Suffering demand curves and welfare: a reply to Houston
Article Abstract:
A study on the use of economic tools for assessing animal suffering and welfare may be problematic. Suffering is not, as the study implied, just a matter of doing one thing only if it compromises the time and opportunities to do other things. Rather, suffering occurs when an animal's desire to gain or get away from something is so strong, but the animals is unable to do and thus does anything to get what it wants. Moreover, the manner in which the study used a slope, elasticity and area under the demand curve to measure welfare may produce misleading information about the animal's priorities.
Publication Name: Animal Behaviour
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0003-3472
Year: 1997
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Causation of the ontogenic development of stereotypic digging in gerbils
Article Abstract:
The factors that cause the development of stereotypic digging in gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) were determined. Regulatory model of motivation was used to examine whether digging motivation is decreased by the performance of the motor pattern 'digging' or by the consequences of digging. Perception of the stimulus 'burrow' by a retreating animal decreased digging motivation. Stereotypic digging in gerbils develops when a young gerbil cannot achieve a stimulus situation that is efficient in decreasing digging motivation.
Publication Name: Animal Behaviour
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0003-3472
Year: 1997
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Demand curves and welfare
Article Abstract:
A simple model to explore the relationship between demand and fitness in animals was developed to determine whether ideas from economics can be used to assess animal suffering. The model assumed that demand curves result from animal's behavior towards maximizing perceived benefits. Results indicated that neither the slope nor the elasticity of the demand curve is correlated with lost fitness. Thus, demand curves cannot serve as indicators of animal suffering.
Publication Name: Animal Behaviour
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0003-3472
Year: 1997
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
- Abstracts: Distribution of caribou and wolves in relation to linear corridors. Antler loss and udder distention in relation to parturition in caribou
- Abstracts: The animal rights movement: our history and future. BUAV turns 100: a century of crusading against cruelty. Henry Spira
- Abstracts: Genetic similarity theory and human assortative mating: a reply to Russell & Wells. Assortative mating in captive cowbirds is predicted by social experience
- Abstracts: Healing the spirit: to restore bison to tribal lands is to restore hope to Indian people. The American bison
- Abstracts: Effect of stand width and adjacent habitat on breeding bird communities in bottomland hardwoods