A review of behavioural and physiological responses of sheep to
stressors to identify potential behavioural signs of distress
Author: Cockram, M.S. Source: Animal Welfare, Volume 13, Number
3, August 2004 , pp. 283-291(9) Publisher: Universities
Federation for Animal Welfare Abstract:This paper discusses the
potential for using observations of behaviour to recognise
distress in sheep. The term distress is used to describe
situations in which an animal is likely to be suffering, and is
indicating this by overt behavioural signs. Literature on the
behavioural responses of sheep to procedures that induce a
physiological stress response is reviewed. This approach is
based on human analogy and the assumption that physiological
changes can be used to differentiate between stimuli that induce
an emotional response in sheep and those that do not. The degree
to which the behaviour of sheep in certain situations
represents, at least in part, an expression of emotional
behaviour, or whether it can be fully explained as