Suchergebnisse

African lion (Panthera leo) cubs are extensively used in South Africa in wildlife-interaction tourist activities. Facilities provide close interaction opportunities, but the welfare impacts on the cubs are unclear. A workshop was held with 15 lion-experienced stakeholders, including government officials, nature conservationists, animal welfare organisations, lion breeders, lion handlers, an animal ethologist, wildlife veterinarian, wildlife rehabilitation specialist and an animal rights advocacy group representative. Individual representatives nominated a range of welfare concerns, and 15 were identified for discussion and prioritisation. The leading welfare concern was a lack of governance and regulation within the industry. Participants agreed on nine non-negotiable practices affecting welfare concerns, which included ethical concerns, such as cubs exiting into the ranching industry (farming of lions for hunting) and the bone trade (lions being slaughtered for their bones, which are exported for lion bone wine) once petting age has passed. Welfare concerns representative of current management practices within the lion cub interaction industry were compared for importance using an online adaptive conjoint analysis survey of 60 stakeholders in the industry. The survey identified the most important welfare concerns to be poor social grouping of cubs, an inability for cubs to choose their own environment and retreat from a forced interaction, a lack of trained and dedicated caretakers, and poor breeding practices. The conjoint analysis survey results produced a value model, which can be used as a tool to score cubs' welfare in interaction facilities, and it identified unacceptable practices lacking welfare consideration.

As the increasing body of scientific information about the experiences of other species and their ability to suffer becomes available to those working within the field of animal welfare, the amount of potential issues to address also increases. Carefully choosing issues to address, and indeed leaders to drive the cause forward, has the potential to significantly increase the efficacy of the international animal welfare movement. Within this study 15 leaders of major international animal welfare organizations were interviewed about their experiences, thoughts and strategies, which have been primarily acquired through long-term exposure to the movement, and endeavors of trial and error. After thematic analysis, key themes are presented, along with strategies and cautions that may be beneficial to the animal welfare movement. Animal welfare leaders suggested a focus on issues that fitted well with their organizations&rsquo ; remit and were not too broad, to avoid spreading resources and expertise too thin. A utilitarian framework was also considered important, aiming to improve the lives of as many animals as possible for the resources deployed. Good leaders were believed to have passion for their cause, not just for animals, and an ability to build and lead good teams, hence good interpersonal human skills were also perceived as essential. It is concluded that establishing what makes a good animal welfare leader could offer useful direction for future engagement of successful leaders in this field.

Although the People&rsquo ; s Republic of China produces more animals for consumption than any other country, very little is known about the attitudes of stakeholders in the livestock industries to animal welfare in farming systems. This study investigated the attitudes of stakeholders in pig and poultry farming in south China towards animal welfare in different farming systems, pig and poultry behaviour, and the inherent value of the animals themselves. Respondents thought welfare was important, particularly if they had worked in the industry a long time, and that they intended to make improvements, even though they also believed it to be generally satisfactory. Outdoor systems were perceived to be better for welfare but indoor systems better for food safety, particularly among respondents that had gained their knowledge from multiple sources. Respondents believed pigs and chickens to have equally important needs, despite the fact that pigs were considered more intelligent than chickens. Pig farmers with outdoor systems had a more positive attitude to making welfare improvements compared with those operating intensive indoor systems. However an absence of enrichment in chicken farms increased respondents&rsquo ; intentions to make improvements, and these were more likely to occur on small chicken farms. Veterinarians and government officials were more likely to perceive welfare as unsatisfactory or to want change it than those working directly with animals. City residents were more likely to support and express confidence that they could improve animal welfare, compared to rural residents. It is concluded that stakeholders in China&rsquo ; s pig and poultry production industries recognised a need to improve welfare, although they saw a conflict with production of safe food. However, farmers involved in intensive production systems were less likely to perceive a need or capacity to improve welfare than those operating more extensive systems, suggesting a dichotomisation of the people in the industry into those in small and outdoor farms that could and were improving welfare and those in indoor intensive farms who did not envisage this happening.

