Ethology Research Group
The overall goal of the ethology group is to find solutions to production challenges related to pig behaviour and welfare. Many of these issues are linked to implementation of the Code of Practice for Care and Handling of pigs. The Code recommends group housing of gestating sows and requires that all pigs receive ‘multiple forms of enrichment’ throughout the production cycle. The ethology group has completed research on these issues and collaborated in technology transfer to facilitate the transition to group housing and implementation of effective enrichment. Sow health management is another important area of research, with research completed on risk factors for sow lameness and shoulder lesions, and the influence of temperament and social status on sow welfare and productivity. Other areas of study include research on pain mitigation at castration and tail docking, and effective ways of implementing these practices on-farm and alternative systems in farrowing and nursery to reduce pre-weaning mortality and promote piglet health.
Dr. Seddon is based at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. Her research program focuses on the behaviour and welfare of farmed pigs and explores the interactions between management, pig behaviour, welfare and productivity, with a strong multidisciplinary and applied research approach. In collaboration with the Prairie Swine Centre, Dr. Seddon has regular knowledge transfer of research findings to industry.
Jennifer has always had an interest in animal behaviour and grew up caring for the family pets and farm animals. Before starting her career in the swine industry, Jennifer lived in PEI and worked in research related to clinical chemistry, toxicology and human health. She completed a PhD at the University of Guelph in 2009, studying the relationship between pig temperament and behavior, stress physiology and pork quality in market pigs. At the Prairie Swine Centre she leads an applied research program looking at issues related to pig behavior and welfare, including studies on the effects of long duration transport, gestation housing and management, sow lameness, pain control at castration, euthanasia, environmental enrichment for pigs and space allowances for weaner pigs. She lives with a collection of animals on a rolling half section near Hafford, SK.
Abby Tillotson is currently an MSc graduate student in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science in the College of AgBio, University of Saskatchewan, under supervision of Jennifer Brown. Abby is originally from British Columbia but has spent the last six years living in Saskatoon throughout the completion of her undergraduate degree in Animal Bioscience. Abby first started working with pigs in the summer of 2019, when her passion for animal welfare, specifically in the swine industry, only grew. Abby has previous experience with sheep and poultry and is excited to continue working in the realm of swine behaviour and welfare research. For her MSc research, she is looking at environmental enrichment for young pigs.
Dr. Martyna Lagoda holds a B.A. degree in Science, Zoology, and an MSc degree in Animal Behaviour and Welfare. Following the completion of her PhD in Sow Welfare at Teagasc, Ireland, in collaboration with the Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Poland in 2022, Martyna worked as a research technologist on the “Tail Bite Advice” project in Teagasc, aiming to develop algorithms to accurately monitor tail biting behaviour and to create a data-driven PLF decision support tool that will actively advise farmers on how to reduce tail-biting occurrences. As a Zoologist, Martyna is interested in welfare as a broader concept, and in a range of species. One of her main research interests includes using behaviour to gain insights into welfare states, as well as developing housing environments that promote species-specific behaviours. As a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Saskatchewan, Martyna will continue to work towards improving the welfare of swine.
Karolína did her BSc in Animal Protection and Welfare in her home country, the Czech Republic. After graduation, she moved to Sweden where she saw more academic opportunities in the field of animal science. Throughout her MSc studies at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, exchange stay in Canada, and countless volunteering experiences with animals abroad, she broadened her perspective of the animal agriculture industry and decided to continue in her academic endeavours at the University of Saskatchewan. Now, she focuses on pigs, the animals that have been her favourite ever since.
Darian was born and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Darian was fortunate to grow up in an environment surrounded by animals and science, and always knew she wanted a future involving both of these things. This led her to complete her BSc. (Hon) in Toxicology from the University of Saskatchewan in 2018. During her degree, Darian was fortunate to conduct research under Dr. Barry Blakley, where she discovered her passion for diagnostics and analytical methods. This led her to commence graduate school under the supervision of Dr. Yolande Seddon, where she is working on validating and evaluating the hormones dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and cortisol as biomarkers of welfare in growing swine. In her free time, Darian enjoys travelling, being involved in Sikaran (Filipino martial arts), playing instruments, and spending time outdoors with her pets and younger brothers.
