The Welfare of Animals Part 1 pot

It is therefore crucial that at leastsome animal welfare funding comes from government research councils whoseprimary interest is the promotion of good science.. I do hope that Clive’sex

The Welfare of Animals

Titles published in this series:

Volume 1: The Welfare of Horses

Volume 5: The Welfare of Cattle

Jeffrey Rushen, Anne Marie de Passille´,

Marina A.G von Keyserlingk and

The Welfare of Animals

The Silent Majority

Clive Phillips

University of Queensland, Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics, Australia

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Prof Clive Phillips

University of Queensland

School of Veterinary Science

Centre for Animal Welfare & Ethics

Australia

ISBN: 978-1-4020-9218-3 e-ISBN: 978-1-4020-9219-0

DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4020-9219-0

Library of Congress Control Number: 2008935890

# Springer ScienceþBusiness Media B.V 2009

No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or

by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser

of the work.

Printed on acid-free paper

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To my late father, Michael Phillips

The Welfare of Animalsis an exciting book that will stimulate and provoke itsreaders It describes many problems faced by animals – those we use for food,for pleasure or in research, and those simply but harshly affected by shrinkinghabitats in the face of the ever-growing human population And yet it is not adepressing read It focuses not only on the difficulties that animals face, but ontheir capacity for free-choice, for joy and excitement, and on the possible ways

in which the planet can be shared between species if only we take the time andtrouble to think more carefully about the impact of our actions

Clive Phillips moved from the United Kingdom to take up a FoundationChair in Animal Welfare at the University of Queensland, becoming Australia’sfirst Professor of Animal Welfare in 2003 This cultural leap, combined with histravels in countries like Malaysia and Borneo, permits him the unique andbroad perspective that forms the backbone of this book Eschewing the normalterritory patrolled by the animal scientist (explaining the physiological basis ofthe stress response or causation of abnormal behaviour), Clive ventures intojungles and deserts, city centres and tribal homelands, and presents a book thatremarkably and successfully combines travel-diary, nature notes, social andcultural history By some sleight of hand, Clive throws all of these disparateelements into the air and emerges with an insightful analysis of how political,economic, religious and psychological truths impact on the animals whoseplanet we share The portrayal of animals in art and religion, for example, isintegrated with a consideration of how such depictions are associated withshifting perceptions about the place of animals within a moral framework.Parts of the book remind me of meditative passages in the Snow Leopard,written by Peter Matthiessen, as he accompanied the zoologist George Schallerthrough Nepal to study the behaviour of the blue sheep found in the Himalayas.Other sections remind me of the lectures given by the semi-fictional characterElizabeth Costello (created by the Nobel-prize winning author J.M Coetzee) asshe agonises over our catastrophic and industrial-scale disregard for animals,

or of the art book Animals and Men by Kenneth Clark The difference is thatClive’s forays into history, art, religion or culture are always informed by hisdeep knowledge of the biology and psychology of the animals he is writingabout

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This book provides readers with a vast array of original material As such itwill form a vitally important resource and text book for students and members

of the public with an interest in animals from almost any perspective The scaleand intensity of animal use across the world is documented, and the rise ofanimal welfare and animal rights organisations is charted and analysed Inaddition, the growth of animal welfare as a scientific discipline is given a place

as a piece of modern cultural history in its own right The political context inwhich animal welfare is considered in different countries is compared Fundingfrom industry or charitable sources is hugely important in advancing the field,but sometimes conflicts of interest can arise It is therefore crucial that at leastsome animal welfare funding comes from government research councils whoseprimary interest is the promotion of good science I do hope that Clive’sexposition of the politics of animal welfare funding acts as a spur to govern-ments worldwide to invest more in animal welfare science, even if this threatensthe position of my own University as the top publisher in the field (Table 8.3)!Clive Phillips has gathered some unpalatable facts and presented them

at a crucial time The human population has risen to 6.8 billion (www.optimumpopulation.org) The development of livestock agriculture is seen as