Intro -- The Animal Trade -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Note -- 1: The History of Animal Trade -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.2 Early Developments in Livestock Trade -- 1.3 Expansion of the Role of Livestock in the Ancient Civilization of the Inca Empire -- 1.4 European Livestock Trade from 1066 to the Modern Day -- 1.4.1 Animal production and trade in mediaeval times and the Middle Ages in England and continental Europe -- 1.4.2 Agricultural intensification in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries -- 1.4.3 Animal trade in the 20th century -- The Second World War -- Post-war food supplies -- 1.5 Conclusions -- Note -- 2: Trade Policies for Animal Products -- 2.1 Development of Trade Policy -- 2.2 Trade Distortions, Subsidies and Security -- 2.3 Conclusions -- 3: Trade Wars, Sanctions and Discrimination -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Trade Disruption Because of Disease Risk -- 3.3 Import Bans on Cheap Chicken -- 3.4 Constraints on Trading in 'Iconic' Animals -- 3.4.1 Japanese whaling -- 3.4.2 The ivory trade -- 3.5 Territorial Disputes -- 3.6 Products with Moral Advantage -- 3.6.1 Mulesing and the Australian wool industry -- 3.6.2 Cosmetics testing on animals -- 3.6.3 Foie gras -- 3.6.4 Australia's live cattle export to Indonesia -- 3.7 A Trade War Driven by Political Ideology - Russia's Food War with the West -- 3.8 Conclusions -- 4: Trade in Meat -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 The Scale of the World's Meat Production and Consumption -- 4.3 Trade in Meat -- 4.4 Future Changes in the Meat Trade -- 4.4.1 The real cost of meat production -- 4.5 Animal Slaughter for Trade -- 4.6 Conclusions -- 5: Trade in Some Key Animal Products: Dairy, Wool and Fur -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Dairy Products -- 5.3 Wool -- 5.4 Fur -- 5.5 Conclusions -- 6: Trade in Live Farm Animals -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 Types of Transport.

Human&ndash ; dog relationships are an important contributor to the welfare of dogs, but little is known about the importance of socioeconomic status of the dogs&rsquo ; owners. We conducted a retrospective study of canine welfare complaints, using Australian government statistics on the socioeconomic status of the inhabitants at the location of the alleged welfare issue. The socioeconomic score of inhabitants at the relevant postcode was assumed to be that of the plaintiff. Our dataset included 107,597 complaints that had been received by RSPCA Queensland between July 2008 and June 2018, each with the following information: the number of dogs involved, dog(s) age, breed(s), suburb, postcode, date received, and complaint code(s) (describing the type of complaint). The median index score for relative social advantage of the locations where the alleged welfare concern occurred was less than the median score for the population of Queensland, suggesting that welfare concerns in dogs were more commonly reported in areas with inhabitants of low socioeconomic status. It was also less if the dog being reported was not of a recognised breed, compared to dogs of recognised breeds. Dogs reported to be in the gundog breed group were in the most socioeconomically advantaged postcodes, followed by toy, hound, non-sporting, working dog, terrier, and utility breed groups. Reports of alleged cruelty, insufficient food and/or water, a dog being not exercised or being confined/tethered, failure to provide shelter or treatment, overcrowding, a dog being in poor condition or living in poor conditions were most likely to be made in relation to dogs in low socioeconomic postcodes. Reports of dogs being left in a hot vehicle unattended were more likely to be made in relation to dogs in high socioeconomic postcodes. It is concluded that both canine welfare complaints and dogs in specific breed groups appear to be related to the owner&rsquo ; s socioeconomic status. This study may be used to improve public awareness and to tailor educational campaigns toward different populations.

