IFAW Supports MSc IAWEL

Last week the JMICAWE hosted three of our colleagues from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), who will be supporting the MSc International Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law.

Cindy Milburn is IFAW's Director of Outreach and Education, Dr Ian Robinson is Director of the Animal Rescue Programme, and Kate Nattrass Atema is Director of the Companion Animal Programme. All three directors will be contributing real life case materials and expertise to support   the MSc IAWEL in delivering practical, front-line animal welfare teaching with a global focus.

Programme Director Fritha Langford introduced the IFAW staff to our cuttting edge e-learning platform technology, demonstrating the students' uses of discussion boards, wikis, and interactive lectures. After a live lecture by Dr Marie Haskell of Scotland's Rural University College, Cindy and Ian were able to interact directly with students around the globe to discover what they felt about the course so far.

The MSc IAWEL offers a unique opportunity to share experiences amongst students from diverse backgrounds, and deliver world-class education in animal welfare science, ethics and law.

Cindy Milburn and Ian Robinson interact with MSc IAWEL Students under the tutelege of programme director Fritha Langford.

The Ethics of animal training discussed by the RDSVS Student Veterinary Ethics Forum

The question of whether it is ethical to train animals was considered by the RDSVS student veterinary ethics forum at their meeting this week.

The Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education’s (JMICAWE) Prof Nat Waran provided an introductory talk in which she highlighted some of the welfare concerns associated with training methods, approaches and equipment as well as some of the potential benefits. At the end of her talk she posed questions about whether there are some species that shouldn’t be trained, how we decide upon acceptable trained behaviours and goals and how training could be regulated.

In the discussion that followed, under the capable chairmanship of third year student, Olivia Nathan, the forum members explored their views on whether it was possible to decide if an animal enjoys being trained, and if so could this be used for deciding whether or not training is acceptable. In addition they considered the interesting question of whether training could be considered as occupational therapy and enriching for captive wild animals with no chance of being released into their natural habitat.

No consensus was reached about whether training in all its forms is ethical, but all agreed that despite the many grey areas, animal training should always adhere to a ‘do no harm’ policy and should only be carried out using humane, high welfare approaches and by ethical trainers with good knowledge of the species normal behaviour and how to properly apply learning theory.

Evidence based equitation workshop as part of the Italian Society for Veterinary Sciences conference in Rome.

Prof Nat Waran of the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education (JMICAWE)  was delighted to be invited to present to the Italian Society for Veterinary Sciences (S.I.S. Vet.) at their annual meeting, which this year was held in Rome, in September, entitled ‘The role of horse-human dyad in sport and therapeutic performances’.

Professor Waran  spoke about how an evidence based approach should be used for ensuring the highest welfare standards for horse training and management as well as to assess the way in which they are used in recreation, performance and sport.

Other speakers included Dr Kathalijne Visser-Riedstra, a senior researcher in the Animal Behaviour and Welfare Group of Wageningen UR Livestock Research in the Netherlands as well as colleagues from veterinary departments in Pisa, Messina and Teramo.

Successful launch of new online animal welfare programme

The JMICAWE have developed a new online Masters degree in International Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law and its inaugural year started on the 17^th of September at the R(D)SVS.

We have 35 pioneer students coming from 5 continents and a variety of professional and academic backgrounds, including the veterinary profession, Non-Governmental Organisations and the legal profession. The students are studying a breadth of subjects that are instrumental in animal welfare, from behavioural science to ethical concepts and global legislation.

Dr Fritha Langford, an animal welfare scientist who specialises in dairy cattle welfare and the development of animal welfare education initiatives, has been appointed as the Programme Director.

Dr Langford said “The programme aims to develop students’ understanding of how scientific evidence can be applied to give insight and improve animal welfare standards worldwide while also enhance knowledge of scientific study and research”.

The programme is run by the University of Edinburgh, through their JMICAWE and is in partnership with Scotland's Rural College (SRUC). It is aimed at both UK and international graduate students, enabling them to study flexibly part-time through online learning, and achieve a Certificate, Diploma or Masters degree over one, two or three years.

For further details, please visit http://www.ed.ac.uk/vet/international-animal-welfare

Successful second animal welfare workshop held with the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Science University at their campus in the Wayanad district

JMICAWE’s Prof Nat Waran was recently joined by Prof Neil Sargison, the RDSVS Head of the Farm Animal Section in delivering the second British Council funded workshop on Production Animal Health and Welfare in Pookat.

Prof Waran discussing poultry welfare issues at a new slaughter house in the Wayanad District

The Workshop was attended by 18 of the University’s Faculty members from both campuses, was considered to be a great success. Topics ranged from animal welfare measures, improving welfare through implementing animal health and welfare audits, the importance of preventative medicine and herd health management, and the role of the vet in animal welfare. Faculty members were given the opportunity to explore a problem based approach to delivering animal health and welfare content, and they gained an insight into the ways in which colleagues in Edinburgh utilised a more practical hands on approach for assessing and managing health and welfare.

