Providing a good life to managed animals: The importance of recognising, understanding and managing individual differences
Williams, E., Stratford, L., Johansen, F.P. and Vickery, H.M. (2026) Providing a good life to managed animals: The importance of recognising, understanding and managing individual differences. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 304. ISSN 01681591
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Abstract
Inter-individual differences (personalities) influence how individuals perceive, react to, and interact with their environment, conspecifics, and threats. Understanding animal personality makes it possible to predict individual responses to particular situations or stimuli; creating opportunities to provide optimal environments for individual animals. If animal behaviour and welfare scientists are to ensure all animals live ‘a good life’ then attention must be paid to every individual within a group, something which has been historically lacking. There is an urgent need to recognise the role of individuality in positive animal welfare and to incorporate individual behavioural profiles into evidence-based management, which currently varies across animal disciplines. Personality influences the success of housing and management, the nature of human-animal interactions and animals’ affective states, and therefore should be more broadly considered and applied in animal management. Whilst in some species personality is widely assessed and incorporated into management, there is significant disparity across species, alongside practical challenges in implementation across sectors. This paper provides a narrative synthesis of literature on animal personality across the farm and zoo sectors, presenting selected examples to highlight key themes and developments. Across sectors, clear differences are identified in how personality is recognised and applied, with practical constraints limiting implementation at scale. The review outlines opportunities to integrate personality-informed approaches into management to improve welfare outcomes and culminates in recommendations to support the incorporation of animal individuality into management practices, taking into account industry-specific constraints. Finally, this review highlights the need for the development of practical tools to assess and apply personality in managed settings.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Keywords: | Animal personality, Individuality, Management, Husbandry, Animal welfare, Inter-individual differences |
| Divisions: | Research Centres > Animal Science Research Centre > Animal Behaviour and Welfare Research Group |
| Depositing User: | Mrs Rachael Giles |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Sep 2026 14:45 |
| Last Modified: | 07 Sep 2026 14:45 |
| URI: | https://hau.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/18416 |
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