of biological approaches t o animal welfare and discusses the relationship between the concept of welfare and other biological concepts (e.g. motivation, fitness). In spite of the complexity and the subjectivity of assessing animal welfa re, it is necessary to develop practical and theoretical frameworks to understand emotional processes in animals. These concepts should be i ntegrated into theories of motivation, evolution and adaptability of a nimal behaviour.