Animal Welfare Education Research Articles

Animal Welfare Policies and Their Effect on Livestock Productivity and Trade

Purpose: This study sought to explore animal welfare policies and their effect on livestock productivity and trade. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to animal welfare policies and their effect on livestock productivity and trade. Preliminary empirical review revealed that implementing robust animal welfare policies significantly improved livestock productivity and enhanced marketability and trade. Improved welfare standards led to better animal health, reduced stress, and increased yields, translating to higher profitability for producers. Furthermore, products from high-welfare farms gained access to premium markets and fetched higher prices. However, the initial costs of adopting these standards and the need for more comprehensive studies on long-term economic impacts were identified as challenges. The study recommended policy support, financial incentives, and education to promote widespread adoption of high welfare practices Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), Resource-Based View (RBV) and Stakeholder Theory may be used to anchor future studies on animal welfare policies. The study recommended integrating animal welfare into theoretical frameworks like Resource-Based View and Stakeholder Theory, emphasizing its strategic value and ethical importance. Practically, it suggested that livestock producers adopt comprehensive welfare practices to improve productivity and profitability. Policy recommendations included financial incentives and robust enforcement to support high welfare standards. It also highlighted the need for education and training programs for farmers and public awareness campaigns to drive demand for welfare-friendly products. Further research was advised to explore long-term economic impacts and the integration of welfare with sustainability frameworks. Keywords: Animal Welfare Policies, Livestock Productivity, Education and Training, Public Awareness, Sustainability Frameworks, Ethical Treatment, Compliance, Policy Support

사례기반학습을 활용한 초등동물복지교육 교수·학습 방안

사례기반학습을 활용한 초등동물복지교육 교수·학습 방안

Stakeholder perceptions of primary school education about food sustainability and farm animal welfare in England

ABSTRACT Background There is growing consensus on the negative impacts of food production on the natural environment and planetary viability. UK society is also increasingly concerned about the impact of intensive farming systems on the billions of sentient farmed animals within them. In liberal democracies and capitalist economies, enlightened citizens and informed consumers are key to the solution to environmental crises, such as anthropogenic climate change. Despite this, there is minimal provision for food sustainability and farm animal welfare in England’s National Curriculum. Purpose To investigate the views of stakeholders on the provision of food sustainability and farm animal welfare education in English primary schools. Sample Ten stakeholders selected for their knowledge or interest in food sustainability and farm animal welfare education. Design and methods In-depth, semi-structured interviews, analysed naturalistically within an interpretivist framework. Results Barriers to teaching food sustainability and farm animal welfare reported by stakeholders were restraints caused by the curriculum, the need and lack of funding, a lack of teacher knowledge about the topic, and concerns about its controversy. Best methods identified for teaching were teaching from an early age and throughout all of schooling, adopting a cross-curricular approach, facilitating learning in a hands-on way, and not waiting for change from government reform. Conclusion This research informs the debate on the provision of food sustainability and farm animal welfare education in English primary schools. Given that the environmental crisis is a global one, and that sentient animals are farmed across the world, the research may also inform discussion on inclusion of food sustainability and farm animal welfare outside of the English education context.

An investigation of the perceptions of laboratory animal welfare issues among undergraduate and graduate veterinary students in southeastern China.

Animal experiments have played a significant role in advancing scientific knowledge and enhancing people's quality of life. In order to better understand the opinions and knowledge of veterinary students in the domain of laboratory animal welfare and to explore and advance the teaching methods used in animal ethics education, a questionnaire was designed and used to conduct a survey among undergraduate and postgraduate students majoring in veterinary medicine. The survey encompassed various topics, such as students' level of knowledge about animal welfare, their perspectives on laboratory animals, their proficiency with animal experiments, and their opinions on teaching methods and content. The respondents were a total of 150 undergraduate students and 148 graduate students. The survey results indicated that most students expressed a strong sense of responsibility for the safeguarding of the welfare of experimental animals. However, there were a few students who lacked compassion for animals. Additionally, there was a general lack of basic theoretical knowledge of animal ethics and an inadequate grasp of experimental techniques among current students. Furthermore, most of the participants expressed a strong sense of responsibility to advocate for animal welfare. Although a substantial number of students were unaware of the existence of agencies for the supervision of work involving laboratory animals, they supported teaching and supervision in the domain of animal welfare and were open to various teaching methods and topics of content. In conclusion, targeted training and education regarding laboratory animal welfare and ethics should be conducted in the future to address the specific needs of students. This study provides a foundation for future animal welfare education and will help to improve the professional skills and humanistic qualities of veterinary students.

