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How does cat behaviour influence the development and implementation of monitoring techniques and lethal control methods for feral cats?
| Contributor(s):: Fisher, P., Algar, D., Murphy, E., Johnston, M., Eason, C.
The need for lethal control of feral cats will remain in some contexts and potentially increase in others, alongside an obligation to develop and apply methods that are as cost-effective, humane and target-specific as possible. Drawing on practices particularly used in Australia, New Zealand and...
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A survey of animal welfare experts and practicing veterinarians to identify and explore key factors thought to influence canine and feline welfare in relation to veterinary care
| Contributor(s):: Dawson, L. C., Dewey, C. E., Stone, E. A., Guerin, M. T., Niel, L.
Veterinary care is important for maintaining companion animal health; however, it also has the potential to impact other aspects of patient welfare. To investigate factors related to veterinary care that are likely to influence canine and feline welfare, animal welfare researchers, veterinarians...
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Companion animals in Thailand: human factors that predict sterilization of cats and dogs
| Contributor(s):: Toukhsati, S. R., Phillips, C. J. C., Podberscek, A. L., Coleman, G. J.
The prevalence of companion animal caregiving was estimated, and demographic and psychosocial factors that predict sterilization behaviors in caregivers in Thailand were identified. Thai nationals ( n=494) were recruited by random for the Culture and Human-Animal Interactions (CHAI) telephone...
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The slaughterhouse, social disorganization, and violent crime in rural communities
| Contributor(s):: Jacques, J. R.
Scholars in nonhuman animal studies and criminology have argued that more attention should be paid to the violence sanctioned by society, that of animal slaughter for industrial food production. Slaughterhouses and the communities surrounding these facilities present ideal sites for investigating...
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Voices from behind prison walls: the impact of training service dogs on women in prison
| Contributor(s):: Minton, C. A., Perez, P. R., Miller, K.
This study investigated the effects that training service dogs had on women in a multi-level security prison in California. Through semi-structured interviews, the inmates discussed the challenges and benefits of involvement in this program. The findings suggested that participation in training...
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"There is no wild": conservation and circus discourse
| Contributor(s):: Bell, J.
This paper documents the discourse used by contemporary circuses to justify their exploitation of nonhuman animals. The circus is undergoing redefinition due to cultural changes, animal welfare concerns, and political legislation. Critical Discourse Analysis is applied to a sample of articles (...
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Money for nothing: are decoupled agricultural subsidies just?
| Contributor(s):: Pilchman, D.
Every year, the US government pays farmers billions of dollars not to grow anything. Especially within urban constituencies, politically and geographically distant from food production centers, these decoupled agriculture subsidies may seem to be unjust uses for public tax dollars. But can any...
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The progress in nutrition research of musk deer: implication for conservation
| Contributor(s):: Wang, WenXia, Zhou, Ran, He, Lan, Liu, ShuQiang, Zhou, JunTong, Qi, Lei, Li, LinHai, Hu, DeFu
Musk deer ( Moschus spp.) are small forest ungulates that are unique to Asia and are mainly distributed in China. In the last 30 years, because of indiscriminate trapping, hunting, and killing of the musk deer for musk and the loss of suitable habitat due to deforestation, the distribution and...
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Social group formation and genetic relatedness in reintroduced Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Thailand
| Contributor(s):: Thitaram, C., Dejchaisri, S., Somgird, C., Angkawanish, T., Brown, J., Phumphuay, R., Chomdech, S., Kangwanpong, D.
Captive-held elephants were recruited from several parts of Thailand and released as part of a reintroduction project. Wild elephants with a herd matriarch generally contain the same matrilineal line and are genetically related. However, reintroduced elephants are less likely to be related, but...
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Evaluation of environmental and intrinsic factors that contribute to stereotypic behavior in captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)
| Contributor(s):: Gottlieb, D. H., Maier, A., Coleman, K.
Full body repetitive behaviors, known as motor stereotypic behaviors (MSBs), are one of the most commonly seen abnormal behaviors in captive non-human primates, and are frequently used as a behavioral measure of well-being. The main goal of this paper was to examine the role of environmental...