a route out of poverty and towards increased resilience for some of the world’spoorest people (UN World Food Programme) at the same time as demand foranimal produce shoots up amongst increasingly wealthy urban populations.Clive estimates that, on average, each one of us is responsible for the life (ordeath) of some 18 animals per year Generally, as humans, we acknowledgeresponsibility for the dog that shares our hearth and, gradually, this concept ofresponsibility is being extended to the animals we farm, or use in scientificprocedures But billions more sentient creatures remain truly forgotten: thewild-caught fish, the animals killed by our cars (and the offspring they will neverreturn to), those forced out of their habitats, or killed by our own pet cats Eachand every one of these creatures is impacted by the way we choose to live our lives.The importance of this book is that it presents some new ways of thinking abouthow we can manage these problems without totally disregarding the feelings ofour fellow species This book matters Thank you, Clive, for writing it

Animal Welfare Series Preface

Animal welfare is attracting increasing interest worldwide, especially in developedcountries where the knowledge and resources are available to provide bettermanagement systems for farm animals, as well as companion, zoo and laboratoryanimals The key requirements for adequate food, water, a suitable environment,companionship and health are important for animals kept for all of these purposes.There has been increased attention given to farm animal welfare in the West

in recent years This derives largely from the fact that the relentless pursuit offinancial reward and efficiency, to satisfy market demands, has led to thedevelopment of intensive animal production systems that challenge the con-science of many consumers in those countries

In developing countries, human survival is still a daily uncertainty, so thatprovision for animal welfare has to be balanced against human welfare Animalwelfare is usually a priority only if it supports the output of the animal, be itfood, work, clothing, sport or companionship In principle the welfare needs ofboth humans and animals can be provided for, in both developing and devel-oped countries, if resources are properly husbanded In reality, however, theinequitable division of the world’s riches creates physical and psychologicalpoverty for humans and animals alike in many parts of the world Livestock arethe world’s biggest land users (FAO, 2002) and the farmed animal population isincreasing rapidly to meet the needs of an expanding human population Thisresults in a tendency to allocate fewer resources to each animal and to valueindividual animals less, particularly in the case of farmed pigs where herds ofseveral thousand are not uncommon In these circumstances, the importance ofeach individual’s welfare is diminished

Increased attention to welfare issues is just as evident for companion,laboratory, wild and zoo animals Of increasing importance is the ethicalmanagement of breeding programmes, since genetic manipulation is morefeasible, but there is less public tolerance of the deliberate breeding of animalswith genetic abnormalities However, the quest for producing novel genotypeshas fascinated breeders for centuries Dog and cat breeders have produced avariety of extreme forms with adverse effects on their welfare, but nowadays thequest is pursued in the laboratory, where the mouse is genetically manipulatedwith equally profound effects

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The intimate connection between animals and humans that was once soessential in husbandry is rare nowadays, having been superseded by technolo-gically efficient production systems where animals on farms and in laboratoriesare tended by increasingly few humans in the drive to enhance labour efficiency.With today’s busy lifestyle, companion animals too may suffer from reducedcontact with humans, although their value in providing companionship, parti-cularly for groups such as the elderly, is increasingly recognised Consumersalso rarely have any contact with the animals that produce their food.

In this estranged, efficient world, people struggle to find the moral tives to determine the level of welfare that they should afford to animals withintheir charge Some, in particular many companion animal owners, aim for whatthey believe to be the highest levels of welfare provision, while others, deliber-ately or through ignorance, keep animals in impoverished conditions where theirhealth and wellbeing is severely compromised Today’s multiplicity of moralcodes for animal care and use are derived from a broad range of culturalinfluences, including media reports of animal abuse, guidelines on ethical con-sumption and campaigning and lobbying groups

impera-This series has been designed to help contribute towards a culture of respectfor animals and their welfare by producing academic texts discussing theprovision for the welfare of the major animal species that are managed andcared for by humans They are not detailed blue-prints for the management ofeach species, rather they describe and consider the major welfare concerns,often in relation to the wild progenitors of the managed animals Welfare isconsidered in relation to the animal’s needs, concentrating on nutrition, beha-viour, reproduction and the physical and social environment Economic effects

of animal welfare provision are also considered where relevant, as are key areaswhere further research is required

