The 2020 Five Domains Model: Including Human–Animal Interactions in Assessments of Animal Welfare

Abstract

Throughout its 25-year history, the Five Domains Model for animal welfare assessment has been regularly updated to include at each stage the latest authenticated developments in animal welfare science thinking. The domains of the most up-to-date Model described here are: 1 Nutrition, 2 Physical Environment, 3 Health, 4 Behavioural Interactions and 5 Mental State. The first four domains focus attention on factors that give rise to specific negative or positive subjective experiences (affects), which contribute to the animal’s mental state, as evaluated in Domain 5. More specifically, the first three domains focus mainly on factors that disturb or disrupt particular features of the body’s internal stability. Each disturbed or disrupted feature generates sensory inputs which are processed by the brain to form specific negative affects, and these affects are associated with behaviours that act to restore the body’s internal stability. As each such behaviour is essential for the survival of the animal, the affects associated with them are collectively referred to as “survival-critical affects”. In contrast, Domain 4, now named Behavioural Interactions, focusses on evidence of animals consciously seeking specific goals when interacting behaviourally with (1) the environment, (2) other non-human animals and (3) as a new feature of the Model outlined here, humans. The associated affects, evaluated via Domain 5, are mainly generated by brain processing of sensory inputs elicited by external stimuli. The success of the animals’ behavioural attempts to achieve their chosen goals is reflected in whether the associated affects are negative or positive. Collectively referred to as “situation-related affects”, these outcomes are understood to contribute to animals’ perceptions of their external circumstances. These observations reveal a key distinction between the way survival-critical and situation-related affects influence animals’ aligned behaviours. The former mainly reflect compelling motivations to engage in genetically embedded behavioural responses, whereas the latter mainly involve conscious behavioural choices which are the hallmarks of agency. Finally, numerous examples of human–animal interactions and their attendant affects are described, and the qualitative grading of interactions that generate negative or positive affect is also illustrated.

Locking down the Impact of New Zealand’s COVID-19 Alert Level Changes on Pets

“…A significant determinant of an animal’s wellbeing is the balance between their experience of negative and positive affective states [ 29 ]. Several of the changes made by owners as they came out of lockdown, such as spending more time in play with their animal, working more from home, spending more time with pets, providing environmental enrichment, and employing dog walkers provide opportunities for pets to express positive emotions such as excitation and playfulness, the feeling of vitality and pleasure that comes with exercise, and the rewarding feelings that come from spending time with bonded humans.…”

Freedom and Animal Welfare

“…This is the idea that naturalness itself is somehow good for animals, that expressing their natural behaviours is essential to good welfare. By contrast, the subjective concept takes animal welfare to consist in the subjective experience of life by an animal-its various positive and negative feelings, or 'affects' [34].…”

“…In the end, questions of levels of animal welfare are empirical questions and ones that should ultimately be answered using the tools of animal welfare science, including a variety of specific behavioural and physiological indicators and integrated welfare assessment frameworks like the Five Domains model [34]. We need accurate measurements of the welfare of animals in a variety of captive and wild situations in order to determine whether they actually do have greater welfare when free or if perhaps the converse is true.…”

Do Domestic Pigs Acquire a Positive Perception of Humans through Observational Social Learning?

“…The human-animal relationship (HAR) is an important component of farm animals’ welfare [ 1 ]. Despite intensive production systems becoming increasingly automated, farm animals are still under human care and interact with stockpeople in different contexts.…”