The KVASU Vice Chancellor, Dr Ashok has pledged that ‘KVASU, with the help of colleagues in the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary studies of University of Edinburgh will jointly offer online distance learning programmes in Animal welfare as part of continuous professional development and KVASU will act as a facilitator for implementing problem based learning in the country. In addition he hopes that with the help of Veterinary Council of India, the University will take a lead role in organising an International Workshop during 2013 for the Vice chancellors of the Veterinary universities in the country to promote this approach to up-skilling the veterinary profession in India.

Moreover the farms of KVASU, Pookode campus will be developed as model farms with high animal health and welfare standards’.  The JMICAWE team will be returning to Kerala to deliver the third and final British Council sponsored workshop, on developing a PBL approach to small animal health and welfare, in late Jan 2013.

Improving animal welfare in China

Animal welfare in China is often a controversial issue, and nowhere more so than in China’s hundreds of zoos and safari parks. Both human and animal safety issues commonly arise, and knowledge of animal health and welfare, behavioural needs and appropriate husbandry is very limited. To this end, the first International China Veterinary Symposium to improve captive wildlife welfare was recently arranged by the China Association of Zoological Gardens (CAZG) in partnership with Beijing Zoo. The CAZG is the government authority responsible for regulating zoos in China.

The itinerary for the event, with expert guest speakers, was provided by the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education, part of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh, with support from the Animals Asia Foundation, and highlighted the need for a proactive, preventative approach to health and welfare issues, and the importance of addressing the behavioural and psychological needs of captive wild animals in captivity.

The symposium was attended by 30 veterinary surgeons from 27 zoos and safari parks across China. The symposium included case studies, video, practical examples, and discussion groups, in addition to theory. Topics covered included animal welfare, behaviour and mental health, pain recognition and management, preventative medicine, and a range of clinical techniques to improve the level of veterinary care and animal welfare delivered by vets managing captive wildlife collections.

In addition to providing veterinarians with the practical skills they need to improve animal health and disease control at their zoos, the workshop continuously emphasised the importance of improving welfare for captive wild animals.

Speaking at the event, Heather Bacon welcomed the opportunity to promote enhanced animal welfare and veterinary care for zoological animals. She commented:

“Whilst the ethics of managing wild animals in captivity are often complex and sensitive, it is important to recognise the reality that many wild animals are permanently housed in zoological collections and the zoo veterinary community has a responsibility to manage their health and welfare effectively, by working together to promote animal welfare in a constructive and practical forum, we can improve the lives of many animals”

First international Conference on Dog Population Management

This September , the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) of the UK government, held the inaugural International Meeting on Dog Population Management.

Whilst the UK has a relatively positive reputation for animal welfare, globally the issue of dog population management creates animal welfare, public health and economic concerns. This meeting brought together experts from North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia to share experiences and ideas on dog population control. Presentations ranged from chemical neutering solutions to ecological studies of street dog social dynamics, also covered were important topics such as dog bite injury reduction and effective responsible dog management strategies. The JMICAWE was represented by both prof Natalie Waran, and Veterinary surgeon Heather Bacon who presented on the health and welfare issues between dog farming, transport, slaughter, and zoonotic disease risk in China.

This is the first time that a such important issues relating to dog health and welfare have been addressed by a government agency in the UK and it is hoped that meetings like this will form the basis for future collaborations and partnerships to push forward humane dog population management strategies

https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/dogs2012/index.cfm

Developing practical, accessible animal welfare teaching material for Chinese veterinarians.

We are pleased to be working with Hayley Walters, the R(D)SVS Animal Welfare nurse who is currently working with the JMICAWE’s Heather Bacon on developing teaching resources to assist with animal welfare education both here and abroad. They are currently engaged on a project collating information, images and detailed instructions on how to carry out neutering in dogs and cats, causing the animals the minimum of discomfort.

Following a long process, they are now ready to add the finishing touches to what will be an informative, detailed, and practical multi-media educational platform describing best practise for neutering dogs and cats, translated into Chinese to be used as a learning resource for the Chinese veterinary surgeon, vet student and veterinary lecturer. It includes every aspect of neutering from admission/initial examination, surgical preparation, and analgesia protocols to actual surgical techniques, fluid therapy and anaesthesia monitoring with a strong emphasis on high standards of animal welfare.

The promotion of a gold standard approach to animal welfare in this multi-media DVD will be augmented by the two day symposium run as part of the CVMA’s veterinary conference in Suzhou in October this year, where the DVD will be made freely available to attendees.

Further information on the CVMA Annual Conference can be viewed at http://www.cvma.org.cn .

