Is Virtual Fencing an Effective Way of Enclosing Cattle? Personality, Herd Behaviour and Welfare

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Virtual fences provide boundaries without physical barriers. Virtual fencing systems utilise a collar and GPS technology for tracking animals and delivering audio warnings and electric impulses to the animals when approaching the designated virtual boundary. These GPS-based fencing systems have the potential to improve grazing management. This article examines the use of the Nofence© virtual fencing system to keep a group of twelve Angus cows within a virtual enclosure without compromising animal welfare. Within 139 days the cows had learned to respond to the auditory warnings, thus, respecting the virtual boundaries. The virtual fence was generally successful in keeping the cows within the virtual enclosure. The virtual enclosure was expanded and subsequently made smaller several times, and the animals did not show significant issues adapting to the new border placement. The cattle did not express any significant changes in their behaviour upon receiving an electrical impulse from the collar. However, they did display inter-individual differences, indicating that the personality of the cows should be taken into account when selecting animals for placement in virtual enclosures. The cows also reacted to herd mates receiving electric impulses showing that they are influenced by their herd mates. ABSTRACT: In modern nature conservation and rewilding there is a need for controlling the movements of large grazers in extensively managed areas. The inflexibility of physical fencing can be a limitation in nature management, and the physical boundaries created by physical fencing can have detrimental effects on wildlife. Virtual fencing systems provide boundaries without physical structures. These systems utilise collars with GPS technology to track animals and deliver auditory or electric cues to encourage the animals to stay within the predefined boundaries. This study aims to assess the use of virtual fencing (Nofence©) to keep twelve Angus cows (Bos taurus) within a virtual enclosure without compromising their welfare. As such, the study examines inter-individual differences between the cows as well as their herd behaviour, when reacting and learning to respond appropriately to virtual fencing. Moreover, the activity of the cows was used as an indicator of welfare. The virtual fencing was successful in keeping the herd within the designated area. Moreover, the cattle learned to avoid the virtual border and respond to auditory cues, where the cows received significantly more auditory warning and electric impulses per week throughout the first 14 days than the remaining 125 days (p < 0.001). The cows were found to express both inter-individual differences (p < 0.001) and herd behaviour. The cattle did not express any significant changes in their activity upon receiving an electrical impulse from the collar. Thus, indicating that there were little to no acute welfare implications associated with the use of virtual fencing in this study. This study clearly supports the potential for virtual fencing as a viable alternative to physical electric fencing. However, it also shows that both individual differences in personality and herd structure should be considered when selecting individuals for virtual fencing.