Over 100 attendees learn about research, law, and more
On Saturday, Oct. 13, the Ontario Veterinary College’s Animal Welfare Club hosted its 19th annual Animal Welfare Forum. Over a hundred student, faculty, and public registrants enjoyed a free day of education (and lunch!) from a variety of experts in the field of animal welfare.
Dr. Melanie Graham
The day got off to a fascinating start with Dr. Melanie Graham’s talk, “Creating a 3Rs culture that supports science, innovation, and animal welfare.” Graham — a researcher currently focused on the treatment of diabetes with cell-based therapies (and mother to Felix the diabetic cat) — spoke to the audience about the impact of lab animal welfare on the results and applicability of research.
Emphasizing the 3Rs of animal-based research (replacement, reduction, and refinement), Graham explained that we can create a climate supporting choice for research animals, and allow for their participation in their own care. Additionally, proper training of animal handlers in the lab can result in a more positive experience for all research participants.
“We can actually foster a remarkable relationship from what likely started off as something fearful,” she said during her talk.
Pointing out that negative affective states of these animals can compromise research results, she asserted both the possibility for and the many benefits of “animal-centric care and clinic-focused science.”
Dr. Charlotte Blattner
Switching gears following GrahamCharlotte Blattner’s talk was Harvard Law School post-doctoral fellow Dr. Charlotte Blattner. Having studied areas of animal law at several educational institutions, Blattner was quick to point out the flaws of our current protections for the voiceless.
Blattner noted that while some bodies are starting to acknowledge that animals need our protection regardless of the interest of ownership, current laws only protect animals in the context of them as property.
“At the end of the day, these laws are made by humans, for humans,” said Blattner, who went on to ask where animals fit into this picture
While most animal-related court cases today run under the jurisdiction of criminal law, which is prohibitive, proponents are fighting for more powerful administrative law, which is prescriptive.
These “third generational animal laws,” as Blattner refers to them, are less costly — facilitating easier litigation and, most importantly, doing more to not only protect animals against abuse, but ensure their needs are met.
An obstacle to such progress is the concept of value incongruence, that is, the changing of the perception of our values to match our behaviour. This approach is what dictates a response of horror to the suggestion of eating a beloved pet while happily indulging in the consumption of a hamburger or using cruel mousetraps to eliminate what we see as vermin. Yet Blattner notes a significant flaw in this type of thinking — we often forget that as humans, we too are animals. How do we reconcile these realities?
In her closing, Blattner urged the audience to consider what they could do to improve the welfare of all animals.
“Are our current measures really the only options? Are we okay with our current ‘scale’ of humane, or can we push it further?” she asks.
Dr. Sara Dubois
Following an ethically sourced meal over the lunch hour, the University of British Columbia’s Dr. Sara Dubois spoke about the components of compassionate conservation and veterinarians’ roles in its pursuit.
Highlighting an intriguing divide in science, Dubois mentioned the common need to ‘compete’ among different disciplines of science. Components of fields are often pitted against one another: veterinary science versus biology, welfare versus conservation, and so on. Yet while Dubois argues that these aspects need not be mutually exclusive, the underlying factor often comes back to convenience for humans.
When making conservation and management choices, our decisions tend to favour certain species over others (with our own having the top priority). Dubois said that we seek to protect human life and livelihood, reduce or eradicate unwanted species, and “pursue science aCharlotte Blattnert any cost.” Some species experience the “tragedy of being too common,” she said, referring to the false idea that some populations are okay to kill given their high numbers.
Other significant issues around wildlife and conservation include inadvertent harm inflicted by well-meaning humans (for example, taking home what one believes is an abandoned baby rabbit) and wildlife tourism. In the case of the latter, Dubois stressed the importance of being informed, given the many ethical problems surrounding practices such as elephant riding, swimming with dolphins, and photos with tigers.
Dubois concluded with a comment regarding the complicated nature to ethical conservation of pandas and other species, noting the answers may be elusive, but still must be sought. “[It] isn’t always black and white,” she quipped in her talk.
Dr. Derek Haley
Closing the day was OVC’s own Dr. Derek Haley, who provided insight into the bonds formed between mothers and their young, including human influence in both building and breaking those bonds.
As with many species, young farm animals are weaned from their mothers. While the time of weaning depends on the species and type of production, conventional “out of sight, out of mind” weaning practices appear to cause significant distress for both mothers and their offspring.
Haley shared with the audience the advantages of some relatively novel methods, including fence-line weaning and nose flaps, which may result in a smoother transition for animals being weaned. Haley’s rather convincing impression of a moo kept the audience in deep captivation while his talk presented some new management strategies worth contemplating from a welfare and production standpoint.
Overall, the 2018 forum brought together folks from a variety of backgrounds for an informative, engaging day of learning, discussing, (and hopefully) improving the current state of animal welfare in our society and throughout the world.
Photos Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Carleigh Cathcart