Veterinary Applied Ethology I.

The study of animal behaviour and its applications

Animal Welfare Science

Viktor Jurkovich, DVM, PhDDepartment of Animal Hygiene,Herd

Health and Veterinary Ethology

Ethology: the science of animal behaviour

● 'Behaviour' – we all know what it is but we can not define it precisely– from a series of reflexive muscle contractions to two

herds competing for the same resources

– an extremely broad range of activities in which animals engage

● How has ethology developed into a science?● How can we apply it to study the animals

utilized by man?

The etimology

From the greek:

ήθοζ = etos = character

Λογία = logia = sayings, utterances, expression

ήθοΛογία = ethology

scientific study of animal behaviour

The history of animal behaviour studies

● knowing the 'instinctive behaviour' of animals has been...

… critical to the early man (cave paintings)

… fascinating to the modern man

● 17-18th century: – John Ray (British zoologist, published a scienticic text

on the study of instinctive behaviour of birds, 1676; orphaned birds' nest building ability),

– Charles Georges Leroy (French naturalist; observations of intelligence and adaptation in animals; a book was published)

The history of animal behaviour studies

● 19th century: – Douglas Spalding (British biologist; published a

series of papers on the relationship between instinct and experience; experimental approach, hatching eggs from the heat of a steaming kettle)

– Charles Darwin (most influential; his last published work The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, 1872: the first modern work of comparative ethology)

● Darwin’s key insight for ethology: behavioral traits are a part of an organism evolved phenotype (Phenotype = Morphology + Physiology + Behaviour)

Approaches in the 20th century

● Behavioural research grew fast in the beginning of the 20th Century

● The development in the USA and Europe took different directions

● USA: behaviouristic approach; – Watson and Skinner; controlled experiments in laboratory– mechanisms of learning and influence of reinforcement or

punishment on behaviour (rats, mice)– they were concerned with finding general rules that are

independent of context– the evolutionary history of the study objects or their ecological

ways of life were regarded as irrelevant for the research

Approaches in the 20th century

Europe: the science was dominated by naturalistic biologists, observing animals in nature– Oskar Heinroth (German biologist; first used the term

ethology with the meaning we give it today)– Nikolaas Tinbergen (Dutch ethologist and ornithologist;

precise field methodology, 'Tinbergen's four questions')– Konrad Lorenz (Austrian zoologist; great in theory,

fundamental ideas, first coherent theory of instinct and innate behaviour)

– Karl von Frisch (Austrian ethologist, communication of bees)

– the latter three were given the Nobel Prize

K. Frisch K. Lorenz N. Tinbergen

"for their discoveries concerning organization and elicitation

of individual and social behaviour patterns"

Nobel lectures:

K. Frisch: Decoding the Language of the BeeK. Lorenz: Analogy as a Source of Knowledge N. Tinbergen: Ethology and Stress Diseases

Nobel Prize in physiology, 1973

this honour this honour confirmed confirmed

ethology as a ethology as a well-accepted well-accepted

sciencescience

Tinbergen's four questions

● What is the causation of the behaviour?– e.g. stimuli that stimulate or elicit the behaviour,

hormones, etc.)● What is the function of the behaviour?

– e.g. how the behaviour adds to the animal's reproductive success

● How does the behaviour develop during ontogeny?– the way a behaviour is modified by individual experiences

● How does the behaviour develop during phylogeny?– an evolutionary question, involves the comparison of

related species

Tinbergen's practical approach

● this approach considered mental processes and emotions associated with behaviour to be unavailable for research as they are not observable

● this lead to new branches of the science in the 70's (cognitive ethology)

● yet, Timbergen's questions are still the basis of research today

● new insights on the biology of the behaviour is very useful in the keeping of any kind of animal in captivity

The branches of modern ethology

The modern ethology has several fields depending on the creatures examined or on the examination itself– neuroethology: a research field on the neuro-physiological

basics of behavioural mechanisms.– behavioural genetics: studies the heritability of behavioural

traits and the effects of genetic characters on behaviour.– classic ethology: studies the behaviour of individual

animals. It uses comparative methods to test the behaviour of individuals in different conditions or test the differences between the different species

The branches of modern ethology

– behavioural ecology: studies the organizational levels above the individual, similarly to ecology. It studies the role of animal populations in the biotope, and it studies the effects of environmental changes on the behaviour of animal populations.

– cognitive ethology: it studies the mental mechanisms, thinking, cognitive functions and brain representations of the animals.

– human ethology: it studies the biological background and inherited components of human behaviour.

