Animal suffering: The science of animal welfare

1982 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-203
Author(s):  
James A. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Suffering

Political conservatism and the exploitation of nonhuman animals: An application of system justification theory

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 858-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. Hoffarth ◽  
Flávio Azevedo ◽  
John T. Jost
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Economic System ◽  
Social Dominance Orientation ◽  
System Justification ◽  
Animal Suffering ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
System Justification Theory ◽  
Nonhuman Animals ◽  
Political Conservatism ◽  
Welfare Attitudes

Many people in Western societies tolerate the mistreatment of nonhuman animals, despite obvious ethical concerns about the injustice of animal suffering and exploitation. In three studies, we applied system justification theory to examine the ideological basis of human–animal relations. In Studies 1a and 1b, we showed in both a large convenience sample ( N = 2,119) and a nationally representative sample in the US ( N = 1,500) that economic system justification uniquely explained the relationship between political conservatism and animal welfare attitudes even after adjusting for social dominance orientation. In Study 2, we replicated and extended these findings using more elaborate measures of animal welfare attitudes in the context of an MTurk sample of U.S. respondents ( N = 395). Specifically, we found that conservatism was associated with less support for animal welfare and greater endorsement of speciesism (the belief that humans are morally superior to nonhuman animals) and that individual differences in economic system justification mediated these associations. We discuss several ways in which system justification theory may inform interventions designed to promote support for animal welfare in society at large.

Animal Studies: Let’s Talk About Animal Welfare and Liberation Issues in Childhood

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 311-326
Author(s):  
William Sarfo Ankomah
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Meat Consumption ◽  
Health Hazards ◽  
Nonhuman Animal ◽  
Childhood Studies ◽  
Animal Suffering ◽  
Language Philosophy ◽  
Environmental Destruction ◽  
Children's Education

Abstract This article examined reasons why information pertaining to nonhuman animal welfare and liberation should be introduced during childhood. Studies indicate that animal-welfare activists’ and abolitionists’ efforts to date may be insufficient given the pervasive environmental destruction and ongoing animal suffering. Moreover, research reveals that education related to animal welfare and liberation is systematically excluded from children’s education, and they thus remain unaware of the sources and associated health hazards of meat they consume. Conversely, children’s knowledge about animal welfare increases when exposed to literature on the topic, which enables them to make informed choices regarding meat consumption. This paper draws on animal-welfare and liberation literature to argue that augmenting children’s knowledge about animal welfare and liberation can foster children’s understanding, language, philosophy, and ability to make informed choices about their relationship with animals and the environment in general.

scholarly journals Severe canine distemper outbreak in unvaccinated dogs in Mozambique

2016 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julieta Zacarias ◽  
Alberto Dimande ◽  
Sara Achá ◽  
Paula T. Dias ◽  
Elisa M. Leonel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Immunohistochemical Staining ◽  
Canine Distemper Virus ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Canine Distemper ◽  
Animal Suffering ◽  
Low Income Families

Although significant animal suffering caused by preventable diseases is frequently seen in developing countries, reports of this are scarce. This report describes avoidable animal suffering owing to a suspected canine distemper (CD) outbreak in unvaccinated dogs owned by low-income families in Mozambique that killed approximately 200 animals. Affected dogs exhibited clinical signs, and gross and microscopic lesions compatible with CD. Immunohistochemical staining confirmed the presence of canine distemper virus (CDV) in the kidney of one dog from the cohort. This brief communication again illustrates that large outbreaks of CDV in unvaccinated dogs occur and that large-scale avoidable suffering and threats to the health of dogs and wild canines continue. Mass vaccination supported by government and non-government organisations is recommended.Keywords: Canine distemper; dogs; outbreak; animal welfare; Mozambique

The scientific assessment of the impact of housing on animal welfare: A critical review

1992 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 721-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Rushen ◽  
Anne Marie B. de Passillé
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Stereotyped Behavior ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Abnormal Behavior ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Animal Suffering ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Scientific Assessment ◽  
Key Words Animal ◽  
The Impact

