An animal-centric assessment framework that prioritizes emotional and behavioural health as core indicators of wellbeing.

Please note that the MHERA Office is closed from the 5th of December to the 5th of January 2026. We will respond to all messages as soon as we are back at work.

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With MHERA™ you can…

Evaluate the Impact of Enrichment and Behavioural Interventions:
Assess whether enrichment or behaviour modification programs are effectively meeting an individual animal’s specific emotional needs. MHERA™ enables professionals to understand how animals experience their care, allowing for truly individualized, targeted support.

Understand Behavioural Persistence and Emotionality:
MHERA™ helps identify the underlying emotional motivations behind behaviours – especially those that persist despite intervention. This insight is critical for addressing behavioural concerns that often stem from unresolved emotional conflict, the core motivation behind how animals behave.

Design Emotionally Intelligent Behaviour Support Programs:
Using MHERA™, professionals can develop behaviour support strategies that are emotionally attuned and scientifically grounded. These programs are tailored to focus on the animal’s emotional health.

Use this Versatile Framework for Emotional Wellbeing Assessment:
A practical, science-based framework for evaluating emotional wellbeing across species. It is currently applied to mammals, birds, and reptiles, and can be adapted for amphibians and fish as scientific understanding evolves. MHERA™ is used in both companion animal and captive wildlife contexts to assess and manage wellbeing.

Visualize Priorities and Maximize Impact:
MHERA™ Assessment results offer clear, visual representations of emotional wellbeing indicators—highlighting areas of concern and guiding professionals on which needs to prioritize. This ensures that available resources are applied strategically, for maximum benefit and impact.

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MHERA™ is an animal-centric assessment framework developed to monitor and enhance the wellbeing of animals in human care. Rooted in the sciences of Discrete and Dimensional models of Animal Emotionality, it offers a multi-functional approach to understanding how animals feel, behave, and respond to their environment. The framework is built around four integrated elements that guide professionals in delivering emotionally intelligent care.

1:

Mood State Tool

Track and visualize how animals feel over time. This intuitive tool allows you to map mood states before and after interventions, identify cognitive biases, and monitor emotional progress or regression with clarity and precision.

2:

Hedonic Budget Assessment

The Hedonic Budget Calculator evaluates the activation of key wellbeing affective systems, providing insight into whether an animal’s emotional needs are being met or depleted.

3:

Emotionality Assessment

Understand how animals respond emotionally to care, enrichment, or treatment. This tool helps you assess shifts in emotional state, offering a clear picture of how interventions are experienced from the animal’s perspective.

4:

Reinforcement Assessment

Determine the emotional value of behaviour. This assessment examines internal and external reinforcement, ensuring that training and care strategies are aligned with emotional wellbeing.

An animal-centric assessment framework that prioritizes emotional and behavioural health as core indicators of wellbeing. Please note that the MHERA Office is closed from the 5th of December to the 5th of January 2026. We will respond to all messages as soon as we are back at work.