– applied ethology: in general, it studies the behaviour of domesticated animals, and gives practical informations for animal keeping.

Applied ethology: a better understanding of our animals

● Welfare assessment – which are the most influential behaviour patterns for an

animal?– how are the animals if they cannot behave like this?– is there any order of importance in activities?

● Optimizing production– a species-specific feeding rhythm = better feed utilization

– social animals grow better when kept and fed together

– weaning in a biologically adequate time and manner prevents negative results on production

Applied ethology: control of animal behaviour

● Human-animal relationship– knowing how animals perceive humans and how they remember

experiences may help farmers to a more smooth interaction

● Design of facilites– knowing social hierarchy can help work out better technical

solutions for farms (e.g. electronic feeding station of sows, number of stalls in a dairy barn etc.)

● Abnormal behaviour– its characterization and understanding is a central aspect

– farm animals: cannibalism and several other types

– companion animals: agression, uncontrolled urination and defecation

Applied ethology: all the fields are linked

● applied ethology is an essential part of correct keeping of the animals

● poor human-animal or equipment-animal relationship leads to behavioural disorders and reduced production

housing adapted to behavioural

needs

housing that fail to meet the

behavioural needs

veterinary diagnostics

ETHOSTASISMULTIFACTORIAL DISEASES

ANIMAL WELFARE

Introduction of veterinary ethology and herd-health of farm animals into the teaching curriculum of animal hygiene made this teaching

subject complete

Animal hygiene (in the 8-9th semester of your studies)(veterinary preventive medicine)

environmental physiology

veterinary applied ethology (in the 2nd year of the

studies)

environmental effects of livestock

production

herd health programmes

harmful emissions wastes

rendering

manure

Animal welfare

Legislation

Laws and regulations for animal protection

At our Faculty the subject belongs to:

Department of State Vet. Medicine and Agr. Economics

Welfare Science

Applied ethology and other fields

At our Faculty the subject belongs to:

Department of Animal Hygiene, Herd Health and Vet. Ethology

The science (scientific results) supports the regulatory work

Examples:

- providing scientific information about the space requirements of the animals

What do we deal with during the ethology lectures?

Basics of behaviour– Behaviour genetics, evolution and domestcation.– Behaviour and physiology.

– Motivation and the organisation of behaviour.

– General characteristics of innate behaviour. Learning and cognition, modifications of innate behaviour.

– Social and reproductive behaviour.

– Abnormal behaviour, stress and welfare. Human-animal relations.

What do we deal with during the ethology lectures?

Farm animals (cattle, pig, sheep, goat, poultry, rabbit)– Behavioural characteristics (normal behaviour)

– Forms of abnormal behaviour (ethostasis)

– Influence of the management technology on the behaviour

– Animal welfare on cattle, pig and poultry farms

What do we deal with during the ethology lectures?

Companion animals (cat, dog, horse)– Behavioural characteristics (normal behaviour)

– Forms of abnormal behaviour (ethostasis), behavioural problems

– Influence of the environment and the human relations on the behaviour

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Ethical aspects of animal production.Applied ethology and animal welfare

science

Animal rights

byProfessor Dr. Pál Rafai DSc

Viktor Jurkovich PhD

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A question of emotions?

An economic issue?

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Let's see an example: The Bible, Genesis 1:26-28

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Sanzio Raffaello “The Creation of the Animals”,

detail, from the Stanze e Loggia (1518-19)

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Did God indeed give humanity dominion over these? Do these two verses means exactly what it sounds like:total control and the right to exploit?

In fact, the Bible systematically treats wild beings as under God’s control and care, not under any sort of control that God has delegated to humankind.

No explicit human right to control or exploit wild creatures, or even to be stewards (managers) of wild creatures, is mentioned anywhere in the Bible.

Taking close look at the logic of the Bible, it becomes clear that, both the word “dominion” and the concept of “stewardship” are in fact

inappropriate.Instead, they stand for influence and responsibility!

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Animals do possess internal world

They differentiate themselves from other creatures by odour, visual, auditory etc. stimuli

Fear and/or frustration is expression of subjective suffer

They do have basic emotions (pain, lust, stress, fear, anxiety, rage etc.)

They can feel the empathy on behalf of humans and they do have empathy towards group mates

Altruistic behaviour is also seen (see self-sacrifying behaviour of mother defending offspring)

Every animal has pain sensation 26

Animals are sentient beings

● The term sentience has generally been used to mean that the individual has the capacity to have feelings (Kirkwood, 2006)

● Sentience implies a range of abilities, not just having feelings.

