Plenary presentation on animal suffering
The Animal Welfare Program’s Dan Weary gave a plenary presentation at the 47th Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology. Dan’s presentation was entitled ‘A new science of animal suffering’. Click here to read more about the ideas presented.
Dan & Nina Win Award for Bovine Welfare
The Canadian Association of Bovine Veterinarians has recently announced Drs. von Keyserlingk and Weary will receive the 2013 Metacam 20 Bovine Welfare Award!
Ph.D. student Gosia Zobel wins prize for best presentation
Gosia Zobel, a PhD student in UBC’s Animal Welfare Program, took home the coveted award for best student presentation at the University of Guelph’s 6th Annual Animal Welfare Symposium. Gosia’s presentation discussed emerging health and welfare issues for dairy goats. Her energetic and simple presentation style earned the audience’s approval.
AWP research on lameness featured in Hoard’s Dairyman
Recent results from benchmarking research on cow lameness and hock injuries were featured in this article in the current issue of Hoard’s Dairyman. Hoard’s is one of the most influential magazines serving the dairy industry.
A good life for lab animals?
Most discussion on the welfare of laboratory animals focuses on harm reduction, including methods of handling and euthanasia that are less likely to cause pain or distress. UBC researchers are now trying to change the focus to what constitutes “a good life” for lab animals. This week Dan Weary delivered the Keynote Address on this […]
More news on sow stalls
The Retail Council of Canada, including heavy hitters such as Safeway, Costco, and Walmart have announced they will transition to buying from pig farms that do not use gestations stalls for sows. To find out more read this article. For some context on what this might mean for other sectors in animal agriculture, see this […]
Hock injuries in dairy cows
Lameness, mastitis and transition-cow diseases are widely recognized as serious animal welfare and production-limiting issues. Hock injuries should raise similar concerns, though they’ve received much less attention, say Dan Weary, University of British Columbia dairy scientist and cow behavior expert and fellow animal welfare expert Marina (Nina) von Keyserlingk in Vancouver, Canada. Read more: http://www.agriview.com/news/dairy/hock-injuries-animal-welfare-concern-deep-bedded-maintained-stalls-best/article_33f91dd6-b356-11e2-820b-001a4bcf887a.html
PhD Student Improves Life for Shelter Dogs
Living in a shelter can be a very traumatic experience for an animal – something Nancy Clarke has witnessed first-hand over her years working at the Vancouver Animal Shelter.
Dairy crew gathers to wish Katy farewell
Katy Proudfoot is completing her PhD research and leaving the UBC Dairy Farm. Last week Katy gave a farewell seminar at the UBC Dairy Centre. Team members (photo below) gathered to wish her well. In the photo (starting at the left side of the front row): Rolnei Rua Daros, Cristiano Ramos, William Costa, Augusto Madureira, Eraldo Drago Filho, Kathrin Louise Proudfoot […]
New research shows strong support for group housing of sows
Erin Ryan recently defended her M.Sc. thesis on public attitudes to housing systems used for pregnant sows. Her online survey of 268 participants found strong support for group housing systems over the commonly used gestation stalls. The thesis also illustrated the importance of providing detailed descriptions, including imagery, in efforts to engage the public on issues […]