User behaviors in a community-based multifunctional urban park with dog friendly area.

Urban parks are essential for community revitalization; for example, they are places to walk dogs and interact with other dog keepers. This study focused on an urban park with a dog-friendly area to be used by both dog keepers and other users as an alternative to off-leash dog parks that completely separate them and clarified aspects of park use through behavioral observation. The behaviors of 7122 visitors in 14 areas in the park and 294 pairs of dogs and their keepers in the dog-friendly area were observed. The results showed that the visitors' age groups and use behaviors differed by area. The dog-friendly area was in constant demand among dog keepers as a place where they could stay and interact with others and as a destination or relay point when walking their dogs. Visitors used the park in accordance with rules and morals, and the park was well managed. As it can be comfortably used by everyone (with or without dogs), this park can serve as a model for the development and maintenance of community-based multifunctional parks in urban areas.

Goats' Performance in Unsolvable Tasks Is Predicted by Their Reactivity Toward Humans, but Not Social Rank.

In order to clarify the ability of animals to communicate with humans, it is necessary to examine the behaviors of animals directed at humans, taking into account individual differences. This study investigated whether the behaviors of goats (Capra hircus) can be predicted when given an unsolvable task. Two experiments were performed in a paddock using 16 domesticated goats. In Experiment 1, behavioral tests were conducted to determine the goats' social rank and reactivity toward a stranger. In Experiment 2, the goats' behaviors in an unsolvable task and two control conditions in which either only a human or bucket was presented were examined. The behaviors of the goats were video-recorded and compared between the conditions. Then, we examined whether the behaviors of goats in the presence of both the human and unsolvable task can be predicted from the scores for social rank and reactivity toward humans. Compared with the control conditions, the goats increased physical contact with the human, but did not increase gazing. It is possible that differences in individual characteristics and long-term experiences with humans can lead to differences in human-directed behaviors of animals. Although the social rank order of the goats was clearly linear, there was no correlation between their behaviors in the unsolvable task and their social rank. The goats that tended to interact with the stranger in Experiment 1 were more likely to approach and establish contact with the human in the unsolvable task than goats that reacted more averse toward humans. There was no association between the level of reactivity toward the stranger and the goats' involvements in the unsolvable task. Therefore, it is possible that the goats which increased interactions with humans did not necessarily have low motivation to engage in unsolvable tasks, but relied on humans as a means of communication. In conclusion, the behavioral changes and its diversity as the responses toward short-term changes in the environment, such as the presence or absence of humans and unsolvable tasks, were related to differences in individual behavioral characteristics (i.e., reactivity toward humans).

How Japanese companion dog and cat owners' degree of attachment relates to the attribution of emotions to their animals.

Recently, studies in the United States and European countries have shown that the degree of attachment is associated with the attribution of emotions to companion animals. These studies imply that investigating the degree of attachment to companion animals is a good way for researchers to explore animal emotions and then improve animal welfare. Although a promising area of study, in Japan, no empirical studies have examined the correlation between the degree of attachment and the attribution of emotions to companion animals. In this research, we aimed to assess companion animal owners' attribution of six primary (anger, joy, sadness, disgust, fear and surprise) and four secondary (shame, jealousy, disappointment and compassion) emotions to their dogs and cats, as well as how the degree of attachment related to such attribution of emotions from a Japanese cultural perspective. The "Pet Bonding Scale" (PBS), which is used to determine the level of bonding between humans and animals, was introduced to measure respondents' degree of attachment to their companion animals. The results of a questionnaire (N = 546) distributed throughout Japan showed that respondents attributed a wide range of emotions to their animals. Companion animals' primary emotions, compared to secondary emotions, were more commonly attributed by their owners. The attribution of compassion and jealousy was reported at a high level (73.1% and 56.2%, respectively), which was surprising as compassion and jealousy are generally defined as secondary emotions. All participants were highly attached to their companion animals, and this attachment was positively associated with the attribution of emotions (9/10) to companion animals (all p < 0.05). This study is one of the first to investigate animal emotions by analyzing the bonding between companion animals and owners in Japan, and it can therefore provide knowledge to increase Japanese people's awareness of animal welfare.

Educational Possibilities of Keeping Goats in Elementary Schools in Japan.

Many Japanese elementary schools keep small animals for educational purposes, and the effects and challenges have been investigated. Although goats are medium-sized animals that are familiar to Japanese, few practical studies have been conducted on keeping goats in schools. This study investigated the effects and challenges of keeping goats in elementary schools and discussed its educational possibilities. A semi-structured interview survey was conducted with 11 personnel that were responsible for keeping goats in 6 elementary schools in urban areas. They described benefits, problems, and tips related to keeping goats. Participant observation was also conducted on daily human-goat interactions in these schools. The results indicated that children in all six grades were able to care for goats. Goats were used for various school subjects and activities. As a result of keeping goats, children developed affection for them, attitude of respect for living things, greater sense of responsibility, and enhanced interpersonal interactional skills. Stronger ties between the schools and parents and community were developed through cooperation in goat-keeping. Some anxieties existed about the risk of injury to children when interacting with goats. Other challenges included the burden of taking care of the goats on holidays and insufficient knowledge about treatment in case of their illness or injury. The results suggested similarities to the benefits and challenges associated with keeping small animals in elementary schools, although the responsibility and the burden on the schools were greater for keeping goats than small animals because of their larger size and the need for children to consider the goats' inner state and to cooperate with others when providing care. At the same time, goats greatly stimulated interest, cooperation, and empathy in children. Goats can expand educational opportunities and bring about many positive effects on child development.

Development of eating behavior by Japanese toddlers in a nursery school: relation to independent walking.

The eating behavior of 32 toddlers in a nursery school at 10, 12, and 14 months old was observed in relation to the age at onset of independent walking. With increasing age, the frequency at which the toddlers ate food given by a teacher decreased, and the frequency at which the toddlers ate by themselves increased. The toddlers who started walking earlier also advanced faster in the development of eating behavior. The time when the frequency of eating by oneself surpassed the frequency of passive eating coincided with the time when the toddlers started walking.