● A broader definition is: a sentient being is one that has some ability to evaluate the actions of others in relation to itself and third parties; to remember some of its own actions and their consequences; to assess risks and benefits; to have some feelings; and to have some degree of awareness. (Broom & Fraser, 2015)

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When did it (animal welfare science) start?

Animal Machines by Ruth Harrison, 1964– “Life in the factory farm revolves

entirely around profits, & animals are accessed purely for their ability to convert food into flesh or ‘saleable products’.”

– The author also reported on the feeding of antibiotics, growth stimulants, hormones & tranquilizers with no regard to the consequences to the human consumer.

Although being not the first activity in the Welfare topic, this book was a milestone 28

● Drew public attention to farm animal welfare

● Need for legal and political action

● Need for education and information

● Need for scientific research– Farm Animal Care Trust

(FACT) started 1967Ruth Harrison (1920-2000)

The importance of Animal Machines

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In 1965, the UK government commissioned an investigation, led by Prof. Rogers Brambell, into the welfare of intensively farmed animals, partly in response to concerns raised in Ruth Harrison's 1964 book, Animal Machines.

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The Brambell Committee formulated the below mentioned minimum requirements (aka. Brambell's five freedom, 1965):

Sufficient freedom of movement to enable animals, without difficulty to stand up, lie down, turn around, stretch their limbs and groom normally.

Beside this, the Committee analysed the questions of feeding, water supply, handling and treatment of different farm animal species.

They formulated recommendations about the keeping conditions of the different farm animal species

As an appendix to the Brambell Report, W.H. Thorpe addressed the issues of pain and discomfort and of stress, including fright, anxiety, frustration and apprehension, thus setting the scene for the evolution of the now-current 'Five freedoms'.

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As a direct result of the Brambell report the British Government set up the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Committee. In 1979, this was disbanded and replaced by the Farm Animal Welfare Council, which worked until 2011. Since then it has been operating as Farm Animal Welfare Committee.

FAWC transformed Brambell's minimum requirement list to a well defined recommendation list (which is now known as the 'Five freedoms')

A list of provision that must be made for farm animals:– 1. freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition;

– 2. freedom from discomfort;

– 3. freedom from pain, injury and disease;

– 4. freedom to express normal behaviour;

– 5. freedom from fear and distress.32

In 1992 FAWC updated the'Five freedoms' (Webster) which then became:1. Freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition – by ready access to fresh water and diet to maintain full health and vigour.2. Freedom from discomfort – by providing a suitable environment including shelter and comfortable resting area.3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease – by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment 4. Freedom to express normal behaviour- by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.5. Freedom from fear and distress – by ensuring conditions which avoid mental suffering.

Prof. Dr. John Webster, UK

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Some animal welfare scientists find the ideas of the 'Five freedoms' to be too proscriptive.

For example, during weaning, it is impossible to keep the separated mother and young free from distress. Further, hunger and thirst are perfectly natural conditions, alerting animals to the need to eat and drink.

Instead, these scientists consider the Five Freedoms to be five areas of concern that should be considered when evaluating welfare. This proscriptive nature of the Five Freedoms has led Mellor and Reid (1994) to propose that these be thought of as the five domains of potential welfare compromise. Whatever one’s point of view, the Five Freedoms are considered to be at least a framework for the evaluation and study of animal welfare, and so it was built in the welfare assessment protocols and schemes (e.g. Welfare Quality Protocol). 34

The 'Five freedoms' concept generally draw the negative aspects of animal welfare (freedom FROM something), though recently there is an increasing demand for positive animal welfare.

Therefore FAWC suggests in their report issued in 2009 (about the review of the past and targets and aims of the next 20 years) that the quality of life of the animals should be graded as follows: „a life not worth living”; „life worth living”; „good life”.

The quality life of the animals (the latter two: “life worth living”, and “good life”) requires good housing, deliberated and safe treatments, transport and slaughtering, and additionally skilled and contientious stockperson and farmers.

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CABI published the book Animal machines in 2013 with the original, unchanged text, and

with the forewords of recognized animal welfare scientists such as:

Marian Stamp Dawkins, John Webster, Bernard E. Rollin, David Fraser and Donald M. Broom

The message of Ruth Harrison is more actual than ever – we have

still a lot to do

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Moving on from Animal machines

● Farming conditions have changed (e.g. UK bans on veal crates and sow stalls, EU ban on battery cages)

– inspiration for the European Convention for the Protection of Animals Kept for Farming Purposes

● New research started

● Public attitudes have changed (more attention on animal welfare)

● Animal welfare now accepted as science

● A more integrated approach (as see in the next slide)

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A theoretical framework:from applied ethology to multidisciplinary

perspectives

Animal(emotion)

Human(emotion)

Biotechnic sciences(ethology, animal science, genetics...)

