Grahame Coleman

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Professor at University of Melbourne

Objective The Swedish Demand-Control-Support Questionnaire (DCSQ) is used to measure psychosocial work environment. Nine of the original 17 DCSQ items were used in the Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) in 2017–2019 (HUNT4); three items from each of the three dimensions of demand, control, and support. The goal of this paper was to assess the internal r...

Context In Australia, it is a common practice to dock sheep tails, to reduce breech soiling and flystrike. According to research, for docking to provide the optimal benefit, tails should be left at a length that covers the vulva in ewes and to an equivalent length in males. Docking tails shorter than recommended increases the risk of perineal cance...

Inappropriate cattle handling poses a reputational threat to the dairy industry. To enhance social sustainability, handling practices must resonate with societal values about animal care. However, it has yet to be determined to what extent industry and public stakeholders differ in their perception of common cattle handling situations. We administe...

Owner behaviour change may be the most promising avenue to improve dog welfare. As such, understanding potential drivers of owner behaviour is critical to developing effective intervention programs. Here we examine in depth the concept of “duty of care” as a motivator of owner behaviour. Using a mixed methods approach, this study aimed to better un...

Docking sheep tails is a long-standing practice that, when done at the recommended length, reduces the risk of flystrike. The recommended length is to cover the vulva of ewes and to a similar length in males. This length is often equated to three coccygeal joints left intact, and there are many other ways the recommended length is described by rese...

Societal concerns dictate the need for animal welfare standards and legislation. The public and livestock producers often differ on their views of livestock welfare, and failure to meet public expectations may threaten the “social license to operate” increasing the cost of production and hampering the success of the industry. This study examined pu...

Opinion leaders (OLs) within the community may lead debate on animal welfare issues and provide a path for information to their social networks. However, little is known about OLs’ attitudes, activities conducted to express their views about animal welfare and whether they are well informed, or not, about husbandry practices in the red meat industr...

A negative human-animal relationship (HAR) from the perspective of the animal is a limiting factor affecting farm animal welfare, as well as farm animal productivity. Research in farm animals has elucidated sequential relationships between stockperson attitudes, stockperson behaviour, farm animal fear behaviour, farm animal stress physiology, and f...

Owners may enhance their cats’ welfare by social enrichment (e.g. positive human-animal interactions), and physical enrichment (e.g. play objects). The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between owner characteristics (e.g. attitudes, attachment), household characteristics (the keeping of one or more cats) and owner behaviours enr...

Community attitudes toward the treatment of animals are important to understand for the development of intervention programs to prevent mistreatment. We aimed to investigate whether previously identified differences between local government areas (LGAs) in the rates of animal mistreatment reporting and prevalence were reflected by differences in co...

Surveys are used extensively in social research and, despite a lack of conclusive evidence of their ‘representativeness,’ probability internet panel (PIP) surveys are being increasingly used to make inferences about knowledge, attitude and behavior in the general population regarding a range of socially relevant issues. A large-scale survey of Aust...

Little penguins (Eudyptula minor), or Kororā in Māori, show variation in their behavioural responses towards zoo visitors in Australian zoos. We experimentally examined the effects of visitor presence on the behaviour and stress physiology of little penguins at Wellington Zoo, New Zealand. The two treatments were: (1) Visitor presence – the exhibit...

This study identified and compared the attitudes of visitors toward zoo-housed little penguins, their enclosure and visitor experience that may influence the way visitors behave toward little penguins at two Australian zoos. Visitor attitudes were assessed using an anonymous questionnaire, targeting visitor beliefs, and experiences, where visitors...

It costs money to improve the welfare of farm animals. For people with animals under their care, there are many factors to consider regarding changes in practice to improve welfare, and the optimal course of action is not always obvious. Decision support systems for animal welfare, such as economic cost–benefit analyses, are lacking. This review at...