The issue of animal welfare, particularly in relation to legislation, involves philosophical, ethical, economic and political issues and is not just a matter for science. A scientific definition of welfare must address the concerns of the public, but is difficult to achieve because of a lack of consensus as to what good welfare involves. The assessment of animal welfare is best achieved using a mixture of design criteria (which specify what must be included in the environment) and performance criteria (which specify what the signs of good welfare are). The quality of stockmanship can have a major influence on animal welfare, and it should not be assumed that the method of housing is the major determinant of animal welfare. The validity of many of the proposed measures of welfare is difficult to determine because of a lack of understanding of the underlying biology. Measures of aversion are the best available measures of animal suffering caused by procedures of short duration, but whether they can be used to assess the effect of housing is uncertain. Consensus has not yet been reached on the issue of behavioral deprivation, but several measures of behavioral motivation can be used to determine if animals are frustrated, although none is free from criticism. Much abnormal, stereotyped behavior seems to reflect feeding rather than housing problems, and there is a lack of firm evidence that the level of stereotypic behavior correlates with the welfare of the animals. The method of housing can influence the animals' physiology, but this effect is not adequately described by measures of corticosteroids. Use of the term "stress" generates confusion. Production measures give some information about animal welfare but only if the causes of lowered production are known. Animal welfare is a complex phenomenon and one component of welfare should not be equated with the whole, nor should scientific assessment of welfare be considered a simple matter. Key words: Animal welfare, aversion, motivation, abnormal behavior, stress, stockmanship

scholarly journals Chinese Public Attitudes towards, and Knowledge of, Animal Welfare

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 855
Author(s):  
Francesca Carnovale ◽  
Xiao Jin ◽  
David Arney ◽  
Kris Descovich ◽  
Wenliang Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Animal Suffering ◽  
Chinese Consumers ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Chinese Consumer ◽  
Consumer Interests ◽  
Transportation Times

Food-producing animals make up the majority of animals that humans manage globally, and China has been a major producer and exporter of animal products since the late 1990s. The opinions of the population in China regarding animal welfare are not as well understood as those in Europe. In China, animal welfare as a societal concern is still at an early stage of development. This survey of Chinese attitudes aimed to understand consumer knowledge of and behaviour towards animal welfare, and to determine whether harnessing consumer interests may be a potential future influence on the development of high-welfare agricultural production. Most participants were not aware of the meaning of animal welfare, but the number of those that were aware was higher than reported previously. The welfare of wild animals was rated particularly important compared to other animals. The links between welfare and the taste and/or safety of food were considered to be important, and Chinese consumers reported a willingness to pay more for food from animals produced in good welfare conditions, although the quality of the food was considered more important than the animal suffering. A large majority of the respondents reported that there should be legislation protecting animals and certification of welfare on farms, that animals on farms should be provided with enjoyable experiences and that transportation times should be minimised. Furthermore, most respondents reported that animals should be stunned before slaughter. We conclude that animal welfare is of importance to the Chinese consumer, in particular because of its connection to food quality.

scholarly journals Fires in Nature: A Review of the Challenges for Wild Animals

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jara Gutierrez ◽  
Javier de Miguel
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Animal Suffering ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Current Review ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Future Work

Animals living in the wild are exposed to numerous challenges, such as fires, that can lead to animal suffering. The impacts of fire have been studied in different branches of ecology, but studies of its effects on the welfare of individual animals remain scarce. The current review aims to synthesize a sample of relevant aspects regarding fire’s negative effects on wild animals. This review provides a better understanding of how fire compromises animal welfare, providing an example of how to use the knowledge gathered in ecology studies to examine the welfare of wild animals. It can help raise concern for the situation of wild animals as individuals, and to develop the field of welfare biology, by identifying promising future lines of research. The fundamentals of carrying out future work to design protocols for rescuing animals or preventing the harms they can suffer in fires is also explored.

Ethical aspects and dilemmas of fertility control of unwanted wildlife: an animal welfarist’s perspective

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenys Oogjes
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Population Control ◽  
Fertility Control ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Myxoma Virus ◽  
Control Methods ◽  
Animal Suffering ◽  
Welfare Implications ◽  
Genetically Manipulated ◽  
Selection Of

Proposals to manipulate the fertility of wild, free-living animals extend the domination humans already exercise over domesticated animals. Current lethal methods for population control include poisoning, trapping, hunting, dogging, shooting, explosives, fumigants, and deliberately introduced disease. Animal welfare interests are based on individual animal suffering, but those interests are often overshadowed by labelling of groups of animals as pests, resource species, national emblem or endangered species. Public concern for animal welfare and acceptance of new population control methods will be influenced by such labels. The animal welfare implications of new population control technology must be balanced against the existing inhumane lethal methods used. It will be difficult to resolve the dilemma of a mechanism for disseminating a fertility control agent that will cause some animal suffering (e.g. a genetically-manipulated myxoma virus for European rabbits), yet may reduce future rabbit populations and therefore the number suffering from lethal methods. An Animal Impact Statement is proposed as a tool to assist debate during development of fertility control methods and for decision making prior to their use. A comprehensive and objective Animal Impact Statement may introduce an ethic that moves the pendulum from attitudes that allow sentient animals to be destroyed by any and all available means, towards a more objective selection of the most effective and humane methods.

