tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/farm-animals-18001/articlesFarm animals – The Conversation2023-05-17T12:40:51Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2047742023-05-17T12:40:51Z2023-05-17T12:40:51ZVaccines using mRNA can protect farm animals against diseases traditional ones may not – and there are safeguards to ensure they won’t end up in your food<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525981/original/file-20230512-28-6v7puj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3008%2C2008&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Vaccines help protect farm animals from various diseases.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/veterinarian-and-pigs-royalty-free-image/512631046">dusanpetkovic/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>While effective vaccines for COVID-19 should have heralded the benefits of mRNA vaccines, <a href="https://theconversation.com/misinformation-is-a-common-thread-between-the-covid-19-and-hiv-aids-pandemics-with-deadly-consequences-187968">fear and misinformation</a> about their supposed dangers circulated at the same time. These misconceptions about mRNA vaccines have recently spilled over into worries about whether their use in agricultural animals could expose people to components of the vaccine <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2023/02/15/fact-check-false-claim-mrna-vaccines-food-supply/11218991002/">within animal products</a> such as meat or milk.</p>
<p>In fact, a number of states are drafting or considering legislation outlawing the use of mRNA vaccines in food animals or, at minimum, requiring their labeling on animal products in grocery stores. <a href="https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2023/legislation/H0154/">Idaho introduced a bill</a> that would make it a misdemeanor to administer any type of mRNA vaccine to any person or mammal, including COVID-19 vaccines. A <a href="https://www.house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1169&year=2023&code=R">Missouri bill</a> would have required the labeling of animal products derived from animals administered mRNA vaccines but failed to get out of committee. <a href="https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/56leg/1R/summary/H.HB2762_020823_LARA.DOCX.htm">Arizona</a> and <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0099&GA=113">Tennessee</a> have also proposed labeling bills. <a href="https://www.oklahomafarmreport.com/okfr/2023/04/21/mike-deering-corrects-false-accusations-of-cattle-industry-using-mrna-vaccines/">Several other</a> <a href="https://www.texasagriculture.gov/News-Events/Article/7596/Commissioner-Miller-Statement-on-mRNA-Vaccines-in-Livestock">state legislatures</a> are discussing similar measures.</p>
<p>I am a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=yTZZQ3QAAAAJ&hl=en">researcher who has been making vaccines</a> for a number of years, and I started studying mRNA vaccines before the pandemic started. My research on using <a href="https://portal.nifa.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/1027610-novel-mrna-vaccine-technology-for-prevention-of-bovine-respiratory-syncytial-virus.html">mRNA vaccines for cattle respiratory viruses</a> has been referenced by social media users and anti-vaccine activists who say that using these vaccines in animals will endanger the health of people who eat them.</p>
<p>But these vaccines have been shown to reduce disease on farms, and it’s all but impossible for them to end up in your food.</p>
<h2>Traditional animal vaccine approaches</h2>
<p>In food animals, <a href="https://www.merckvetmanual.com/pharmacology/vaccines-and-immunotherapy/types-of-vaccines-for-animals">several types of vaccines</a> have long been available for farmers to protect their animals from common diseases. These include inactivated vaccines that contain a killed version of a pathogen, live attenuated vaccines that contain a weakened version of a pathogen and subunit vaccines that contain one part of a pathogen. All can elicit good levels of protection from disease symptoms and infection. Producing these vaccines is <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17892154/">often inexpensive</a>.</p>
<p>However, each of these vaccines <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007%2F978-1-4939-3389-1_1">has drawbacks</a>. </p>
<p>Inactivated and subunit vaccines often do not produce a strong enough immune response, and pathogens can quickly mutate into variants that <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.697839">limit vaccine effectiveness</a>. The weakened pathogens in live attenuated vaccines have the remote possibility of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fve%2Fvev005">reverting back</a> to their full pathogenic form or mixing with other circulating pathogens and becoming new vaccine-resistant ones. They also must be grown in specific cell cultures to produce them, which can be time-consuming.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Each type of vaccine has pros and cons.</span></figcaption>
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<p>There are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s13567-018-0560-8">several pathogens</a> – such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, foot and mouth disease virus, <a href="https://theconversation.com/bird-flu-is-killing-millions-of-chickens-and-turkeys-across-the-us-180299">H5N1 influenza</a> and African swine fever virus – for which all three traditional approaches have yet to yield an effective vaccine.</p>
<p>Another major drawback for all three of these vaccine types is the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.tvjl.2007.11.009">time it takes</a> to test and obtain federal approval to use them. Typically, animal vaccines take <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.vaccine.2020.05.007">three or more years</a> from development to licensure by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Should new viruses make it to farms, playing catch-up using traditional vaccines could take too long to contain an outbreak. </p>
<h2>Advantages of animal mRNA vaccines</h2>
<p>All cells use <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-mrna-the-messenger-molecule-thats-been-in-every-living-cell-for-billions-of-years-is-the-key-ingredient-in-some-covid-19-vaccines-158511">mRNA, which contains the instructions</a> to make the proteins needed to carry out specific functions. The mRNA used in vaccines encode instructions to make a protein from a pathogen of interest that immune cells learn to recognize and attack. This process builds <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-long-does-protective-immunity-against-covid-19-last-after-infection-or-vaccination-two-immunologists-explain-177309">immunological memory</a>, so that when a pathogen carrying that same protein enters the body, the immune system will be ready to mount a quick and strong response against it.</p>
<p>Compared to traditional vaccines, mRNA vaccines have several advantages that make them ideal for protecting people and farm animals from both emerging and persistent diseases.</p>
<p>Unlike killed or subunit vaccines, mRNA vaccines increase the buildup of vaccine proteins in cells over time and train the immune system using conditions that look more like a viral infection. Like live attenuated vaccines, this process fosters the development of <a href="https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/what-makes-an-mrna-vaccine-so-effective-against-severe-covid-19/">strong immune responses</a> that may build better protection. In contrast to live attenuated viruses, mRNA vaccines cannot revert to a pathogenic form or mix with circulating pathogens. Furthermore, once the genetic sequence of a pathogen of interest is known, mRNA vaccines can be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moderna-designed-coronavirus-vaccine-in-2-days-2020-11/">produced rather quickly</a>.</p>
<p>The mRNA in vaccines can come in either a form that is structurally similar to what is normally found in the body, like those used in COVID-19 vaccines for people, or in a form that is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41434-020-00204-y?">self-amplifying, called saRNA</a>. Because saRNA allows for higher levels of protein synthesis, researchers think that less mRNA would be needed to generate similar levels of immunity. However, a COVID-19 saRNA vaccine for people developed <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/curevac-covid-19-vaccine-records-only-48-efficacy-final-trial-readout-2021-06-30/#">by biopharmaceutical company CureVac</a> elicited less protection than traditional mRNA approaches.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/veterinary-biologics/product-summaries/Vet-Label-Data/d611b51a-9eca-4d56-9556-dcc61fb96d5f">Merck’s Sequivity</a> is currently the only saRNA vaccine licensed for use in animals, and it is available by prescription to protect against swine flu in pigs.</p>
<h2>Persistance of mRNA vaccine components</h2>
<p>All mRNA vaccines are made in the laboratory using methods that were <a href="https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2021/the-long-history-of-mrna-vaccines">developed decades ago</a>. Only recently has the technology advanced to the point where the body doesn’t immediately reject it by activating the antiviral defenses intrinsic to each of your cells. This rejection would occur before the immune system even had the chance to mount a response.</p>
<p>The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines used in people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.1c00197">mix in modified nucleotides</a> – the building blocks of RNA – with unmodified nucleotides so the mRNA can hide from the intrinsic antiviral sensors of the cell. These modified nucleotides are what allow the mRNA to persist in the body’s cells <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-covid-vaccines-dont-stay-in-your-body-for-years-169247">for a few days</a> rather than <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-2836(73)90119-8">just a few hours</a> like natural mRNAs.</p>
<p>New methods of delivering the vaccine using <a href="https://theconversation.com/nanoparticles-are-the-future-of-medicine-researchers-are-experimenting-with-new-ways-to-design-tiny-particle-treatments-for-cancer-180009">lipid nanoparticles</a> also ensure the mRNA isn’t degraded before it has a chance to enter cells and start making proteins.</p>
<p>Despite this stability, mRNA vaccines do not last long enough within animals after injection for any component of the vaccine to end up on grocery store shelves. Unlike for human vaccines, animal vaccine manufacturers must determine the <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/vet_biologics/publications/pel_4_9.pdf">withdrawal period</a> in order to obtain USDA approval. This means any component of a vaccine cannot be found in the animal prior to milking or slaughter. Given the short lifespan of some of the agriculture animals and intensive milking schedules, withdrawal periods often need to be very short.</p>
<p>Between the mandatory vaccine withdrawal period, flash pasteurization for milk, degradation on the shelf and the cooking process for food products, there could not be any residual vaccine left for humans to consume. Even if you were to consume residual mRNA molecules, your gastrointestinal tract will <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matt.2021.12.022">rapidly degrade them</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525996/original/file-20230512-24902-28dwi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Dairy cows lined up for milking" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525996/original/file-20230512-24902-28dwi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525996/original/file-20230512-24902-28dwi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525996/original/file-20230512-24902-28dwi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525996/original/file-20230512-24902-28dwi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525996/original/file-20230512-24902-28dwi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525996/original/file-20230512-24902-28dwi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525996/original/file-20230512-24902-28dwi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Withdrawal periods are intended to ensure no component of the vaccine is present in the animal’s body before milking or slaughter.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/dairy-cows-ready-for-milking-royalty-free-image/1267197465">kolderal/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>Several mRNA vaccines for use in animals <a href="https://portal.nifa.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/1027610-novel-mrna-vaccine-technology-for-prevention-of-bovine-respiratory-syncytial-virus.html">are in</a> <a href="https://www.genengnews.com/topics/drug-discovery/bayer-partners-with-biontech-to-develop-mrna-vaccines-drugs-for-animal-health/">early stages</a> <a href="https://www.porkbusiness.com/news/industry/genvax-technologies-secures-65-million-advance-novel-vaccine-platform">of development</a>. Merck’s USDA-licensed Sequivity does not use the modified nucleotides or lipid nanoparticles that allow those vaccine components to circulate for slightly longer periods in the body, so long-term persistence is unlikely.</p>
<p>Like in people, animal vaccines are <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/vet_biologics/publications/memo_800_202.pdf">tested for their safety and effectiveness</a> in clinical trials. Approval for use from the <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/veterinary-biologics/CT_Vb_licensed_products">USDA Center for Vaccine Biologics</a> requires a modest level of protection against infection or disease symptoms. As with all animal vaccines, future mRNA vaccines will also need to be fully cleared from the animal’s body before they can be used in animals for human consumption.</p>
<h2>mRNA vaccines for more farm animals</h2>
<p>Whether mRNA vaccines will displace other vaccine types for livestock is yet to be determined. The <a href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/how-much-could-covid-19-vaccines-cost-the-u-s-after-commercialization/">cost of manufacturing these vaccines</a>, their need to <a href="https://www.vox.com/21552934/moderna-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-biontech-coronavirus-cold-chain">kept very cold and warm up before use</a> to avoid degradation, and the efficacy of different types of mRNA vaccines all still need to be addressed before large-scale use can take place. </p>
<p>Traditional vaccines for food animals have <a href="https://pressbooks.umn.edu/vetprevmed/chapter/chapter-4-vaccines-and-vaccinations-production/">protected them against many diseases</a>. Limiting the use of mRNA vaccines right now would mean losing a new way to protect animals from pesky pathogens that current vaccines can’t fend off.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204774/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Verhoeven received funding from Merck and USDA. Those funding are now expired.</span></em></p>While mRNA vaccines are designed to last longer in the body than mRNA molecules typically would, they are also tested to ensure they are eliminated from livestock long before milking or slaughter.David Verhoeven, Assistant Professor of Vet Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2055482023-05-15T12:33:24Z2023-05-15T12:33:24ZSupreme Court’s ruling on humane treatment of pigs could catalyze a wave of new animal welfare laws<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525957/original/file-20230512-22-a35zgz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=18%2C12%2C4071%2C3053&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sows in gestation crates at a breeding facility in Waverly, Va.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Gestation_crates_2.jpg/4096px-Gestation_crates_2.jpg">Humane Society of the U.S./Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Should California be able to require higher welfare standards for farm animals raised in other states if products from those animals are to be sold in California? On May 11, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld California’s position by a 5-4 vote in <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-468_5if6.pdf">National Pork Producers Council v. Ross</a>. </p>
<p>While the ruling was fractured and reflected complex legal questions, it is a major victory for those working to improve farm animal welfare. A number of states will undoubtedly take advantage of the power that the Supreme Court has recognized. </p>
<p>As a <a href="https://www.law.msu.edu/faculty_staff/profile.php?prof=12">specialist in animal law</a>, I expect that this will result in a patchwork of laws that are likely to make national meat producers very uncomfortable. Ultimately, it could push Congress to set federal standards.</p>
<h2>More indoor space for sows</h2>
<p>Pork producers sued California over a law that the state’s voters <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_12,_Farm_Animal_Confinement_Initiative_(2018)">adopted in 2018</a> via ballot initiative with over 63% approval. It set new conditions for raising hogs, veal calves and egg-laying chickens whose meat or eggs are sold in California. The state produces virtually no pork, but represents <a href="https://nppc.org/ca-prop-12/">about 15% of the U.S. pork market</a>. </p>
<p>At <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-15/pork-prices-are-a-key-issue-in-debate-over-gestation-crates?sref=Hjm5biAW">most commercial hog farms</a>, pregnant sows are kept in pens called gestation crates that measure about 2 feet by 7 feet – enough room for the animals to sit, stand and lie down, but <a href="http://animalwelfare.ucdavis.edu/uploads/6/3/7/0/63703691/prop_12_faq_swine.pdf">not enough to turn around</a>. California’s law requires that each sow must have <a href="https://law.justia.com/codes/california/2010/hsc/25990-25994.html#:%7E:text=25990.,(b)%20Turning%20around%20freely.">at least 24 square feet of floor space</a> – nearly double the amount that most now get. It does not require farmers to raise free-range pigs; just provide more square footage for hogs in buildings. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Pork producers in Iowa, which produces about one-third of all hogs raised in the U.S., react to the Supreme Court ruling upholding the California law.</span></figcaption>
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<p>The <a href="https://nppc.org/">National Pork Producers Council</a> argued that this requirement <a href="https://nppc.org/ca-prop-12/">imposed heavy compliance costs</a> on farmers across the U.S., since large hog farms may house <a href="https://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/reproduction/does-farm-size-matter-swine-production">thousands of sows</a>, and that it restricted interstate commerce. The Constitution’s commerce clause delegates authority to regulate interstate commerce <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/commerce_clause">to the federal government</a>. In a series of cases over the past 50 years, the Supreme Court has made clear that it will strike down any state law that seeks to control commerce in another state or <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2006/05-1345">give preference to in-state commerce</a>. </p>
<h2>States control farm animal welfare</h2>
<p>Congress has remained mute on standards for handling farm animals, which are <a href="https://www.nal.usda.gov/animal-health-and-welfare/animal-welfare-act">not covered under the 1966 Animal Welfare Act</a>. Consequently, each state regulates this issue within its borders. </p>
