Fabio Napolitano

University of Basilicata | UniBas · School of Agricultural, Forestry and Environmental Sciences

Pain is one of the main events that ch allenge animal welfare due to its alterations in the five domains, including the mental state. Because each species perceives and reacts to pain differently, the study of pain in veterinary medicine has focused on using tools that allow it to be recognized quickly and objectively. Ethology is part of these too...

In several species of mammals, allonursing is a common practice in which maternal care of nonfilial offspring is provided. Allonursing benefits both mothers and young people. Although this phenomenon is not frequently observed in ungulates, different authors have reported this behavior in water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis). However, it is still uncl...

The cow-calf bonding is a process that must be developed within the first six hours after calving. Both the buffalo dam and the newborn calf receive a series of sensory cues during calving, includ-ing olfactory, tactile, auditory, and visual stimuli. These inputs are processed in the brain to de-velop an exclusive bond where the dam provides select...

We are delighted to invite you to explore the fifth edition of this monumental work, a book that has established itself as an essential reference in the field of water buffalo production and handling. Written in Spanish, this comprehensive book has reached over 30 Spanish-speaking countries and garnered more than 75600 views across various electron...

The present review aims to analyze the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the mammary gland and udders of water buffalo by making an anatomofunctional comparison with dairy cattle. It will also discuss the knowledge generated around the physiological regulation of milk ejection in the water buffalo. It was found that buffalo’s average...

Heat stress is a condition that can affect the health, performance, and welfare of farm animals. The perception of thermal stress leads to the activation of the autonomic nervous system to start a series of physiological and behavioral mechanisms to restore thermostability. One of these mechanisms is vasodilation of peripheral blood vessels to incr...

Simple Summary Livestock transport is a stressor with potential physiological, psychological, and financial consequences that can alter animal welfare, particularly in water buffalo, a species that has certain anatomical characteristics that make them susceptible to heat stress. Stress-induced hyperthermia is frequently observed in mobilized livest...

Simple Summary Global warming (GW) is a current challenge for livestock systems, including water buffalo farms. Buffaloes have anatomical traits such as thick skin and a high density of capillaries and arterioles to improve sensitive heat losses. However, they are exposed to high temperatures and tropical and humid climates that make them susceptib...

The black stork is an endangered species in many countries, due to its low adaptability to environmental changes and its sensitivity to anthropogenic disturbances. In Italy, the most recent report on the species’ nesting sites lists only 36 pairs, of which 16 are in Basilicata, 7 are in Calabria, 4 are in Piedmont and Molise and 1 is in Campania. T...

Hypothermia is one of the principal causes of perinatal mortality in water buffaloes and can range from 3% to 17.9%. In ruminants, factors affecting hypothermia in newborns may be of intrinsic (e.g., level of neurodevelopment, birth weight, vitality score, amount of brown fat, skin features) or extrinsic origin (e.g., maternal care, environmental c...

Human-animal relationships for livestock refer to the interaction between stockpeople and animals during different stages of the productive cycle. For dairy buffaloes, the interaction during milking requires proper tactile stimulation to promote oxytocin release and prevent stressful handling that might reduce milk ejection. For buffaloes used for...