Newsletter – July 2011 22009January/February 09
Learning About Animals was set up to provide information and promote interest in the welfare and behaviour of animals. The aim is to bridge the gap between professionals & scientists working with animals and the public.
If you have any suggestions for future events or if you would like to be considered to be a speaker please contact me.
I am also a qualified equine behaviourist and run consultations in Surrey and the Home Counties. For more details please visit the relevant section of the web site.
EVENTS LIST
HORSES: Equine behaviour and training with Ben Hart A series of three day workshops.
Details. To attend the third workshop you must have attended at least one of the
first two workshops as we will explore more deeply the issues covered in a more advanced
workshop.
9th July 2011
8th October 2011
(£45 for each day. Book the next two at once
for a saving) Taking bookings now.
Animal Welfare: Making a difference for animals
13th August 2011
Making a difference
for animals
An introduction to the field of animal welfare, consideration of many
different issues and what we can each do to make a difference. Details. Taking bookings
now.
Animal Evenings: Series of evening talks
Tuesday 13th September.
Talk 2: ‘Dog body
language and communication’ £5, tickets only available in advance. Details. Taking
bookings now.
HORSES: An Introduction to Equine Behaviour
Morning workshop exploring what horses
need, how they learn and how we can build relationships with our four-
HORSES: Exploring the latest findings in equine cognition 12th November 2011 (morning event; with Leanne Proops; details). Taking bookings now.
The views expressed by the speakers are not necessarily those held by Learning About Animals
On-
The University of Edinburgh are running a new online course on feline behaviour problems. The course will run from September 2011 and you can get more information and register now online. The course tutor is Vicky Halls, it is run totally online, lasts one month and costs £110.
Working Animals
There are approximately 300 million working animals in the world -
Equines (horses, donkeys and mules), cattle (oxen and buffalo) and camelids (llamas and camels) are used to cultivate land and to transport goods and people.
More than half of the entire human population is dependent on the power provided by such draft animals. With entire extended families often dependent on the working capacity of just one horse, human welfare and animal welfare are inextricably linked.
The donkey is said to be the equivalent for African women as the washing machine has been to European women because the time saved using donkeys to carry water has enabled women to do other tasks and even to have some leisure time. For example, a study comparing two Maasai women fetching water, one using a donkey and one carrying it herself, indicated that using donkeys can save as much as 25 hours a week for other activities (Fernando and Starkey 2004).
Due to this important link between humans, animals and development, working animals were the focus of the latest of a series of expert meetings hosted by the FAO (The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations); which leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. The meeting resulted in a set of recommendations and action points for improving the welfare of these hard working animals, which will be published soon.
Small Victory for Wild Animals in Circuses
On June 23rd the issue of wild animals in circuses was the topic of a backbench debate.
You can read the full debate here. Although the decision to ban can’t be made by
the back-
The debate is worth a read. You’ll see how participants were able to eloquently put forward the reasons why wild animals in circuses should be banned and respond well to challenges by people who did not understand the issue. It was refreshing to hear that MPs understand the meaning of the word ‘domesticated’ for example as a wrong explanation was quickly put right. Also there was clear feeling that it is wrong to keep wild animals this way, which would seem to pave the way nicely for debate about conditions in some zoos. One MP also drew the parallel with the way that factory farmed animals are kept.
Finally some good news as although public opinion also strongly supported a ban it
did not go through when discussed previously in parliament. At the end of the debate,
MPs voted unanimously in support of a ban -
Four things to do
1. Sign the petition to ask the government not to relax the laws on animal experimentation.
2. Sign up to join the Animals Asia Action team -
3. Follow Learning About Animals on Facebook to keep up to date with animal news and events.
4. Buy an online raffle ticket to support EIA (or another charity of your choice).
Report shows that EU dolphinaria are not suitable for dolphins or whales
A report has recently been published about dolphinaria in the EU. The report, released
in June 2011 by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WCDS), together with
the Born Free Foundation and ENDCAP, reveals that dolphinaria are failing to meet
EU legislation that should protect whales and dolphins in captivity.