The welfare of recreational horses is an important issue. Horse owner attitudes towards horse ownership are likely to influence owner behaviour in terms of horse husbandry and management practices and human–horse interactions, which in turn are likely to affect the welfare of the horse. Based on Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour, this paper exami...

Behaviour change interventions may be one of the most promising avenues to improve animal welfare. Yet there has been limited systematic research involving them in animal-related settings. We searched three major databases for studies involving an intervention to change interactive or care-related behaviours in any animal-related setting. Forty-sev...

The European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus has an unusual pattern of nursing behavior. After giving birth in a nursery burrow (or laboratory nest box), the mother immediately leaves the young and only returns to nurse for a few minutes once approximately every 24 h. It has been assumed this schedule, like a variety of other functions in the rabbit,...

The current literature on the behaviour, health, and management of companion dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) indicates that their welfare is often compromised. While there are many factors that have the potential to influence the welfare of companion dogs, carer behaviour is highly influential. Therefore, in order to improve the welfare of companion...

Studies on the effects of visitors on zoo animals have shown mixed findings and as a result, the manner in which visitors affect zoo animals remains unclear for many species, including a rarely studied taxa such as penguins. Penguins are a common zoo-housed species and have been shown to display huddling, vigilance and avoidance towards zoo visitor...

The serval (Leptailurus serval) is a small African felid that is well represented in zoos and often serves as an animal ambassador in encounter programs with zoo visitors. The impact on serval welfare in relation to such programs has not been investigated to date, and the aim of this study was to assess short-term welfare effects of varying levels...

Public perception of livestock industries and consumer trust in farmers can affect consumer behaviour and impact on social license to farm. Coincidental with a large random telephone survey of Australian public attitudes and behaviour towards the red meat industry, a media campaign exposing animal cruelty in live export of sheep by sea, occurred. D...

Implementing timely and humane euthanasia on-farm is of key importance for safeguarding animal welfare. Equally important is the skill, attitude, and knowledge among caretakers to successfully perform euthanasia on-farm. This study investigated the potential of an interactive euthanasia training program in conjunction with a survey designed to inve...

Farmers’ satisfaction with their farm job can have far‐reaching implications, as farmer and livestock well‐being is likely to be intertwined. The aim of this study was to explore how job satisfaction of Norwegian sheep farmers is associated with other work‐related traits, such as work motivation, perceived physical work environment, the performance...

Background Tail docking is common practice in the sheep industry to prevent soiling of the breech and flystrike. To ensure optimal healing after tail docking and reduce the risk of arthritis, perineal cancers and prolapses, it is recommended to dock tails equivalent to the length of the vulva. However, recent studies have found that some tails are...

While animal mistreatment is common worldwide, its true scale is largely unknown. Currently, organisations rely on community reporting (case data) and trends found therein to inform prevention activities. To investigate the prevalence, types, and responses to animal mistreatment in Victoria, we conducted a representative telephone survey (n = 1801)...

Understanding visitor attitudes toward zoo animals can inform the way zoos manage visitor-animal interactions by identifying the factors that may influence visitors and the way visitors interact with animals. Consequently, we investigated the relationship between visitor attitudes and penguin behavior and the effects of regulating visitor-penguin i...

Connection with a zoo animal may increase conservation‐mindedness in zoo visitors, potentially resulting in conservation‐oriented behavior change. No research has attempted to establish what this “connection” actually means. Visitors (N = 85) to Melbourne Zoo were asked to name the animal with which they most connected, the extent to which they con...

This study examined the relationships between the attitudes and the management behaviour of the farmer and the on-farm welfare of their ewes. To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating these relationships in extensive sheep farming systems. Thirty-two sheep farmers and 6200 ewes were sampled across Victoria, Australia. Questionnaire in...

We examined the effects of regulating the viewing proximity of visitors and the intensity of visitor behaviour on behaviours indicative of fear and stress physiology of 15 zoo-housed little penguins (Eudyptula minor). A 2 × 2 factorial fully randomised design was used to examine the effects of regulating: 1) the viewing proximity of visitors to enc...