<p>For example, in recent years, nine states have <a href="https://blog.humanesociety.org/2021/06/breaking-nevada-becomes-ninth-state-to-ban-cages-for-egg-laying-hens.html">outlawed housing egg-laying chickens in “battery cages</a>” that have been the industry standard for decades. These wire enclosures are so small that <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/08/15/weekinreview/15marsh-grfk.html">the birds cannot spread their wings</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Shelves lined with small wire cages, each holding multiple chickens." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Chickens in battery cages on an Iowa poultry farm.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/ChinaChickenTrade/d5d0a3185fab492b8d39486d57e0ed4a/photo">AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall</a></span>
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<p>And <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=103505">nine states in addition to California</a> have adopted laws requiring pork producers to phase out gestation crates. Massachusetts’ law, like California’s, would also apply to retail sales of pork raised elsewhere, but <a href="https://www.foodqualityandsafety.com/article/court-orders-delay-of-massachusetts-pork-production-law/">its enforcement has been on hold</a> pending the Supreme Court’s ruling in the California case.</p>
<h2>California’s market power</h2>
<p>The California law says that if producers want to sell pork in California, they must raise pigs under conditions that comply with the state’s regulations. Farmers do not have to meet these standards unless they want to sell in California. The same requirement is applied to producers located in California and those based elsewhere, so the law does not directly discriminate between states in a way that would constitute a clear commerce clause violation.</p>
<p>Producers of <a href="https://www.poultryworld.net/poultry/cage-free-us-egg-industry-sooner-rather-than-later/">eggs</a> and <a href="https://www.agupdate.com/missourifarmertoday/news/livestock/builder-sees-producers-adapting-to-prop-12/article_f2c43598-ed80-11ec-a8bc-af01d15c519d.html">veal</a> that sell in California are on track to implement new space requirements for their animals under the law. But instead of working out how to comply, the pork industry sought to have the courts set the California law aside.</p>
<p>However, as the Supreme Court noted, major producers, including <a href="https://www.hormelfoods.com/newsroom/news/hormel-foods-company-information-about-california-proposition-12/">Hormel</a> and <a href="https://s22.q4cdn.com/104708849/files/doc_financials/2021/q3/08-11-21_Tyson-Foods-080921.pdf">Tyson</a>, have said they will be able to comply with the California standard. Niman Ranch, a network of family farmers and ranchers who raise livestock humanely and sustainably, filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/21/21-468/233498/20220815141539359_21-468_Amicus%20Brief.pdf">supporting California</a>. </p>
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<h2>A fractured verdict</h2>
<p>In rejecting the pork industry’s position, justices in the majority disagreed as to why the California law should be upheld. Some held that pork producers had not proved that the law would substantially interfere with interstate commerce. Others argued that regardless of the degree of interference, it was inappropriate to ask courts to balance compliance costs for the industry against California voters’ moral concerns about animal welfare. </p>
<p>“While the Constitution addresses many weighty issues,” Justice Neil Gorsuch <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-468_5if6.pdf">wrote for the majority</a>, “the type of pork chops California merchants may sell is not on that list.” Justices Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett largely supported Gorsuch’s opinion. </p>
<p>Similarly, dissenting justices differed as to why the California law posed a constitutional problem. Justices John Roberts, Samuel Alito and Ketanji Brown Jackson asserted that the substantial interference requirement had been met, and they would have remanded the case back to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Only Justice Brett Kavanaugh held that the California law should be held void because the positive animal welfare outcomes were not substantial enough to overcome the increased cost it imposed on pork producers. </p>
<h2>Beyond pork</h2>
<p>Farmers and animal welfare advocates understand that with this win, states with the most progressive animal welfare policies – primarily West Coast and Northeast states – will be able to effectively set national standards for the well-being of many agricultural animals, including chickens, dairy cows and cattle. Conceivably, California might also be able to require basic conditions for human labor, such as minimum wage standards, associated with products sold in California.</p>
<p>I expect that within five years, Congress will enact national legislation on farm animal welfare issues that will preempt differing state laws. It is impossible to predict now whether a new national law would improve animal welfare or adopt existing poor welfare practices – but California’s win represents a major victory for advocates who have sought for years to improve conditions for farm animals across the U.S.</p>
<p><em>This is an update of an <a href="https://theconversation.com/supreme-court-grapples-with-animal-welfare-in-a-challenge-to-a-california-law-requiring-pork-to-be-humanely-raised-187893">article</a> originally published October 4, 2022.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205548/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Favre was a founding board member of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.</span></em></p>The Supreme Court has upheld a controversial California law requiring pork sold in-state to be humanely raised, no matter where it’s produced. Pork producers say it could drive up food prices.David Favre, Professor of Law, Michigan State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1878932022-10-04T12:25:06Z2022-10-04T12:25:06ZSupreme Court grapples with animal welfare in a challenge to a California law requiring pork to be humanely raised<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486884/original/file-20220927-14-49sf36.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=26%2C5%2C3557%2C2364&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pig farming may evoke images like this, but the reality for most commercial pork production is very different.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/different-coloured-piglets-looking-into-the-camera-royalty-free-image/1055964804">linephoto via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Should Californians be able to require higher welfare standards for farm animals that are raised in other states if products from those animals are to be sold in California? The U.S. Supreme Court will confront that question when it hears oral argument in <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2022/21-468">National Pork Producers Council v. Ross</a> on Oct. 11, 2022.</p>
<p>Pork producers are challenging a law that California voters <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_12,_Farm_Animal_Confinement_Initiative_(2018)">adopted in 2018</a> via ballot initiative with over 63% approval. It set new conditions for raising hogs, veal calves and egg-laying chickens, whose meat or eggs are sold in California. The state represents <a href="https://nppc.org/ca-prop-12/">about 15% of the U.S. pork market</a>. </p>
<p>At most commercial hog farms, pregnant sows are kept in “gestation crates” that measure 2 feet by 7 feet – enough room for the animals to <a href="http://animalwelfare.ucdavis.edu/uploads/6/3/7/0/63703691/prop_12_faq_swine.pdf">sit, stand and lie down, but not enough to turn around</a>. California’s law requires that each sow must have <a href="https://law.justia.com/codes/california/2010/hsc/25990-25994.html#:%7E:text=25990.,(b)%20Turning%20around%20freely.">at least 24 square feet of floor space</a> – nearly double the amount that most now get. It does not require farmers to raise free-range pigs, just to provide more square feet when they keep hogs in buildings. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I_rCRgCcjW8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Pork farmers say gestation crates keep pregnant sows from fighting, but animal welfare advocates call the devices inhumane.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://nppc.org/">National Pork Producers Council</a> argues that this requirement <a href="https://nppc.org/ca-prop-12/">imposes heavy compliance costs</a> on farmers across the U.S., since large hog farms may house <a href="https://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/reproduction/does-farm-size-matter-swine-production">thousands of sows</a> and that it restricts interstate commerce. The Constitution’s commerce clause <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/commerce_clause">delegates authority to regulate interstate commerce to the federal government</a>. In a series of cases over the past 50 years, the Supreme Court has made clear that it will strike down any state law that seeks to <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2006/05-1345">control commerce in another state or give preference to in-state commerce</a>. </p>
<p>Farmers and animal welfare advocates understand that if California wins, states with the most progressive animal welfare policies – primarily West Coast and Northeast states – will be able to effectively set national standards for the well-being of many agricultural animals, including chickens, dairy and cattle. Conceivably, California might also be able to require basic conditions for human labor, such as minimum wage standards, associated with products sold in California.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=103505">Nine other states</a> have already adopted laws requiring pork producers to phase out gestation crates. Massachusetts’s law would also apply to retail sales of pork raised elsewhere, like California’s, but <a href="https://www.foodqualityandsafety.com/article/court-orders-delay-of-massachusetts-pork-production-law/">its enforcement is on hold</a> pending the Supreme Court’s ruling in the California case.</p>
<h2>States control farm animal welfare</h2>
<p>The main federal law that regulates living conditions for animals is the <a href="https://www.nal.usda.gov/animal-health-and-welfare/animal-welfare-act">Animal Welfare Act</a>, which was signed into law in 1966. Among other things, it requires the Department of Agriculture to adopt humane regulations for the keeping of animals that are exhibited in zoos and circuses or sold as pets. However, farm animals are <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalwelfare/sa_awa">explicitly exempted from the definition of “animal</a>.” </p>
<p>While the federal government is mute on farm animal welfare, each state clearly has the power to regulate this issue within its borders. For example, in recent years, nine states have <a href="https://blog.humanesociety.org/2021/06/breaking-nevada-becomes-ninth-state-to-ban-cages-for-egg-laying-hens.html">outlawed housing egg-laying chickens in “battery cages</a>” that have been the industry standard for decades. These wire enclosures are so small that <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/08/15/weekinreview/15marsh-grfk.html">the birds cannot spread their wings</a>. </p>
<p>Since many states still permit battery cages, egg-laying chickens’ quality of life depends on the state in which they reside. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Shelves lined with small wire cages, each holding multiple chickens." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486883/original/file-20220927-12-nldpmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Chickens in battery cages on an Iowa poultry farm.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/ChinaChickenTrade/d5d0a3185fab492b8d39486d57e0ed4a/photo">AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is also clear that the state of California has no power to adopt laws that are binding on the farmers of other states. This case falls between those two points – here’s how:</p>
<h2>California’s market power</h2>
<p>The California law says that if producers want to sell pork in California, they must raise pigs under conditions that comply with the state’s regulations. Farmers do not have to meet these standards unless they want to sell in California. The same requirement is applied to producers located in California and those based elsewhere, so the law does not directly discriminate between states in a way that would constitute a clear commerce clause violation.</p>
<p>Producers of <a href="https://www.poultryworld.net/poultry/cage-free-us-egg-industry-sooner-rather-than-later/">eggs</a> and <a href="https://www.agupdate.com/missourifarmertoday/news/livestock/builder-sees-producers-adapting-to-prop-12/article_f2c43598-ed80-11ec-a8bc-af01d15c519d.html">veal</a> who sell in California are on track to implement new space requirements for their animals under the law. In my view, however, much of the pork industry appears to be in denial. Instead of working out how to comply, the National Pork Producers Council wants the courts to set the California law aside.</p>
<p>Even as this case moves forward, however, major producers including <a href="https://www.hormelfoods.com/newsroom/news/hormel-foods-company-information-about-california-proposition-12/">Hormel</a> and <a href="https://s22.q4cdn.com/104708849/files/doc_financials/2021/q3/08-11-21_Tyson-Foods-080921.pdf">Tyson</a> have said they will be able to comply with the California standard. Niman Ranch, a network of family farmers and ranchers who raise livestock humanely and sustainably, has <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/21/21-468/233498/20220815141539359_21-468_Amicus%20Brief.pdf">filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court supporting California</a>.</p>
<p>Admittedly, pork farmers have invested millions of dollars in their existing facilities, and the system efficiently produces <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/animal-products/hogs-pork/sector-at-a-glance/">huge quantities of cheap pork</a>. But Californians have taken the position that this output comes at an ethically unacceptable cost to animals in the system. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1559304806526763009"}"></div></p>
<h2>Weighing ethics against compliance costs</h2>
<p>In considering this case, the Supreme Court will confront two questions. First, does California’s requirement constitute a burden on interstate commerce? A U.S. District Court in California held that <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2022/21-468">the answer was no</a>, and the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed this ruling. </p>
<p>There is no magical formula for what constitutes a burden on interstate commerce, so it is impossible to know in advance what the Supreme Court will say about this point of the case. The present court has not addressed this issue.</p>
<p>If the court should decide that the California law does restrict interstate commerce, it then must consider whether the measure meets the “Pike test,” which was set forth in the 1970 ruling <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1969/301">Pike v. Bruce Church, Inc.</a>. In this case, the court held that a state law that “regulates even-handedly” must be upheld unless the burden that the law imposes on interstate commerce “is clearly excessive in relation to the putative local benefits.” Put another way, is Californians’ social interest in better welfare for pigs substantially outweighed by the economic cost to producers? </p>
<p>In another 2010 ruling, <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2009/08-769">United States v. Stevens</a>, the court acknowledged that “the prohibition of animal cruelty itself has a long history in American law, starting with the early settlement of the Colonies.” However, the court concluded that depictions of animal cruelty – the plaintiff had been convicted for producing and distributing dogfighting videos – qualified as protected speech under the First Amendment and that this protection outweighed society’s interest in promoting animal welfare.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kw0FeKLhKAA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">This video from the Rodale Institute, a nonprofit that conducts research, training and consumer education on organic agriculture, compares raising pigs on pasture to the large-scale confined model that dominates the pork industry.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Is a national standard in the cards?</h2>
<p>Many animal welfare questions involve striking this kind of balance between ethical positions and economic consequences in a political context. It is like mixing oil and water, which makes predictions difficult. </p>
<p>The biggest unknown is what views the newest Supreme Court justices will bring to this case. Only four current justices – John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor – were members of the court when it ruled on the Stevens case in 2010. Will today’s court support California’s right to regulate products sold within its borders, or meat corporations’ economic arguments? How many justices will see farm animal welfare as an important public concern? </p>
<p>I expect that the court will uphold the California law – and that if this happens, within five years livestock producers will be proposing national legislation setting uniform welfare standards for farm animals. It is impossible to predict now whether a national law would improve animal welfare or adopt existing poor welfare practices.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187893/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Favre does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Pork producers are challenging a California law that animal welfare advocates call the most important measure for farm animal protection in decades.David Favre, Professor of Law at Michigan State University College of Law, Michigan State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1788672022-03-15T14:33:03Z2022-03-15T14:33:03ZThe war in Ukraine is powerfully magnifying our love for animals<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451948/original/file-20220314-21-1t1sdsx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C24%2C4031%2C2655&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A woman who was evacuated from Irpin cries kissing a cat wrapped in a blanket at a triage point in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 11, 2022. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A little girl huddles in a bunker, stroking <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-05/life-in-a-kyiv-bunker-in-ukraine-amid-russia-invasion/100883742">her dog</a>.</p>
<p>From amid the rubble, blood-stained and shell-shocked people emerge, clutching their pets. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A woman in a parka carries a small orange dog in front of the rubble of a bombed building." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451966/original/file-20220314-24-1tjrg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451966/original/file-20220314-24-1tjrg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451966/original/file-20220314-24-1tjrg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451966/original/file-20220314-24-1tjrg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451966/original/file-20220314-24-1tjrg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451966/original/file-20220314-24-1tjrg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451966/original/file-20220314-24-1tjrg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A woman holding a small dog walks in front of an apartment in a block which was destroyed by an artillery strike in Kyiv on March 14, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A man fleeing a bombed apartment building carries <a href="https://twitter.com/franakviacorka/status/1497540915539460096">a cat and a goldfish</a>. Some people <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-student-refuses-leave-without-pet-dog-1683127">refuse to leave Ukraine without their animals</a>. </p>
