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. 2021 Jan 28;7:631876. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.631876

Table 2.

Camel welfare indicators were selected by researchers for the principles of good health and appropriate behavior.

Principles Welfare criteria Welfare indicators
Caretaker level Herd level Animal level
Good health Absence of injuries Camel injury observed Animals injured
Type of injury
Injury
Scar
Swollen
Joint
Lameness
Absence of disease Camel disease observed
Camel health check
Medical treatments
Sick animals
Type of disease
Disease
Hair coat conditions
Ectoparasites
Discharge
Diarrhea
Abnormal udder
Abnormal breathing
Coughing
Absence of pain and pain induced by management procedures Caretaker's ability to identify pain Animals in pain
Animals with a nose-ring, cauterizations and wounds from halters or similar
Evident pain
Appropriate behavior Expression of social behavior Social behavior
Aggressive behavior
Social interaction
Expression of other behavior Camel behavioral problems observed Stereotypies
Other abnormal behaviors
Stereotypies
Other abnormal behaviors
Good human-animal relationship Experience in camel handling Approaching test
Caretaker's skills in identifying distress
Caretaker's knowledge of animal welfare
Positive emotional state Behavior repertoire

The indicators were divided according to welfare criteria and source of information (Caretaker level: indicators collected through an interview of the caretakers; Herd level: indicators collected by a direct evaluation of a group of animals and their pen/box; Animal level: indicators collected by a direct evaluation of individual camels).