Do Animal Welfare Education Campaigns Really Work? An Evaluation of the RSPCA’s #DogKind Campaign in Raising Awareness of Separation-Related Behaviours in UK Dog Owners

One of the main aims of companion animal welfare charities is to educate the public about the needs of animals. This is frequently performed through campaigns focusing on specific aspects of welfare. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), Britain’s biggest animal welfare charity, launched the nationwide #DogKind campaign in March 2019. Targeted mainly at 25–34-year-olds, the campaign aimed to increase awareness of separation-related behaviour (SRB) among dog owners and encourage them to seek help for SRB from reliable sources. This research involved a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design evaluating the campaign’s effectiveness. It was conducted through a series of online surveys at three different time points: before the launch of the campaign (n = 2002), six months after (n = 2423), and, again, two months later (n = 269), during which we asked the same questions regarding knowledge of SRB. An experimental trial of 269 participants tested whether accessing a video alongside the campaign web pages increased the effectiveness of the campaign objectives. Overall, the campaign appeared to be effective in reaching its target audience but not at raising awareness of SRB or increasing the number of owners intending to seek help. The inclusion of a video in the campaign made no difference to its effectiveness. This study shows that this campaign had limited success in achieving its targets and highlights the importance of thorough evaluations of education interventions that aim to improve the welfare of companion animals.

초등학생 대상 지구시민교육의 효과 평가

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Earth Citizenship Education by a non-profit corporation on sixth-grade students in elementary school. To this end, from April to July 2023, education and campaigns were conducted, targeting one class of sixth graders at N Elementary School in Seoul, selected for the Global Citizenship Education Program encompassing food education, environmental education, and social education. First, Food education covered three topics and a campaign promoting the right food practices. These include ‘nutrition balance and taste education,’ ‘food labeling education’, and ‘animal welfare education’. Similarly, environmental education covered three themes and school clean-up campaigns: ‘proper cleaning class,’ ‘blue ocean class’, and ‘virus and earth environment class’. Finally, social education focused on two topics: ‘cognitive domain and media literacy’, and ‘project design,’ emphasizing empathy education for fostering coexistence. Over ten weeks, professional instructors visited the school for 80 to 90 minutes each week to deliver experiential face-to-face lectures and organize practical missions. To assess the effect of Earth Citizenship Education, students' knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral aspects related to each topic were surveyed before and after the education. The first survey, aimed at capturing immediate effects, was conducted one week after the education, while the second survey was administered a month later to confirm the continuity of behavioral changes. The collected data underwent statistical analysis using SPSS 21.0. Results reveal that elementary school students’ scores across knowledge, attitude, and behavioral areas improved by 13.2, 23.0, and 10.0 points, respectively, post 1st and 45.1 post 2nd. The average scores stood at 86.4, 77.4, and 59.4 points post 1st and 94.5 points post 2nd. Environmental education recorded improvements of 9.6, 13.3, and 5.9 points post 1st, and 37.6 points post 2nd, with average scores of 76.2, 79.2, and 64.4 points post 1st, and 96.1 points post 2nd. In addition, social education showed improvements of 9.0, 2.7, and 6.1 points post 1st and 40.0 points post 2nd, with average scores of 84.0, 75.5, and 47.8 points post 1st and 81.7 points post 2nd. Elementary school students expressed high satisfaction with Earth Citizenship Education, especially the student-centered learning consisting of direct activities and experiences, with average scores of 84.9 and 75.2 points for food education, 83.0 and 75.6 points for environmental education, and 80.0 and 75.0 points for social education. However, there remains room for improvement in the recommendation scores. In conclusion, the study confirms that Earth Citizenship Education provided by the local community effectively changed elementary school students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. In addition, it was confirmed that the sustained effect on behavioral change could be attributed to teacher intervention aligned with the school curriculum, such as subject-related campaigns, providing review materials, and activities in Practical Arts subjects. Consequently, continuous post-education intervention can effectively bring about changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors through proper food, environment, and social practices in daily life. Furthermore, this study can potentially contribute to developing a customized educational model in Practical Arts subjects through collaborations between local communities and schools.