<p>War exposes many truths, the brutal and the valiant. The war in Ukraine is powerfully and painfully magnifying the interconnectedness of human and animal lives, and, mercifully, our unrelenting commitment to acting with love, even in the face of lethal danger.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1502001832926892042"}"></div></p>
<p>Domesticated animals are affected by almost every human decision and those involving violence most of all, whether they’re <a href="https://weanimalsmedia.org/about/what-is-animal-photojournalism/">hidden in factory farms</a> or captured by the lenses of photographers and broadcast globally. </p>
<p>Animals are <a href="https://doi.org/10.2752/089279391787057189">always affected by war.</a> Millions of <a href="https://www.thebrooke.org/get-involved/every-horse-remembered/war-horse-facts">horses and donkeys</a> were taken from the farms of poor people to the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/04/world-war-i-in-photos-animals-at-war/507320/">carnage-filled fronts of the First World War</a> <a href="https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/ghj/vol17/iss1/7/">and pigeons</a> were strapped with messages. </p>
<p>Even to this day, military working dogs are either <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/hero-military-dog-saved-unit-afghanistan-chance/story?id=35419992">celebrated as heroes</a> or <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/news/combat-dogs.html?firefox=1">unceremoniously euthanized</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A line of horses and riders in a black and white photograph." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451950/original/file-20220314-21-11jt0cv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451950/original/file-20220314-21-11jt0cv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451950/original/file-20220314-21-11jt0cv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451950/original/file-20220314-21-11jt0cv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451950/original/file-20220314-21-11jt0cv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451950/original/file-20220314-21-11jt0cv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451950/original/file-20220314-21-11jt0cv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">First World War Canadian field ambulance horses in July 1916 at an unknown location.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(National Archives of Canada)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Animals suffer along with people</h2>
<p>In all places where violence is a persistent poison or a swift eruption, animals suffer alongside human victims. Animals have <a href="https://www.economist.com/news/essays/21676961-inner-lives-animals-are-hard-study-there-evidence-they-may-be-lot-richer-science-once-thought">rich intellectual</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2013/05/27/185815445/questions-for-barbara-j-king-author-of-how-animals-grieve">and emotional</a> lives that we are <a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/Are-We-Smart-Enough-to-Know-How-Smart-Animals-Are/">slowly beginning to recognize</a>. </p>
<p>In Ukraine, they are exhibiting feelings <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/06/ukraine-kyiv-russia-zoo/">of intense fear</a>, pain and confusion. They apparently don’t understand why their worlds are being turned upside down.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man pats an elephant whose trunk points to the ceiling in a cavernous room." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449335/original/file-20220301-25-1pkzlja.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449335/original/file-20220301-25-1pkzlja.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449335/original/file-20220301-25-1pkzlja.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449335/original/file-20220301-25-1pkzlja.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449335/original/file-20220301-25-1pkzlja.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449335/original/file-20220301-25-1pkzlja.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449335/original/file-20220301-25-1pkzlja.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An animal keeper comforts an anxious elephant at the Kiev Zoo in Kyiv, Ukraine, as a large convoy of Russian tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A woman named Alisa fled Kyiv on foot with her mother, sister, children and two dogs — including an elderly German Shepherd named Pulya — and shared her experience with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/08/ukraine-russia-crisis-border"><em>The Guardian</em></a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“My dog is 12 and a half and she struggled to walk and fell down every kilometre or so and couldn’t stand up again. I stopped cars and asked for help but everyone refused; they advised us to leave the dogs. But our dogs are part of our family. My dog has experienced all the happy and sad moments with us. Mum’s dog is all she has left of her former life. So my husband, at times, carried our dog on his shoulders.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1501954291971416065"}"></div></p>
<p>My own family includes rescued German Shepherds, and the images of this 80-pound, grey-muzzled dog being carried to Poland so she would survive gripped my heart. We would do the same for our dogs. We won’t have to, and for that we are deeply grateful. But no one should have to. </p>
<p>Some horses <a href="https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2022/03/07/borders-horses-evacuated-ukraine/">are also being evacuated</a> from Ukraine, and others are being <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=5120758904649562&id=100001465099215">released by hopeful people</a> who believe the animals have the best chance of surviving on their own.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two horses pull a cart with a doctor sitting in straw with her medical bag." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451977/original/file-20220314-131609-izai5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451977/original/file-20220314-131609-izai5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451977/original/file-20220314-131609-izai5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451977/original/file-20220314-131609-izai5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451977/original/file-20220314-131609-izai5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451977/original/file-20220314-131609-izai5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451977/original/file-20220314-131609-izai5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A doctor rides an old-fashioned horse-driven cart to visit a patient with COVID-19 in Verhovyna village in western Ukraine in January 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Horses are similarly let loose when natural disasters, like forest forest, <a href="https://www.kpbs.org/news/public-safety/2017/12/07/several-horses-killed-hundreds-let-loose-amid-fast">tear through landscapes</a>. We can anticipate and prepare for some emergencies. Others, like sudden invasions, we cannot as easily plan for — but we can respond in kind.</p>
<h2>World sending help to animals</h2>
<p>The world is responding. Neighbouring countries are <a href="https://www.vettimes.co.uk/news/ukraines-eu-neighbours-waive-pet-restrictions-amid-war-exodus/">allowing animals to enter</a> with migrants — some, shamefully, more quickly than they’re admitting <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/01/world/europe/ukraine-refugee-discrimination.html?searchResultPosition=3">racialized people</a>. Shelters and veterinarians are <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/12/world/animals-pets-rescued-ukraine/index.html">providing urgent care</a>. Organizations globally are developing plans to accept the <a href="https://journalmetro.com/actualites/montreal/2786878/des-animaux-ukrainiens-refugies-a-montreal/">animals of refugees</a> from Ukraine and beyond.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An elderly woman sits in a wheelchair surrounded by 12 small shaggy dogs." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451955/original/file-20220314-99009-ywmqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451955/original/file-20220314-99009-ywmqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451955/original/file-20220314-99009-ywmqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451955/original/file-20220314-99009-ywmqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451955/original/file-20220314-99009-ywmqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451955/original/file-20220314-99009-ywmqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451955/original/file-20220314-99009-ywmqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Antonina, 84, sits in a wheelchair after being evacuated along with her 12 dogs from Irpin, at a triage point in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 11, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some terrified animals have been <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/kyiv-zoo-ukraine-russia-animal-rescue-b2028186.html">transported from zoos</a> to immediate safety. Non-profits from <a href="https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/news/how-you-can-support-animal-protection-organisations-ukraine">across Europe</a> and <a href="https://www.ifaw.org/eu/news/emergency-aid-ukraine">around the world</a> are sending supplies and veterinarians. They need support.</p>
<p>The real extent of the damage remains to be seen, but the effects will be wide-reaching. As farms and shelters run out of food, water and workers, or lose electricity, untold numbers of animals will suffer and die, quickly or very slowly. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-commission-warns-of-major-food-and-farming-impact-of-russia-ukraine-war/">We are all connected</a>, within and across borders, within and across species. Ukrainians who remain and are defending the lives of others demonstrate profound bravery that resides deep in the human spirit.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman carries a husky with other people in a line behind her." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451980/original/file-20220314-131692-klya4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451980/original/file-20220314-131692-klya4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451980/original/file-20220314-131692-klya4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451980/original/file-20220314-131692-klya4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451980/original/file-20220314-131692-klya4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451980/original/file-20220314-131692-klya4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451980/original/file-20220314-131692-klya4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A woman holds a dog while crossing the Irpin River on an improvised path under a bridge as people flee the town of Irpin, Ukraine, on March 5, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8661361/volunteer-death-kyiv-ukraine/">Anastasiia Yalanskaya</a>, a 26-year-old woman who refused to leave Kyiv, was killed while delivering food to an animal shelter that had been without food for three days. Another animal advocate, <a href="https://www.pressreader.com/uk/daily-express/20220312/281702618187567">Natasha Derkach</a>, was killed as she worked to save animals in Dnipro, a city under siege from heavy shelling. </p>
<p>There are many more victims. Ukrainians are losing their lives defending animals. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1501326796452728841"}"></div></p>
<h2>Confronting abuse</h2>
<p>Ukraine has been creating a more humane society in many ways. Nature Watch has been working in partnership with Ukrainian organizations <a href="https://naturewatch.org/campaigns/ukraine-animal-welfare/">to confront abuse and foster a culture of care for animals.</a></p>
<p>A week before the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, I was contacted by a colleague to assist a Ukrainian city hoping to create the country’s first animal cruelty unit. My colleague later received a <a href="https://twitter.com/hi_sight/status/1497887185411792897">powerful message from an animal advocate</a> inside Ukraine who was afraid they might never speak again.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman kisses an orange cat." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A woman plays with her cat after fleeing Ukraine and arriving at the train station in Przemysl, Poland, on March 8, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Daniel Cole)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This war has laid bare the violence of abusive men who terrorize people and animals. It has demonstrated what losing your freedom really looks like.</p>
<p>But the dedication Ukrainian people have shown to animals reveals that even in the most dangerous times, the human capacity for cruelty is rivalled only by our ability to be courageous and compassionate. We can be more than simply human. We can be truly humane.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/178867/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kendra Coulter receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. She is a fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, and a member of the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists, and the Canadian Violence Link Coalition's Strategic Planning Committee. </span></em></p>This war has powerfully and painfully magnified the connections among human and animal lives, and our unrelenting commitment to love in the face of darkness.Kendra Coulter, Chancellor's Chair for Research Excellence and Associate Professor in the Department of Labour Studies, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1727802021-12-02T14:22:50Z2021-12-02T14:22:50ZSwapping probiotics for antibiotics: how it could be a game changer for chickens, and us<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434375/original/file-20211129-25-2tx0tw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Even chickens need strong, healthy gut microbiomes.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Moonborne/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In 1928, microbiologist Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin was <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1945/fleming/biographical/">hailed as a scientific breakthrough</a>. In the nearly 100 years since then, scientists have discovered numerous other antibiotics that have saved billions of lives.</p>
<p>However, bacteria have become <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/about.html">increasingly resistant</a> to these treatments. There are two reasons for this: the overuse and misuse of antibiotics by humans, and the introduction of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666517421000110">antibiotics to agriculture</a>.</p>
<p>During 2021’s <a href="https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-antimicrobial-awareness-week/2021">World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week</a>, the World Health Organisation (WHO) repeated a warning it had issued before: antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels globally. Globally <a href="https://theconversation.com/antibiotic-resistance-is-at-a-crisis-point-government-support-for-academia-and-big-pharma-to-find-new-drugs-could-help-defeat-superbugs-169443">it is estimated</a> that antibiotic-resistant bacteria kill between 700,000 and several million people every year.</p>
<p>Resistance to antibiotics leads to a situation in which previously treatable infections are becoming harder – and sometimes impossible – to treat. Without urgent action, the world is heading for a post-antibiotic era. Common bacterial infections could once again become frequent killers.</p>
<p>One way to address this crisis is to cut back on the unnecessary use of antibiotics. Some countries are doing this by banning the inclusion of antibiotics in animal feed as growth promoters. This is because when humans consume meat or chicken, we ingest not only the antibiotics added to animal feed, but also antibiotic resistant bacteria. </p>
<p>A 2018 <a href="http://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/273128">joint report</a> by the WHO, Food and Agriculture organisation and World Organisation for Animal Health found that only 42% of countries have limited their use as growth promoters. Most are in Europe; only a fraction of countries in Africa and the Americas have taken these steps. The agricultural sector desperately needs alternatives to maintain animal health without detrimental consequences to human health.</p>
<p>The term “antibiotic growth promoter” describes the administration of antibiotics at a low, sub therapeutic dose as a preventative measure. It’s not entirely clear why antibiotics influence livestock growth. However, research suggests that they possibly promote growth by depressing the growth of microbes that are toxic or that steal nutrients from the host, leading to increased nutrition utilisation and reducing the energy that must be invested in maintaining immune responses.</p>
<p>One alternative to this is the use of probiotics, rather than antibiotics, in animal feed. I am a microbiologist and have developed a probiotic for chickens. Most probiotics on the market are not developed for a specific host; ours is developed specifically for chickens and contains multiple bacterial strains, which each target different areas of the gut to strive for complete gut protection. </p>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12602-020-09640-z">My research</a> shows that the probiotic has numerous beneficial characteristics – both for chickens and the humans who will ultimately eat them. The probiotic decreases the presence of pathogens in the animal’s gut and can be used safely on a daily basis.</p>
<h2>What are probiotics?</h2>
<p>Probiotics are health-promoting bacteria that naturally occur in the intestine of any animal with a gut. They have a mutually beneficial relationship with the host. A large body of research <a href="https://www.longdom.org/open-access/the-use-of-probiotics-in-animal-nutrition-2329-8901-1000132.pdf">has shown</a> that probiotics may <a href="https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/39589">improve animal health and growth performance</a>. They do so by modulating nutrition and digestion, changing the microbial composition in the intestine, and by stimulating the immune system. </p>
<p>Some probiotic strains also produce vitamins and regulate cholesterol blood levels. They also produce antioxidants – substances that protect your cells against free radicals – and regulate energy production.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/antibiotic-resistance-is-at-a-crisis-point-government-support-for-academia-and-big-pharma-to-find-new-drugs-could-help-defeat-superbugs-169443">Antibiotic resistance is at a crisis point – government support for academia and Big Pharma to find new drugs could help defeat superbugs</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A chicken’s intestine, like a human’s, is home to a complex microbial ecosystem, the microbiome. It consists of trillions of microorganisms living in symbiosis with the host. These interactions are important for development, health, nutrition, and digestion. </p>