Developing animal welfare education with our on-campus MSc AABAW in collaboration with the SAC.

We are delighted that our MSc in Applied Animal Welfare and Behaviour (AABAW) has launched a new website at www.ed.ac.uk/vet/animal-behaviour 

The MSc AABAW was established as the first animal welfare Masters programme in the UK in 1990. The programme was originally introduced by Professor David Wood-Gush, who was one of the first scientists to investigate the effects of intensive farming on animal behaviour and welfare. He was then joined by Nat Waran (now the Director of the JMICAWE) to become the first programme director. Over the last 22 years the programme has grown significantly, and today, under the directorship of Dr Susan Jarvis, it has a strong international reputation, and the support of well-known local and international animal welfare organisations including WSPA, SSPCA, UFAW and RSPCA.

The University of Edinburgh, through the R(D)SVS's Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education (JMICAWE) and the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC), through their Animal Welfare Team, continue to collaborate in the development and delivery, of what has become known as the gold standard PG taught programme, in applied animal behaviour and animal welfare.  One of the main aims is to enhance student knowledge and understanding of the scientific study of the application of animal behaviour for assessing and improving animal welfare.

Students from this programme join a research rich taught programme and gain knowledge that can be applied to working within:

research

animal management

animal care

production

inspection, assessment and preparation of legislation

Students also benefit from the considerable knowledge and experience of professionals working throughout the international animal behaviour and welfare community. In addition to the core SAC and University teaching team, we invite many guest lecturers from worldwide organisations and institutes.

Applications have closed for 2012-13, and due to the popularity of this programme, we urge potential applicants to visit the website www.ed.ac.uk/vet/animal-behaviour or visit the Facebook page www.facebook.com/MScAABAW to get the information required for early application for 2013-2014.

JMICAWE activities in China

This week Heather Bacon of the JMICAWE is in China, meeting with representatives from several organisations in order to promote animal welfare.

Working with the China Association of Zoo Gardens, the North-Eastern Forestry University, Animals Asia Foundation and Humane Society International, an animal welfare-focussed educational programme has been delivered to staff from zoos and aquaria around China utilising expertise from the UK and USA.  Additionally, discussions with Professor Zhao of the law department at the North-Eastern Forestry University have highlighted the already well-established dedication to animal welfare education present in China.

Professor Zhao lectures in law and focuses on animal welfare policy. As an advisor to the provincial government she is responsible for developing and advising on animal welfare policy relating to livestock husbandry and transport, and undertook her PhD research on zoo animal welfare assessment in China. She is one of a growing number of dedicated animal welfare experts, eager to develop and share their knowledge of this relatively new academic discipline.

We look forward to further interactions with more of China’s animal welfare champions later in the year.

Photo L-R= Prof Zhao, Margaret Whittaker Active Environments, Dr Sonya Hill Animal Welfare Scientists Chester zoo, Dave Neale Animals Asia, HJB JMICAWE, Teresa Telecky Humane Society International, Lisa Yang Animals Asia.

Heather to speak at DEFRA Dog Population Management Conference

We are delighted to announce that Heather Bacon, the Outreach Veterinary Manager for the JMICAWE will be speaking at the 1st International Conference on Dog Population Management 2012, September 4-8, 2012.

Heather will be presenting a case study in Session 15 on ‘Dog Management issues and the meat industry’.

The main objective of the conference is to bring the public sector together with ecologists, economists and specialists in animal welfare, animal health and education.

Specific aims are:

• To facilitate discussions and sharing of information on DPM among stakeholders;
• To promote awareness of novel technologies, such as immune-contraception, vaccine delivery systems and software for DPM;
• To encourage inter-sectoral collaboration, innovation and policy development, particularly in the context of rabies control
• To provide evidence-based information for effective, humane DPM;
• To promote animal and human health and wellbeing by reducing the incidence of zoonoses and the environmental impacts associated with dog population control.

https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/dogs2012/index.cfm

Using a negative reinforcement technique to change Equine Behaviour

Gemma Pearson, one of our vets within the Equine Clinic at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and a member of the ISES-UK 2012 Committee, which organised the ISES conference sponsored by the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education (JMICAWE), explains that by applying simple, scientifically validated training techniques, she is able to work with ‘difficult’ horses to successfully get them to change their behaviour, from being fearful and thus at times dangerous to becoming less stressed and calm.

Read her article in Sept’s H O R S E & R I D E R magazine .... it shouldn’t happen to a vet.

Horse vets are highly trained

to diagnose and treat

injuries and disease.

However, their work with

sick horses places them at a high

risk of personal injury.

UK vet Gemma Pearson

surveyed vets and support staff at

the Equine Clinic at the Royal (Dick)

College of Veterinary Science in

Edinburgh, and found that in a year,

eight staff experienced an injury

serious enough to need treatment,

with five requiring hospitalisation.