Glimpsing the Future of Animal Welfare through a Bottle of Milk: Insights from Chinese University Students.

The consumption patterns of university students hold the power to significantly influence market trends. This study illuminates the escalating emphasis on animal welfare in these students' purchasing choices, specifically concerning milk products. Utilizing a discrete choice experiment, we identified a pronounced preference among students for milk products with animal welfare certifications. Students were segmented into three categories based on their motivations: "Quality-Oriented" (20.55%), "Emotionally Intuitive" (30.67%), and "Quality-Emotion Balanced" (48.77%). The "Emotionally Intuitive" group manifested the most robust inclination toward such certifications. Based on these findings, we recommend tailored market strategies targeting these distinct segments. Moreover, our findings emphasize the importance of intensifying animal welfare education, shaping a market aligned with animal welfare principles, and fostering a broader societal environment attuned to animal welfare.

Crucial but Neglected: Limited Availability of Animal Welfare Courses in Education of Wildlife Researchers.

Animal welfare is a subject of increasing scientific and ethical concern in today's society, crucial for the well-being of animals used in research and the integrity of scientific data. Equipping researchers in the life science disciplines with a science-based knowledge of animal welfare, behaviour, physiology, and health is, therefore, essential. Nevertheless, previous studies evaluating animal welfare education focused on veterinary, laboratory, or farm animal science. Consequently, the aim of this study was, for the very first time, to map the prevalence of animal welfare courses in the university education of ecologists, wildlife biologists, and conservation managers in Europe, Canada, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand. A comprehensive assessment of 1548 universities was conducted, resulting in the identification of 596 relevant programs at the bachelor's and master's levels. Analysis of the curricula revealed that only 1% of the programs offered a formal course on animal welfare, while 65% provided courses on animal behaviour, 59% on animal physiology, and 34% on animal health. However, the majority of these courses were listed as electives rather than mandatory components of the programs. These results underscore the need for universities to incorporate more formal and obligatory education in animal welfare in order to better prepare future ecologists, wildlife biologists, and conservation managers for the challenges of working with wildlife.

Animal Welfare Education: Promoting a Critical and Creative Dialogue Between a Zoocentric and an Anthropocentric Relationship

This essay positions the relationship between human and other-than-human animals as a central anchor point for animal welfare education in agricultural vocational training. This relationship is a potential source of tension between the intentions of production and the breeder's disposition to be touched and affected by these animals. The resonant experiences between humans and other-than-human animals, in the sense of Hartmut Rosa (2018a), are, in our opinion, a fruitful way to help future animal breeders to find other possible ways of relating to the world than those imposed by the acceleration and alienation that characterise the dominant animal husbandry systems in Europe. We explore and discuss the transformative potential of educational activities that promote critical, creative, ethical and embodied dialogue.

CASE REPORT: A NEW FACTOR OF RUMEN BLOAT IN GOATS AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Goats may suffer from rumen bloat for many reasons, e.g. improperly concentrated ratio or obstruction. The disease can be caused by eating undigested items, e.g. plastic rope or bags. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, it has often become mandatory for people to wear medical masks. People are generally unaware that masks left on the ground pose a risk to goats who may eat them. This case report describes the rumen bloat caused by medical masks in a male goat reared in an elementary school. After physical examination, the goat showed a bloated rumen, anorexia, depression, and weakness. The heart rate was normal, but respiratory patterns were fast and deep. Fewer defecated feces were noted by the owner. Furthermore, the owner’s complaints and ultrasound images revealed that undigested items in the rumen were the cause. After performing a standard rumenotomy, we scooped out four medical masks, one plastic bag, and one high-density nylon rope from the rumen. We believe this was the first report describing the risk of medical masks in goats. Promoting life and animal welfare education is essential to inform others of the harm medical masks pose to animals.

