Article
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Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Management of Donkeys in Assisted Interventions: a Snapshot
Version 1
: Received: 4 February 2024 / Approved: 5 February 2024 / Online: 5 February 2024 (03:45:41 CET)
A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.
Sobrero, L.; Dalla Costa, E.; Minero, M. Management of Donkeys in Assisted Interventions: A Snapshot. Animals 2024, 14, 670. Sobrero, L.; Dalla Costa, E.; Minero, M. Management of Donkeys in Assisted Interventions: A Snapshot. Animals 2024, 14, 670.
Abstract
People working in the field of Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) often state that they perceive animal welfare as a matter of paramount importance, nevertheless most of scientific literature focuses on the effectiveness of interventions from the user's perspective. Before focusing on animals’ management and welfare during the interaction with users, it would be important to ensure animal welfare during their “ordinary lives”. This article reports information and considerations about the management of donkeys involved in AAI in Northern Italy. Six facilities with several years of experience in Donkey-Assisted Interventions were visited for the purpose of an initial data collection regarding the management of donkeys involved in AAI. A general lack of knowledge regarding the nutritional needs of the donkey and a heterogeneity of practices in the field of its preventive medicine have been identified; the study also highlighted a need for efforts to create a more stimulating and enriched environment for animals involved in AAI. Some possible areas for improvement in the management of donkeys involved in AAI have been highlighted. Further studies are necessary to provide a more comprehensive picture of the welfare of donkeys involved in this context.
Keywords
animal welfare; donkey welfare; animal-assisted interventions; donkey-assisted interventions
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Animal Science, Veterinary Science and Zoology
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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