Interested in animal welfare and behaviour, I investigated during my PhD the influence of different winter housing conditions on social behaviour of cows of the Hérens breed. These cows are famous for their fighting and dominance abilities that are exacerbated.
Currently, I am interested in some aspects of population management of indigenous wildlife vertebrates and I am examining the effects of some drug residuals in the water on the development of brown trout (Salmo trutta) embryos. For that, I am rearing eggs of known parental combinations under laboratory conditions in “controlled polluted water” that allows me to study not only the effects of a single drug, but also the interactions of two drugs with similar effects. I am also investigating the parental contributions to the resistance/sensitivity of the embryos towards a given substance / mixed of substances.
2014 – Present
Postdoc in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology / Evolutionary Conservation Biology (lab of Prof. Dr. Claus Wedekind), Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne.
2012 – 2014
DAS in applied statistics (“Measure of stress in Hérens cows kept in loose housing using infrared thermography“) under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Jürg Hüsler, Institute of Mathematical Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Berne.
2011 – Present
Responsible for routine business of the Society for wildlife biology of Valais fauna•vs. This organisation works for a scientific protection and management of indigenous vertebrate wildlife.
2006 – 2012
Trainee and PhD student in farm animal welfare and behaviour (“Influence of winter housing conditions on social behaviour of cows of the Hérens breed”) under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Beat Wechsler in the Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs (Swiss Veterinary Federal Office) in Tänikon, in collaboration with the Department of Ecology and Evolution of the University of Berne.
1999 – 2004
Diploma degree in Biology at the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland) under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Claude Mermod. Special interest in animal behaviour and ecology, plants ecology and soil-plants relationships.
Publications
2014
- Castro Isabelle, 2014. Vaches, pâturages boisés et biodiversité : de l’aurochs à la race d’Hérens. Fauna•vs info n° 25
- Castro Isabelle, 2014. Kühe, Waldweide und biologische Vielfalt: vom Auerochsen zum Eringer Rind. Fauna•vs info Nr. 25
2012
- Castro Isabelle ML, Gygax Lorenz, Wechsler Beat, Hauser Rudolf, 2012. Effect of short and long periods of separation on agonistic behaviour, injuries and stress in Hérens cows kept in loose housing. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 136, 96-103
2011
- Castro Isabelle ML, Gygax Lorenz, Wechsler Beat, Hauser Rudolf, 2011. Increasing the interval between winter outdoor exercise aggravates agonistic interactions in Hérens cows kept in tie-stalls. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 129, 59-66
- Castro Isabelle ML, Gygax Lorenz, Wechsler Beat, Hauser Rudolf, 2011. Winter housing conditions of cows of the Hérens breed do not influence fighting but modulate spacing behaviour on alpine pastures. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 134, 23-30
- Castro Isabelle, Arlettaz Raphaël, 2011. Le nouveau plan de repeuplement piscicole valaisan rate le coche. Fauna•vs info n°20
- Castro Isabelle, Arlettaz Raphaël, 2011. Der neue Fischbesatzplan des Wallis schiesst mächtig am Ziel vorbei. Fauna•vs info Nr. 20
- Castro Isabelle ML, Hauser Rudolf, Wechsler Beat, 2011. Détention des vaches d’Hérens : détention en stabulation entravée avec sorties régulières et stabulation libre. Rapport ART n°743
- Castro Isabelle ML, Hauser Rudolf, Wechsler Beat, 2011. Haltung von Eringerkühen: Anbindehaltung mit regelmässigem Auslauf und Laufstallhaltung. ART-Bericht Nr. 743
- Gygax Lorenz, Castro Isabelle, Wechsler Beat, Hauser Rudolf, 2011. Agonistische Interaktionen während der Winterstallhaltung und bei der Alpung von Eringerkühen. Aktuelle Arbeiten zur artgenässen Tierhaltung, KTBL-Schrift 489, 56-63. KTBL, Darmstadt.
- Wechsler Beat, Castro Isabelle, Gygax Lorenz, Hauser Rudolf, 2011. Winterauslauf für angebunden gehaltene Eringerkühe: Wie lange soll das Intervall zwischen zwei Tagen mit Auslauf sein? Aktuelle Forschung in der Schweiz im Bereich Tierproduktion, Schweizerischen Vereinigung für Tierproduktion (SVT), 29.3.11, Zollikofen, p. 19.
2010
- Castro Isabelle, Gygax Lorenz, Wechsler Beat, Hauser Rudolf, 2010. Social behaviour during winter outdoor exercise of cows of the Hérens breed kept in tie-stalls. Proceedings of the 44th international conference ISAE, p. 78
- Castro Isabelle, Gygax Lorenz, Wechsler Beat, Hauser Rudolf, 2010. Einfluss der Separationsdauer während des Winterauslaufs auf das Sozialverhalten von Eringerkühen. Proceedings of the 24th international congress IGN, Agroscope ART Tänikon, p. 64-67