There are a staggering 286 captive whales and dolphins in the EU -
The report found that:
- dolphinaria are making no contribution to conservation -
the populations in captivity are unsustainable, do not have any release programmes and aren’t doing any research. - dolphinaria are of little educational value -
the report found that they fail to provide audiences with even basic information about dolphins and whales in the shows they run. An average of only 12.3% of the commentaries during such shows included information that could be considered educational. - the tanks where dolphins are kept simply can’t provide the things that dolphins need (appropriate diet, activities and social structure) and thus the dolphins suffer from poor health and compromised welfare. “No captive cetacean in the EU has the freedom to express normal behaviour, a guiding principle for animal welfare. Stress and stereotypic behaviour are common among captive cetaceans.”
- EU Member States and the dolphinaria they licence are failing to meet the requirements of the EU Zoos Directive.
You can read the full report here.
For a more cheerful story about whales see this article about how humpbacks in the wild use bubbles to create nets.
Wildlife watching in the UK
1. Otter watching day on the Isle of Skye with the International Otter Survival Fund.
2. The London Wetland Centre -
3. Try spotting Red squirrels at Formby reserve between Liverpool and Southport.
4. Cardigan Bay in Wales has one of the UK’s few resident pods of dolphins. Visit
the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre -
5. The Farne Islands for puffins and seals. Info.
6. Badger watching -
7. Born Free run a variety of safaris abroad and also have a cottage in The Isle of Skye for rent to support their work.
In Depth Events.....
In July Ben Hart will be presenting the second in a series of three talks for Learning
About Animals. In February the first day explored some of the myths around horse
behaviour and the problems with using the word ‘dominance’ to describe relationships
between horses and humans. In this second event we will further explore training
and behaviour of horses now that we understand the problems of defining the human-
In the autumn Lynn Barber, Head of Behaviour and Welfare at The Dog’s Trust, will
be giving a talk on play in dogs -
Image courtesy of computerclipart.com
*NEW* Animal Evenings: talks with optional time afterwards to mingle over nibbles
These
events aim to provide a chance for people interested in animals, whether as professionals
or just for interest, to relax over nibbles after one or two short talks. For those
who can’t resist a spot of shopping, there will also be things to buy in aid of various
animal charities. The venue will change each time although if a core of the same
people wish to attend these evenings then we can work out where is best to hold them.
Profits from these talks will go to a different animal charity each time.
Second Animal Evening: Tuesday 13th September 2011 (£5, 7pm, Chertsey, Surrey)
DOGS: BODY LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION
This presentation is packed full of pictures and video clips on dog communication.
It has been produced by Carol A Byrnes, a dog behaviourist from the USA, it will
be presented by Suzanne Rogers (Learning About Animals). The resource (PowerPoint
presentation with videos) is available to other people who might want to give the
talk at their dog training club or behaviour group. As such this event provides a
chance for participants to attend the presentation and afterwards discuss if they
would use the resource to present to others, if they like it or would want to change
anything. Anyone is welcome, trainers, owners, people just interested in dogs!Talks
-
Interesting links
1. Beautiful pictures of new marine species discovered in the Phillippines.
2. Video of sped-
3. Download a poster about body language in dogs.
4. Study shows how dogs learn about human behaviour!
5. How humpback whales catch prey with bubble nets.
End of Cattle Plague Makes History
Rinderpest, or cattle plague, has just made history as the first animal disease to
be eliminated by humans. This makes it only the second disease to be ever eradicated
in this way -
On June 28, at a conference attended by the 192 Member States of the UN, a resolution was adopted declaring that the world is free from this disease. Rinderpest was a deadly disease responsible for wiping out many herds of cattle worldwide for centuries.
In a recent statement the FAO said “The successful fight against rinderpest underscores what can be achieved when communities, countries and institutions work together. After decades of efforts to stamp out a disease that kept crossing national borders, countries and institutions agreed they needed to coordinate their efforts under a single, cohesive programme.”
For more detail see this link.
Did you know...
why cats often eat the head of their prey first and sometimes leave the rest?
They do this because rodents have a dense protein called tryptophan in the brain tissue. Cats eat this first in case they are interrupted as it is the most important part.
Rabbits
“Rabbits are not small dogs, or cats with long ears. They are not even really small
long-
(Richard Saunders, vet from Rabbiting On Magazine)