Doma racional de bovinos como perspectiva para o ensino do bem-estar animal

Animal welfare has been gaining prominence on the world stage in recent years. This observation highlights the need of production systems to adapt to rational cattle taming techniques when carrying out management. There is a growing demand for reconciling ethics, animal health, productivity and profitability within breeding systems. Visibility at the level of well-being has also shown the lack of work, research and human resources capable of adapting management actions to the premises of well-being. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the concept of taming, ethology and bovine welfare, which culminate in the teaching of techniques used by specialists to achieve the ideal management of cattle. The objective of this review is to describe the rational taming of cattle to expose its importance as a perspective for teaching animal welfare.

ANIPHI: An innovative pedagogical platform based on the Delphi method to support animal welfare teaching

As a teaching subject, animal welfare is challenging for educators and learners, as was recently shown in a recent survey on the evolution of animal welfare teaching in Europe. Among several suggestions to overcome the current resistance to implementing animal welfare education, we highlight two. The first is that animal welfare education should be based on learner-centred approaches; the second is that it should encompass both animal welfare science and ethics and law. To the best of our knowledge, there are no learner-centred pedagogical approaches that can simultaneously explore scientific and ethical concepts. Furthermore, when exploring ethical concepts within the educational context, there is the additional challenge of being able to depart from discussion and debate to a systematic organization of knowledge. Our work simultaneously addresses these two challenges, presenting the design and implementation of a novel web-based learner-centred pedagogical platform for farm animal welfare teaching. The platform, named ANIPHI, uses the Delphi method's iterative nature as a learning process to generate both reflection and (online) debate among learners. ANIPHI can be used by educators in an online environment, in a classroom environment, or in a combination of the two environments. ANIPHI was developed within the ERASMUS+ ANICARE project and is an open web-based platform for all educators interested in teaching farm animal welfare. Given ANIPHI's flexible and user-friendly nature, the platform simultaneously exposes learners to ethical and scientific concepts in different educational realities, according to the educator's objectives. Furthermore, videos depicting different husbandry practices across different types of animal production and countries are embedded in the platform. These videos are commented on by the farmer himself and by animal scientists, which enriches the learner's experience. Educators across the ANICARE consortium have already successfully tested the ANIPHI platform for different farm animal welfare topics. We conclude this article by presenting one example of using ANIPHI in a real-life educational context, where we discuss some aspects of the design and use of our pedagogical platform.

A global survey of companion animal veterinary practitioners on animal welfare teaching – Focus on undergraduate and continuing education, and clients’ sources of information

ABSTRACT As part of a wider research on animal welfare, a global survey was developed to gain insight into the opinion of companion animal veterinarians about animal welfare education, namely to investigate i) their exposure to animal welfare teaching during their undergraduate education, ii) their access to continuing professional education on animal welfare, and iii) their opinions on clients’ sources of information on animal welfare. The survey was distributed to companion animal veterinarians around the world. The results were highly influenced by the large numbers of respondents who trained in the Russian Federation, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or the United States of America. Worldwide, 58.4% of the respondents thought that animal welfare was poorly covered or not taught at all when they were students. The best coverage of animal welfare was in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Most companion animal veterinarians (65.3%) had access to continuing education on animal welfare, but there were small differences between the six above-mentioned countries. Companion animal veterinarians get information on animal welfare mainly from the internet and veterinary conferences/meetings, and thought that their clients obtained animal welfare information from various sources. The findings show that there is a need to improve education on animal welfare in veterinary curricula and the provision of relevant continuing education, so that companion animal practitioners can keep abreast of developments and societal expectations.

