Gorcas Gazelles Wellbeing Assessment Protocols
The objective of this report is to suggest a list of indicators to assess welfare in captive dorcas gazelles. The report provides a list of
animal-based and resource-based indicators grouped according to the four principles of the Welfare Quality® protocol. Animal based indicators may offer advantages over resource based indicators; for example, they should be equally applicable across a wide range of housing conditions. On the other hand, however, there is a number of welfare issues for which no adequate animal-based indicators is available.
Furthermore, although animal-based indicators may be the best option to assess welfare, resource-based indicators are still needed to select improvement strategies. Therefore, a combination of both types of indicators is warranted. For each indicator, its rationale (e.g. why the indicator has been included in the protocol), its problems and limitations, and the suggested methodology to record it (when applicable) are included. At the end of each indicator, a conclusion is given.
