Partnership with BC SPCA experts supporting the next generation of leaders in animal welfare
The BC SPCA was a founding partner in the creation of the University of British Columbia Animal Welfare Program in 1997. Since then, the BC SPCA has used AWP research findings to improve the lives of animals in our care as well as those we advocate for, and hired numerous graduates as staff experts and […]
Lessons learned from the Tiger King – Dan Weary in West Coast Veterinarian Magazine
The popular Netflix show “The Tiger King” shines a powerful light on issues relevant to all who are interested in animal welfare. Dan Weary from the UBC Animal Welfare Program explores three lessons from the human-animal relationship that can be drawn from this program in the June 2020 issue of the CVMA-SBCV Chapter’s West Coast Veterinarian magazine. Read […]
AWP featured in Genome BC podcast, “The Future of Food: How Genomics is Shaping the Way We Eat”
Dan Weary (UBC AWP) and Lenore Newman (UFV) are feature in Genome BC’s podcast “The Future of Food: How Genomics is Shaping the Way We Eat”. Dan and Lenore explore the how we eat has changed over the past 1,000 years discuss how we eat might look in another 1,000 years. It is available to […]
The welfare of cull dairy cows in British Columbia
Two studies have recently been published on the welfare of cull dairy cows from the Animal Welfare Program. In one, cull dairy cows were monitored from 20 farms in British Columbia. We found that most cows took three days or more to reach the slaughter plants. The study investigates the impact on duration of transport […]
The Influence of Different Types of Outdoor Access on Dairy Cattle Behavior
New review paper from the Animal Welfare Program in Frontiers in Veterinary Science reviews the existing literature on how access to outdoor areas can influence dairy cattle behavior. Read the article: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00257/full
Minor procedural variations affect dog behaviour during sociability assessments
A new paper from the Animal Welfare Program discusses how minor procedural variations affect dog behaviour during sociability assessments. These standardized tests to evaluate a dog’s sociability towards humans are often used to make life and death decisions for dogs in shelters. However, new data have found that minor variations in these tests result in […]
Animal Welfare Program at virtual National Animal Welfare Conference
This past week, Animal Welfare Program members (current and alumni) presented at Humane Canada’s National Animal Welfare Conference. Despite moving to a virtual platform due to COVID-19, the conference still hosted 886 registrants, 36 sessions with 56 speakers. The virtual conference was held May 20-21, and the sessions will be available to registered participants until […]
Social competition strategies of transition dairy cows
New research paper from the UBC Animal Welfare Program investigates the social competition strategies of transition dairy cows.The association between strategy change and metritis indicates that automatic behavioral measurements may help in early illness detection. Read article: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/5/854/htm
Investigating empathy in dairy calves
Recent research conducted at the University of British Columbia’s Animal Welfare Program has investigated empathy in dairy calves. In this study, published in PLoS ONE, calves witnessed two ‘demonstrators’ pen mates recover from different procedures: one from a common painful surgery (disbudding, which is the prevention of horn growth by cauterisation) and the other from […]
Dr. Kristen Walker awarded Killam Teaching Prize
Congratulations to Dr. Kristen Walker, Instructor of Applied Biology at LFS! Kristen was recently honoured with the Killam Teaching Prize in recognition of her outstanding contributions to teaching. Through her use of experiential learning, engaging classroom practices and innovative course creation, she has had a deep and positive impact on her students. She is also […]