Rebecca Doyle
animal welfare scientist
I am an animal welfare scientist working with farm, companion and captive animals around the globe. My research includes fundamental work in animal cognition through to applied research in international development.
What is animal welfare?
Animal welfare is the quality of life of an animal. This means how healthy the animal is, if it has access to the resources it wants and opportunities to do the behaviours it needs to do.
According to the OIE, an animal is in a good state of welfare if it is healthy, comfortable, well nourished, safe, able to express innate behaviour, and if it is not suffering from unpleasant states such as pain, fear, and distress.
Why animal welfare?
Animals are sentient - they experience emotions - so we need to consider this as a part of animal management.
In one way or another, we all interact with animals. This can be directly for people who depend on them for their livelihoods, or broadly, with societies benefiting or being impacted by the way animals are managed.
A sustainable global future needs to involve how we think about and manage animals.