Dr. Jake Veasey: Understanding Animal Welfare from an Animal’s Perspective

Animal welfare is a nuanced concept lacking a universal definition which leads to sub-optimal and inconsistent animal care around the world. With examples, I’ll demonstrate that all too often animal welfare management prioritizes impacts on animal welfare assessment metrics, rather than welfare outcomes for the animal, which can counterintuitively result in sub-optimal welfare. In particular, I’ll demonstrate that there is an inherent tension between managing physical and psychological components of welfare that requires careful consideration and greater clarity on animal welfare conceptions. I’ll provide a conception of animal welfare that is centred around understanding the psychological needs of animals rather than traditional welfare metrics and outline a framework for determining animal welfare priorities for a variety of species. I’ll provide some insights into how differing animal welfare conceptions impact animal welfare, public perception’s of welfare and their enjoyment of wildlife facilities.

About Dr. Jake Veasey:

Jake is a behavioural ecologist specialising in the interface between animal welfare science and conservation biology with a particular interest in double jeopardy species; those species at risk of extirpation in the wild and welfare compromises in captivity. He has worked with bears for two decades and has extensive executive leadership experience running some of the biggest wildlife facilities in Europe and North America. Jake regularly advises governments and NGO’s around the world on species conservation and animal welfare policy and management.