Human–Animal Interactions with Bos taurus Cattle and Their Impacts on On-Farm Safety: A Systematic Review
Date
2022-03-19
Journal Title
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Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
Simple Summary: Cattle are large animals that can cause serious injuries to humans. Humans may
encounter cattle through working on farms, living on a farm, or traversing fields with cattle. A
systematic review was carried out to assess the factors which may lead to a dangerous interaction
with cattle. A literature search was carried out to find papers that included the criteria ‘Bovine’,
‘Handling’, ‘Behaviour’ and ‘Safety’, or terms therein. The search returned 17 papers, and after
collation, six themes were identified: actions of humans; human demographics, attitude, and experience;
facilities and the environment; the animal involved; under-reporting and poor records;
and mitigation of dangerous interactions. Exploration of these themes shows that more accurate
recording of interactions before an injury is required. Furthermore, targeted, tailored education for
anyone who may come into contact with cattle could reduce cattle-induced injuries.
Abstract: Cattle production necessitates potentially dangerous human–animal interactions. Cattle are
physically strong, large animals that can inflict injuries on humans accidentally or through aggressive
behaviour. This study provides a systematic review of literature relating to farm management
practices (including humans involved, facilities, and the individual animal) associated with cattle
temperament and human’s on-farm safety. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and
Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was used to frame the review. Population, Exposure, and Outcomes (PEO)
components of the research question are defined as “Bovine” (population), “Handling” (exposure),
and outcomes of “Behaviour”, and “Safety”. The review included 17 papers and identified six
main themes: actions of humans; human demographics, attitude, and experience; facilities and the
environment; the animal involved; under-reporting and poor records; and mitigation of dangerous
interactions. Cattle-related incidents were found to be underreported, with contradictory advice
to prevent injury. The introduction of standardised reporting and recording of incidents to clearly
identify the behaviours and facilities which increase injuries could inform policy to reduce injuries.
Global differences in management systems and animal types mean that it would be impractical to
impose global methods of best practice to reduce the chance of injury. Thus, any recommendations
should be regionally specific, easily accessible, and practicable.
Description
Publication history: Accepted - 17 March 2022; Published - 19 March 2022.
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Article
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Keywords
injury, behaviour, management, handling, facilities
Citation
Titterington, F.M., Knox, R., Buijs, S., Lowe, D.E., Morrison, S.J., Lively, F.O. and Shirali, M. (2022) ‘Human–Animal Interactions with Bos taurus Cattle and Their Impacts on On-Farm Safety: A Systematic Review’, Animals. MDPI AG. doi:10.3390/ani12060776.