Social sciences(psychology, husbandry management, ergonomy, sociology...)

INTERACTIONS

Negativecontact Positive

contact

Neutralcontact

HandlingNon-physical

contact

Husbandry system (production type, housing, foraging surface, Man Work Units...38

1. Scientific information about the needs of animals of the species and background under consideration.

2. How genetic selection affects animal health, behaviour and temperament.

3. How the environment influences injuries and the transmission of diseases and parasites.

4. How the environment affects resting, movement and the performance of adaptive behaviour.

5. The management of groups to minimize conflict and allow positive social contact.

Factors to consider in order to promote good welfare in domestic

animals

(Broom & Fraser, 2015)

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6. The effects of air quality, temperature and humidity on animal health and comfort.

7. Ensuring access to feed and water suited to the animals’ needs and adaptations.

8. Prevention and control of disease and parasites, with humane killing if this is not feasible or recovery is unlikely.

9. Prevention and management of pain.

10. Creation of positive human–animal relationships.

11. Ensuring adequate skill and knowledge among animal handlers.

Factors to consider in order to promote good welfare in domestic

animals

(Broom & Fraser, 2015)40

There are several NGOs working on the field of animal welfare (on a scientific level)

(examples are on the next slides)

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UFAW’s history can be traced to the founding in 1926 of the University of London Animal Welfare Society (ULAWS) by Major Charles Hume. The name was changed to the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) in 1938, reflecting the increasingly wide range of people and institutions involved.

From the first days, UFAW’s stated aims were:

To enlist the influence of university men and women on behalf of animals, wild and domestic;

To promote, by educational and other methods, interest in the welfare of animals in Great Britain and abroad;

To lessen, by methods appropriate to the special character of a university organisation, the pain and fear inflicted on animals by man;

To obtain and disseminate accurate information relating to animal welfare;

To further and promote legislation for the protection of animals.

These aims continue to drive UFAW’s work today. 42

www.ufaw.org.uk

Official scientific journal of the UFAW (since 1992):

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"… to form a Society, within the veterinary profession, for the study of animal behaviour, a meeting was held at Hume Tower, Edinburgh University, on Saturday, 4th June, 1966 under the chairmanship of Mr A.F. Fraser and was attended by 26 veterinarians from Scotland and England.

The aims of the Society are:-

(a) the stimulation within the veterinary profession of enquiry and research intothe behaviour of animals;(b) the encouragement of discussion on the veterinary aspects of animal behaviour and the publication of original work in this field;(c) the furtherance of ethological knowledge relative to the care and utilization of animals, domesticated, captive and free-living;(d) the provision of a medium to promote exchange of information betweenveterinarians and between them and others concerned with behaviour and well-being of animals." 44

Official scientific journal of the ISAE (since 1974):

www.applied-ethology.org

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Many other societies and associations have an „animal welfare” or „behaviour” section in their congresses

In Hungary:

Hungarian Association for Animal Protection and Welfarefounded in 2011

www.isah-soc.org

And there are conferences and symposia in the Welfare topic

International Conference on the Assessment of Animal Welfareat Farm and Group Level (WAFL)

International Dairy Cattle Welfare Symposium

International Conference on Pig Welfare

etc.

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Other existing approach and definitions of animal welfare and animal rights

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Teutsch (1978) Eight-Points-Statement of the Socio ,

Ethical Institute of the University of Zurich I.*

1. Man, animal and plant participate in this one world and they live in relation and interdependence. 2. Unlike animals or plants, man is able to break through the

ecological balance system and by doing so is able to exert power upon the world of living beings.

3. Therefore man is responsible for his environment and animals living with him. 4. Compared with the powerful position of man, the animal has no

similar chance. It is subjected to human superiority. Therefore human power must be limited by man.

*Teutsch, G.M., 1978: Eight-Points-Statement of the Socio , Ethical Institute of the University of Zurich. In: D.W. Fölsch (ed.) The Ethology and Ethics of Farm Animal Production. Brinkhäuser, Basel. pp. 96-103.

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Teutsch (1978) Eight-Points-Statement of the Socio ,

Ethical Institute of the University of Zurich II.