With the growing pace of knowledge in this new area of research, it is hopedthat this series will provide a timely and much-needed set of texts for researchers,lecturers, practitioners, and students My thanks are particularly due to thepublishers for their support, and to the authors and editors for their hard work

in producing the texts on time and in good order

Clive PhillipsSeries EditorProfessor of Animal Welfare and Director,Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics,

School of Veterinary Science,University of Queensland,

Australia

Reference

Food and Agriculture Organisation (2002) http://www.fao.org/ag/aga/index_en.htm

x Animal Welfare Series Preface

Like most people, I learnt about caring for animals when I was young Myexperiences shaped my views on animal welfare, and this book is an attempt toshare these views My earliest animal experiences were mostly of pets, and Ilaughed with them, played with them and cried when they died like most of you,and it was in my early years that I was taught a sense of respect for wild animals.Once a week I visited my grandparents’ house and garden, where a chaffinchregularly flew onto their lounge window sill and entered the room to take somenuts which had been put out for him Whenever it appeared at the windowsillthere was an immediate call for the children to be quiet in order that it couldenter and get his reward without fear For those precious few seconds we satmotionless and enjoyed the presence of that bird In that one small action ofcrossing the windowsill, the bird had bridged that great divide, from being atotally wild bird, to entering into a ‘contract’ with humans, that could have beenthe first step on the way to domestication One year the bird no longer came tothe window, which made us sad, but I had received an early lesson on respect forwild animals and the joy that they can give us

Now, after some years as a student of animals, and the ways that theybehave, feed, reproduce and interact with humans, this book offers somethoughts on their welfare Many people are working tirelessly to improveanimal welfare with little thanks or praise and it is hoped that this will providethem with inspiration Some work in animal industries, others in charity orga-nizations, shelters, wildlife parks and educational establishments Working foranimals, as opposed to with animals, requires courage and those involved oftenface criticisms from those who seek to get the maximum from their animals forthe smallest input Many whose livelihoods depend on using animals are averse

to any change that will affect the short-term profitability of their enterprise,although by improving animal welfare they are guaranteeing their future mar-kets and the ethical acceptability of their business in the long-term

Animal welfare scientists are few in number, and their work may not beaccepted as well as those working in traditional animal disciplines, such aszoology, animal production science and agriculture Some in the animal pro-duction sciences may believe that showing kindness to animals is a sign ofweakness Animal welfare may not be regarded as a rigorous scientific

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discipline, and this is in part because simple measurements are often mosteffective in any relatively new science, including animal welfare It would not

be good use of research funds to engage in detailed reductionist analysis of just afew problems when simple measurements are lacking in most branches of thescience For example, we could go to great lengths to find criteria that provewhen an animal is malnourished, but is this really useful when animals are dying

in drought conditions? Another issue relates to the type of measurements taken,and how an animal behaves is a key indicator of welfare, yet behaviour mea-surements are regarded by many scientists as lacking rigour and not as scientific

as physiological or anatomical measurements However, few could doubt thatanimal welfare science often requires more careful thought than other disci-plines in framing the paradigm that is to be tested

Animal welfare science is different because the beneficiaries are animals nothumans Most related fields – animal, crop, food and soil sciences, and evensometimes veterinary medicine – aim to improve the efficiency, and henceprofitability, of the industry for the benefit of humans Animal welfare science,however, aims to improve an animal’s quality of life, which is an ambitious goalsince we can often only guess at the impact on the animal’s welfare Such anintangible goal is too obscure for many traditional scientists, but those involved

in animal welfare must have faith that their work is valuable to the animals.They must believe that addressing the animal welfare problems in the worldtoday is a necessity for the future moral health of society, and they will requirethe courage of their convictions to pursue this goal Furthermore, the signifi-cant advances in animal welfare science made in the last quarter of a centuryshould encourage new scientists to take up this challenge – to provide theinformation necessary to meet the public demand for improved animal welfare

