Environmental Enrichment in Rabbit Husbandry: Comparative Impacts on Performance and Welfare

Animals, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 14(16), P. 2367 - 2367

Published: Aug. 15, 2024

Rabbits are highly susceptible to environmental stress. Such stress, stemming from conventional housing conditions, can negatively impact well-being and productivity. Some of these negative consequences increased susceptibility diseases infections reduced growth rates reproductive performance, as well behavioral issues such aggression. Environmental enrichment is the modification environment in which a domesticated animal lives order meet species’ needs. The objective providing facilitate animals expressing natural behaviors, thereby preventing frustration affective states. Several inexpensive safe materials be used enrich rabbit enclosures. This review emphasizes significance implementing diverse enrichments alleviate stress farming. It summarizes their effects on performance welfare while exploring potential future perspectives this field.

Language: Английский

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Spatial Distribution Patterns, Environmental Drivers, and Hotspot Dynamics of the European Rabbit on a Mediterranean Island: Implications for Conservation and Management

Biology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 14(3), P. 225 - 225

Published: Feb. 20, 2025

The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) presents a significant conservation and management challenge in Greece. While it has been listed national biodiversity assessments, its population dynamics on the island of Lemnos demonstrate characteristics highly adaptable rapidly expanding species, exerting substantial ecological economic impacts. Addressing this issue requires spatially explicit understanding distribution patterns habitat preferences, particularly given extensive growth over past three decades. To end, we conducted 40 field surveys across island, documenting 1534 presence records species. We applied Kernel Density Estimation, Getis-Ord Gi *, Anselin Local Moran’s I to identify spatial hotspots. A lag model was used quantify hotspot intensity clustering dynamics, while abiotic, biotic, anthropogenic factors were analyzed assess associations. Our results revealed that hotspots are predominantly concentrated fertile lowland agroecosystems, with nearly 60% high-density areas overlapping zones. Soil conditions, grazing-supporting landscapes, arable subsidized agricultural emerged as predictors O. cuniculus presence. observed dependencies indicated intensities influenced by conditions neighboring areas, remain fundamental shaping their distribution, highlighting broader landscape-scale affecting populations. These findings underscore necessity adopting informed strategies mitigate impacts accounting for interconnected providing foundation decision-making manage populations balancing priorities.

Language: Английский

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Possible application of agricultural robotics in rabbit farming under smart animal husbandry

Journal of Cleaner Production, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 145301 - 145301

Published: March 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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Digital technologies commercially available in Germany in the context of nature conservation and ecosystem service provisioning in agriculture

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 9

Published: March 24, 2025

This review focused on the inventory of current digital technologies available agricultural market in Germany. A total 189 were found as December 2023. Digital agriculture rarely contain few components. They consist various other that have many common interfaces. Therefore, a classification two levels was done: categorized according to their type (software-based and hardware-based technologies) mode operation (farm management information systems/ decision support systems, for guidance steering, platforms, citizen science applications sensors, field robots unmanned aerial vehicles). Furthermore, expected potentials these tools promotion nature conservation ecosystem service provisioning Germany framed. The also discusses barriers can impact provisioning. Germany, one world’s leading nations production use modern technologies, had set ambitious goals regarding digitalisation solution problems, which not yet been fulfilled. are still strongly supressed by non-sustainable barriers, e.g., high acquisition costs, practical maturity, infrastructure. Current policies societal preferences contributing enough steer direction providing services. main participants discussion researchers, whereby smallest group farmers. For sustainable transformation agriculture, including restoration protection targets nature, ecosystems, more wide-ranging, diversifying changes supported needed along ecological concepts long-term resilience systems.

Language: Английский

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Autonomous Drone Solution for Human-Wildlife Conflict Management

SAE technical papers on CD-ROM/SAE technical paper series, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 1

Published: Feb. 7, 2025

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Human-wildlife conflicts pose significant challenges to both conservation efforts and community well-being. As these escalate globally, innovative technologies become imperative for effective humane management strategies. This paper presents an integrated autonomous drone solution designed mitigate human-wildlife by leveraging in surveillance artificial intelligence. The proposed system consists of stationary IR cameras that are setup within the conflict prone areas, which utilizes machine learning identify presence wild animals send corresponding location a docking station. An equipped with high-resolution sensors is deployed from station provided location. camera object detection technology scan specified zone detect animal emit repelling ultrasonic sound device achieve non-invasive deterrence provides approaches develop algorithms, optimize strategies, adapt evolving dynamics wildlife behavior. promising avenue addressing conflicts, promoting coexistence, contributing broader field technology-driven ecological management.</div></div>

Language: Английский

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A Novel Scouring Method to Monitor Nocturnal Mammals Using Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles and Thermal Cameras—A Comparison to Line Transect Spotlight Counts

