Meeting our Animal Welfare ambassadors in China and Hong Kong

Meeting our Animal Welfare ambassadors in China and Hong Kong

On our travels, its wonderful to meet up with our former and current animal welfare Masters and veterinary students, as well as overseas colleagues who have spent some time in Edinburgh. It makes you realise that the network of animal ambassadors is growing all of the time, and like a tree – the branches expand our animal welfare teaching far wider than our little team could ever reach.

This week I was fortunate to meet up with Prof Li Peng and Prof Lin DeGui in Beijing at the Chinese Agricultural University’s veterinary school. Both of these veterinary lecturers have been involved with us over the past few years, inviting our team to teach their students and staff about the use of non animal models for teaching veterinary medicine and last year they came to Edinburgh to look at how we embed animal welfare into our teaching and practice. It was heartening to discuss their interest in deepening our working relationship through a veterinary programme link.

In addition when in Hong Kong I had the chance to meet with Dr Tinny Ho, Prof Amanda Whitfort, Dr SK Kong and Elaine Su – all Masters students of the International Animal Welfare, Ethics, Policy and Law programme at Edinburgh. Tinny showed me around the equine facilities at Beas River Country club where she keeps her horse, and where she is carrying out her Masters research project (see picture below). In addition she was keen to share her enthusiasm for developing an understanding of equitation science in HK. Later we met with our vet school Alumni and great friends of the JMICAWE who all work with the HK SPCA – Assistant director Dr Fiona Woodhouse, Head Vet Dr Jane Gray (who is currently studying on our online Animal Welfare Masters) and Tanya Masters (a RDSVS graduate). With this animal welfare powerhouse in HK – there is no wonder that there have been a number of positive moves for animal welfare here and certainly more to come with the recent discussion relating to animal breeders.