Changing Human Behaviour to Enhance Animal Welfare

Bridging the gap between the science of animal welfare and the animals and their owners, this book
gives essential advice to practitioners worldwide on how to improve the welfare of all animals. Down
to earth and intensely practical, the book describes the fundamentals of changing human behaviour
to benefit animal welfare and how this can be applied in real life situations.
This book contains:
· voices from international experts and those working on the ground, on challenges
presented and overcome;
· advice on making change happen in practice, by influencing animal owners, users or
communities, and the systems they are part of;
· the work and life experience of animal welfare practitioners, as a profession
· essential information on how to translate the science of animal welfare and human
behaviour change into real life for maximum impact;
· resources to use from low-, middle- and high-income countries, e.g. case studies,
influencing skills, best practice, hints and tips.
This is an important text for animal welfare advisors, researchers, welfare auditors and
veterinarians, and key reading for all those concerned with animal welfare in non-governmental
organisations, in governments, in industry and at universities.
Rebecca Sommerville is an animal behaviourist and welfare scientist that has worked for several leading international charities. She completed an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare at the University of Edinburgh and a BSc in Animal Behaviour at the University of Sheffield. Rebecca currently works in the Post Adoption Support team at Dogs Trust and previously worked as a Global animal welfare advisor for Brooke – Action for Working Horses and Donkeys, on working equids in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Before this she was a researcher in the Food Business team at Compassion in World Farming, helping large food companies raise the minimum standards of welfare for farm animals. Rebecca is currently also Development Officer for the International Society for Applied Ethology, aiming to promote applied animal behaviour and welfare science in developing countries. She also provides behaviour consultations and practical training to dog owners and veterinary practices through her business Behaviour by Becca. Rebecca is undertaking accreditation to become a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist and has published scientific papers on animal behaviour and applying animal welfare at NGOS, as well as presented at several international scientific conferences. She has contributed to a book for farmers on pig welfare, a UK-wide research study into the welfare issues of companion animals and was recently featured on the BBC News 100 Days show to discuss the evolution of dogs’ faces from wolves.
Table of contents
Section I: Enhancing animal welfare – a profession with human engagement at its centre
1: The need for recognition of Practical Animal Welfare as a profession. By Rebecca Sommerville.
2: Animal welfare: the human element. By Suzanne Rogers and Jo White.
3: From stakeholder education to engagement, using strategies from social science. By Beth Ventura and Erica Hogstad Fjæran.
4. It takes a village: community engagement for sustainable animal welfare. By Melissa Liszweski.
5: Educating the animal welfare practitioners of the future. By Cathy Dwyer, Heather Bacon, Tamsin Coombs and Fritha Langford.
Section II: Enhancing animal welfare in practice worldwide
6: Moving an industry: protecting farm animals with science-based advocacy. By Sara Shields.
7: Applying the science of Animal Welfare to build more responsible food supply chains: reflections from a Corporate Sustainability Professional. By Priya Motupalli.
8: Farm Animal Welfare in the Nigerian context. By Mabel Aworh-Ajumobi.
9: Protecting animals in India: a government perspective through history to the present day. By Vijay Pal Singh and Sujoy Khanna.
10: The animals powering the world: promoting working animal welfare in resource-poor contexts. By Ashleigh Brown.
11: Strengthening existing healthcare systems for sustainable animal welfare. By Shereene Williams and Laura Skippen.