03906naa a2200289 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902400380006010000180009824501420011626000090025850008390026752021050110665000210321165000150323265300390324765300240328665300230331065300300333365300330336370000180339670000200341470000200343470000180345470000300347277301140350210618542021-03-24       2021    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d7 a10.1016/j.livsci.2021.1044622DOI1 aCOSTA, F.D.O.  aA conceptual model of the human-animal relationships dynamics during newborn handling on cow-calf operation farms.h[electronic resource]  c2021  aArticle history: Received 24 August 2020, Revised 23 February 2021, Accepted 24 February 2021, Available online 28 February 2021. Acknowledgements: We appreciated the support of Coordenaçao de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES, Finance Code 001), which had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The study was part of the doctoral thesis of the first author, prepared for the Graduate Program in Animal Science at S? ao Paulo State University, Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil. Appreciation is expressed to the manager and staff of Fazenda Sao ? Marcelo (Juruena, MT, Brazil) for offering the opportunity for data collection and given total support during the period that we stayed among them.  aABSTRACT: Neonate calves are usually handled a day after birth for navel care and identification. During this procedure the newly calved cows usually become agitated and, in some cases, exhibit aggressive behavior toward humans, increasing the risk of accidents for both, humans and animals. In order to understand the dynamic relationships between cow, calf, and cowhand?s behavior expressed in this particular situation, a conceptual model was built by using the system dynamics methodology. Three dynamic hypotheses were formulated regarding the causeeffect relationship between: i) livestock-handling quality and maternal aggressiveness; ii) livestock-handling quality and newborn calf reactivity, and; iii) newborn calf reactivity and maternal aggressiveness. The first two hypotheses indicated that the improvement (increase) in handling quality will cause an effect in the opposite direction, decreasing cows aggressiveness and calfs reactivity towards the cowhands. The third hypothesis indicated that the greater the calfs reactivity, the greater will be the cow?s aggressiveness, interconnecting cowcalf behaviors. Moreover, the cow, calf, and cowhand subsystems are also comprised of other variables such as human and animal welfare and the occurrence of labor accidents. The combination of these three subsystems constituted a complex general dynamic model highlighting the connection among all agents involved in newborn handling procedure. Despite the complexity it is possible to identify components that promote, simultaneously, human and animal welfare when carrying out newborn calves handling procedures, offering opportunities to develop and adopt system management strategies. In this way, to reduce the risks of labor accidents and the impoverishment of overall welfare it is necessary to focus on three different factors, as follow: i) human behavior, ii) animal behavior, and iii) handling facilities. Thus, it is recommended to implement human capacity-building courses, the culling of aggressive cows and the use of appropriate facilities for the handling of newborn calves.  aBIENESTAR ANIMAL  aGANADERÍA  aBUENAS PRÁCTICAS DE MANIPULACIÓN  aCAUSAL LOOP DIAGRAM  aCOW AGGRESSIVENESS  aGOOD PRACYICES OF HANDING  aMATERNAL PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOR1 aVALENTE, T.S.1 aDE TOLEDO, L.M.1 aAMBRÓSIO, L.A.1 aDEL CAMPO, M.1 aPARANHOS DA COSTA, M.J.R.  tLivestock Science, 2021, Volume 246, Article number 104462. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2021.104462