Perception of public school students about animal welfare and the occurrence of the topic in education books

In current time, it is evident the necessity of animal welfare education policies. Animal welfare is defined as the state of an individual attempting to adjust to the environment and education material can encourage dialogue inside schools. We aimed to verify the presence or absence of animal welfare related content in school books and survey the perceptions of the students about the subject, associating with the socioeconomic profile of the school district and with the overall school performance in the SARESP test. This study was performed between July and November, with seven of the twenty-two public schools in the city of Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. Seven books were collected for analysis from each school, totalizing 49 books, and 430 students answered a survey with 10 questions. The statistical analysis did not show relevant difference between biological gender, age, grade and socioeconomic profile and animal welfare knowledge perception. This study concluded that in most of the analyzed books, animal welfare topics are absent, and that there is no difference between the schools’ socioeconomic profile and animal welfare knowledge perception of the students.

Zookeepers – The most important animal in the zoo?

ABSTRACT Education to improve knowledge of animal welfare is not a universal component of training for zoo staff, and little is reported about the perspectives of zoo staff on the need for such education. This paper reports results from structured telephone interviews of a diverse sample of eight Chinese and eight European zoo staff about aspects of zoological animal welfare, education and zoological practices. These qualitative data were thematically analyzed and key themes generated. Similar themes emerged across regions: Zoo staff consider professional attributes including motivation and enthusiasm to be important alongside formal training, zoo staff value learning opportunities but don’t always feel supported, and contextual information including wild animal ecology was considered important content in zoo animal welfare education.

“Rabbit Rescuers”: A School-Based Animal Welfare Education Intervention for Young Children

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the effectiveness of a Scottish SPCA animal welfare education intervention, “Rabbit Rescuers,” on 5- to 7-year-old children’s belief in animal minds, rabbit welfare knowledge, attitudes toward cruelty, and attachment to pets. “Rabbit Rescuers” was a one-week intervention comprising daily 15-min rabbit welfare activities delivered in school by classroom teachers. The activities were designed to be age-appropriate and covered key elements of rabbits’ behavior and cognitive abilities, welfare needs (including diet, housing, and natural behaviors), and rabbit care including safe handling and health care (role play as vets). A mixed-method longitudinal design was employed comparing three intervention conditions: mechanical rabbits; soft toy rabbits; and control (education as usual). A sample of 123 children from two age groups (Primary 1 [5- to 6-year-olds] and Primary 2 [6- to 7-year-olds]; 65 boys and 58 girls) in one school participated in the study and were interviewed individually before and after the intervention. Multiple mixed-factor ANOVAs showed that children in the intervention groups improved significantly more than control children in terms of rabbit welfare knowledge, understanding of rabbits as sentient, and attachment to pets. There was also a reduction in attitudes that rabbit cruelty is acceptable among the intervention groups at post-test. The intervention was effective for children regardless of their age. Importantly, the intervention had a stronger impact for children interacting with the interactive mechanical rabbits compared with those who interacted with the soft toy rabbits for all the variables, except for attachment to pets. The findings show that animal welfare education can be effective for young children and that age-appropriate activities support children’s knowledge acquisition and attitude change relating to animal welfare. Importantly, the results highlight that mechanical or robotic animals might be highly effective animal welfare education resources.

Establishing consensus on the best ways to educate children about animal welfare and prevent harm: An online Delphi study

AbstractMany animal welfare organisations deliver education programmes for children and young people, or design materials for schoolteachers to use. However, few of these are scientifically evaluated, making it difficult for those working in this field to establish with any certainty the degree of success of their own programmes, or learn from others. There has been no guidance specifically tailored to the development and evaluation of animal welfare education interventions. Accordingly, a three-stage online Delphi study was designed to unearth the expertise of professionals working in this field and identify degree of consensus on various aspects of the intervention process: design, implementation and evaluation. Thirty-one experts participated in Round 1, representing eleven of 13 organisations in the Scottish Animal Welfare Education Forum (SAWEF), and eleven of 23 members of the wider UK-based Animal Welfare Education Alliance (AWEA). Seven further professionals participated, including four based in Canada or the US. Eighty-four percent of the original sample participated in Round 2, where a high level of consensus was apparent. However, the study also revealed areas of ambiguity (determining priorities, the need for intervention structure and degree of success). Tensions were also evident with respect to terminology (especially around cruelty and cruelty prevention), and the common goal for animal welfare to be part of school curricula. Findings were used to develop a web-based framework and toolkit to enable practitioners to follow evidence-based guidance. This should enable organisations to maximise the quality and effectiveness of their interventions for children and young people.