Studies on farm animals have shown relationships between stockperson attitudes and behaviour and farm animal fear, stress and productivity. This study investigated how the avoidance behaviour of Australian commercial caged laying hens may be related to stockperson behaviour, albumen corticosterone, and the number of weeks producing within 5% of pea...

Furnished cage housing for laying hens has been introduced in some countries as a ‘welfare friendly’ alternative to conventional cage systems. Whether this housing system would be acceptable to the public remains unknown. This pilot study aimed to engage the public through online discussions in order to investigate their knowledge, support and perc...

There is community concern about the treatment of farm animals post-farm gate, particularly animal transport and slaughter. Relationships between lamb behavioural and physiological variables on farm, stockperson, dog and lamb behavioural variables pre-slaughter and plasma cortisol, glucose and lactate in lambs post-slaughter were studied in 400 lam...

Timely euthanasia is a fundamental part of safeguarding swine welfare by reducing suffering when compromised pigs are unable to recover. The quality and appropriateness of timely euthanasia rely mainly on the knowledge and experience of the individual caretaker but may also be affected by caretaker attitudes toward euthanasia. However, literature o...

• Although most countries use animals as companions, for production and for sport and entertainment, the scale and variety of animals in Australia is unparalleled. • Community attitudes to livestock animal welfare can impact on how Governments either react to publicized "animal welfare events" or regulate management practices in industry. • There h...

This third edition of "Animal Welfare" has 407 pages and is divided into five parts. Part I, Issues, introduces the background and philosophy of the subject. Part II covers problems for animal welfare, starting in chapter 3 with the animal's interactions with its environment. The following four chapters use categories similar to the UK Farm Animal...

With extensive knowledge and training in the prevention, management, and treatment of disease conditions in animals, veterinarians play a critical role in ensuring good welfare on swine farms by training caretakers on the importance of timely euthanasia. To assist veterinarians and other industry professionals in training new and seasoned caretaker...

Extensive research into human-animal interactions, particularly in the pig industry, has led to the proposal that high fear of humans, through a stress response, can limit an animal’s growth, reproduction and welfare (Hemsworth et al ., 1993). In a recent study in the Australian dairy industry, a significant negative between-farm correlation was fo...

Timely euthanasia on swine farms can help to reduce the incidence of poor welfare outcomes for compromised pigs (Sus scrofa) when recovery is prolonged or impossible. Timely euthanasia relies upon caretakers' abilities to identify compromised pigs and administer euthanasia in various environments. To determine appropriate timelines and most common...

In this chapter the aim is to discuss the relevance of public perceptions of animal welfare in the sheep industry for the sustainability of the industry in terms of licence to farm, best management practices on-farm and the public consumption of produce obtained from sheep. With the given threats to the social licence, there is a need to understand...

An online survey was designed to form the basis of a framework for the welfare assessment of extensively managed sheep in Australia. The survey focused on welfare compromise and useful welfare indicators. A total of 952 people completed the survey in its entirety, representing four stakeholder groups: Public (53.6%), Producer (27.4%), Scientist (9....

Euthanasia is a necessary act for any facility keeping live animals. Nevertheless, the crucial role and responsibility of the stockperson in deciding and conducting on-farm euthanasia has been overlooked. Stockperson characteristics and knowledge that lead to appropriate decision making and the skills to competently perform the procedure remain to...

Euthanasia is a necessary act for any facility keeping live animals. Nevertheless, the crucial role and responsibility of the stockperson in deciding and conducting on-farm euthanasia has been overlooked. Stockperson characteristics and knowledge that lead to appropriate decision-making and the skills to competently perform the procedure remain to...

Concerns about livestock animal welfare are well documented worldwide. Public attitudes are often studied as indicators of risk for the livestock industries, but are less often studied in relation to behaviours that may affect the livestock industries. The present paper examines the relationships between public attitudes, opinion leadership and sel...

