Turner D C
IEMT-Schweiz, Konrad Lorenz Kuratorium und Institut für angewandte Ethologie und Tierpsychologie, Hirzel.
Schweiz Arch Tierheilkd. 1995;137(2):45-9.
Ethology, or the comparative study of behaviour and its biological roots, has made significant contributions to our understanding of companion animal behaviour and thereby, the welfare of these animals. Ethological questions, concepts and methods can be readily applied to companion animal studies and the interpretation of results. In particular, comparison of behaviour shown in a 'reference system' with that exhibited in more restricted environments has proven very useful. Although emphasis has been placed on farm animals in the past, more and more animal protection laws require that regulations and guidelines, including those concerning companion animals, be based upon sound ethological studies. It is only through such observations that we can objectively determine what 'species-typical' behaviour is and what the animal's 'needs' are. Based upon these, recommendations for proper housing conditions can be made, which in turn reduce the number of cases where behavioural disturbances tarnish the relationship between humans and their companion animals. Using past research on the domestic cat and human-cat interactions, the author illustrates these points and makes suggestions for future research.
动物行为学，即对行为及其生物学根源的比较研究，为我们理解伴侣动物的行为以及这些动物的福利做出了重大贡献。行为学的问题、概念和方法能够很容易地应用于伴侣动物研究以及结果解读。特别是，将在“参照系统”中表现出的行为与在更受限环境中展示的行为进行比较已被证明非常有用。尽管过去重点一直放在农场动物上，但越来越多的动物保护法律要求法规和准则，包括那些涉及伴侣动物的，要基于可靠的行为学研究。只有通过这样的观察，我们才能客观地确定什么是“物种典型”行为以及动物的“需求”是什么。基于这些，就可以提出关于适当饲养条件的建议，这反过来又减少了行为紊乱损害人类与其伴侣动物之间关系的情况数量。作者利用过去对家猫和人猫互动的研究来说明这些要点，并对未来研究提出建议。
