World Marine Mammal Conference 2019 | Sharing, discussions, and interactively working on key questions, 41 delegates from all around the world, and from a variety of expertises and backgrounds, together for marine mammal welfare! Sabrina led a workshop together with Dr. Xavier Manteca Vilanova for the workshop on marine mammal welfare under human care. Thank you to all who attended!
A video of the workshop and conference highlights is in the making, and will be shared as soon as it is ready! The Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) and the European Cetacean Society (ECS) jointly hosted the World Marine Mammal Conference in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, where it was locally organised by SUBMON and the University of Barcelona. The event reached its full capacity of 2,500 attendees, all gathered with the common aim, “to bring together scientists, managers, policy-makers, educators and students from across the globe to discuss the world’s most exciting science and most pressing conservation issues.” The conference was held at the Centro de Convenciones Internacional de Barcelona (CCIB), a facility chosen because of its environmental certificate of sustainability. You can read the workshop summary below: Many different species of marine mammals across different taxonomic groups including cetaceans, pinnipeds, sirenians, sea otters and polar bears, are housed under human care in zoos, aquariums, and research facilities. For some specific education, conservation and research programs and activities have been developed to inspire and be a call to action. Animal care and welfare programs in professional and contemporary facilities have seen extensive evolution in the domains of veterinary and animal training domains and other domains such as environmental enrichment, the human-animal interaction, habitat design and the development of animal welfare assessments are on the rise. Marine mammals are also kept in (traveling) circuses, on part-time contracts between different facilities, and wild-caught in sea pens, in suboptimal conditions. This workshop has the aim to bring together stakeholders from a wide variety of backgrounds, including ex-situ specialist such as veterinarians, care staff, researchers, animal welfare experts and in-situ researcher and NGOs. Short presentations and the use of ‘best practice case studies’ to highlight examples of promoting optimal welfare will be combined with break-out workshops on predetermined subjects and species. The goals are concluding the day with 1) suggestions for future directions of research, 2) have targeted recommendations (including policy aspects), and 3) an overview of what this group considers non-negotiables. | Sabrina is delighted to celebrate 10 years of volunteering with the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA). Sabrina has spent the last decade working with other experts to ensure optimal welfare for a variety of primates across Africa, and the since 2016 in the capacity of the organisation’s Primate Care Training Program Coordinator. Check out our new video for some of the many highlights! PASA is a leader in the protection of Africa's primates, working to prevent their extinction and provide them with the best care possible. As the largest coalition of wildlife centres and sanctuaries, 23 member organisations in 13 countries secure a future for Africa’s primates and their habitats. The combination of PASA’s global network and our members’ local expertise uniquely positions the Alliance to protect chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, and monkeys from extinction. The chain of global experts addresses animal protection issues on a large scale and produces lasting changes to reduce suffering and abuse. The threats facing primates in Africa are multi-pronged, thus PASA works in different capacities on both local and global levels to halt the increasing loss of apes and monkeys. Unless people around the world take action today, the great apes may be extinct in our lifetime. Join the fight for primate survival. | Survey on Human and Animal Wellness in Environments such as Zoos, Aquariums, and Sanctuaries | Dear friends and colleagues, Professor Lynette Hart and myself, Sabrina Brando, are collaborating to further understand "Human and Animal Wellness in Environments such as Zoos, Aquariums, and Sanctuaries" We would be grateful if you would be willing to help us by completing our survey anonymously by clicking HERE. Big thank you to those who helped us with feedback in the initial stages of development! | EAZA Animal Welfare Forum 2020 | Sabrina Brando and John Coe's paper on “Confronting Back-of-House Traditions: Primates as a Case Study” as been accepted for the upcoming EAZA Animal Welfare Forum 2020 under the theme of “Bridging the Gap”. The conference will be hosted by Apenheul Primate Park Foundation in The Netherlands this coming March with the goal of uniting zoos and aquariums, welfare organisations and academic institutions to bridge the gap between animal welfare research and application. You can read the full abstract below: Non-public animal areas in zoos, often called “back of house” (henceforth BOH), “off-display”, “bedrooms”, “holding areas” and many other terms, are where animals can often spend many hours of their days and lives. Similar areas are found in primate sanctuaries and research labs housing primates. Progress has been made improving animal quality of life in larger, more naturalistic and enriched display and larger out and indoor areas and with innovations such as activity-based design and management animal rotation and lengthy exploration trail systems. However, we observe that quality of life in the BOH areas has improved little in comparison and can result in animals being confined in less stimulating and enriching spaces for substantial periods of the 24-hour day. While management has certainly improved, based on positive reinforcement and aided by remedial environmental enrichment, basic structural, spatial and regulatory BOH environments are lagging, especially in the developing world. This presentation will give an overview of our research in order to substantially improve animal welfare in BOH areas. This presentation will cover current policy and practice in terms of structural envelopes (form, arrangement and materials), quality of spatial environments including ambient conditions (light, temperature, sound, etc.), spatial orientation and complexity and passive (things provided for primates) and active (things primates do for themselves) operating systems using simple new “smart” technology; designing for 24/7 animal choice and control. Management environments include training, enrichment, welfare policies and actions, including better practice case studies focused on primates are included. We conclude by suggesting a new integrated design model based not upon rote standards, and copying old models, but building rather on empirical foundations while embracing empathy and innovation. | How Are You? Sweden 2020 Registration | Registration is now open for our upcoming workshop in Sweden, How are you?: Understanding the Sorrows and Joys of Caring for Animals! Workshop in Sweden. Join us for a 2-day workshop which will provide you with a theoretical and practical overview of strategies related to compassion awareness, including preventing and addressing compassion fatigue, and enhancing compassion satisfaction and resilience. May 14th & 15th 2020 Limited to 40 participants. Organised in collaboration with and hosted by Skånes Djurpark. How are you? Providing care for wild animals in zoos and aquariums brings many joys and positive experiences, but can also leave you emotionally drained or numb by negative experiences. Animal caregivers, curators, veterinarians, researchers, and other animal welfare staff, often have high levels of compassion, empathy, and drive to care for others and affect change. This workshop provides you with a theoretical and practical overview of strategies related to compassion awareness, including preventing and addressing compassion fatigue, and enhancing compassion satisfaction and resilience. We will be drawing on experiences and research literature, and include a wide variety of practical activities and tools for you, including resources for you to take home. Location
Skånes Djurpark, Sweden Language
English Sign up for the event here and learn more through the event's Facebook page. | If this was forwarded to you, subscribe HERE for our future newsletters! | Follow us on social media! | |