Evidence suggests that there is variation in support for specific chicken farming practices amongst stakeholder groups, and this should be explored in more detail to understand the nature of these differences and work towards convergence. Online focus groups were used to assess attitudes to animal welfare in meat chicken farming in this pilot study...

This poster describes the results of a suvery undertaken to identify current welfare issues and key welfare indicators for sheep in extensive systems such as those seen in Australia. A broad range of stakeholders responded to the survey and included sheep producers, sheep industry service providers, researchers working on sheep production and welfa...

A feature of Australian and New Zealand applied animal behaviour science for many decades has been its multidisciplinarity. The disciplines involved in addition to applied animal behaviour include anatomy, biochemistry, nutrition, environmental and stress physiology, pathophysiology, affective neuroscience, and psychology, among others. The primary...

Zoo visitors can affect zoo animal behaviour and welfare. However, the literature reveals a research bias towards mammals, mainly non-human primates, which has limited our understanding of visitor effects across taxa. Understanding visitor effects across taxa is important to safeguard zoo animal welfare. But determining possible susceptible species...

This study reports novel information on the animal handling, management and human-animal interactions in Indonesian cattle abattoirs. The slaughter of 304 cattle was observed and there was a high percentage of re-stuns in all abattoirs (range: 8–18.9%) when compared to a variety of international auditing guidelines. The average stun-to-neck cut tim...

To develop research and policy on the welfare of lambs in intensive finishing systems, it is important to understand public and sheep farmers' attitudes. The aim of this research was to identify and compare farmer and community attitudes relevant to the intensification of lamb finishing. The majority of respondents in the community sample expressed...

The prevalence of companion animal caregiving was estimated, and demographic and psychosocial factors that predict sterilization behaviors in caregivers in Thailand were identified. Thai nationals ( n= 494) were recruited by random for the Culture and Human-Animal Interactions ( CHAI) telephone survey. The results showed 74% of respondents had a ca...

Rising concerns for animal welfare standards from consumers have started to change the way we produce and purchase meat products. Engaging in public forums has become a popular way to express individual and community views on animal welfare, regardless of whether it is in support of, or in opposition to various aspects of livestock farming. These b...

In recent years the welfare of recreational horses has become an increasingly important issue, as evident by their high representation in welfare investigations around the world, however, little is known about the welfare of horses used in this capacity. The scientific literature concerning recreational horse welfare has focused primarily on observ...

Dairy farming usually implies close and frequent contact between the stockperson and the animals. A good human-animal relationship (HAR) is therefore essential for good animal welfare. To fully understand the quality of the HAR both the stockperson behaviour and the animals’ reaction to the handler needs to be assessed, as they mutually affect each...

The principle that supervising and managing animals affects farm animal welfare is widely recognised within the livestock industries. However,the manner in which the stockperson affects animal welfare, both directly and indirectly, is probably not fully appreciated. Together with the opportunity to perform their tasks well, stockpeople require a ra...

The use of animals in farming, as with any other animal use, necessitates the responsibility of safeguarding the welfare of these animals. The widely-held view in The Australian community is that the use of animals by humans is acceptable provided that such use is humane. A common belief in the community is that farm animals should be allowed to le...

Improving the welfare of companion cats requires that owners engage in responsible cat ownership practices. An important facet of understanding engagement in responsible cat ownership behaviors involves identifying the psychosocial processes that predict whether cat owners engage, or fail to engage, in responsible cat ownership behaviors. The aim o...

Globally, millions of dogs enter the welfare shelter system each year. Before being made available for adoption dogs are typically screened for their suitability as companions by way of a “temperament test” or behavioural assessment. In Australia, the majority of dogs that fail their behavioural assessment are subsequently euthanased. Previous rese...