5. Man should preserve the right balance of the nature.

6. An animal ought to be considered to be more than a mere object of human action.

7. In principle man may be entitled to make an economic use of animals. But when he makes such use he must provide for conditions of life, which are in accordance with the animal's natural needs and which guarantee their physical and psychical health.

8. The influence exercised upon the genotype of a species may not impair the ability for living at any time and in any environment'.

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ANIMAL RIGHTS: A SYNOPSIS I.(From Fox, 1983)*

1. Animals have an intrinsic nature and interests (needs, wants, etc.) of their own, and have intrinsic worth independent of the extrinsic values we may project or impose upon them.

These interests may be considered as their rights or entitlement.

2. Their physical, emotional and social needs constitute their Intrinsic nature, or “animalness” (which has an evolutionary and genetic basis), which entitle them to just treatment and moral concern.

*Fox, M.W. (1983). Humane ethics and animal rights. International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems, 4(4), 286-289.

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ANIMAL RIGHTS: A SYNOPSIS II.

3. In recognising that animals have intrinsic worth and interests independent of their extrinsic worth to us, we are morally and legally bound to respect their rights.

4. Respecting the rights of animals means avoiding unnecessary or unjustifiable death, physical or psychological suffering, or deprivation or frustration of their basic physical, emotional and social needs.

5. Such rights are relative and not absolute

6. Arguing that animals have rights is more than philosophical presumption or moral reasoning. It is based upon the ecological evidence that they are, as we, an integral part of the biospheric ecological community.

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ANIMAL RIGHTS: A SYNOPSIS III.

7. The rights of an animal should be given equal consideration with the rights of a human being.

8. This provides the ethical basis for determining when the killing or harming of an animal (by causing it to suffer or to be deprived of certain basic needs) is morally justifiable.

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ANIMAL RIGHTS: A SYNOPSIS IV.

9. Thus, the killing of an animal may be ethically acceptable

only when there are no reasonable alternatives, as when the animal is:

(a) incurably ill and is experiencing great suffering;

(b) so deformed or otherwise incapacitated as to be incapable of living without great suffering;

(c) endangering the lives of human beings, or causing a severe and unnatural ecological impact, thus endangering the lives of other living creatures;

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ANIMAL RIGHTS: A SYNOPSIS V.

(d) other instances not directly beneficial to the animal arise when its products (meat, fur, etc.) are essential for human well-being and there are no alternatives that are less costly;

(e) when we must minimise environmental costs or suffering of other animals;

(f) or when the knowledge gained from killing it (as in some biomedical research) is essential for human health or for the benefit of other animals.

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ANIMAL RIGHTS: A SYNOPSIS VI.

10. Causing an animal to suffer physically or psychologically is ethically acceptable only when there are no alternatives and such treatment is essential to human survival and overall health.

11. Subjecting an animal to deprivation of certain basic needs or frustration is only acceptable when such treatment is essential to the welfare of the animal itself, or essential to the fundamental welfare of human beings or other animals, and there are no alternatives to using animals to achieve these goals.

12. The rights of animals vary according to the context of their relationship with human beings (e.g. pets versus wild animals).

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Universal Declaration of Animal RightsThe Universal Declaration of Animal Rights was solemnly proclaimed in Paris on 15 October 1978 at the UNESCO headquarters.

The text, revised by the International League of Animal Rights in 1989, was submitted to the UNESCO Director General in 1990 and made public that same year.

The Declaration, however, waned and faded away before it could reach significant levels of international agreement.

The Declaration contains the following acts:

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Universal Declaration of Animal RightsPreamble:

– Considering that Life is one, all living beings having a common origin and having diversified in the course of the evolution of the species,

– Considering that all living beings possess natural rights, and that any animal with a nervous system has specific rights,

– Considering that the contempt for, and even the simple ignorance of, these natural rights, cause serious damage to Nature and lead men to commit crimes against animals,

– Considering that the coexistence of species implies a recognition by the human species of the right of other animal species to live,

– Considering that the respect of animals by humans is inseparable from the respect of men for each other, It is hereby proclaimed that:

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Universal Declaration of Animal RightsArticle 1. All animals have equal rights to exist within the context of biological equilibrium. This equality of rights does not overshadow the diversity of species and of individuals.

Article 2. All animal life has the right to be respected .

Article 3.

– 1°- Animals must not be subjected to bad treatments or to cruel acts.

– 2°- If it is necessary to kill an animal, it must be instantaneous, painless and cause no apprehension.

– 3°- A dead animal must be treated with decency.

