Term
Basics of Animal Behavior Definitions: Behavior? Genes vs. Environment? |
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Definition
a) Behavior - a response to changes (stimuli) in the internal or external environment of an animal; not all animals act the same to a given stimulus (variation in behavior), same animal may respond differently to the same stimulus over time (habituation or learning)
b) Genes vs Environment - genes affect construction of sense organs, nervous system; environment impacts through learning, imprinting.
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Term
Basic Animal Behavior Types of Behavior Social? Maternal? Agonistic? Abnormal? |
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Definition
Types of Behavior
Social Behavior - among animals in groups social behavior is centered around communication: Visual, based on body posture (crouch of a courting hen, immobility of a cow in estrus, head down agonistic behavior), tail raising, hair raising, look away; Auditory, call of mother to young, grunt of boar to estrus sows; Olfactory, signals of territoriality, reproductive status, parent-progeny, rams initiate cycling in ewes
Maternal Behavior - acceptance of young (including the young of others as well as their own), recognize progeny by odor, rejection of young not their own
Agonistic Behavior - fighting for dominance and social hierarchy, including displays of aggression or submission; fight over food, space, mates; human treatment = de-horn, castrate or cull
Abnormal Behavior - desertion of young, cannibalism, chewing wood, rocks or metal, pacing; often abnormal behavior is just an exaggeration of otherwise normal behavior |
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Term
Basic Animal Behavior Reproductive Behavior? |
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Definition
| Reproductive Behavior - economically important, mating systems based on monogamy (catfish pair bonding), polygamy (harems in wild horse), promiscuous (pasture mating of cattle); Libido - sexual drive for mating, teasing is a part of pre-coital stimulation in bulls to increase fertility and sperm concentration; Pre-Mating behaviors -advertise sex, receptivity: more elaborate in fowl with 'waltz' & wing flutter of the cock, crouch of the hen, mounting and 'treading' by the cock; Experience - sexual experience will improve mating efficiency, young inexperienced bulls are often 'afraid' of cows, explore genitalia, mount repeatedly without erection, mount from side or front until they gain experience |
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Term
Animal Welfare and Animal Rights What is animal welfare? Animal Rights? What organizations are targets of animal welfare and rights movements? |
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Definition
Animal Welfare: the concern that animals are properly & humanely cared for Animal Rights: the belief that animals have rights on a par with human rights & that chief among these is the right to not be eaten
Targets of the animal welfare and rights movements are the commercial animal industries, the hunting & sport industries and the scientific community.
b) Origins of animal exploitation: - subsistence hunting by our ancestors
- taming & domestication of animals for food, fiber & power
- Judeo-Christian ethic
- biological motivation to dominate
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Term
Animal Welfare and Rights Origins of animal exploitation? (4 things) |
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Definition
Origins of animal exploitation: - subsistence hunting by our ancestors
- taming & domestication of animals for food, fiber & power
- Judeo-Christian ethic
- biological motivation to dominate
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Term
Animal Welfare and Animal Rights Factors that influence our feelings of moral responsibility (6 things) |
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Definition
Factors that influence our feelings of moral responsibility: - self-awareness & identification with animals
- social feedback from animals
- familiarity with a particular species
- investment in time, emotions and money
- aesthetic value of the animal or species
- relative abundance of the species
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Term
Animal Welfare and Animal Rights Questions of a behavioral nature with impacts on animal welfare and animal rights (4 things) |
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Definition
Questions of a behavioral nature with impacts on animal welfare and animal rights - Do animals have minimal requirements for stimulation & activity?
- What is an adequate amount of space an animal needs for 'healthy' behavioral expression?
- Do animals suffer? How do animals suffer? Can suffering be eliminated?
- What are the behavioral needs, as distinct from food, water and shelter needs, of animals in captivity?
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Term
Animal Welfare and Animal Rights Contractarianism? Utilitarianism? |
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Definition
a) Why? Contractarianism - Morality is a set of rules that individuals voluntarily agree to follow (like a contract), coverage of the contract usually extends to others who do not 'understand' the contract (this is called indirect duty): children, senile adults, mentally disabled, pets and special animals; but since animals CANNOT understand contracts they are NOT covered and have NO rights.
Utilitarianism - The moral doctrine that what is best or most useful is good; the aim of moral action is to maximize pleasure and to minimize suffering, the greatest happiness to the greatest number; concept is based on utility - the value of happiness or frustration generated by an action; to determine a moral action we add up all the utility values for happiness & frustration and DO the activity with the highest aggregate utility; so animals have low utility, people have high utility and thus, we can morally DENY rights to animals.
b) Wait! Contractarianism is based on 'Might makes Right', how can that be a useful moral philosophy? Indirect duty is NOT a meaningful moral concept. We have a direct duty to not be cruel and to be kind so contractarianism FAILS & animals HAVE rights.
Utilitarianism is based on the 'Ends Justify the Means', how can that be useful? And, animals have EQUAL utility to humans, anything less is Speciesism - The term, first defined by philosopher Peter Singer, used to describe a bias favoring the interests of one species over the interests of another - similar to racism & sexism. So utilitarianism FAILS and animals DO have rights. |
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Term
Animal Welfare and Animal Rights Inherent Value? What is a Right? |
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Definition
Inherent Value - the supporters of the Rights view believe that animals, as all life, has an inherent value and attempts to limit these rights to humans is rationally defective. Can animals suffer?
d) What is a Right? - Must the possessor of a right be able to 'experience' that right? Is it that the possessor of a right MUST be an entity which can logically be spoken of in such language? Is an animal, though capable of sensation, consciousness and suffering, necessarily capable of exercising, owning or enjoying a right? |
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