Preslaughter stunning ; the induction of unconsciousness and insensibility of animals prior to slaughter, is an important process for the welfare of livestock. The application of stunning is required by legislation in some countries, and rarely practised in others. In order to effectively advocate the implementation of stunning in the regions that do not include the practice as standard, it is first important to understand attitudes towards stunning, barriers to implementing stunning, and stakeholder willingness to embrace the practice. To this purpose, 17 focus group sessions were held with leaders in livestock production in China, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh. Leaders were asked to rate their perceived willingness of livestock stakeholders to embrace stunning, and their rationales were discussed. In addition to this, the leaders were asked to present ideas to improve the willingness of stakeholders to embrace stunning. The data were qualitatively analysed used thematic analysis, quantified, and presented within this manuscript. Importantly, different attitudes and solutions existed by country, mostly in line with the predominating religion within the country, and the stage of economic development. Concerns around nonstatic and constantly evolving animal welfare benchmarks were also presented as important factors impacting the adoption of stunning, and the technical methods used. The findings of this study may aid in the development of programs that aim to increase the adoption of preslaughter stunning practices, to the purpose of improving animal welfare during slaughter.

SIMPLE SUMMARY: African lion cubs are used in South Africa in wildlife-interaction tourism (cub petting). The welfare impacts on the cubs are unclear. A workshop was held with 15 lion-experienced stakeholders who all indicated a range of welfare concerns for discussion and prioritisation. The leading welfare concern identified was the 'lack of governance and regulation' within the industry. Participants also agreed on nine non-negotiable practices that affect cubs' welfare. Some of these included ethical concerns, such as cubs exiting into the ranching industry (farming of lions for hunting) and the bone trade (lions being slaughtered for their bones, which are exported for lion bone wine) once petting age has passed. Current industry practices were then ranked and weighted for welfare importance through an online survey completed by 60 industry stakeholders. This survey identified the most important welfare concerns to be poor social grouping of cubs, an inability for cubs to choose their own environment and retreat from an interaction, a lack of trained and dedicated caretakers, and poor breeding practices. The survey results produced a user-friendly tool to score cubs' welfare in interaction facilities and also identified current practices that are lacking in welfare consideration. ABSTRACT: African lion (Panthera leo) cubs are extensively used in South Africa in wildlife-interaction tourist activities. Facilities provide close interaction opportunities, but the welfare impacts on the cubs are unclear. A workshop was held with 15 lion-experienced stakeholders, including government officials, nature conservationists, animal welfare organisations, lion breeders, lion handlers, an animal ethologist, wildlife veterinarian, wildlife rehabilitation specialist and an animal rights advocacy group representative. Individual representatives nominated a range of welfare concerns, and 15 were identified for discussion and prioritisation. The leading welfare concern was a lack of governance and regulation within the ...

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The thoroughbred racehorse has unique welfare issues, being highly trained for racing, as well as regularly transported to race meetings. Following their racing career, retirement often requires racehorses to adopt a new lifestyle, with inherent risks to their welfare. Currently, there is little information on the most serious welfare issues confronting racehorses. We initially sought the opinion of a panel of experts, which provided 14 key issues that were then explored in more detail in a survey of stakeholders in the industry. We found that the key issues were the quality of horsemanship, horses' health, educating horses to cope with the welfare challenges, and track and stable quality. Focusing on these issues will provide the best potential to improve welfare. ABSTRACT: Identifying key welfare issues for thoroughbred racehorses could lead to an improvement in standards. A lack of scientific information on the relative importance of key issues was addressed by soliciting the views of, first, welfare experts in the industry and, second, a broader group of stakeholders, who selected the best welfare options by adaptive conjoint analysis. The experts represented racehorse breeders, veterinarians, trainers, owners, government officials, salespeople, farriers, transporters, and horse re-trainers for post-racing activities. In a focus group meeting, the experts identified fourteen key welfare issues, each with two to four levels that related to common husbandry practices. Then, in an internet survey, 224 stakeholders ranked the issues using adaptive conjoint analysis, in declining importance, as: horsemanship > health and disease > education of the horse > track design and surface > ventilation > stabling > weaning > transport > nutrition > wastage > heat and humidity > whips > environment > gear. Relatively uniform responses to the survey by the different stakeholder groups suggested that there was a common view on what had the biggest impact on welfare. An ...

