The Behavioral Repertoire of Cattle Used for Vaquejada Races Does Not Indicate Chronic Stress in Transport and Races

There is little information about the bovine behavior and welfare during transportation and vaquejada race competitions. To test the hypothesis that the transport and racing of bovines produce chronic stress during these events, a study was performed to evaluate the behavior of bovines used for vaquejada races. Evaluations of cattle (n = 80) occurred on transportation (before, immediately, and 8 hours after transportation), and three days at Vaquejada Park (1 hour before, immediately, and 1 hour after the vaquejada race). Evaluators used a behavioral repertoire based on an ethogram for bovines and were previously trained. They used an observational and noninvasive method for one hour and applied a visual scanning method at transportation and for three days at the races. The results for pre-transport had greater idleness (102.9%), head/tail movements (57.4%), and agitation (49.8%). After transport, idleness (69.7%) was reduced, and agitation (79.5%) increased. Eight hours after this, sodomy/mounting/dominance (118.1%) was higher, followed by head/tail movements (92.8%), lying down (63.3%), and fatigue (53.3%). The results of vaquejada races revealed high feeding rates before and after races on the three evaluation days (53.6% - 30.0%), followed by rumination (72.0% - 44.5%). On all the evaluation days at the races, agitation was higher immediately after the races (87.9% - 66.1%). In conclusion, it was observed that the animals increased the frequency of behaviors indicative of acute stress immediately after transport and races but were able to recover the characteristic behavior a few hours after acute stress when transport and races followed the current official rules for both. Maintaining management standards for transport and vaquejada races, currently adopted, can reduce the impact on welfare and can be improved with regular scientific evaluations of the cattle involved to improve welfare through good practices.

Clinical and Radiographic Evaluation of Cattle Tail before and after the <i>Vaquejada</i>Race

The vaquejada race is a sport with animals which has the greatest socio-economic impact in Brazil and is responsible for generating an intense cultural and economic movement. However, this activity has been the subject of questions about well-being involving the environmental and mental comfort conditions offered to equine and cattle interactions. It is necessary to perform technical evaluations of the cattle involved on the basis of scientific study to better understand the processes of sport and, with this, promote their evolution on good welfare practices in the 21st century. Therefore, to test the hypothesis that the use of the official rules of the vaquejada where cattle use a protective harness on the tail protects the cattle’s tail from injuries in this region that compromise health. Before, during and after races, a study was developed that aimed to perform a general and radiological clinical evaluation in the proximal coccygeal region in cattle that ran in a modern cattle stall. Forty male bovines were evaluated (average: 2 year-old and 420 kg). Oxen were subjected to clinical and radiological examination before and after racing with official rules. Results of the clinical and radiological evaluations performed by veterinarians, did not observe clinical occurrences before and after the races in the 40 cattle evaluated. The increase in heart and respiratory rates was a reflection of temporary management stressors, as the animals returned to the feeding/rumination/interaction pattern after running in the rest pen. The radiographic findings in the tail, represented by the reduction of the intervertebral space and areas of subcutaneous radiolucency, suggest technical artifacts derived from the manipulation of the tail for proper positioning to perform the tests in the condition of retention in the corral. The partial fracture found by an evaluator showed signs of calcification and was accompanied by swelling in the soft tissue but without pain in the pre-run examination. It is concluded that the modern vaquejada race, which meets the official rules, is not related to the increase in lesions in the locomotor apparatus or other evaluated tissues, including the tail.

Effort and Recovery in Nellore Oxen during Vaquejada Assessed with Ocular and Tail Infrared Thermography Superficial Temperature

Infrared thermography (IRT) has emerged for evaluation of animal welfare. To test the hypothesis that cattle subjected to vaquejada increased temperature in the eye (CLO) and tail due to physical effort, a research was developed that aimed to measure maximum surface temperature in the CLO and base of tail using IRT. Eighty Nellore cattle were used, which were subjected to physical effort in three periods (morning, afternoon and night). IRT was performed at CLO and base of tail, in rest pen/corral (control) and during the vaquejada (pre- and post-run). Tails’ analysis was divided in 3 points (E1, E2 and E3). ANOVA and Tukey’s test (p < 0.001) were used for analysis. Temperatures were higher in morning and afternoon and different from those at night on control (p < 0.001). During vaquejada with one run, CLO was higher in pre-run, followed by a slight reduction in post-run (p < 0.001). Analyzing temperatures variations at tail, higher temperatures were observed in the morning, followed by the evening and night (p < 0.001), but without differences within the pre- and post-run periods. Temperatures at tail’s points were higher in morning period in cattle with two runs (p < 0.001). Finally, it was concluded that there were no increases in CLO or at tail’s points after vaquejada races. The IRT method was efficient in determining surface temperatures in CLO and tail points in cattle under the same conditions and may be a good noninvasive method for clinical and welfare assessments.