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Area of Science:

  • Animal Behavior
  • Animal Welfare Science
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Human-animal interaction benefits welfare in many species.
  • Sheep, unlike many species, do not typically engage in social grooming, making their response to human touch less understood.
  • Previous research on human touch in sheep is limited, especially concerning non-parturient lambs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how lambs perceive regular human tactile contact.
  • To assess behavioral and physiological responses of lambs to human stroking.
  • To determine if gentle physical contact influences lamb emotional states.

Main Methods:

  • Twenty-four lambs were habituated to separation and then individually tested.
  • Lambs were exposed to either stroking by a familiar caregiver or the caregiver's immobile presence.
  • Physiological measures (heart rate, heart rate variability) and behavioral observations (ear posture, contact time, movement) were recorded.

Main Results:

  • Lambs in the stroking group exhibited slower heart rates (HR) and higher root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) compared to the unstroked group.
  • Physiological changes indicated positive emotional states in lambs that were stroked.
  • Behavioral analysis showed that increased contact with the caregiver correlated with reduced movement and specific ear postures, differentiating stroked from unstroked lambs.

Conclusions:

  • Gentle physical contact with a familiar caregiver is perceived positively by lambs.
  • Both physiological and behavioral data support the hypothesis that lambs experience positive emotions from human stroking.
  • This study provides evidence for the welfare benefits of human tactile interaction in lambs.