<p>Changes in the microbiome composition can be disruptive and lead to the emergence of pathogenic (harmful) microorganisms. Probiotics can prevent these disturbances by inhibiting the growth of pathogens and restoring the microbiome composition to a natural state. Probiotics can also prime the immune system to recognise pathogens in the gut.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/probiotics-what-they-are-and-how-you-might-benefit-from-them-121587">Probiotics: What they are and how you might benefit from them</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man in a white lab coat, shorts and boots, poses alongside a small flock of chickens." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434374/original/file-20211129-23-1shpsmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434374/original/file-20211129-23-1shpsmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434374/original/file-20211129-23-1shpsmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434374/original/file-20211129-23-1shpsmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434374/original/file-20211129-23-1shpsmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=637&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434374/original/file-20211129-23-1shpsmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=637&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434374/original/file-20211129-23-1shpsmi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=637&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The author with some of his probiotic testers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stellenbosch University</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We developed a probiotic for chickens because they are <a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/58ae71f58fd7418294f34c4f841895d8">the most farmed animal</a> in the world. There are <a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/58ae71f58fd7418294f34c4f841895d8">about 135 chickens for every cow</a>, and three for every human. </p>
<p>The first step in developing a chicken probiotic was to obtain the guts of 25 free-ranging chickens. Free-range chickens were chosen rather than housing-reared birds because they are exposed to the environment and so acquire a natural gut microbiome. The guts were then mashed into a liquid and plated on several hundred Petri dishes. As you can imagine, the resulting smell made me very unpopular with my colleagues and I had to set up my lab in a separate room.</p>
<p>As soon as bacteria started growing, hundreds of different bacteria were isolated and identified to species level.</p>
<p>The isolates were then screened for various beneficial characteristics. These included ability to survive transit in the gut, ability to colonise the gut, production of enzymes that can assist with digestion, and production of antimicrobial compounds that can inhibit pathogens. After eight months, I identified six beneficial bacterial species. Over the next four years <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-12866-7">I tested the multi-strain probiotic’s safety</a> and its ability to decrease the presence of pathogens in the gut of chickens. </p>
<p>We found that the multi-strain probiotic was safe, increased bird immune responsiveness, and was able to decrease pathogen levels in the gut.</p>
<h2>Environmentally friendly alternatives</h2>
<p>The resulting probiotic, ProbiGal™, is a water based probiotic additive administered in the animals’ drinking water. ProbiGal™ has been extensively tested in intensive rearing settings. It will be launched in South Africa after regulatory approval has been granted by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Thereafter, we plan to launch it in the US and Brazil, two of the world’s <a href="https://www.fao.org/poultry-production-products/production/en/">largest poultry producing countries</a>.</p>
<p>Much more – including an outright global ban of antibiotics in animal feed – remains to be done. But products like these are one step in the right direction: an example of an environmentally friendly alternative that’s good for animals and humans.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172780/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deon Neveling is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Stellenbosch he receives funding from the National Research Foundation and the University Technology Fund. In addition, he is the CEO of Biotikum (Pty) Ltd which develops microbial additives for the agricultural industry to promote sustainable farming.</span></em></p>The probiotic decreases the presence of pathogens in the animal’s gut and can be used safely on a daily basis.Deon Neveling, Postdoctoral researcher, Stellenbosch UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1549932021-02-11T04:01:03Z2021-02-11T04:01:03ZPigs can play video games, scientists discover<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/383583/original/file-20210210-17-1adfwia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Porknite. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-pigs-on-pig-farm-25509904">Anders Moden</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Pigs might not be able to fly, but they can play video games. <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631755/full">In a new study</a>, researchers from Purdue University in Indiana, US have shown that pigs can use a digital screen and joystick, operated by their snout, to move a cursor around for rewards. </p>
<p>This is a complex task. The animals need to understand the link between moving around a joystick and what’s happening on a computer screen, and then link what’s happening on the screen to getting a reward. The four pigs tested were all able to do that to some extent, showing off their smarts. </p>
<p>As the researchers upped the difficulty in the task, sending them to new “levels”, the pigs weren’t ready to compete with the kids in Mario Kart just yet. They couldn’t even compete with the monkeys for which the task was originally designed. This may be because moving around a joystick with your snout is a lot harder than with opposable thumbs, or because the pigs are just not as good at the task as primates. </p>
<h2>High score for Porky</h2>
<p>This new study fits well with what we already know about pigs. They show remarkable intelligence in a number of complex cognitive tasks. They can, for instance, learn to respond <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-019-01262-5">differently to different sounds</a>, and are <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00142">masters at spatial learning tasks</a>. </p>
<p>But there are limits to what they can do. Mirror use, for instance, is not something <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2014.02.016">all pigs can master</a>, and while they can use simple geometric shapes to decide what response to give, recognising other pigs from photographs <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2012.10.018">proves too difficult</a>. This was surprising since other farm animals like <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2001-05649-001">sheep</a> and <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0004441">cattle</a> are able to recognise their sheep and cattle friends on photographs. </p>
<p>But why do we care that pigs can play in the video arcade, or learn to hunt for sweets in spatial learning tasks? After all, they aren’t likely to find an Xbox on the average farm. This study is part of a growing area in animal welfare research, the study of farm animal cognition.</p>
<h2>Farm animal intelligence</h2>
<p>There are three main reasons why we care about how smart farm animals are. Farms are becoming increasingly complex places to live in. Group housing is now the norm in the European Union, meaning pigs need to keep track of social interactions. Farms are also increasingly using automated feeders which the pigs have to operate themselves, and in some farms – mainly organic ones – outdoor access means animals need to be able to navigate more space. </p>
<p>This is all good to combat boredom in farm animals, and undoubtedly improves farmed pigs’ welfare. But it’s important to know just what the capabilities of these animals are, to make sure that they can cope with all of the changes we throw their way.</p>
<p>Secondly, there is the ethical concept of “intrinsic value” – what the value of an animal is just for being a living being. Instead of monetary value as an agricultural product or value to a human as a companion, this is the value it has for being itself, just as a pig, with all of the piggy things it does, such as oinking, rooting for things like truffles, socialising, and natural intelligence. </p>
<p>If these kinds of things are altered by farming practices such as genetic selection programmes and early weaning of piglets from their mothers, that raises ethical questions. Is a more efficient farming system worth the trade-off?</p>
<p>Finally, understanding animal cognition gives us fundamental insight into how animals perceive the world. That understanding can foster more empathy and promote better stewardship of the animals we keep.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sheep-can-recognise-celebrities-from-photographs-says-amusing-study-with-serious-potential-87032">Sheep can recognise celebrities from photographs, says amusing study with serious potential</a>
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<p>As cognitive testing in farm animals is a relatively new area of focus, there are many avenues yet to be explored. For example, we know very little about chickens’ cognitive abilities, even though they are some of the animals most <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-chickens-became-the-ultimate-symbol-of-the-anthropocene-108559">widely kept</a> by humans on Earth. Chickens appear to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9070454">smarter than most</a> of us give them credit for.</p>
<p>We’re also only starting to understand how different <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ani7020012">management practices used in farm animals</a> are impacting animals’ cognitive development. Raising farmed species without maternal care, insufficient challenges, and mixing of social groups may all negatively impact cognition. As the body of research grows, we will be able to translate this back to improvement of farms to improve farm animals’ lives.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154993/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca E Nordquist does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The pigs used a joystick to move a cursor for rewards.Rebecca E Nordquist, Assistant Professor of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1274482020-09-07T02:39:51Z2020-09-07T02:39:51ZPeople hate cruelty to animals, so why do we do it?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354796/original/file-20200826-18-xry330.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=119%2C102%2C3330%2C2356&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/light hope</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Animal welfare experts <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-10/rspca-sa-releases-cruelty-cases-amid-warning-over-recession/12539596">warn our pets</a> could <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/why-pets-are-at-risk-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic">suffer</a> during the coronavirus pandemic, including from <a href="https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/25666/20200512/covid-19-pandemic-leads-increase-animal-abuse-abandonment-heres-why.htm">abuse or abandonment</a>. </p>
<p>When we hear about animals being neglected, we’re often outraged. Consider <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-17/racehorses-sent-slaughterhouses-contravention-racing-rules/11611688">the revelation</a> of the mistreatment of racehorses at a Queensland abattoir, or the man who <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/hundreds-sign-petition-to-prosecute-alleged-kookaburra-killer-daniel-welfare-for-animal-cruelty/news-story/f895c034f1532d9ededfd97eda56b096">decapitated a kookaburra</a>. These stories left many of us shocked and appalled.</p>
<p>But harm to animals is common in our society. Tens of billions of animals are killed in farms and slaughterhouses every year. Their deaths are sometimes <a href="https://www.dominionmovement.com/">truly horrific</a>. Humanity’s relationship with animals is dysfunctional: humans love animals yet <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/08/24/what-have-we-done-to-the-whale">simultaneously</a> perpetrate extreme violence against them. This is not only bad for animals. It’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/21/opinion/coronavirus-meat-vegetarianism.html">bad for us too</a>. </p>
<p>But humans and animals cannot simply end their relationship and part ways. We have to share a world. So we have to forge a <em>better</em> relationship. The hard question is: what shape should that new relationship take?</p>
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<h2>Differing standards for humans and for animals?</h2>
<p>Here’s an ethics thought experiment. Five humans are dying of organ failure. The only way to save their lives is to kill one healthy person, harvest their organs, and transplant these into the five dying people. Is it morally acceptable to kill the one to save the many?</p>
<p>If you’re like most people, your answer is a firm “no”. Humans have a right to life and can’t be killed in service of the greater good. This is an example of what’s known as a deontological judgment.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-you-dont-eat-meat-but-still-wear-leather-here-are-a-few-facts-to-chew-on-127322">If you don't eat meat but still wear leather, here are a few facts to chew on</a>
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<p>But now let’s change the scenario. Suppose you are the manager of a sanctuary for chickens. An infectious virus is spreading through the sanctuary and you have to decide whether to kill one infected chicken or allow the virus to spread throughout the sanctuary, killing a larger number. Now what? </p>
<p>When confronted with the chicken scenario, many will say it’s acceptable to kill the one to save the many. Your responsibility as manager of the sanctuary is to promote the aggregate health and well-being of all the chickens in your care. If this means you have to kill one chicken to save many more, so be it. This is an example of what’s known as a utilitarian judgment.</p>
<p>When we think about cases where animal lives are at stake, we often tend to think in utilitarian terms. When we think about cases where human lives are at stake, we often tend to think in deontological terms.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Several chickens outside a coop" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, when it comes to chickens?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/zlikovec</span></span>
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<h2>Animal activists put to the test</h2>
<p>Even animal activists, committed to a view of animals and humans as moral equals, may be inclined to see animals and humans from these differing perspectives.</p>
<p>At an animal activist conference in Melbourne last year (before the pandemic) we divided the audience into small groups and gave them different scenarios featuring different species. </p>
<p>Only 35% of those considering chicken cases said it was wrong to kill one chicken to save the many, whereas fully 85% of those considering human cases decided it was wrong to kill one human to save the many. An informal experiment, but it seems to illustrate a very human tendency to think of animals and humans according to different standards. </p>
<p>That tendency has been observed in many contexts. Robert Nozick influentially discusses a bifurcated view along these lines in his 1974 classic <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-au/Anarchy+State+and+Utopia-p-9780631197805">Anarchy, State, and Utopia</a>. But the question of whether such a view can be attributed to ordinary people is only recently being rigorously studied by psychologists such as <a href="https://luciuscaviola.com/">Lucius Caviola</a> at Harvard University.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/illegal-hunters-are-a-bigger-problem-on-farms-than-animal-activists-so-why-arent-we-talking-about-that-126513">Illegal hunters are a bigger problem on farms than animal activists – so why aren't we talking about that?</a>
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<p>Beyond psychological research, we can look to institutions for evidence that this sort of bifurcated view is widespread, as <a href="https://philpapers.org/rec/KILUAA" title="Utilitarianism about animals and the moral significance of use">we have argued elsewhere</a>.</p>
<p>For example, when animals are used in scientific experimentation, researchers are mainly expected to show the benefits outweigh the costs: a utilitarian standard.</p>
<p>But when humans are used, characteristically deontological considerations, such as consent and autonomy, are brought to bear; a cost-benefit analysis isn’t enough.</p>
<p>So we tend to be more utilitarian about animals than about humans. Yet we also don’t see all animals from a purely utilitarian perspective. Think about your family dog. Would your conscience allow you to kill her to save five other dogs?</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A small mouse in the hands of someone wearing medical protection gloves." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">We use animals in scientific research.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/unoL</span></span>
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<h2>Three perspectives</h2>
<p>The upshot: humans seem to be capable of seeing animals in at least three very different ways. </p>
<p>First, we’re able to regard animals as objects that exist solely for the sake of our use and enjoyment and that don’t matter in themselves. For an example, consider the way the fishing industry treats <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NklxOhr2faI">bycatch</a> as disposable.</p>
<p>Second, we’re able to regard animals as beings who matter in themselves yet who are fundamentally interchangeable with others. That’s a utilitarian perspective. It’s the perspective you occupy when you endorse killing one pig to save five. Such a view is defended by world-renowned Australian philosopher <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Animal-Liberation-Peter-Singer/dp/0061711306">Peter Singer</a>, among many others.</p>
<p>Third, we’re able to see animals as beings who not only matter in themselves, but who also have rights, such as the right to life, or the right to bodily integrity, or even the right to liberty. </p>
<p>Perhaps it’s strange to see farmed animals that way, but it’s not so strange to see non-human family members such as cats and dogs in that way. And famous philosophers such as <a href="http://dailynous.com/2017/02/17/tom-regan-1938-2017/">Tom Regan</a> have argued a vast range of animals ought to be seen in that way.</p>
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<h2>The future of human-animal relations</h2>
<p>Currently, many of us see most animals as mere things, the way fishermen typically see bycatch. And this might continue into the future.</p>
<p>But that’d be a tragedy. Despite their differences from humans, animals are conscious individuals with their own welfare, and so do matter in themselves. Recognising this will be an essential step in reducing the tremendous amount of unnecessary suffering and death that humans inflict on animals.</p>
