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Within the Animal Production there is a possible, but likely, connection between stereotypic behaviours and reduced welfare. It will probably not be possible altogether to eliminate stereotypies within intensive production units, but more practical experiments, using different types of housings etc, can contribute to better our present knowledge on this issue. From a pure economical point of view it would be welcomes if these types of behaviours could be significantly reduced since stereotypies can course damages, reduced growth rates, weight losses and reduced sale values (e.g. of racehorses). From a human point of view it would be interesting to find out to what degree, if any, stereotyping animals could serve as models for human mental dysfunctions, e.g. Obsessive Compulsive disorder and other anxiety-and mood related disorders. Finally the Fundamental (or Basic-) research could probably benefit from an increased focus on stereotyping animals by a better knowledge to the central nervous system, the Stress/endocrinology connection plus a better understanding of the various motivations of animals and how they organize their behaviours. Next topic: The Heterogeneity within stereotypies. |