283 Timely Euthanasia on Farm; Dairy Cattle and Swine

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 10-10
Author(s):  
Monique Pairis-Garcia ◽  
Ivelisse Robles
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
The United States ◽  
Animal Suffering ◽  
Alternative Placement ◽  
Temporal Placement ◽  
Captive Bolt Gun ◽  
Cattle Systems ◽  
On Farm

Abstract Euthanasia of mature swine and cattle can be challenging. On-farm euthanasia should be used as a tool to eliminate pain and suffering. However, clear guidelines regarding making euthanasia decisions and alternative euthanasia techniques available for use is limited in the United States (US). In order to prevent prolonged suffering and pain in compromised animals, science-based recommendations are needed to ensure timely and humane euthanasia can be performed when needed on-farm. This presentation will focus on two euthanasia challenges currently faced in swine and dairy cattle systems in the US today: 1) Swine: Validating alternative euthanasia techniques for use in mature breeding stock and 2) Dairy Cattle: Identifying producer barriers preventing timely euthanasia decision-making using surveys and focus groups. The swine study evaluated the effectiveness of two penetrating captive bolt gun styles (cylinder or pistol) using a frontal, temporal and behind-the-ear placement. Four treatments were 100% effective in achieving cardiac arrest and death. The cylinder style captive bolt gun resulted in greater brain trauma and death compared to a pistol style gun and behind-the-ear and temporal placement showed promise as an alternative placement site for euthanizing mature pigs. In the dairy cattle study, dairy producers were recruited to participate in a survey and focus group. Survey results indicated that farm owners were most commonly responsible for on-farm euthanasia and most respondents would treat and monitor compromised cattle for a majority of health conditions, regardless of condition severity. Participants in focus groups focused primarily on animal welfare as the most important factor influencing the decision to euthanize and the desire to eliminate animal suffering by using euthanasia as a tool. This work highlights the complicated challenges that arise when euthanizing livestock and the importance of not only identifying appropriate techniques to humanely euthanize livestock but address the emotional and animal welfare factors that influence these decisions.

scholarly journals The Priority of Suffering Over Life. How to Accommodate Animal Welfare and Religious Slaughter

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 162-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Zuolo
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Religious Pluralism ◽  
Animal Suffering ◽  
Right To Life ◽  
Animal Life ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Competing Interests ◽  
Good Compromise ◽  
Religious Slaughter

Most contemporary Western laws regarding the treatment of animals in livestock farming and animal slaughter are primarily concerned with the principle that animal suffering during slaughter should be minimized, but that animal life may be taken for legitimate human purposes. This principle seems to be widely shared, intuitively appealing and capable of striking a good compromise between competing interests. But is this principle consistent? And how can it be normatively grounded? In this paper I discuss critically this principle (the priority of the minimization of animal suffering over animals’ right to life). I argue that this principle can be justified on the ground of respect for the value commitment toward animal welfare, which is held by many people. The advantage of this perspective is its inclusiveness: it can justify without contradiction the principle at stake and allow for the admissibility of religious slaughter while promoting animals’ interest in not suffering. This justification also has the advantage of being compatible with the cultural and religious pluralism of contemporary societies.

scholarly journals Too Cute to Kill? The Need for Objective Measurements of Quality of Life

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Wolfensohn
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Animal Suffering ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Ecological Conservation ◽  
Understanding Of Science ◽  
Social Environmental

The recognition of animal suffering is influenced by cultural and societal prejudices and the cuteness of an animal leads to bias in the way it is treated. It is important to consider the animal’s behaviour and its environment—not just its physical condition—when assessing its quality of life. The Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG) is a useful tool for this purpose. The AWAG offers an evidence-based tool for continual welfare assessment, using technology where appropriate, such as digital activity recording, to facilitate decision-making and lead to improvements in the animals’ quality of life. It is highly adaptable to any species by assessing the four parameters of physical health, psychological wellbeing, environmental quality, and clinical and management procedural events. The outcome of assessing welfare should be action to improve it. Societal ethics and policy-making lead to legislation balancing the values we hold for different species. Influencing policy development in such matters as animal welfare, ecological conservation, and risks to humans requires a focus on public attitudes to, and understanding of, science, as well as consideration of potential unforeseen consequences of the social/environmental/economic impacts of policies.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document