<p>The simple recognition that animals are not mere things is in itself of massive importance, but it’s also only the beginning of the work we have ahead of us. As a society we must confront deep and difficult questions about whether animals have moral rights and, if so, what those rights might be, and how (if at all) their rights differ from those of human beings. Philosophers have been debating such questions for decades but haven’t reached consensus (yet).</p>
<p>Such questions must be addressed before we can we hope to find a new relationship with animals that fully recognises and respects our obligations to them.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/not-just-activists-9-out-of-10-people-are-concerned-about-animal-welfare-in-australian-farming-117077">Not just activists, 9 out of 10 people are concerned about animal welfare in Australian farming</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127448/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We enjoy and appreciate animals and are disturbed by violence against them. But we also perpetrate this violence, and that needs to change.David Killoren, Research Fellow, Dianoia Institute of Philosophy, Australian Catholic UniversityRobert Streiffer, Professor of Philosophy and Bioethics, University of Wisconsin-MadisonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1419642020-07-06T15:41:48Z2020-07-06T15:41:48ZPuppies & burnout: The economic impact of the coronavirus on vets<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345589/original/file-20200703-33913-14cfdlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C176%2C2100%2C1207&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on veterinarians due in part to a run on puppies, but financial uncertainties have also added further strain on an already stressed-out profession.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Piqsels)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>At a superficial glance, becoming a veterinarian seems like the realization of an animal lover’s childhood dream — devoting a career to the care of animals.</p>
<p>What many don’t realize is the level of mental health distress associated with the profession in terms of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6135272/">work-life balance, emotional stress and financial health</a>. Research has shown that veterinary professionals are already <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/veterinarians-far-more-likely-die-suicide-other-americans-research-confirms-n950671">at high risk of suicide due to occupational stress, depression and burnout</a>.</p>
<p>COVID-19 is having a further impact on vets. Earning a living as a veterinarian is directly tied to the financial success of a business, and the disruption from the pandemic has had a big impact on small businesses, including veterinary practices. </p>
<p>The owner of one successful mixed-animal veterinary practice in Alberta was willing to share with me his practice’s pandemic experiences and the impact of economic policies during this critical time. </p>
<p>One vital theme emerged from the conversation: any financial strain has been eclipsed by the emotional toll of the pandemic and the need to plan for the unknown. </p>
<h2>Puppies: The new toilet paper?</h2>
<p>As stewards of animal and public health, veterinarians have been authorized to provide services during the pandemic. The most visible impact on small animal veterinary services has been the influx of newly acquired puppies to the clinic.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345576/original/file-20200703-33922-1kn9u8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3468%2C2668&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345576/original/file-20200703-33922-1kn9u8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3468%2C2668&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345576/original/file-20200703-33922-1kn9u8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345576/original/file-20200703-33922-1kn9u8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345576/original/file-20200703-33922-1kn9u8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345576/original/file-20200703-33922-1kn9u8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345576/original/file-20200703-33922-1kn9u8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345576/original/file-20200703-33922-1kn9u8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The author’s mixed hound dog, Abby, is seen here.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Jean-Yin Tan)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Noting 50-person wait lists for dog adoptions and empty animal shelters, the Alberta veterinarian — I’ll call him Dr. Brian Jones because he asked that his real name not be used — muses that “puppies are like Toilet Paper 2.0.” </p>
<p>Despite financial uncertainty facing many families, pet adoption and fostering has increased in Calgary as people found themselves with extra time at home and <a href="https://livewirecalgary.com/2020/05/07/calgary-animal-rescues-see-a-coronavirus-bump-in-pet-adoptions-fosters/">sought to fill a need for companionship</a>.</p>
<p>As puppies grow older in their new homes, hopefully a short-term decrease in demand for vet services due to the pandemic will translate to a permanent increase in demand as veterinary practices gain new canine patients for life.</p>
<p>By contrast, large animal clientele have taken a financial hit from the pandemic, and this has had an impact on large animal veterinary services.</p>
<p>For Jones’ bovine clients, the closure of processing plants has been devastating, with the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/meat-processing-backlog-puts-strain-on-alberta-cattle-ranchers-1.5631700">backlog of cattle</a> hurting the calf market. </p>
<p>The vet explains that cattle ranchers and others in agriculture are “price takers,” meaning they input the costs of vaccinations, feeding and medications, with no knowledge of their ultimate price at market and return on investment. The uncertainty posed by the pandemic has placed a great deal of stress on his cattle-ranching clientele.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345561/original/file-20200703-33950-1lf0eyp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345561/original/file-20200703-33950-1lf0eyp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345561/original/file-20200703-33950-1lf0eyp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345561/original/file-20200703-33950-1lf0eyp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345561/original/file-20200703-33950-1lf0eyp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345561/original/file-20200703-33950-1lf0eyp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345561/original/file-20200703-33950-1lf0eyp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Cows are facing uncertainty during the pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Piqsels)</span></span>
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<p>The different experiences of his practice’s small and large animal clientele have demonstrated the differences between demand for small animals — pets are usually adopted to become longtime family members — and large farm animals. The large losses suffered by the agricultural market as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic highlight a more volatile demand for large animal veterinary services.</p>
<h2>Vets freed up supplies during pandemic</h2>
<p>Veterinarians play an important role as stewards of food safety, public health and animal health. </p>
<p>When veterinary services received essential status at the onset of the pandemic, the industry pledged to limit non-essential procedures so that ventilators, surgical masks and other critical supplies could be conserved for use in human hospitals.</p>
<p>Jones explains: “We weren’t sure how many gloves we would have and how much oxygen we would have,” and therefore vets made a conscientious effort to voluntarily reduce the supply of veterinary procedures and services in order to reduce consumption of medical supplies.</p>
<p>But according to the vet, the reduction in the number of staff working each shift as well as long hours has resulted in high emotional wear and tear, to the point that he’s worried about worker burnout. </p>
<p>Furthermore, curbside dropoffs of pets to fulfil social distancing requirements have removed the face-to-face interaction between animal owner and veterinarian. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345570/original/file-20200703-33943-1jslb9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345570/original/file-20200703-33943-1jslb9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345570/original/file-20200703-33943-1jslb9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345570/original/file-20200703-33943-1jslb9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345570/original/file-20200703-33943-1jslb9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=668&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345570/original/file-20200703-33943-1jslb9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=668&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/345570/original/file-20200703-33943-1jslb9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=668&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">COVID-19 social distancing requirements have made it difficult for vets to have meaningful conversations with pet owners.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Piqsels)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Not only is the added layer of phone calls with each client time-consuming, it also adds to the challenge of using non-verbal cues in conversation in order to have meaningful discussions that result in shared decision-making in health care. </p>
<h2>Stress of applying for government help</h2>
<p>Although government assistance programs are well-intentioned, Jones’ veterinary practice discovered first-hand how such programs can fail small businesses. </p>
<p>Without access to experts to help them navigate the eligibility requirements of each program and the paperwork to apply, his practice did not ultimately qualify for the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/subsidy/emergency-wage-subsidy.html">Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy</a>, while it may have qualified for the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/work-sharing.html">work-sharing program</a>. </p>
<p>Jones acknowledged that the stress and time spent applying for the programs added to the emotional toll on his staff, with only disappointing results when they were unable to take advantage of any of them.</p>
<p>Although veterinarians were granted essential service status and some have been financially stable through the crisis due to consistent consumer demand for vet services, the pandemic’s emotional toll has been severe.</p>
<p>With veterinary professionals already stressed out emotionally, it’s more important than ever to evaluate how these essential workers can be supported during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141964/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jean-Yin Tan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Veterinarians are already at risk of emotional distress and burnout. The experiences of an Alberta veterinary practice shows COVID-19 is having a further impact.Jean-Yin Tan, Senior Instructor in Veterinary Medicine, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1308222020-02-02T09:54:00Z2020-02-02T09:54:00ZWe found a way to trap stable flies: their dung preferences helped us<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312783/original/file-20200130-41476-sr4ljj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Female stable flies make careful choices about where to lay their eggs.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cosmin Manci/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Stable flies (<em>Stomoxys calcitrans</em>) are cold-blooded pests. They feed on the blood of their hosts, which include cattle, camels, horses, dogs and humans. During their feeding they can mechanically transmit viruses and bacteria that cause diseases like <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jme/article/48/3/656/884252">West Nile fever</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.2987/10-6070.1">Rift Valley fever</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC260614/">anthrax</a>.</p>
<p>They are found in <a href="https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/63296">most countries</a> around the world, and are particularly common where their livestock hosts are farmed. That’s because they breed on animal dung.</p>
<p>It’s in the breeding process that something surprising emerges about these insects. Our new research shows that female stable flies carefully choose where they lay their eggs to ensure their offspring have the best start in life. It seems the phrase “mother knows best” is true even for flies.</p>
<p>I worked with my PhD student, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bernard_Steve_Baleba">Steve Baleba</a>, and colleagues from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (<a href="http://www.icipe.org/">icipe</a>) in Kenya to find out which types of dung female stable flies preferred for laying their eggs. Knowing this – and the information they use to select it – meant we could explore ways to manage their populations. </p>
<p>We found that the flies favoured donkey and sheep dung, so we added the chemicals characteristic of these dung types to traps designed to catch stable flies. This led to a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-40479-9">400% increase in the number of flies trapped</a>. More importantly, the traps caught more female stable flies, large numbers of which were ready to lay eggs and contribute to the next generation. This is a valuable way to reduce fly numbers, protect animals and humans, and control the spread of dangerous diseases.</p>
<h2>Pick and choose</h2>
<p>We ran a series of experiments to identify preferred dung types for egg-laying by females and to find out why they were chosen and how flies identified the best dung to use.</p>
<p>Stable flies <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-40479-9">preferred to lay their eggs on donkey and sheep dung</a> rather than the dung of buffalo, camels, elephants, giraffes or zebra – or controls of grass or moist sand. </p>
<p>And their decision had consequences. The larvae that hatched from eggs laid in donkey and sheep dung developed faster and were larger at the end of the larval stage. This meant that the adults were <a href="https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-019-3483-y">heavier and had larger wings</a> than their peers, which may improve their flight performance. </p>
<p>The improved performance of offspring developing in donkey and sheep dung was closely correlated with higher elemental nitrogen, potassium and zinc content in the dung. In contrast, camel and cow dung – which the flies did not choose – had relatively low concentrations of these elements, and had higher carbon, calcium and water content.</p>
<p>Females also preferred to lay their eggs in dung that was <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2020.00005/full">free of competitors and parasites</a>. If dung already contained stable fly larvae – even as few as ten – females laid fewer eggs than on dung with no larvae. Similarly, if dung was already being used by housefly (<em>Musca domestica</em>) larvae, stable flies laid fewer eggs, although this effect was only seen when at least 20 housefly larvae were present. When presented with dung containing parasitic mites (<em>Macrocheles muscaedomesticae</em>), female stable flies also avoided laying eggs. </p>
<p>All these choices benefited the flies’ offspring. They were larger, and more of them survived to reach adulthood if they developed without competition. In the absence of parasitic mites, more eggs hatched, more larvae survived to the pupal stage, and adults survived for longer.</p>
<h2>Common sense</h2>
<p>Stable flies decide where to lay their eggs using sight and smell. Vision is important for avoiding dung containing parasitic mites. We know this because the same number of egg clutches were laid on dung with and without mites when we tested egg-laying in the dark. This surprised us because at least one other fly species (<em>Drosophila hydei</em>) seems to avoid mite infection using their senses of <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/691704">smell and touch</a>.</p>
<p>Either taste or smell is involved with avoiding competition because even in the dark, females laid fewer clutches on dung with competitors. To select between different dung types, female stable flies use their sense of smell. We found that two chemicals characteristic of donkey and sheep dung (β-citronellene and carvone, respectively) encouraged stable flies to lay their eggs on moist sand that had been treated with these chemicals.</p>
<p>We believe that the decision by female stable flies to lay eggs on a preferred dung type is probably hard-wired into their sensory and nervous systems. This is because we found <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/een.12748">no evidence for females learning</a> to prefer one dung type over another based on the dung they themselves developed in. That said, larvae that accidentally wander away from a preferred dung type have a short-term memory that helps them to return to it.</p>
<p>These results all show that stable flies evolved to find the best conditions for the survival of their offspring. </p>
<p>Armed with this information we were able to test traps using the chemicals β-citronellene and carvone. As I’ve said, this was hugely successful. The next step is to optimise the blend of these chemicals and commercialise it. We also want to find out which chemicals stable flies use to avoid competition. These could be developed into repellents to protect humans and livestock from stable flies and the diseases they transmit.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/130822/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Weldon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Savvy female stable flies prefer to lay their eggs on donkey and sheep dung. Knowing where they choose to do this will help us manage disease.Christopher Weldon, Associate Professor in Entomology, University of PretoriaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1002642018-07-20T14:22:36Z2018-07-20T14:22:36ZCats and dogs: are they the superbug risk everyone has overlooked?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228567/original/file-20180720-142435-45ep5s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The truth about cats and dogs. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cute-young-puppy-licking-face-pretty-327881303?src=p11R5PwliF45xIF5d_stHQ-1-73">Susan Schmitz</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>We’re all well aware of the growing threat of superbugs. There are plenty warnings about how we encourage these antibiotic-resistant bacteria by either overusing antibiotics or not finishing a prescribed course of treatment. But while this has hopefully made people more cautious about misusing these drugs, few probably give it a second thought when it comes to their pets. As it turns out, this is going to have to quickly change. </p>
<p>It is well known that farm animals are an issue. Many of the antibiotics we give them are also used in humans, so superbugs on farms threaten us all. There are also <a href="https://www.jpiamr.eu/activities/environmental-dimensions-of-amr/">problems with</a> antibiotics getting into the water table because of farm run-off. The World Health Organization <a href="http://www.who.int/news-room/detail/07-11-2017-stop-using-antibiotics-in-healthy-animals-to-prevent-the-spread-of-antibiotic-resistance">issued recommendations</a> last year, warning the food industry to stop routinely giving antibiotics to farm animals. </p>
