EFFECTS OF A MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE JOURNEY TIME (31 H) ON PHYSIOLOGICAL-RESPONSES OF FLEECED AND SHORN SHEEP TO TRANSPORT, WITH OBSERVATIONS ON BEHAVIOR DURING A SHORT (1 H) REST-STOP

Concern for the welfare of export lambs during long-distance road tran sport has prompted much research and a recommended change in procedure . The latter envisages an absolute maximum journey time of 31 h and in cludes a rest-stop (minimum duration 1 h) for feeding and watering. In the present experiment, the physiological and behavioural responses t o this new protocol have been investigated in fleeced and shorn lambs (no. = 10 per group) provided with venous catheters and heart rate mon itors. The two groups were loaded oil a vehicle into separate adjacent pelts and driven for 14 h; then unloaded into a lairage, where their behaviour was recorded. After 1 h they were reloaded and driven for a further 15.5 h, finally arriving at a slaughterhouse where carcass con dition tons evaluated. Blood samples collected at 30- or 60-min interv als by experimenters travelling with the animals were analysed to dete rmine haematocrit, plasma osmolality, plasma concentrations of glucose , creatinine phosphokinase (CPK), and the stress-responsive hormones, cortisol, prolactin, adrenaline and noradrenaline. The results showed that haematocrit increased after loading although the general trend du ring transport, as with osmolality, was a decline (P < 0.05). No signi ficant changes in plasma glucose were detected but CPK increased in fl eeced lambs after loading (P < 0.05). Cortisol release was stimulated by loading, especially in fleeced sheep (P < 0.001) but returned to ho me pen values within 6 h; heart rates changed in a similar manner. Tra nsport did not markedly affect prolactin release although concentratio ns were consistently greater in fleeced sheep (P < 0.001). Noradrenali ne, however, tended to be higher in shorn animals (P < 0.05). In laira ge, both groups readily consumed hay, and especially concentrates, but the shorn lambs spelt more time eating (P < 0.001). None of the shorn sheep, and only a fete fleeced animals, drank water. There was no evi dence for differences in weight loss between the two groups during the experiment and carcass quality at slaughter was within the normal exp ected range. The implications of these, and other related studies, for future transport policy are discussed, with particular reference to r est-stop duration and handling procedures.