If scientists fail to provide this information, the politicians will have onlyopinions on which to base the improved standards that the public require.Most codes of practice for the welfare of animals are currently based onunproven beliefs, and they often lack credibility with those directly involved

in the animal industries as a result For every expert with one opinion there isanother with a counter argument Basing standards on whim or fancy willensure that they will be challenged forcefully and this will hinder animal welfarereform

Politicians must recognize that science cannot solve all of the animal welfareproblems quickly Patience will be required in building the research base withwhich to tackle welfare issues, since in many countries there are few, if any,scientists devoted to this topic In addition we must recognize that for manyclosely involved in the animal industries, providing for animal welfare is asmuch an art as a science – an art that has been handed down over the centuriesand which is closely connected with the different religious and philosophicalapproaches to animals that are possessed by the various cultures As Gandhisaid, ‘‘there should be no science without humanity’’ (Gandhi, 1948) Manydifferent types of people have responsibility for animal welfare and we mustunderstand and recognize the importance of all of their views For those directly

involved, stockmanship – the art of looking after animals – is commonlyrecognized as a more important influence on welfare than where they arekept, what they are fed etc (AWC, 2002; Cross et al., 2008a) The art ofproviding for animal welfare is the cement that binds the scientific buildingblocks together, that enables scientific advances to be implemented with thesupport of society.

What does the future hold for animal welfare movements worldwide? We live

in an increasingly egalitarian age, when the rights of animals and women, aswell as the mentally retarded, racial minorities, gay and disabled people arerecognized as having been too often ignored in the past Sometimes there areconcerns, especially amongst the elders in the community, that the pace ofchange and development is too rapid, faster than humankind can cope with insocial terms Hence there is concern that traditions are being eroded, that thereare undetected dangers facing those embracing modern technologies However,

it is this rapid pace of technological change that has allowed us to progress frombeing concerned primarily about survival of the human race to our being able tocontrol the survival and welfare of all the species on earth Adequate welfareprovision for all is within our sights and this rapid change in emphasis is nowessential, because focusing only on human welfare, when we have developedsuch powerful tools to manipulate and potentially benefit animal and plant life,would be a certain means of rapid destruction of both humans and animals.Hence improving animal welfare is not just a desirable option, it is essential forthe wellbeing of future societies

I hope this book will encourage us all to reflect on animal welfare – how itwas in the past, how it is changing and how we want it to change in the future.Remembering that animal welfare is not just a scientific discipline, but has astrong humanitarian component as well, we must allow our approach to animalwelfare to recognize cultural, gender and social differences Reflection is whatseparates us out as a species, the power of rational thought that has served us sowell in the past We have overcome dictators, with ambitions to conquer theworld, diseases that threaten to wipe out our species, and we are now tacklingboth environmental change, that theatens to erode our standard of living every-where, and poverty that threatens the existence of the poor and needy in theworld today We will overcome these challenges with ingenuity, correct actionsand careful planning But we often forget our biggest responsibility: to recog-nize that our actions have a major impact on the welfare of animals Increas-ingly humans are cognizant of this fact and are taking action to improve animalwelfare throughout the globe After social movements to prevent the abuse ofchildren, racial minorities, disabled people and homosexuals, to be in the midst

of a social revolution that recognizes the need to improve animal welfare is truly

a privilege

These are ethical issues which need debating, but most welfare problems areeasy for all to see ‘So far as the animals are concerned it matters not what wethink or feel but what we do’ (Webster, 1995) If we do not act, it is not just theanimals that will suffer; our lives will be impoverished because the human-animal