<p>Yet while the same is true with pets, it has been mostly overlooked by both the research community and general public. You might think we should be more worried about agriculture, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/veterinary-antimicrobial-resistance-and-sales-surveillance-2013">since the</a> sector treats many times more animals and uses far more antibiotics by weight than pets. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228570/original/file-20180720-142432-1l6h59o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228570/original/file-20180720-142432-1l6h59o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228570/original/file-20180720-142432-1l6h59o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=861&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228570/original/file-20180720-142432-1l6h59o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=861&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228570/original/file-20180720-142432-1l6h59o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=861&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228570/original/file-20180720-142432-1l6h59o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1082&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228570/original/file-20180720-142432-1l6h59o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1082&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228570/original/file-20180720-142432-1l6h59o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1082&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Collared.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/blue-retractable-leash-dog-top-view-123000619?src=GR063Le9XXqpfcfihzVvvg-5-1">Andrey Eremin</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But because pets are in such close proximity to many more humans, they’re actually <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15254022">more likely</a> to transfer resistant bacteria – mainly through saliva or skin contact. Pets risk becoming reservoirs of resistant microbes that spill over into their owners with disastrous effects. </p>
<h2>Owner obstacles</h2>
<p>I’m <a href="http://researchonline.gcu.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/pet-owner-and-vet-interactions-exploring-the-drivers-of-amr(ae88bc9d-0b3e-40bf-90ee-04762730b347).html">part of a team</a> that has been <a href="https://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/182/24/691.full?ijkey=Hr9GbzczLV0EQr7&keytype=ref">researching</a> this issue in Scotland through in-depth interviews with groups of pet owners and vets. We found pet owners generally had good knowledge about superbugs, but their understanding of antimicrobial resistance was limited. When it came to antibiotics, we found that owners wanted to do whatever was necessary to help their animal in the short term. </p>
<p>This often overruled concerns about antimicrobial resistance, which owners saw as abstract and mainly a problem for the future – similar to how people often view actions that cause climate change. Interestingly, our interviewees were happy to hold off on antibiotics for themselves to see if their infection sorted itself out. But when it came to their pets, much like children, people wanted antibiotics straight away.</p>
<p>Any large-scale public awareness campaign for pet owners will therefore have to try to be relevant to their present situation. One possibility might be to let them know that without responsibly using antibiotics now, there may be no working treatment for pets later. But let’s not kid ourselves here – it is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033350616300178">well documented</a> that getting people to make preventative behaviour changes is extremely challenging in public health. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228568/original/file-20180720-142432-1roogfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228568/original/file-20180720-142432-1roogfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228568/original/file-20180720-142432-1roogfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228568/original/file-20180720-142432-1roogfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228568/original/file-20180720-142432-1roogfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228568/original/file-20180720-142432-1roogfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228568/original/file-20180720-142432-1roogfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228568/original/file-20180720-142432-1roogfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Auf wiedersehen pets?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/basset-hound-dog-cat-watching-1014692620">Pap Kutasi Szilvia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another issue was contact between owners and animals. As we all know, many pet owners let their animals lick their faces, sleep in their beds or eat food from their hands or plates. Many consider pets to be part of the family, of course, and these affectionate moments are one of the reasons we have pets in the first place.</p>
<p>Most owners in our research didn’t know that resistant bacteria could be spread between pet and owner and vice versa. It should be stressed that unless the pet or owner has been colonised by resistant bacteria, there are no risks. But as there are no simple tests at present, owners cannot know whether they are safe. In a part of our work still to be published, we asked owners whether they would be prepared to change this kind of behaviour as antimicrobial resistance becomes more critical, and many said they wouldn’t. Convincing people not to do these things clearly won’t to be easy. </p>
<p>We also asked vets why they thought antibiotics are overused in pets. Unlike doctors operating in publicly funded healthcare, vets feel market pressures: dissatisfied pet owners can always go elsewhere for antibiotics. Vets told us that pet owners tended to want something tangible in exchange for the fees they were paying, and often saw antibiotics as a “magic fix-all”. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228569/original/file-20180720-142411-1oxbooe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228569/original/file-20180720-142411-1oxbooe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228569/original/file-20180720-142411-1oxbooe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228569/original/file-20180720-142411-1oxbooe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228569/original/file-20180720-142411-1oxbooe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228569/original/file-20180720-142411-1oxbooe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228569/original/file-20180720-142411-1oxbooe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228569/original/file-20180720-142411-1oxbooe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Left a bit’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-doberman-puppy-lying-on-veterinary-317858579?src=j_0soGJjSg-7vsJ-z4jc4Q-1-17">DuxX</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet the pet owners had a very different perspective: they tended to think the pressure to use antibiotics was coming from vets. They said it was the vet who was the expert and that they tended to go along with their decisions. </p>
<p>So what is happening here? There was little agreement about who should be taking responsibility for the antibiotics. It looked like there was a breakdown in communication between owners and vets. Our conclusion was that both sides should be “trained” to be sensitive to these interactions, and provided with the skills and knowledge to make more informed decisions. </p>
<p>With vets, this could be through professional development or externally enforced guidelines and standards. This won’t be easy, however, <a href="https://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/vetrec/179/17/437.full.pdf">as most</a> veterinary practices are private businesses. Unlike doctors’ surgeries, vets lack an overarching body to which they all subscribe. </p>
<p>For vets and pet owners alike, the next logical step will be to survey people in much larger numbers. This would confirm that our findings are reflected by the country at large. </p>
<h2>What next?</h2>
<p>The central challenge with antimicrobial resistance in pets lies in trying to make it a priority in a world where there are already so many large issues for us to comprehend. Antimicrobial resistance is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/31/antibiotic-resistance-crisis-worsening-because-of-collapse-in-supply">already</a> having an impact on many aspects of our daily lives, and the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-43032602">search for</a> new antibiotics is an expensive and drawn-out process.</p>
<p>The answer is a “one health” response which acknowledges that healthcare, agriculture, pets and other issues are all contributing to this crisis. To have any chance of having an impact, they all need to be tackled under the same policy package. </p>
<p>This can seem impossibly complex, even within the UK – let alone globally. We are at least seeing some excellent research initiatives that take this big-picture approach, along with action plans on the policy front such as <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/health/amr/sites/amr/files/amr_action_plan_2017_en.pdf">this one</a> by the EU. The question is whether we will have done enough before the problem becomes uncontrollable. For the majority of us, the way forward lies in making small changes around antibiotics to our daily lives – pet owners, for one, need to start acting more responsibly.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100264/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matt Smith does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Farm animals are the subject of WHO initiatives around antibiotics, but domestic pets could actually be a bigger risk.Matt Smith, Researcher, Glasgow Caledonian UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/934102018-03-22T10:41:04Z2018-03-22T10:41:04ZPublic support for animal rights goes beyond keeping dogs out of overhead bins<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/211251/original/file-20180320-80640-1gsbq8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Dogs can become as close to you as any other person – but are they 'legal persons'?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-guy-sitting-on-sofa-looking-499979860?src=VAjfCF-2Y4KHgfj7OJZBfA-1-0">Olena Yakobchuk/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A <a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/united-flight-dog-dead-in-overhead-compartment-476763033.html">French bulldog named Kokito recently died</a> aboard a United Airlines plane after a flight attendant ordered his owner to place him in an overhead bin.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=kokito&src=typd">Public outrage</a> ensued. Proposed bipartisan legislation, now pending in the Senate, would <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/15/politics/wooff-act-united-dog/index.html">make airlines pay fines for such incidents</a>. Democrat Marisol Alcantara, a New York state lawmaker representing Manhattan, even drafted a bill of rights for <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/pol-calls-probe-death-dog-united-flight-article-1.3876782">animal passengers</a>.</p>
<p>As a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4z-eSu4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">researcher interested in how society treats animals</a>, I recently worked with an animal advocacy nonprofit to conduct a <a href="https://www.qualtrics.com/online-sample/omnibus/">nationally representative survey</a> that investigated what the public thinks about animals and their rights. The results showed that a clear majority of people identify as animal lovers. But not every self-professed animal lover supports full legal rights for animals. </p>
<p>For me, Kokito’s tragic death illustrates a broader controversial legal question, not just in the air but on the ground. Whose rights were actually violated in that overhead bin? The human passenger’s – or the dog’s?</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"974314896098824197"}"></div></p>
<h2>Animals as property</h2>
<p>U.S. law treats humans as the only animals considered “legal persons” capable of having rights. It designates all wild and domesticated animals, by contrast, as “<a href="https://harvardmagazine.com/2016/03/are-animals-things">legal things</a>.” Pets and farmed animals alike are a form of property – by definition, they have no rights of their own. </p>
<p>There has been considerable legal and philosophical <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/rights/rights_1.shtml">debate on this topic</a>. Some legal scholars see no reason to change the status quo, arguing that animals are best protected through welfare regulations and anti-cruelty statutes that focus on how people treat them. A number of other activists and scholars, such as Harvard University’s <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ddq2_gkAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Cass Sunstein</a>, insist that it’s time to break down the legal barrier that separates humans from animals, calling for a <a href="https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/journal_articles/8560/">limited set of animal rights</a> that must be respected by the law.</p>
<p>To be sure, animals would never be able to vote or run for public office with this new status. But they would obtain the individual rights that would <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-dogs-and-cats-can-get-their-day-in-court-80790">protect them from many forms of abuse and confinement</a>, and people would be able to file lawsuits on their behalf.</p>
<p>To gauge public sentiment on this question, I worked with <a href="https://www.qualtrics.com/">Qualtrics</a>, a market research and survey company, to poll 1,044 Americans. These people were nationally representative in terms of their age, race and ethnicity, gender, income and region. The survey had a 3 percent margin of error.</p>
<p><iframe id="JCAlX" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/JCAlX/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>About nine in 10 Americans, according to my survey, support some form of legal rights for animals. Nearly half believe that animals deserve the exact same rights as people. Only about 5.5 percent said they thought animals need little to no legal protection at all. </p>
<p><iframe id="12i6Q" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/12i6Q/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>This survey is only the latest indication that support for the rights of animals is strong. </p>
<p>A <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/183275/say-animals-rights-people.aspx">2015 Gallup poll</a>, for instance, found that about one in three Americans believed animals should be given the same rights as people, up from one in four in 2008. Both times, Gallup found that only 3 percent supported largely denying animals any rights at all. </p>
<h2>Legal personhood</h2>
<p>The Nonhuman Rights Project, a nonprofit aiming to <a href="https://theconversation.com/climbing-the-tree-the-case-for-chimpanzee-personhood-41369">secure legal personhood rights for animals</a>, commissioned me to conduct the survey. </p>
<p>The group’s legal efforts, however, haven’t focused on dogs like Kokito. Instead, it has advocated on behalf of animals like <a href="https://www.nonhumanrights.org/client-tommy/">Tommy</a> and <a href="https://www.nonhumanrights.org/client-kiko/">Kiko</a>, two 30-something male chimpanzees who spent most of their lives as film performers and in roadside zoo cages. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"973693737078439936"}"></div></p>
<p>The Nonhuman Rights Project argues that great apes should be the first animals transformed from “legal things” into “legal persons.” They point to chimpanzees’ <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11017-014-9287-3">scientifically demonstrated autonomy</a> and their high level of emotional and cognitive complexity as the basis for this argument. </p>
<p>The nonprofit also insists that legal personhood isn’t limited to humans under U.S. law. The state technically treats <a href="https://www.npr.org/2014/07/28/335288388/when-did-companies-become-people-excavating-the-legal-evolution">corporations as rights-bearing persons</a>. Several other nations, including New Zealand, India and Ecuador, recognize the <a href="https://theconversation.com/three-rivers-are-now-legally-people-but-thats-just-the-start-of-looking-after-them-74983">legal personhood of rivers</a>.</p>
<p>Although <a href="http://bigthink.com/robby-berman/why-philosophers-say-chimps-have-to-be-considered-persons">noted philosophers</a> and <a href="https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/03/08/1418675/0/en/Habeas-Corpus-Experts-Offer-Support-for-Chimpanzee-Rights-Cases.html">law scholars</a> support the <a href="https://www.unlockingthecagethefilm.com/">notion of animal personhood</a>, it has consistently <a href="http://www.lockportjournal.com/news/local_news/niagara-falls-chimp-case-appeal-denied/article_2b75aa4e-b4c3-51e4-915b-a6c2b2dc83f1.html">lost in court</a>. Many legal thinkers have dismissed the nonprofit’s lawsuits as <a href="https://lettersblogatory.com/2017/11/20/elephant-habeas-case-steven-wise-is-a-well-intentioned-menace/">frivolous</a> and out of step with <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/dialogues/features/2001/animal_rights/_3.html">public morals and longstanding human intuition</a>.</p>
<p>To clarify what the public actually thinks of granting these types of legal rights to chimpanzees and other autonomous animals, one survey question provided this background information: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Some people believe that new laws should be passed that give certain species of highly intelligent animals – including great apes, elephants, and cetaceans like whales and dolphins – the legal right of bodily liberty, which would guarantee them freedom from imprisonment. Supporters of these laws want to remove animals from places like zoos, circuses, and research facilities and relocate them to sanctuaries and other protected nature reserves instead.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Then, respondents were asked how inclined they would be to vote in favor of such a law or vote for a politician who supported it.</p>
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<p>About half of the people taking part in my survey said they agreed with the Nonhuman Rights Project’s goals, while only one in five opposed them. Women and Democrats were the most likely to strongly favor these ideas. Few other clear patterns regarding differences of opinion emerged based on ethnic background, region, education level, income or religion.</p>
<h2>A complicated relationship</h2>
<p>In my view, the <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/114076/animal-abuse-us-7-cruel-and-legal-acts">way modern society treats animals remains</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/want-to-help-animals-dont-forget-the-chickens-78585">full of contradictions</a>. While millions of household pets like Kokito are treated as members of the family, countless other animals suffer in places like <a href="https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-center-for-a-livable-future/_pdf/research/clf_reports/CLF-PEW-for%20Web.pdf">factory farms</a>.</p>