Wanting to pursue a career in animal-related studies, Siba Khalife completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Guelph in Animal Biology. After taking part in an undergraduate research project on the welfare of pregnant sows, she developed an interest in swine welfare and behaviour and decided to further develop the project as a master’s student. She completed her MSc at the University of Guelph in 2019 and moved to Saskatchewan to study early life effects on the resilience and welfare of pigs under the supervision of Dr. Yolande Seddon. Siba has participated in research involving all areas of swine welfare including transport and gestation housing and is hoping to conduct further research to improve swine housing and husbandry systems.
Carmen completed a BSc in Animal Bioscience at the University of Saskatchewan in 2022. Her degree provided a broad background in agricultural and companion animal health, management, and industry knowledge. Carmen’s introduction to the magnificent world of pig behaviour and welfare was through her undergraduate research thesis project on piglet play behaviour and the weaning transition, completed with Dr. Seddon. Continuing with her professional development, Carmen spent a year working as a research technician in Dr. Seddon’s lab, developing her laboratory, animal welfare, and scientific skillsets. This led Carmen to pursue an MSc project that focuses on developing a new technique for euthanizing large swine on-farm. She is inspired to remain in the field of pig welfare research while working to connect with the swine industry.
Within the WCVM swine welfare research group, Kyle contributes to data collection and analysis on several projects. Kyle graduated from the University of Guelph (UoG) with an MSc in Animal Behaviour and Welfare under the mentorship of Drs. Renée Bergeron (UoG) and Luigi Faucitano (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Sherbrooke, QC). His project evaluated swine welfare and meat quality during the transportation process using two novel trailer designs against the standard North American Potbelly trailer under Canadian Summer and Winter conditions. Under Dr. Bergeron, Kyle was also involved in a project examining low-stress genes and piglet behaviour. Under Dr. Faucitano, he was involved in two studies: 1) investigating the effect of slaughter weight and trailer space allowance during summer transport conditions on the behaviour, physiological response, carcass quality, and meat quality of pigs and 2) investigating the effect of group size and pig weight on loading behaviour and swine welfare indicators.
Hayder works as a Research Technician in the WCVM Swine Welfare research group. He completed his BSc in Animal Science at Agriculture College in Iraq. Then, he finished his graduate studies (MSc and PhD) in Biomedical Science at WCVM (Canada) in reproductive physiology. After that, he worked as a lecturer at the College of Veterinary Medicine (2016-2018) in Iraq and at Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (2018) as a Research Assistant. In February 2022, he joined the WCVM Swine Welfare research group as a research technician, where he coordinates work evaluating the cortisol and DHEA in pig hair as stress markers, whilst additionally providing support in physiological data collection and supporting management of automated data capture on farm.
Yuanyue holds a BSc and MSc degree in Veterinary Medicine and worked in the pig industry in China for two years and at Fast Genetics in Canada for three years. He has a deep understanding of the pig industry, particularly in swine disease, barn management and maintenance, feed mill operation, and breeding stock selection. Currently, Yuanyue is a research assistant in the WCVM swine welfare group. At the stage of the second year, he thoroughly enjoys his work, as it not only provides him with constant opportunities for learning and self-improvement but also allows him to contribute to pig animal welfare in the industry, which he loves too.
Originally from Alberta, Kayla holds a BA(Hons) and MA in Sociology from the University of Saskatchewan and has worked in various research fields. Agriculture, human-animal relations, and rural populations have been at the forefront of her research interests. Her career goals revolve around improving policy and legal frameworks for animals and humans. Kayla is excited to be part of the WCVM Swine welfare research team and contribute to the pig welfare field.
