Environmental enrichment for animals in a high stress environment e.g. a rescue/rehoming centre environment; mechanisms and effects.

Environmental enrichment has been shown to have beneficial effects with regard to the prevention/alleviation of stress and stereotypical behaviour in a variety of animal species, when in captivity. Animal rescue centres present as a highly stressful captive environment, so measures to reduce stress are sought, however, they must be low cost, non-invasive and hygienic. We have previously shown, through quantification of behaviour, heart rate variability and cortisol release, that musical auditory enrichment (classical, soft rock, motown, reggae, pop) can have beneficial effects on canine stress, in a rescue kennel environment (Bowman, et al. 2015, Bowman, et al. 2017). However, there is no evidence to suggest that dogs can differentiate between music genres, thus it is possible that specific sounds or sound constructs may be equally or more effective as auditory enrichment. Indeed, species specific music has been reported to be effective and we have shown that the response of dogs to music can be influenced by instrument, key and tempo. Other forms of auditory enrichment have also been trialled for domestic animals including audio books and nature sounds. This project will test the ability of practical forms of environmental enrichment to reduce stress in animals, this may include comparative studies of the effectiveness of enrichment across a range of species or studies of a range of enrichment methods in one species. In each case, the mechanism underlying effects will be assessed using behavioural and physiological measures that may include HRV, cortisol and thermography measurements.