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Bird-window collisions: a critical animal welfare and conservation issue
| Contributor(s):: Klem, D., Jr.
Sheet glass and plastic in the form of clear and reflective windows are universally lethal to birds. Reasonable interpretation of available scientific evidence describes windows as a principal human-associated avian mortality factor that is an indiscriminant killer of common species as well as...
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A universal animal welfare framework for zoos
| Contributor(s):: Kagan, R., Carter, S., Allard, S.
The Detroit Zoological Society's (DZS) Center for Zoo Animal Welfare (CZAW) was created to advance the science and policy of the welfare of exotic nonhuman animals in captivity. This important part of the DZS mission is achieved through assessments of, and research on, the welfare of animals...
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A means-end chain approach to explaining the adoption of good agricultural practices certification schemes: the case of Malaysian vegetable farmers
| Contributor(s):: Tey, YeongSheng, Arsil, P., Brindal, M., Shamsudin, M. N., Radam, A., Ahmad Hanis, I. A. H., Natasha, Rajendran, Lim, ChinDing
Good agricultural practices (GAP) certification schemes have been promoted to enhance agricultural sustainability. This study seeks to explain the adoption of GAP certification schemes through an analysis of the role of personal values in guiding such choice. It is a departure from approaches...
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Freedom of cropping and the good life: political philosophy and the conflict between the organic movement and the biotech industry over cross-contamination
| Contributor(s):: Scott, D.
This paper begins by describing recent controversies over cross-contamination of crops in the United States and European Union. The EU and US are both applying the principle of freedom of cropping to resolve these conflicts, which is based on an individualistic philosophy. However, despite the EU...
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Selected papers from Mistra Workshop on Ethical Issues in New Biotechnology in Agriculture, Uppsala, Sweden, 11 September 2013
| Contributor(s):: Sandin, P., Moula, P.
This selection of three papers addresses ethical issues concerning agricultural biotechnology. The first paper argues that GM food is not necessarily unnatural in a sense that would offer a good reason for favoring food that is not GM. The second paper examines the public debate about GMO...
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Pragmatist philosophical reflections on GMOs
| Contributor(s):: Heldke, L.
This essay examines the public debate about the agricultural biotechnologies known as genetically modified organisms, as that debate is being carried out in its most dichotomizing forms in the United States. It attempts to reveal the power of sharply dichotomous thinking, as well as its limits....
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Public perceptions of the ethics of in-vitro meat: determining an appropriate course of action
| Contributor(s):: Laestadius, L. I.
While in vitro animal meat (IVM) is not yet commercially available, the public has already begun to form opinions of IVM as a result of news stories and events drawing attention to its development. As such, we can discern public perceptions of the ethics of IVM before its commercial release. This...
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Investigating the role of coat colour, age, sex, and breed on outcomes for dogs at two animal shelters in the United States
| Contributor(s):: Svoboda, H. J., Hoffman, C. L.
The popular press frequently reports that coat colour bias negatively impacts shelter adoption rates for black domestic dogs. This phenomenon, commonly called 'black dog syndrome' (BDS), reportedly increases the likelihood of euthanasia for black dogs and negatively affects the length of black...
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Chinese visitors' experiences of nature and wild macaques: inspiration and personal growth for living in Hong Kong
| Contributor(s):: Lee, WingNaam, Davey, G.
Country parks offer urban residents the opportunity to experience wildlife, engage in environmental education, and socially bond with family and friends, but little is known about these experiences in China. Twenty-five interviews were conducted in 2012 to investigate the meanings Hong Kong...
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Companion rabbit and companion bird management practices among a representative sample of guardians in Victoria, Australia
| Contributor(s):: Howell, T. J., Mornement, K., Bennett, P. C.
Although companion animal management practices used by caregivers can influence the welfare of the companion animals, there is little existing information about the ways in which people attempt to meet their companion animals' needs. A representative sample of rabbit guardians ( n=93,...