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The role of the socioeconomic status of dog owners in canine welfare concerns is not fully understood. We conducted a retrospective study of 107,597 canine welfare complaints attended by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Queensland from 2008 to 2018. We explored the relationship between the owner's socioeconomic status and reported (rather than confirmed) complaints about welfare of dogs. The socioeconomic status of the owner was estimated from the postcode of where the alleged welfare issue occurred, using government statistics for Socio-Economic Indexes of different regions of Australia. Reported complaints were correlated with socioeconomic scores. There was a lower median socioeconomic score in our study group compared to the entire Queensland state, indicating that alleged canine welfare concerns were more likely to be reported in areas with inhabitants of low socioeconomic status. The status was also low if the complaint was about a crossbred rather than a purebred dog. Among the purebred dogs, complaints involving working dogs, terriers, and utility breeds were associated with the lowest socioeconomic scores. The following complaints were associated with low socioeconomic status: cruelty, insufficient food and/or water, a dog not being exercised, a dog being confined/tethered, failure to provide shelter or treatment, overcrowding, a dog being in poor condition or living in poor conditions. Increased status was observed in alleged cases of a dog being left in a hot car unattended. ABSTRACT: Human–dog relationships are an important contributor to the welfare of dogs, but little is known about the importance of socioeconomic status of the dogs' owners. We conducted a retrospective study of canine welfare complaints, using Australian government statistics on the socioeconomic status of the inhabitants at the location of the alleged welfare issue. The socioeconomic score of inhabitants at the relevant postcode was assumed to be that of the plaintiff. Our dataset ...

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Preslaughter stunning is a technical process by which animals are rendered unconscious prior to slaughter, as to avoid the pain and fear of being slaughtered. While it is a legislative requirement in some countries, it is not yet regularly practised in many countries. To better understand why this might be the case, this study conducted focus group sessions with leaders from the livestock industries in China, Vietnam, India, Thailand, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Leaders were asked to rate the willingness of livestock stakeholders to adopt preslaughter stunning, in addition to their suggested solutions for increasing the level of willingness, and their thoughts as to why they were or were not willing to adopt stunning. This data was analysed and presented within this manuscript. The findings were specific to each country, with similar themes shared across some of the countries. The findings of this study may aid in the development of programs that aim to increase the adoption of preslaughter stunning practices, with the purpose of improving animal welfare during slaughter. ABSTRACT: Preslaughter stunning; the induction of unconsciousness and insensibility of animals prior to slaughter, is an important process for the welfare of livestock. The application of stunning is required by legislation in some countries, and rarely practised in others. In order to effectively advocate the implementation of stunning in the regions that do not include the practice as standard, it is first important to understand attitudes towards stunning, barriers to implementing stunning, and stakeholder willingness to embrace the practice. To this purpose, 17 focus group sessions were held with leaders in livestock production in China, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh. Leaders were asked to rate their perceived willingness of livestock stakeholders to embrace stunning, and their rationales were discussed. In addition to this, the leaders were asked to present ideas to improve the willingness of stakeholders ...

The eastern grey kangaroo is a common and iconic species of Australia. Its specialised behaviour and reproduction have evolved as adaptations to the Australian environment, allowing the species to survive and flourish, despite wide climatic and seasonal variations in habitat. Across its range, the eastern grey kangaroo is harvested and subjected to population management for a variety of reasons, including localised over-abundance, livestock competition, crop grazing, native habitat conservation, animal welfare and direct threats to human safety. Population management of kangaroos is most commonly undertaken by shooting, although other methods such as reproductive control, translocation and repellents may also contribute successfully to management. Kangaroo harvesting and population control are controversial and divisive, because the kangaroo is perceived as both a national icon and as a pest species. Although a limited number of surveys have been undertaken on attitudes towards kangaroos and their management, the socio-political aspects affecting these issues are yet to be systematically investigated. Within this review we discuss the relevance of culture and language to species management and conservation, as well as the importance of scrutiny of stakeholder perceptions, motivations and values. Future directions should examine human dimensions that influence kangaroo-management decisions and conservation. The following three key aspects are recommended as research and management priorities: (1) experimental determination of whether gaps exist between actual and perceived impacts of kangaroo populations, (2) empirical investigation of how stakeholder language, culture, identity and values influence perceptions of kangaroos and their management, and (3) where population control is determined to be necessary, an incorporation of stakeholder differences within decision making to ensure best outcomes for both species conservation and population management.