The challenges and future development of animal welfare education in the UK

AbstractAt present, UK schools are not required to teach children about animal welfare. This undoubtedly contributes to widespread deficiencies in knowledge, and misconceptions about animals’ needs, likes, and dislikes. Aware of the issues at hand, animal welfare organisations create their own materials for teachers to use, and/or deliver educational programmes directly to children and young people. As the design, content, processes and outcomes associated with these interventions are rarely documented publicly or systematically evaluated, there is little evidence to guide the development of animal welfare education. A three-stage online Delphi study was used to identify who current interventions target, what delivery methods are being used, and how expert practitioners describe priorities and challenges in the field. Thirty-one experts participated in Round 1, with 84% of the sample (n = 26) also taking part in Round 2. Qualitative analysis revealed passionate accounts about the far-reaching potential of educating children about animals. However, we also identified ambiguities and tensions that could thwart the future development of effective animal welfare education. Alongside the production of a web-based framework and evidence-based toolkit to support practitioners, findings will be used to encourage animal welfare professionals to work towards producing shared terminology, definitions, and outcomes’ frameworks; focusing on positive education and the idea of harm as opposed to cruelty. This should facilitate collaboration with schoolteachers and education policymakers to assess the ways in which animal welfare might be successfully incorporated within formal education in the future. These data suggest many potential avenues for inclusion, although a holistic approach emphasising the links between humans, animals and the environment, within the context of young people's recent activism and contemporary health, societal and environmental issues, may be most successful.

Visitors’ Self-Reported Knowledge and Attitudes about an Animal-Free Exhibit on Animal Welfare

ABSTRACT Public events such as state fairs provide valuable opportunities to provide informal animal welfare education, possibly changing people’s decisions regarding animal welfare. This study evaluated whether an interactive animal-free exhibit increased visitors’ self-reported knowledge and stated behavioral intentions related to animal welfare. The exhibit featured information about the behavior and welfare of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, poultry, horses, cats and dogs. Survey data were collected at two events in the Midwestern United States (Purdue University Spring Fest (FEST): n = 32; Indiana State Fair (FAIR): n = 49 valid responses). Most people agreed and strongly agreed (FEST: 60.00%; FAIR: 74.47%) that they learned new information and would consider this information when making decisions (FAIR: 70.37%; FAIR: 76.19). Most people (FEST: 67.86%; FAIR: 71.11%) also stated that they had a better understanding of animal welfare after visiting the exhibit. These findings indicate that an animal welfare exhibit can positively influence visitors’ self-reported knowledge and stated decisions about animal welfare. Future research is needed to examine the long-term impacts of animal welfare exhibits on knowledge retention, decisions and behavior.

The Comfort Dog Project of Northern Uganda: An Innovative Canine-Assisted Psychosocial Trauma Recovery Programme

In 2012, BIG FIX Uganda, an American-based animal welfare organisation, began offering veterinary health services and animal welfare education in northern Uganda to improve the wellbeing of animals and their guardians. In 2014, the organisation expanded its inclusive health platform with the creation of the Comfort Dog Project − an animal-assisted psychosocial intervention for survivors of war trauma through the facilitation of human-dog companionship. This article focuses on how blending community trauma counselling with dog training and bonding instruction can improve the social and emotional skills of dog guardians while creating loving, stress-buffering relationships with their dogs. Fifty-nine guardians and their comfort dogs graduated this 20-week animal assisted trauma intervention between 2015 and 2020. Psychological assessments taken pre- and post-graduation, as well as annual follow-up testing over a 4-year-period, indicate that this therapeutic model can be effective at reducing the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and improving the wellbeing of both the guardians and their comfort dogs.