Staff reported that they

encountered difficult-to-manage

horses that put their personal

safety at risk on a daily basis.

 “Within the constraints of a busy

clinic responsible for specialist

referrals for Scotland and much of

northern England, developing

strategies to reduce injuries by

improving horse handling was a

priority,” Gemma says. “By applying

simple, scientifically validated

training techniques, we were able

to handle a number of horses who

had previously injured the handlers

and vets treating them.”

Gemma’s work focused on two

of the most common sources of

difficult behaviour; refusing to enter

the examination stocks and being

needle-shy, which staff reported

encountering on a daily basis.

“To manage horses which were

reluctant to enter the examination

stocks, we applied a negative

reinforcement technique, which

involved applying a mildly aversive

cue to the horse and then

rewarding him for approaching the

stocks by taking the cue away.

“In this way, the horses learn

that approaching and then entering

the stocks will result in the cue

disappearing,” she explains. “Within a

very short period our ‘difficult’ horses

were calmly entering and remaining in

the stocks.”

Gemma continues: “Our needle-shy

horses had previously reared up and

injured vets, however, by applying a

technique known as overshadowing,

we were able to give these horses

injections without danger to ourselves

or the horse.” Overshadowing involves

applying a neutral cue – to step back

or come forwards from pressure on

the halter – while also exposing the

horse to the object it fears, in this

case, the needle.

“We started very gradually and

broke the injection process down into

small steps,” she explains. “By

ensuring that the horse responded to

our neutral cues immediately and

calmly, we could overshadow his fear

of the needle. Within a single session,

we could administer an injection.”

Key to both methods is making

sure that the horse stays as calm and

relaxed as possible, reducing the

likelihood it will react fear fully or

uncontrollably, so the treatment can

be completed efficiently and with a

minimum of stress to horse or vet.

While traditional restraint

techniques such as sedation and

nose twitching will always have a

place, vets incorporating these simple

scientific techniques reduce their risk

of injury and boost client confidence.

“We believe that horses and their

owners will benefit enormously from a

reduction in the stress and anxiety,”

Gemma Pearson concludes.

Gemma presented these findings at

the 2012 International Society for

Equitation Science (ISES) conference

– ISES is a not-for-profit organisation

that aims to facilitate research into

the training of horses to enhance

horse welfare and improve the horserider

relationship.

www.equitationscience.com

Gemma can be contacted through the R(D)SVS first referral equine clinic or the equine hospital at the Dick Vet on 0131 650 6253.

CPD event - How to provide an expert statement in an animal welfare case.

  

JOINT CPD VENTURE

CPD EVENT:

R(D)SVS and the Scottish SPCA are holding a Veterinary CPD event: Veterinary surgeons and the Scottish court system

VENUE:

East Bush Campus, Midlothian, 14^th November 2012, 12 to 5pm (including lunch)

TOPIC SUMMARY

Practitioners have raised concerns with the Scottish SPCA about providing expert witness statements and evidence for animal welfare court proceedings. This one-day conference will give an insight into the Scottish court system and how to provide an expert statement in an animal welfare case.

KEY TOPICS

·         The role of the Scottish SPCA and other enforcement bodies.

·         The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 (Scottish Government and Animal Health)

·         The value of veterinary pathology in welfare cases

·         The experience of a veterinary surgeon providing an expert statement

·         The requirements of the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal service, including court procedure

·         A sheriff’s perspective on animal welfare cases

 SPEAKERS

·         A practising sheriff

·         A Crown Office procurator fiscal

·         A veterinary pathologist

·         Government officials from the Animal Health and Welfare Division.

COST: £40 including lunch.

Places are limited so please book early.

This course counts towards 4 hours CPD (confirmed by RCVS).

For further details and booking, contact anne.mcgill@scottishspca.org

This course is sponsored by Scottish SPCA and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies

Joint Animal Welfare Meeting at the 3rd China Veterinary Conference

The Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education is proud to partner with the Chinese Veterinary Medical Association to deliver a world-class programme on Animal Welfare at the 3^rd China Veterinary Conference in Suzhou in October. 

With generous funding from the Animals Asia Foundation and WSPA, the conference will bring together Chinese and Western veterinarians and welfare scientists in a 3 day programme covering a range of topics from humane slaughter to responsible dog breeding and the role of the veterinary nurse in promoting animal welfare. The diversity of the material covered will inform and empower veterinarians working in all fields including laboratory animal science, livestock and companion animals, and will promote the role of the veterinarian as a champion of animal welfare in a country where animal protection legislation does not yet exist.

The conference is an excellent example of the desire for international collaboration, training and development of the veterinary profession in China, and an opportunity to engage both practising veterinarians and veterinary students in relevant animal welfare issues