1The present study investigates the feasibility in goats of an avoidance distance (AD) behaviour test 2 set up for cattle, and compares the results in the two species to assess the suitability of the test for 3 on-farm welfare evaluation in goat farms. 4The tests were performed on 324 lactating cows (170 in small farms and 154 in large farms) and 5 271 lactating goats (108 in small farms and 163 in large farms), housed in free stall farms (12 dairy 6 cattle and 17 dairy goat farms) in the Province of Sondrio, Northern Italy, following a protocol 7 validated for dairy cows in the Welfare Quality ® project. 8After the assessors were adequately trained, this test was relatively easy to perform and no major 9 difficulties were faced in either species. Goats exhibited a higher level of confidence with humans, 10 as showed by lower AD (goats: 68.60 ± 4.98 cm; cows: 71.36 ± 4.37 cm; p<0.10) and higher 11 frequency of contacts (AD=0) (goats: 45.8%; cows: 31.2%; p<0.001). 12Farm size significantly affected AD values (lower in small farms) and frequency of contacts (higher 13 in small farms) in goats, but not in cows. This was probably due to the less marked management 14 difference between large and small farms of cattle than those of goats. 15The AD test seems feasible in goats; however, the experimenter contacted nearly half of the goats. 16To improve the sensitivity, a further level -represented by the possibility of gently stroking the

The aim of this investigation was to compare the prevalence of indicators of poor welfare among 5 Italian cattle breeds (Italian Holstein-Friesian, Italian Bruna, Pezzata Rossa Italiana, Grigia Alpina, and Pezzata Rossa d'Oropa) kept in tie-stalls in the Italian Alps under similar housing and management conditions. We recorded the presence of integument alterations (hairless patch areas, lesion/swollen areas, or overgrown claws) and lameness in 612 cows. Additionally, we checked 834 cows for the presence of physical malformations ("open" shoulders). In general, the prevalence of welfare problems showed a decreasing trend from the more productive to the less productive breeds. Local breeds (Grigia Alpina and Pezzata Rossa d'Oropa) showed a significantly lower prevalence of welfare problems compared with the other 3 breeds, whereas Italian Holstein-Friesian usually had the highest percentage of individuals with problems. No differences were found between Pezzata Rossa Italiana and Italian Bruna, both of which showed fewer problems than Italian Holstein-Friesian. The effect of the breed significantly affected the welfare of dairy cows in tie-stalls in alpine traditional husbandry systems. The prevalence of the negative welfare indicators studied was lower in local breeds, which are better adapted to local breeding conditions. Our results indicate an urgent need to promote changes in the criteria used for genetic selection in the dairy industry and underline the importance of maintaining the diversity of local breeds, which should be carefully chosen for each specific environmental condition.

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The populations of Alpine chamois Rupicapra rupicapra rupicapra are currently not at risk of extinction, but local population declines have been observed in some areas. Competition with other herbivore species may be one of the causes for this decline. The present research aims at describing the autumnal diet and preferences of Alpine chamois living in sympatry with red deer Cervus elaphus and roe deer Capreolus capreolus in central Italian Alps and to verify the presence of spatial and diet overlap among these herbivore species. We analyzed the rumen content of 35 samples collected during the hunting season from animals culled in Val Fontana. The results were integrated by data previously collected on rumen content of red deer and roe deer and on space use of the three herbivore species in the same study area. We identified 26 species and 15 genera belonging to 21 plant families of the 51 available in the study area. Monocotyledon families were the most frequently represented in chamois diet composition (78.11%), followed by Ericaceae (5.30%), Betulaceae (4.32%) and Cupressaceae (3.37%). All results showed similar diet between genders. Chamois diet was more similar to red deer than to roe deer diet. The diet selection index (W) showed that on the east-facing side of the valley some species (Calluna vulgaris: W m  5.27; Juniperus communis: W m  4.24; Loiseleuria procumbens: W m  4.82) were selected above their availability, perhaps as a consequence of the higher spatial overlap on this side between chamois and red deer, which make similar use of vegetal resources. Although competition among species is unlikely, due to the low population densities, over-exploitation of food resources and food niche overlap may be future limiting factors for local chamois population, and they should be taken into account for the proper management and control of wild and domestic ruminants.

Actinomycosis is a widespread non-contagious infectious condition, occurring both in animals and humans, caused by bacteria of the Actinomyces genus. In this report, two cases of pulmonary actinomycosis occurring in two wild chamois from northern Italy are described. In both cases, evidence of lung pyogranulomatous lesions with intra-lesional sulphur granules composed of filamentous, acid fast negative bacteria that stain positive for gram and periodic acid Schiff (PAS) leads to the etiological confirmation of pulmonary actinomycosis.

The aim of this investigation was to compare different indices for evaluating nutritional conditions of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in an alpine environment during the autumn in order to detect the most convenient ones for management purposes in our specific situation. Body conditions of 274 red deer were evaluated using kidney fat index, back fat index and body condition scores. Body Condition Scores was the easiest but the least reliable method. Both kidney fat index and back fat index were significantly affected by age and sex class (always lower in younger animals) and, in females, also by lactation status. In stags, a negative regression effect of culling date on both kidney fat index and back fat index was observed. A significant positive correlation between kidney fat index and back fat index was recorded. Both kidney fat index and back fat index were objective indicators of nutritional status and sensitive to changes in physical conditions, but back fat index was both quicker and easier to be measured. As a direct implication, we suggest that back fat index can be a practical and reliable indicator for monitoring red deer conditions in alpine areas during the autumn, provided that the effects of sex, age and date of culling are taken into account