Impact of environmental enrichment

This study aimed to investigate the effect of implementing environmental enrichment strategies on the hematological, biochemical, and behavioral indicators of small ruminants kept in confinement, also aiming to assess the effectiveness of these techniques in promoting greater welfare. Eight animals were used, distributed into two experimental groups (n=4). One group consisted of four young goats, while the other included four sheep, composed of three males and one female. Three types of environmental enrichment were separately implemented: feeding, sensory and physical. In every application of environmental enrichment, the study was divided in three distinct phases: before (I), during (II) and after (III) the application of enrichment. In the initial phase (I), an ethogram was developed based on the free observation of the animals' behavior. Behaviors were recorded in all three phases of the experiment using the ethogram developed in the first phase. At the beginning and the ending of the study, blood samples were collected by jugular venipuncture and analyzed to determine hematological and biochemical parameters. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), and means were compared using Tukey's test at a significance level of 5% (P<0.05). A significant reduction was observed in the values of monocyte number, platelets, glucose, and triglyceride concentration after the application of enrichment techniques (P<0.05). Additionally, there was an improvement in the animals' behavioral pattern, evidenced by a significant decrease (P<0.05) in the frequency of abnormal behaviors during and after the application of feeding and sensory enrichment types. Therefore, it was concluded that the implementation of environmental enrichment techniques resulted in improvements in the hematological, biochemical, and behavioral parameters of confined small ruminants, demonstrating to be a useful tool for reducing stress and promoting a higher level of welfare for animals kept in confinement.