Alpacas' behavior during physical examination, and its relationships with health indicators and alpaca caretaker's questionnaire survey.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Behavioral responses during examinations can reflect stress and ease of handling. This study aimed to determine alpacas' behavioral responses to body score and health assessment during physical examination, and to investigate correlations between alpacas' behavior during physical examination (mean behavior score was computed for each animal based on the assessment of its behavioral responses: ease of introduction to the box, response to fixation, body language, vocalization, kicking, and spitting, on a 3-point scale), body condition score (BCS, on a 5-point scale) and other health indicators (on a 5-point scale), and caretaker questionnaire survey (based on evaluation of the individual's behavioral characteristics and its ease of handling, using a 5-point Likert scale). RESULTS: Thirty alpacas (17 females, 13 males) took part in the study. The studied animals did not show many behavioral signs of stress during physical examinations, with a mean behavioral score of 1.33, and most of them were assessed with a BCS of 3.0, indicating their good condition. Spitting was negatively correlated with BCS and eye mucous membrane color, suggesting a potential link between animal stress and health. The duration of the physical examination was most influenced by the ease of introduction to the assessment box. Moreover, shorter examination times were associated with desirable traits such as gentleness and adaptation to new situations, assessed in the caretaker questionnaire survey. Females showed more stress-related behaviors during physical examination, and it took longer to examine them compared to males, although no sex differences were found in BCS and other health indicators or survey traits. CONCLUSIONS: Physical examination is not a significantly stressful procedure for alpacas. However, some difficulties were noted during the introduction of the animal to the examination box, and signs of anxiety were observed in its body language. The results indicate a relationship between behavior assessment during physical examination and desirable traits assessed in the caretaker questionnaire. This study suggests that the future consideration of behavior indicators during human-animal relation could be helpful in evaluating alpacas' health risks. The proposed assessment protocol combining behavior, the BCS and other health indicators offers a practical tool for breeders to monitor alpaca welfare.