<p>Around <a href="http://www.countinganimals.com/how-many-animals-does-a-vegetarian-save/">7.5 billion land animals</a> are slaughtered annually in the U.S. for food. On average, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/10/31/499780982/hey-looks-like-americans-are-finally-eating-more-fish">a typical American consumes</a> some 60 pounds of chicken, 50 pounds of beef and 15 pounds of seafood per year. My survey found that only about 6 percent of respondents followed a vegetarian or vegan diet, which is in line with <a href="https://www.plantbasednews.org/post/veganism-skyrockets-by-600-in-america-over-3-years-to-6-of-population">other research</a> <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/156215/consider-themselves-vegetarians.aspx">on that question</a>.</p>
<p>Despite the dominant culinary habits of Americans, public opinion polling and the uproar following Kokito’s untimely death aboard a United Airlines flight both point to how people want to see a world that grants animals significant legal protections. Many Americans even appear open to the idea of granting legal personhood to certain animals.</p>
<p>It remains to be seen, however, whether the rights of animals will ever become guaranteed by U.S. law.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/93410/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Garrett Broad has consulted with the Nonhuman Rights Project on a volunteer basis. The Nonhuman Rights Project provided funding for the survey described in this article, but the author did not benefit financially from this arrangement.</span></em></p>Most Americans identify as animal lovers and support either full or partial legal rights for animals.Garrett M. Broad, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies, Fordham UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/805342017-07-10T23:46:13Z2017-07-10T23:46:13ZAnimal emotions stare us in the face — are our pets happy?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177446/original/file-20170709-14908-utpt9s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=130%2C4%2C2856%2C2074&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tabatha Bundesen's pet Tardar Sauce became an Internet sensation known as "Grumpy Cat" for a resting facial appearance that resembles a look of dissatisfaction. Now, scientists are starting to be able to read animal emotions from their expressions.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.cpimages.com/fotoweb/cpimages_details.pop.fwx?position=5&archiveType=ImageFolder&sorting=ModifiedTimeAsc&search=grumpy%20and%20cat&fileId=7ED4E565C8CEED27AEA6EAB315B987A8EB1B023AB80A6779EEECB0F082709652BF4B180AE6F446F48ACB7DB1B8CDE7E37BF497D18515FAB7978750CE214B0837D1853405FB9357B8D2D38EA4AF756B35591C2A1ED75B0C1C8263BC53D42B3063E297922C28FCC5CFEB24C714341D040567C393E3A4F903B8FFD9EA1880EECDE5D4AFE96D7A3AFF38CCFCF9B6D113233831DFAC6A9AAA139C">(AP Photo/Richard Vogel)</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Scientists are starting to be able to accurately read animal facial expressions and understand what they communicate.</p>
<p>Facial expressions project our internal emotions to the outside world. Reading other people’s faces comes naturally and automatically to most of us. Without your best friend saying a word, you know — by seeing the little wrinkles around her eyes, her rounded, raised cheeks and upturned lip corners — that she got that promotion she wanted. </p>
<p>What if we could just as easily read the faces of other living beings? Will there come a day when we can hold up a smart phone to our cat and know how he’s feeling?</p>
<p>Researchers are developing coding systems that enable them to objectively read animal facial expressions rather than inferring or guessing at their meaning. A coding system precisely describes how different facial features change when an animal feels a particular emotion, such as squinting an eye or pursing lips. By looking at photographs and scoring how much each of these features or “action units” change, we can determine how strongly an emotion is felt.</p>
<h2>Pain recognition first frontier</h2>
<p>So far, only pain coding systems (grimace scales) for non-primate animals have been scientifically developed. Despite their different anatomy; <a href="https://www.nature.com/nmeth/journal/v7/n6/full/nmeth.1455.html">mice</a>, <a href="https://molecularpain.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1744-8069-7-55">rats</a>, <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0044437">rabbits</a>, <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0092281">horses</a> and <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159116000101">sheep</a> (including <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376635716302662">lambs</a>) all pull a similar pain-face. They tighten their eyes, bulge or flatten their cheeks, change the position of their ears and tense their mouths.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177343/original/file-20170707-18198-ecnud.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177343/original/file-20170707-18198-ecnud.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177343/original/file-20170707-18198-ecnud.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177343/original/file-20170707-18198-ecnud.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177343/original/file-20170707-18198-ecnud.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177343/original/file-20170707-18198-ecnud.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177343/original/file-20170707-18198-ecnud.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177343/original/file-20170707-18198-ecnud.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Lambs are one of the animals that have been shown to grimace when in pain.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2016.09.010">(Mirjam Guesgen)</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The push to develop grimace scales has largely come from our desire and ethical duty to assess and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kris_Descovich/publication/313349990_Facial_expression_An_under-utilised_tool_for_the_assessment_of_welfare_in_mammals/links/589bfd7ba6fdcc7541743716/Facial-expression-An-under-utilised-tool-for-the-assessment-of-welfare-in-mammals.pdf">improve the welfare</a> of animals used in labs or for food products.</p>
<p>Ideally, we want a way to accurately and reliably know how an animal is feeling by simply looking at them, rather than by drawing blood for tests or monitoring heart rates. By knowing their emotional states, we can change help to reduce pain, boredom or fear and, ideally, <a href="http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/6/3/21">foster curiosity or joy</a>.</p>
<p>Animals, particularly social ones, may have evolved facial expressions for the same reason we did — <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioral-and-brain-sciences/article/facial-expression-of-pain-an-evolutionary-account/F32F82D2FB5D9AF8980B16239B7EB994">to communicate with one another</a> or, in the case of dogs, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376635713000326">with us</a>. </p>
<p>Particularly for prey animals, subtle cues that other members of their group (but not predators) can pick up on are useful for safety, for example. A pain behaviour cue may trigger help or comfort from other group members, or serve as a warning to stay away from the source of pain.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177447/original/file-20170709-14908-khisqq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177447/original/file-20170709-14908-khisqq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177447/original/file-20170709-14908-khisqq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177447/original/file-20170709-14908-khisqq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177447/original/file-20170709-14908-khisqq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177447/original/file-20170709-14908-khisqq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177447/original/file-20170709-14908-khisqq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A girl shares a moment with her dog at the 10th annual Dog Show in Beirut in June. We may be able to easily read dogs’ faces because they evolved alongside humans over 100,000 years.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.cpimages.com/fotoweb/cpimages_details.pop.fwx?position=131&archiveType=ImageFolder&sorting=ModifiedTimeAsc&search=dog&fileId=7ED4E565C8CEED276553137C3F07278F0211563F5E7047DF3AAB663AE59BB0CF1642B0B80D34257E6710EC2568FB7698B59B4D70A14C35A5085499F7776FCE74F2B7765E8750034730859FC82D50AED991D2D934849019DFB3B41BCC634D8CD042F841C1FF39A6F82A1B1FF576DC98DFDFA8B4906E2B2637CA6ABE2F54441DF0E41DB96B4682A54674266B70D538C8384B7097AA1ED5BA40">(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If we can decipher grimacing, we should also, theoretically, be able to understand facial expressions for other emotions such as joy or sadness. We would also likely want to comprehend facial expressions for the animals closest to our hearts: our pets. </p>
<h2>Smart phone app for animal emotions</h2>
<p>One day, pet owners, farmhands or veterinarians could hold up a smart phone to a dog, sheep or cat and have an app tell them the specific emotion the animal is showing.</p>
<p>However, getting to an automated emotion-identification system requires many steps. The first is to define emotions in a testable, non-species-specific way.</p>
<p>The second is to gather descriptive baseline data about emotional expression in a controlled, experimental environment. One way to do this might be to put animals in situations that will elicit a particular emotion and see how their physiology, brain patterns, behaviour and faces change. Any changes would need to occur reliably enough that we could call them a facial expression.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177448/original/file-20170709-6227-12dknwt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177448/original/file-20170709-6227-12dknwt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177448/original/file-20170709-6227-12dknwt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177448/original/file-20170709-6227-12dknwt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177448/original/file-20170709-6227-12dknwt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177448/original/file-20170709-6227-12dknwt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177448/original/file-20170709-6227-12dknwt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177448/original/file-20170709-6227-12dknwt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A device-linked smartphone app by Anicall of Japan purports to show a cat’s ‘feeling.’ Apps may one day interpret animal expressions into emotions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.cpimages.com/fotoweb/cpimages_details.pop.fwx?position=138&archiveType=ImageFolder&sorting=ModifiedTimeAsc&search=cat&fileId=7ED4E565C8CEED276553137C3F07278F0211563F5E7047DF3AAB663AE59BB0CF1642B0B80D34257E6710EC2568FB7698B59B4D70A14C35A5085499F7776FCE74F2B7765E8750034730859FC82D50AED9FE59D2970D2E169702AF0483B6B5EB6C42F841C1FF39A6F82A1B1FF576DC98DFDFA8B4906E2B2637CA6ABE2F54441DF0E41DB96B4682A54674266B70D538C8384B7097AA1ED5BA40">(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We already have some hints to go on: <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0039280">Depressed horses</a> close their eyes, even when not resting. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030215003690">Fearful cows</a> lay their ears flat on their heads and open their eyes wide. <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0166446">Joyful rats</a> have pinker ears that point more forward and outward.</p>
<p>Once we have gathered this data, we would then need to turn that scientific information into an automated, technological system. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877050915003786">The system</a> would have to be able to extract the key facial action units from an image and calculate how those features differ from a neutral baseline expression. </p>
<p>The system would also need to be able to deal with individual differences in facial features as well as subtle differences in how individuals express emotion. The process of feature extraction and calculation also becomes difficult or fails when a face is poorly lit, on an angle or partially covered.</p>
<p>While we are making <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167865517301083">progress in automated human facial expression identification</a>, we are still a long way off when it come to animals. A more realistic short-term goal would be to better understand which emotions non-human animals express and how. The answers could be staring us right in the face.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/80534/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mirjam Guesgen* does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Scientists are beginning to link animal facial expressions to emotions, making it possible for us to understand how they feel.Mirjam Guesgen*, Postdoctoral Fellow in Animal Welfare, University of AlbertaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/785852017-06-09T03:54:14Z2017-06-09T03:54:14ZWant to help animals? Don’t forget the chickens<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172794/original/file-20170607-6583-1ow76hn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Most of the money Americans give to animal welfare charities helps causes that aid companion animals.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/scottish-fold-cat-lying-on-back-319216814?src=kV_vSFb31L-Yn0tgX0hFgQ-1-42">www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Summertime is “<a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/facts/kitten_season.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/">kitten season</a>” – <a href="http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/cat-health/cat-checkups-preventive-care/what-kitten-season">unspayed female cats</a> go into heat and give birth to more adorable kittens than animal shelters can give away.</p>
<p>That’s why local humane societies encourage prospective pet owners to bring cats into their homes in June, also known as <a href="http://www.americanhumane.org/initiative/adopt-a-cat-month/">Adopt-a-Cat Month</a>. <a href="https://www.aspca.org/news/adopt-shelter-cat-month-you-can-make-difference-felines-need">Animal protection organizations</a> like the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also step up their appeals to the public for donations to fund widespread spaying and neutering that will help bring the companion animal population under control.</p>
<p>But a growing number of animal advocates insist that these well-intended, altruistic efforts should <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/19/charity-animals-cats-dog">change course</a>. They’re using mathematical reasoning to deliver a sharp message to mainstream animal charities and their donors: The money you spend to help cats, dogs and other human companions could be used more effectively to improve the lot of chickens, pigs and other animals raised in farms for food. </p>
<p><a href="http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/1992">As a vegan</a> who has long been troubled by society’s hypocritical treatment of different kinds of animals, I find that this argument makes sense. And as a <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17524032.2014.968178?journalCode=renc20">researcher who studies nonprofit animal advocacy</a> and <a href="http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520287457">food justice</a>, I believe this demand for what supporters call “<a href="http://www.symposium.animalcharityevaluators.org/">effective animal advocacy</a>” has a chance to reshape the animal protection movement.</p>
<h2>A big business</h2>
<p>When it comes to making life good for our beloved companion animals, our generosity knows few bounds. Americans <a href="http://www.americanpetproducts.org/press_industrytrends.asp">spend nearly US$70 billion annually</a> on feeding, grooming and boarding our pets, as well as paying for their medical care and adoption fees. </p>
<p>But sadly, we also <a href="https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics">euthanize more than 1.5 million shelter dogs and cats</a> every year because the supply of companion animals outpaces demand. For a nation of unabashed animal lovers, that’s a sad and shocking statistic. </p>
<p>That contradiction may explain why so many Americans give generously to charities that promote animal welfare. Charity Navigator lists more than <a href="https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.results&cgid=1&cuid=2">300 of these nonprofit groups</a>. According to my calculations, they collectively raise close to $1.9 billion a year. </p>
<p>But peruse that list of major animal welfare nonprofits and one thing becomes clear – the primary beneficiaries of their compassion are companion animals. Less than 1 percent of all the money donated to animal charities supports groups <a href="https://animalcharityevaluators.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/2016_guide_to_GIVING.pdf">that exclusively advocate for farmed animals</a>.</p>
<p>This charitable giving reflects a cultural bias that insists <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Love-Dogs-Pigs-Wear-Cows/dp/1573245054">some animals are more important than others</a>. An increasingly vocal set of animal advocates are using science and math to prove this bias wrong.</p>
<h2>Why cats but not chickens?</h2>
<p>The number of cats and dogs euthanized every year pales in comparison to the <a href="http://www.countinganimals.com/how-many-animals-does-a-vegetarian-save/">more than nine billion farmed animals killed</a> for food Americans eat or export, as well as the more than 46 billion fish and shellfish killed worldwide and destined for U.S consumption. </p>
<p>At the same time, scientific research shows that animals such as chickens, pigs, cows and <a href="http://animalstudiesrepository.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1074&context=acwp_asie">even fish</a> are as <a href="http://www.livescience.com/39481-time-to-declare-animal-sentience.html">smart and self-aware</a> as dogs and cats. They all seem able to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/books/review/are-we-smart-enough-to-know-how-smart-animals-are-and-the-genius-of-birds.html?_r=0">build emotional relationships and think in complex ways</a>. Yet they continue to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/sep/25/industrial-farming-one-worst-crimes-history-ethical-question">suffer greatly in a system</a> that breeds them to be unnaturally large, excuses cruel treatment as standard practice, generates <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/21/opinion/who-factory-farming-meat-industry-.html?_r=1">a lot of pollution</a> and is deemed by scientists to be <a href="http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-center-for-a-livable-future/research/clf_publications/pub_rep_desc/pew_report.html">environmentally unsustainable</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172793/original/file-20170607-5408-cupvi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172793/original/file-20170607-5408-cupvi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172793/original/file-20170607-5408-cupvi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172793/original/file-20170607-5408-cupvi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172793/original/file-20170607-5408-cupvi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172793/original/file-20170607-5408-cupvi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172793/original/file-20170607-5408-cupvi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172793/original/file-20170607-5408-cupvi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Research suggests that chickens are as smart as cats and dogs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/red-rooster-symbol-new-2017-year-545914006">www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
