Fabiana De Angelis, MSc.
Curiosity, empathy and a great sense of justice and respect towards those creatures who are weaker than us led me to study “Animal Welfare and Protection”, aiming to get insight into animal welfare. Since the beginning of my university career at the University of Veterinary Medicine of Teramo, in Italy, I focused on the study of farmed animals, especially on their management, health and welfare. Gaining insight into the concerns around the world of intensive animal farming, led me to carry out my first experimental thesis during my bachelor’s degree regarding the Temple Grandin method on beef cattle, which aims to design management systems considering the animal’s perspective to reduce stress and discomfort of farmed animals.
After graduation, driven by a great motivation to contribute to the improvement of animal welfare, I did a Master’s on “Sustainable Animal Production Sciences”, again at the University of Veterinary Medicine of Teramo, and carried out my master’s thesis at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, where I studied the link between personality and motivational tendencies in pigs. After graduation, I continued my research path at BOKU University in Vienna as a research assistant. During this period, I investigated how pigs respond to a change of environment, assessing it using Qualitative Behaviour Assessment. Beside my work with qualitative measurements, I learned more about inactivity patterns in pigs through quantitative behavioural observations.
I am currently a PhD student here at BOKU under the supervision of Sara Hintze and Christoph Winckler. My project aims to complement current research on positive animal welfare by the induction, validation and the identification of flow-like states in pigs through behavioural and physiological measurements. Initially, we will induce flow by engaging pigs in a series of tasks that combine physical and cognitive activities. To validate their engagement, we will assess the degree of absorption in these flow-inducing tasks by exposing pigs to a series of distractors of varying intensities. Throughout these tasks, we will record pigs’ behaviour and measure heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) to identify characteristics of flow states in pigs.
Therefore, my research focuses on concepts related to animals´ mental states and methodological approaches to assess it.
I believe that animal welfare science is a powerful tool to improve animals´ quality of life and this is the reason why I am so interested in this field. Increasing awareness for farmed animals and providing them the opportunity to have a good life is a human duty and I want to be an integral part of this change of vision.