JMICAWE Vet Heather Bacon speaks at AZEVN Congress on the importance of Vet Nurses

Delegates at The Association of Zoo and Exotic Veterinary Nurses (AZEVN) Congress 2017 heard how Vet Nurses have a key role to play in assessing and improving animal welfare.

Last week, more than 60 delegates from a range of nursing backgrounds gathered at Bristol Zoo to listen to The University of Edinburgh’s Heather Bacon as she used her keynote speech to explain how integral the role was in all veterinary facilities.

She also explored the difference between welfare and ethics and how as a human being one tends to decide what an animal is thinking, rather than being alert to their sentience.

Two JMICAWE courses win accolade from RSPCA & BSAS

Two leading courses in animal welfare education have been commended for their innovative approach.

The programmes have been praised for the role they have played in transforming the care of pets, livestock and wild animals worldwide for more than a quarter of a century.

They have also been lauded for improving the welfare of animals used in research.

Innovation award

The on-campus and online programmes have received the Innovative Developments in Animal Welfare Award from the British Society of Animal Science and the RSPCA.

We are committed to training the animal welfare leaders of the future and are thrilled that these programmes, run jointly with SRUC, have been recognised for their success.

Professor David ArgyleHead of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies

http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2017/animal-welfare-courses-earn-accolade

Heather Bacon presents at WAZA Global Zoo Animal Welfare Congress

Building on a recent MoA with the World Association of Zoos and Aquaria, Heather Bacon of the JMICAWE is currently in Detroit, USA to participate in the Global Zoo Animal Welfare Congress. The meeting – an invitation-only gathering of stakeholders from academic, NGO and zoological backgrounds – is focussing on developing a global commitment to animal welfare within the international zoo community.

Heather will present today as part of an expert panel on “Educating Zoo and Aquarium Professionals on Zoo Animal Welfare”, outlining the work she has done as part of her PhD research as well as practical educational workshops in partnership with zoo associations and NGOs around the world.

“It’s very exciting that the global zoo community is engaging with the subject of Zoo animal welfare” said Heather “International zoo standards vary greatly – in many countries zoos may act as consumers of wildlife rather than as conservation organisations, and animal welfare standards are incredibly variable. This meeting is an exciting opportunity to engage with professionals from around the world to further develop standards in zoo animal welfare.”

Prof Marc Bekoff giving his Keynote address