Drones, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 7(11), P. 661 - 661

Published: Nov. 6, 2023

Wildlife abundance surveys are important tools for making decisions regarding nature conservation and management. Cryptic nocturnal mammals can be difficult to monitor, methods obtain more accurate data on density population trends of these species needed. We propose a novel monitoring method using an aerial drone with laser rangefinder high zoom capabilities thermal imagery. By manually operating the drone, survey area initially scanned in radius several kilometers, when point interest is observed, animals could identified from up one kilometer away by zooming while maintains altitude 120 m. With rangefinder, precise coordinate detected animal recorded instantly. Over ten surveys, scouring significantly hares than traditional transect spotlight count conducted trained volunteers scanning same farmland within timeframe (p = 0.002, Wilcoxon paired rank test). The difference between was hare density-dependent (R 0.45, p 0.19, Pearson’s product–moment correlation); larger hares, two benefit method. There linear relation records deer 0.69, 0.027), no found carnivores counts. This may due carnivores’ speed vigilance or lack data. Furthermore, cover three times as

Language: Английский

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Using Drones with Thermal Imaging to Estimate Population Counts of European Hare (<em>Lepus europaeus</em>) in Denmark

Published: Oct. 20, 2022

Drones equipped with thermal cameras have recently become readily available, broadening the possibilities for monitoring wildlife. The European hare (Lepus europaeus) is a nocturnal mammal that closely monitored in Denmark due to populations declining since mid-1900s. limitations of current population assessment methods, such as spotlight counts and hunting game statistics, could be overcome by relying on drone surveys imaging counts. aim this study was investigate use DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced tool Danish population. Multiple test flights were conducted over agricultural areas spring 2022, testing various flight altitudes, camera settings, recording methods. used suggest method identifying counting hare. applied methodology then evaluated through case survey had an area 242 ha. Hare detected at altitudes up 80 m it possible fly low 40 without observing direct behavior changes. Thermal images taken these also provided enough detail differentiate between species animal body size proved good indicator. confirmed based identify conduct counts, thus, indicating suggested viable alternative traditional

Language: Английский

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Using YOLO Object Detection to Identify Hare and Roe Deer in Thermal Aerial Video Footage—Possible Future Applications in Real-Time Automatic Drone Surveillance and Wildlife Monitoring

Drones, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 8(1), P. 2 - 2

Published: Dec. 24, 2023

Wildlife monitoring can be time-consuming and expensive, but the fast-developing technologies of uncrewed aerial vehicles, sensors, machine learning pave way for automated monitoring. In this study, we trained YOLOv5 neural networks to detect points interest, hare (Lepus europaeus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in thermal footage proposed a method manually assess parameter mean average precision (mAP) compared number actual false positive negative detections subsample. This showed that mAP close 1 model does not necessarily perfect detection provided gain insights into parameters affecting models’ precision. Furthermore, basic, conceptual algorithm implementing real-time object aircraft systems equipped with high zoom capabilities, laser rangefinder. Real-time is becoming an invaluable complementary tool cryptic nocturnal animals use sensors.

Language: Английский

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The Smart Agriculture based on Reconstructed Thermal Image

JITCE (Journal of Information Technology and Computer Engineering), Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 6(01), P. 8 - 13

Published: March 31, 2022

The utilization of thermal image in supporting precision agriculture is tremendous nowadays. There are many applications images agricultural fields, such as detecting crop water stress, monitoring free-range rabbits, measuring canopy temperature and so on. Furthermore, the importance camera became urgent need perform smart agriculture. Otherwise, price very expensive todays. Then, this kind not easy to find market. Therefore, it makes implementation difficult. In order handle problem, proposed method intends generate from visible images. Further, information concerning with agriculture, especially fertility leaves paddy fields stress can be monitored. uses deep learning architecture learn dataset. It applies Generative Adversarial Network architecture. This GAN pre-trained model trained using 150 training dataset tested testset. obtained used for generating results show constructed has high accuracy. assessment metric SSIM PSNR methods. Their indexes that have visual shows reconstructed also precision. Finally, implemented purposes.

Language: Английский

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Transforming wild rabbits’ overpopulation problem into a local biotic resource of Lemnos island

Global NEST International Conference on Environmental Science & Technology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 11, 2024

For more than 20 years, the European Wild Rabbit (WR) (Oryctolagus Cuniculus) is considered a pest in Lemnos island, Greece, due to significant crop damage. Authorities took insufficient actions control WR overpopulation, resulting only managing its effect on losses with farmers’ compensation. The current study aims redefine problem by transforming population local commodity, where hunting could supply market (restaurants and butcheries) products. Semi-structured qualitative interviews from stakeholders were analyzed using content analysis, identify their priorities problem. Additionally, relative press articles (2016–2021) recorded qualitatively. Furthermore, National legal framework was studied understand implementation of selling procedures markets. main events’ timeline overpopulation identified stakeholders’ key points combined create viable solution. These highlights include affected areas interest, processes, interest demand consumption. national legislation at identified, activation proposed for turning into sustainable product gastronomy. present research APC funded EPAnEk-NRSF 2014-2020; Operational Program “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship Innovation, Call 111 “Support Regional Excellence” context program: AGRICA II: AGrifood Research Innovation Network ExCellence Aegean, which co-financed Development Fund (ERDF), MIS code: 5046750.

Language: Английский

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