The quality of human contact that hens are exposed to will determine the degree of fear of humans that they experience. This has consequences for the welfare of commercial laying hens, as hens that are afraid of humans will be regularly exposed to a fear-provoking stressor. Hens can be habituated to human presence using positive or neutral human–an...

Simple Summary This study found that less than 15% of Thai nationals engaged in semi-ownership practices, such as feeding, but that few of these stray cats and dogs had been sterilised. Intentions to sterilise in the future were predicted by religious beliefs, attitudes towards sterilisation, perceived pressure from others, and beliefs about person...

Many displaced dogs are unable to find new homes in developed countries, including Australia, each year, even though demand for dogs in general remains high. Understanding community attitudes towards shelter dogs and beliefs about common shelter practices, particularly behavioral assessments conducted by shelters, may help shed light on this issue....

Simple Summary: This study found that less than 15% of Thai nationals engaged in semi-ownership practices, such as feeding, but that few of these stray cats and dogs had been sterilised. Intentions to sterilise in the future were predicted by religious beliefs, attitudes towards sterilisation, perceived pressure from others, and beliefs about perso...

Various behaviors must be performed by owners to promote good health for their dogs. The aim in this study was to use the results of an online survey, completed by 1,016 self-selected, Australian dog owners, to investigate relationships between demographic factors, beliefs, dog-owner relationship variables, and the performance of health-promoting b...

There are accumulating international data in a number of livestock industries that show that a negative attitude by stockpeople towards interacting with pigs, dairy cattle and poultry is correlated with increased levels of fear and stress in farm animals and in turn reduced animal productivity. While most of this research has been on-farm, one stud...

Cat containment is a prominent cat management issue in Australia that provokes strong, and sometimes opposing, points of view. The aim of this study was to explore beliefs and attitudes towards containment in cat owner and non-owner groups, and to examine cat containment practices in owners. A random sample of 424 Victorian residents was recruited...

Cat containment is a prominent cat management issue in Australia that provokes strong, and sometimes opposing, points of view. The aim of this study was to explore beliefs and attitudes towards containment in cat owner and non-owner groups, and to examine cat containment practices in owners. A random sample of 424 Victorian residents was recruited...

Relationships between handling and animal stress were studied in 200 animals, of similar age from one property, at each of two sheep and two cattle abattoirs (n = 800). A total of 14 and 13 stockpeople handled the study sheep and cattle, respectively. At each abattoir, 10 cohorts of 20 animals from the 200 study animals were individually moved from...

Background: There is increasingly more evidence to indicate that many Australian truck drivers may be working while sleepy. However, relatively little is known about their sleepiness-related experiences or why sleepy drivers continue to drive. Aims: This study examined the subjective experience of sleepiness and the motivation of truck drivers at w...

The second edition of this book contains chapters that discuss the role of the stockperson in animal welfare, including attitudes, human-animal interactions, human and animal behaviour and improvement of human-animal interactions in animal production. This book is intended for those with an interest in human-animal interactions, including trainers,...

The second edition of this book contains chapters that discuss the role of the stockperson in animal welfare, including attitudes, human-animal interactions, human and animal behaviour and improvement of human-animal interactions in animal production. This book is intended for those with an interest in human-animal interactions, including trainers,...

The second edition of this book contains chapters that discuss the role of the stockperson in animal welfare, including attitudes, human-animal interactions, human and animal behaviour and improvement of human-animal interactions in animal production. This book is intended for those with an interest in human-animal interactions, including trainers,...

The second edition of this book contains chapters that discuss the role of the stockperson in animal welfare, including attitudes, human-animal interactions, human and animal behaviour and improvement of human-animal interactions in animal production. This book is intended for those with an interest in human-animal interactions, including trainers,...

The second edition of this book contains chapters that discuss the role of the stockperson in animal welfare, including attitudes, human-animal interactions, human and animal behaviour and improvement of human-animal interactions in animal production. This book is intended for those with an interest in human-animal interactions, including trainers,...