Article 4.

– 1°- Wild animals have the right to live and to reproduce in freedom in their own natural environment.

– 2°- The prolonged deprivation of the freedom of wild animals, hunting and fishing practised as a pastime, as well as any use of wild animals for reasons that are not vital, are contrary to this fundamental right. 58

Universal Declaration of Animal RightsArticle 5.

– 1°- Any animal which is dependent on man has the right to proper sustenance and care.

– 2°- It must under no circumstances be abandoned or killed unjustifiably .

– 3°- All forms of breeding and uses of the animal must respect the physiology and behaviour specific to the species.

– 4°- Exhibitions, shows and films involving animals must also respect their dignity and must not include any violence whatsoever.

Article 6.

– 1°- Experiments on animals entailing physical or psychological suffering violate the rights of animals.

– 2°-Replacement methods must be developed and systematically implemented.

Article 7. Any act unnecessary involving the death of an animal, and any decision leading to such an act, constitute a crime against life.

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Universal Declaration of Animal RightsArticle 8.

– 1°- Any act compromising the survival of a wild species and any decision leading to such an act are tantamount to genocide, that is to say, a crime against the species.

– 2°- The massacre of wild animals, and the pollution and destruction of biotopes are acts of genocide.

Article 9.

– 1°- The specific legal status of animals and their rights must be recognised by law.

– 2°- The protection and safety of animals must be represented at the level of Governmental organizations.

Article 10. Educational and schooling authorities must ensure that citizens learn from childhood to observe, understand and respect animals. 60

Do the animals really have rights?

Legal relationship: a social relationship ruled by laws and regulations

Three main elements:

– subject entity

– object

– content

● humans● Corporate bodies / legal entities● business association without legal

personality● state

Capacity to act: entities have rights and liabilities

(Metzger, 2012)

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Do the animals have rights?

YES: because humankind have the power to give rights to anything they want

NO: because

– It is unnecessary to give rights for the animals to satisfy their interests – this can be solved by protecting the animals' interests (e.g. by animal protection laws and regulations).

– Legal relationship is associated with liabilities, which are sanctioned in case of breach – nota bene, it is impossible to obligate the animals, and without liabilities, they sholud have no rights.

– Animals are not able to act legally, since● there is no legal relationship between the animals,● legal relationships allocated to the animals are only interests

recognized by humans, giving obligation/liability only for humankind (again: ethical statements and animal protection laws and regulations).

(Metzger, 2012)62

Do the animals have rights?

In light of the previous slides it is well seen that animal rights are interests recognized by humans, giving obligation and liability for humankind.

It is the moral, ethical and lawful obligation of the humans to provide good keeping, management and feeding conditions to livestock and companion animals that do not endanger their physical and mental comfort (welfare, well-being).

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Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare

More recently some of the world's leading animal welfare organisations have started campaigning for the United Nations to adopt a new declaration. This time the declaration is on the welfare of animals: the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare.

Why welfare and not rights? Welfare is a softer option than rights and therefore easier for people to accept. Thus it has a better chance of endorsement and of enduring.

The Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW) is a proposed inter-governmental agreement to recognise that animals are sentient, to prevent cruelty and reduce suffering, and to promote standards on the welfare of animals such as farm animals, companion animals, animals in scientific research, draught animals, wildlife animals and animals in recreation.

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A draft text of UDAW

A draft text of the declaration calls for:

Recognition that animals are living, sentient beings and therefore deserve due consideration and respect

Recognition that animal welfare includes animal health, and that veterinarians have an essential role in maintaining both the health and welfare of animals

Recognition that humans inhabit this planet with other species and other forms of life and that all forms of life co-exist within an interdependent ecosystem

Recognition of the importance of the ongoing work of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in setting global standards for animal welfare

Agreement that the term ‘state’ includes people and civil society

Acknowledgment that many states already have a system of legal protection for animals, both domestic and wild

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A draft text of UDAW

Seeking to ensure the continued effectiveness of these systems and the development of better and more comprehensive animal welfare provisions

Acknowledgement that the humane use of animals can have major benefits for humans

Awareness that the Five Freedoms (freedom from hunger, thirst and malnutrition; freedom from fear and distress; freedom from physical and thermal discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; and freedom to express normal patterns of behaviour) and the Three Rs (reduction in numbers of animals, refinement of experimental methods and replacement of animals with non-animal techniques) provide valuable guidance for the use of animals

Recognition that the provisions contained in this declaration do not affect the rights of any state.

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Thank you for your attention