Background & Aims

Animal welfare is ensured by monitoring animal health, behaviour, and the environment they live in. FOUR PAWS is developing a welfare assessment protocol for lions and tigers under human care, including valid, reliable, and feasible animal-based welfare indicators. One of these indicators is an existing visual faecal scale that has not yet been validated or tested for reliability. Validation is crucial for standardising assessment protocols and ensuring accurate faecal characteristics assessment, aiding in disease diagnosis and monitoring health status in specific animal groups.