Hi and welcome to session one, which is all about why animal welfare matters. There is absolutely no doubt that animals are vital for human welfare, whether that's because they share our homes and give us companionship and huge enjoyment or whether they enable us to remain healthy through being able to consume animal products or through medical advances only made possible by their use and research. But why us humans undoubtedly benefit from their use of animals, the question of what's in it for them is an important one. This is especially relevant when we consider the welfare of many of the animals who wouldn't be alive if it were not for their utility value, and who rely on humans for their living conditions, their basic needs, such as food and water, healthcare, and of course their mental well being. In our society, we make a lot of assumptions about animals and what we believe they need and feel. The welfare of animals is often an emotive subject and most people will have their opinion about how animals should be treated. >> Animal welfare, is making sure animals eat healthily, live in a safe environment. And in order to make sure the meat that I consume, and I feed to my family is off a decent. >> Animal stimulation, and making sure that they are well cared for, they're loved, but they also have things to do and occupy themselves or they become bored. >> Animal welfare is being nice to animals and looking after them and making sure they feel happy and safe. >> Animal welfare, to me, is for fighting good living conditions for animals, but adequate food, shelter, and water. >> Animal welfare is respect of animals and treating them how you would like to be treated. >> Animal welfare, to me, is just about treating the animals with respect. You're giving them the ultimate. And depending on the definite species. >> Animal welfare to me is making the animals as comfortable as they can be so you're giving them free access to bedding, water. Free from stress, pain, illness or limit the illness and act on it quickly. So give her the best environment you can give her, unless it [INAUDIBLE] environment as it were. >> Animal welfare is often quite controversial. With views that can be polarized and at times extreme. But it's important that we recognize but it is these very attitudes that influence human behavior and need to be understood, if we are to tackle global animal welfare issues. For example, some people believe that it is wrong to kill any animal. Others believe that animals should have exactly the same legal rights as humans. And yet others consider animals as only of value to humans because of their usefulness either in medical research or for consumption. There are a number of different ethical views on animals and their use. What is important to understand is that these are personal views and they are not necessarily based upon scientific evidence. Advocates for animal rights will challenge others to consider the moral status of animals in society. Are giving that animals should have the same rights as humans. They are particularly vocal about the use of animals in research and also as food. Famous moral philosophers who have written extensively about this viewpoint include Tom Raegan and Peter Singer. Peter Singer has famously said. If possessing a higher degree of intelligence does not entitle one human to use another for his or her own ends, how can it entitle humans to exploit non-humans? Those holding utilitarian view consider it best to decide upon what is acceptable in terms of animal use by balancing the amount of suffering you think an actual use may cause with a benefit that will be gained by the majority. The most famous founder of utilitarianism was a British philosopher, Jeremy Bentham. Who argued that concern for another beings welfare should not be based upon their mental capabilities or their ability to talk, but on what we know of their ability to feel and to suffer. Bentham famously said, The question is not Can they reason?, nor Can they talk?, but Can they suffer? Interestingly, much of the international animal welfare legislation that has been developed governing the use of animals as food and for medical advances is based upon justification that needs to be made using what is termed a cost-benefit analysis. Animal welfare is certainly a subject about which most people will have something to say. And their opinions are often firmly held and in most cases based upon their beliefs, their culture, and traditions rather than on factual evidence. >> My name is Jill MacKay and I'm an animal behavior and welfare researcher with a particular interest in the human animal bond and how we talk about animal welfare in general. I think some of the most interesting cultural differences that we think about with animal welfare are probably best exemplified with the dogs. What's important to remember that regardless of what the culture is looking at the dog, what the use of the dog is within that particular culture or society. What really matters for the dogs welfare is how the dog is perceiving the world. What's it feeling, what sort of sensations is it perceiving. And really what's going on through that dog's eyes? What's happening in that dog's particular mind. So from that point of view, the welfare needs of the dog regardless of whether it's a companion animal, a beloved pet, an animal used in clinical trials, or even a mixed dog. Its needs are very, very similar all across those different categories. So, the culture may look at things differently, but the welfare needs of the dogs don't change. >> The advantage of using a scientific approach for discussing issues related to animal welfare, is that this provides a far more effective way of making decisions about animals and what matters to them. By taking the emotion out of the argument, and by using evidence gained from rigorous studies of animals and their responses to environmental challenges, we can be more confident that we're providing a view of the world that better reflects a situation from the animal's point of view. We cannot escape from the fact that much of the animal welfare issues are experienced by our farm animals. There are now set to be more than 60 billion land animals raised for meat and other products each year around the world and with the number of people on our planet set to rise to more than nine billion by 2050, alongside huge increases in meat consumption in places like China and India, there is an increasing need for more and more animal products. This will inevitably lead to increasing numbers of animals being kept in intensively managed environments to guarantee affordable animal products. But the problems are not just confined to livestock, because increases in the human population also often means more dogs. Worldwide there are an estimated 500 million stray or free roaming dogs. The lack of consistent implementation of effective and humane methods for controlling the breeding of dogs has led to increasing numbers leading to serious concerns over public health issues like rabies and other zoonotic diseases. Sadly, this is all too frequently resulted in knee jerk reactions such as the use of cruel practices to try to rid areas of unwanted dogs. Most people, particularly in countries where pet ownership is common, find this sort of response unacceptable. An international concern for animal welfare continues to grow with rising demands from influential organizations such as the World Animal Health Organization as well as major animal welfare charities for the urgent adoption of measures to protect animals and improve their care and well-being. Alongside this is a growing appreciation of the link between animal welfare and human well-being. And the recognition that animals have needs and feelings. And that these should matter in a civilized society. Animal welfare has been described as a complex, multi-faceted, public policy issue that includes important scientific, ethical, economic and political dimensions,. Due to gaining importance internationally, there is a increase in recognition of the need for animal welfare issues to be addressed objectively, in a scientifically credible manner. Understanding what animal welfare is and how it can be assessed in different species and across a range of environments. And what can be done to achieve high welfare is therefore a key international priority and something we will be exploring more in depth as we move through the next few weeks of this course.