The second edition of this book contains chapters that discuss the role of the stockperson in animal welfare, including attitudes, human-animal interactions, human and animal behaviour and improvement of human-animal interactions in animal production. This book is intended for those with an interest in human-animal interactions, including trainers,...

The second edition of this book contains chapters that discuss the role of the stockperson in animal welfare, including attitudes, human-animal interactions, human and animal behaviour and improvement of human-animal interactions in animal production. This book is intended for those with an interest in human-animal interactions, including trainers,...

The second edition of this book contains chapters that discuss the role of the stockperson in animal welfare, including attitudes, human-animal interactions, human and animal behaviour and improvement of human-animal interactions in animal production. This book is intended for those with an interest in human-animal interactions, including trainers,...

Human–animal interactions are a common feature of modern intensive livestock systems and these interactions may have marked effects on animal productivity and welfare. Research, particularly in the dairy and pig industries, has shown that the interactions between stockpeople and their animals can limit the productivity and welfare of livestock (Hem...

With the advent of routine outcomes across Australia and New Zealand, clinicians, managers, parents and children will be interested in change on these measures. This paper presents a number of approaches and the implications. Health of the Nations Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) collected during clinical practice for 911 patie...

Shelter dogs typically undergo preadoption assessment for suitability as companions. Dogs who pass are available for adoption. Available resources determine whether dogs who fail are euthanized or rehabilitated. Accurate assessment of shelter-dog behavior is imperative to protect community welfare and dogs in the shelter system and to ensure potent...

Dog obesity is a common nutritional disorder affecting up to 40% of the companion animal (pet) dog population in Australia and other developed nations. A clear understanding of factors determining relevant caregiver (owner) behaviors underpins effective treatment for this disorder. The theory of planned behavior can be used to understand factors co...

Various dog management behaviors must be performed by owners to promote both the welfare of dogs and community health, safety, and amenity. While most Australian dog owners are compliant with practices known to characterize responsible dog ownership, even responsible owners sometimes fail to act responsibly. In addition, there remains a minority of...

Beliefs form a major component of public attitudes, and attitudes have a role in determining how people behave as consumers and as citizens. Their behavior in turn affects the commercial viability and even the sustainability of animal industries. Beliefs are subjective facts, that is, matters that individuals consider to be true. The process of inf...

Human interactions, particularly negative ones, affect the behaviour and physiology of laying hens, with possible implications for bird productivity and welfare. The present experiment investigated the effects of handling on the behaviour and plasma corticosterone concentrations of laying hens. A 2 × 2 × 3 factorial design was used to study the fol...

There are increasing local and international pressures for farm animal welfare monitoring schemes. Housing of farm animals is a contentious issue for many, although the impact of the housing system may be overestimated by some. In contrast, the topic of stockmanship has received relatively little attention, even though research has shown that anima...

Scores on 5 symptom clusters derived from Moos' Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ) were collected over several cycles from women reporting premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Spectral analysis revealed that only for physical symptoms did most women show 28-day peaks whereas approximately half showed such peaks in depression, behavioural, tension and c...

The investigation of canine personality has failed to find strong agreement between studies as to its structure. The area has been hampered by a reliance on human personality models and by a tendency to limit the types of dogs used as subjects. These problems were recently addressed during the development of the Monash Canine Personality Questionna...

Children aged 5 to 6 years are disproportionately suscepti-ble to dog bite attacks relative to the adult population and there is a need to provide them with well-validated education programs to teach correct behavior when interacting with dogs. The main aim of this study was to assess the immediate and longer-term learning outcomes of the Re-sponsi...

This chapter contains section titled:

Several North American studies have found a connection between domestic violence and animal abuse. This article reports on the first Australian research to examine this connection. A group of 102 women recruited through 24 domestic violence services in the state of Victoria and a nondomestic violence comparison group (102 women) recruited from the...