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</figure>
<p><a href="http://www.animalcharityevaluators.org">Animal Charity Evaluators</a> is a nonprofit that tries to help people who donate to animal welfare causes identify groups that will make the best use of their gifts. It argues that <a href="https://animalcharityevaluators.org/blog/why-farmed-animals/">donations that impact the lives of farmed animals are more effective</a> than donations to places like animal shelters. It’s simple math – farmed animal welfare is a much bigger problem and there are <a href="https://animalcharityevaluators.org/blog/some-thoughts-on-our-cost-effectiveness-estimates/">cost-effective ways</a> to make a difference. It calls for changes – <a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/confinement_farm/facts/cage-free_vs_battery-cage.html">like moving chickens out of battery cages and pigs out of crates</a> – and advocates for dietary shifts that will lead to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04sh6zg">far fewer animals being killed</a> for food. <a href="https://animalcharityevaluators.org/advocacy-interventions/interventions/">Persuading large numbers of people</a> to eat less meat can impact thousands of animals at a time, whereas every kitten adoption only helps one feline.</p>
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<h2>Helping animals effectively</h2>
<p>The effective animal advocacy movement sees companion and farmed animals as having equal moral value. They are inspired by the <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_singer_the_why_and_how_of_effective_altruism">ethical arguments of Peter Singer</a> that tactics which reduce animal suffering the most – no matter the species – do the most good. </p>
<p>In 2016, Animal Charity Evaluators <a href="https://animalcharityevaluators.org/donation-advice/recommended-charities/">recommended a dozen charities</a> – including <a href="mercyforanimals.org">Mercy For Animals</a>, the <a href="http://www.thehumaneleague.com/">Humane League</a> and the <a href="http://www.gfi.org/">Good Food Institute</a>. Most of these groups aim to improve farmed animal welfare in various ways, such as investigating conditions at factory farms, reaching out to corporations, promoting plant-based diets and researching so-called “<a href="http://www.new-harvest.org/">clean meats</a>” grown in labs. Each makes a case that their work is particularly effective at saving animals’ lives, now and into the future.</p>
<p>Donors gave more than <a href="https://animalcharityevaluators.org/about/impact/giving-metrics/">$3.5 million to these charities</a> in 2016 based on its recommendations, the group says. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.openphilanthropy.org/">Open Philanthropy Project</a> – an “<a href="https://www.effectivealtruism.org/">effective altruism</a>” foundation funded by <a href="http://www.goodventures.org/about-us">Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and his wife Cari Tuna</a> – is a new and major player in this movement. Since early 2016, it has <a href="http://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants?field_focus_area_target_id_selective=531">awarded nearly $20 million in grants</a> aimed at improving farmed animal welfare in the U.S. and in the developing world.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172577/original/file-20170606-3662-3f5tin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172577/original/file-20170606-3662-3f5tin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172577/original/file-20170606-3662-3f5tin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172577/original/file-20170606-3662-3f5tin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172577/original/file-20170606-3662-3f5tin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172577/original/file-20170606-3662-3f5tin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172577/original/file-20170606-3662-3f5tin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172577/original/file-20170606-3662-3f5tin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and his wife Cari Tuna are among the effective animal advocacy movement’s leading funders.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.goodventures.org/about-us">goodventures.org</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some leading animal advocates question the wisdom of this approach, including <a href="http://www.ingridnewkirk.com/">Ingrid Newkirk</a>, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. With a <a href="http://features.peta.org/annual-review-2016/year.aspx">$67 million annual budget</a>, PETA is one of the largest animal-focused charities. It seeks to help both farmed and companion animals. Newkirk has criticized “<a href="https://www.peta.org/blog/ingrid-newkirk-animal-rights-conference-speech/">effective animal advocates</a>” for “reducing animals to numbers” and for failing to see how different animal protection efforts reinforce each other.</p>
<p>In addition, some researchers <a href="http://veganpublishers.com/effectiveness/">question the rigor</a> of effective animal advocacy research. Other activists accuse groups like Open Philanthropy Project of <a href="https://medium.com/@harrisonnathan/the-actual-number-is-almost-surely-higher-92c908f36517">favoring organizations</a> with which they are personally connected. <a href="https://animalcharityevaluators.org/blog/responses-to-common-critiques/">Responding to these critiques</a>, effective animal advocacy leaders have admitted to some flaws in their previous studies.</p>
<h2>The future of animal charity</h2>
<p>Despite these critiques, I’ve watched the movement kickstart a conversation that’s encouraging groups like <a href="http://www.humaneleaguelabs.org/">the Humane League</a> <a href="http://www.sentienceinstitute.org/foundational-questions-summaries">to research</a> which tactics improve animals’ lives the most and <a href="https://faunalytics.org/a-summary-of-faunalytics-study-of-current-and-former-vegetarians-and-vegans/">why people go vegetarian or vegan</a>. </p>
<p>The movement has also helped channel more energy and charitable dollars toward one of the most important and neglected issues of our time – the plight of farmed animals. </p>
<p>Now, I love cats and dogs as much as anybody, and I don’t want anyone to feel guilty about donating to their local animal shelter. But it’s clear to me that animal lovers should care about all animals equally. Since farmed animals suffer most and the issue has long been neglected, there’s a greater need to support that cause. </p>
<p>At least that’s what the math seems to suggest.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78585/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Garrett M. Broad has shared his research perspectives with Animal Charity Evaluators and other members of the effective animal advocacy community on a voluntary basis. </span></em></p>A growing number of animal advocates want Americans to do more to aid animals raised in farms for food, rather than supporting groups that help cats, dogs and other human companions.Garrett M. Broad, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies, Fordham UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/630902016-07-26T15:27:21Z2016-07-26T15:27:21ZDolly’s ‘sisters’ show cloned animals don’t grow old before their time<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/132031/original/image-20160726-7037-1ah3taz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">University of Nottingham</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s now 20 years since the birth of <a href="http://www.roslin.ed.ac.uk/public-interest/dolly-the-sheep/a-life-of-dolly/">Dolly the sheep</a>, the first mammal to be cloned. This groundbreaking scientific achievement was accompanied by warnings that Dolly might age prematurely because she had been cloned from adult sheep cells, whose “biological clock” had not been reset. Fears were heightened in 2001 when Dolly was <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982203001489">diagnosed with osteoarthritis</a> at five years of age (she died two years later). This was heralded as evidence of premature ageing, although the condition is actually very poorly described in sheep. </p>
<p>We wanted to better understand how the cloning process affected the health of the animals produced and so <a href="http://nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/ncomms12359">we’ve been studying</a> a group of cloned sheep, including four of Dolly’s “identical sisters”. We found that most of the animals are actually in good health for their age. There was little sign of blood glucose problems, high blood pressure or osteoarthritis, all of which were highlighted as potential problems. This suggests that the cloning technique can, after all, produce perfectly normal and viable offspring that don’t grow old before their time.</p>
<p>The technique used to produce Dolly is called somatic-cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and involves reprogramming normal sheep cells into embryonic cells that can turn into any other specific type of cell in the body. This is done by effectively inserting the nucleus of an ordinary cell into an empty egg. The transformed eggs were then used to create embryos that were then implanted in a number of surrogate ewes, eventually leading to the birth of Dolly in July 1996.</p>
<p>But the <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v385/n6619/abs/385810a0.html">Nature paper of 1997</a> announcing the creation of Dolly also highlighted inefficiencies with SCNT. It took 277 reconstructed embryos to produce one sheep. Analysing Dolly’s DNA also suggested that her cells were biologically older than her chronological age. It’s as if the cells still thought they were part of the original, older sheep from which she was cloned.</p>
<h2>Health check</h2>
<p>It was against this background that in 2015 we sought to formally assess the health of a group of <a href="http://nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/ncomms12359">13 cloned sheep</a> ranging from seven to nine years of age. Four of them were effectively clones of Dolly and shared the same DNA in the nuclei of their cells. We investigated three common age-related diseases in sheep: metabolic syndrome (problems associated with obesity), hypertension (high blood pressure) and osteoarthritis (joint pain and stiffness).</p>
<p>There had been <a href="http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v8/n3/full/nm0302-262.html">some reports</a> of diabetes in cloned mice, and kidney defects among previously cloned lambs that didn’t survive birth, which we thought could lead to increased blood pressure in adults. Dolly herself was diagnosed with osteoarthritis at the relatively young age of five.</p>
<p>Despite their advanced age (sheep rarely live beyond ten years), our animals had normal blood glucose levels and found to be insulin sensitive, meaning they weren’t suffering metabolic syndrome. Blood pressure was also normal and, although there was radiographic evidence of mild osteoarthritis in one or two joints in most sheep, no animal was lame and none required treatment. In the 12 months that followed these assessments, our sheep have remained largely healthy. Recently, one of the now nine-year-old Dolly clones has started to show clinical signs of osteoarthritis (being a little stiff in the morning).</p>
<p>Our findings suggest that cloning long-lived species such as sheep by SCNT generally produces no age-related detrimental health effects in the animals that are successfully born and survive beyond the first week or two. But what about the other embryos that didn’t survive? What can their health teach us about the cell reprogramming process? </p>
<p>During natural conception, the sperm’s DNA and associated proteins are packaged in such a way that the egg can easily dismantle and reassemble it. With SCNT cloning, the egg finds it much harder to reprogram the genetic material inserted from the original animal cell and has just a few hours in which to get it right.</p>
<p>So perhaps it is not surprising that in the majority of cases the egg is only partially reprogrammed. Part of the success of the team behind Dolly was in reducing the likelihood of DNA damage and <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v380/n6569/abs/380064a0.html">abnormalities that can occur</a> during reprogramming.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/131947/original/image-20160726-7033-p858n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/131947/original/image-20160726-7033-p858n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/131947/original/image-20160726-7033-p858n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/131947/original/image-20160726-7033-p858n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/131947/original/image-20160726-7033-p858n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=596&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/131947/original/image-20160726-7033-p858n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=596&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/131947/original/image-20160726-7033-p858n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=596&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Professor Keith Campbell.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">University of Nottingham</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Making cloning more efficient</h2>
<p>However, in the 20 years since Dolly’s birth there have been significant advances in molecular genetics and cell biology that have greatly advanced our understanding of these early developmental processes. Professor Keith Campbell, who was part of the Dolly team, went on to improve the efficiency of SCNT so that 20% of cloned embryos developed to become live offspring, as opposed to the original 3% in the Dolly experiment. This work produced ten further Dolly clones in July 2007, seven of which lived beyond one week of age and four of which are alive today (and were part of our study).</p>
<p>Many embryos were still lost during pregnancy but, as with natural conception, the vast majority of these losses occurred before they were successfully implanted in the womb. Those clones that failed to survive much beyond the first week of life typically had defects in the heart, lungs or kidneys. However, these losses were of enough concern to the European Parliament that they contributed to its decision to <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/09/eu-parliament-votes-ban-cloning-farm-animals">ban farm-animal cloning</a> for food production in September 2015.</p>
<p>Now that we know cloning can produce normal, healthy animals, we need to increase the survival rate of the embryos to levels similar to those of natural conception. There is reason to be optimistic that this is achievable. We now have a better understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in the remodelling of the clones’ genetic material.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167779916300038">Scientists are attempting</a> to do part of this reprogramming before the material is transferred to the empty egg so that it looks more like the genetic material delivered by a sperm during natural conception. If successful, this would allow the egg to more easily complete the reprogramming process, increasing the number of embryos that survive and hopefully reducing the related animal welfare concerns.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63090/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kevin Sinclair receives funding from University of Nottingham.</span></em></p>Dolly the sheep died young with osteoarthritis, but new evidence shows early-onset diseases aren’t inevitable for clones.Kevin Sinclair, Professor of Developmental Biology, University of NottinghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/427362015-06-22T10:17:04Z2015-06-22T10:17:04ZHow should kids learn English: through Old MacDonald’s farm or Ali Baba’s farm?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85293/original/image-20150616-5816-j4ir9x.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Why not use Ali Baba Had a Farm, instead of Old McDonald Had a Farm?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Murat Yilmaz</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Children love to sing songs. Think about the time when you were a child. What was your favorite song? What songs did you learn at home and at school?</p>
<p>Traditional children’s songs introduce children to the world around them. They do this in a fun and developmentally appropriate way. In the US, preschool age kids learn about farm animals like cows, ducks and sheep as well as their sounds, like moo moo, quack quack, and baa baa through the popular, traditional song Old MacDonald Had a Farm.</p>
<p>Without realizing it, children learn language and content simultaneously. Songs build <a href="http://www.academia.edu/11293415/Musical_plus_phonological_input_for_young_foreign_language_readers">skills</a> that help children distinguish the sounds of a language, and connect sound to script and assist with <a href="http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v8n1/Galicia.html">vocabulary building</a>.</p>
<p>It is no surprise, then, that English language programs for young children frequently use songs to <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10643-008-0277-9">enhance language and literacy instruction</a>.</p>
<p>Even when teaching children English in other countries, teachers typically use traditional songs from the US and the UK. However, English is the world’s <a href="http://www.tesol.org/docs/pdf/10884.pdf?sfvrsn=2">lingua franca</a>, a global language shared by many cultures. It is not solely connected to American and British cultures. </p>
<p>So, do kids around the world always have to sing about Old MacDonald to learn about farm animals in English? Or is there another way?</p>
<h2>Global perspective on songs</h2>
<p>Since 2004, I have been providing professional development to thousands of English teachers in over 100 countries through online courses and in-person workshops. This experience, primarily with teachers of young learners, has given me a global perspective on English language teaching around the world. </p>
<p>It also inspired me to search for a new approach for teaching English through songs.</p>
<p>Based on my own passion for using songs to teach children language and my interest in other cultures, I began collecting children’s songs in different languages through my global network of teachers. </p>
<p>Although distinctive in their language and melodies, the songs I collected from over 50 countries had much in common. The songs were all short, repetitive, catchy and easy to remember. They played with the sounds of the language through rhyme and rhythm and often had corresponding body movements. They also had common topics interesting to kids, like animals, nature, toys and family. </p>
<p>All the songs shared certain qualities that made them attractive to children. This led me to consider the possibility of using these songs as an interesting and compelling source of cultural material for the classroom.</p>
<h2>International children’s song approach</h2>
<p>The approach I developed is simple. It combines my research in using songs to teach children with my search for appropriate cultural materials for teaching English as a global language. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85605/original/image-20150618-23232-ragg7d.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85605/original/image-20150618-23232-ragg7d.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85605/original/image-20150618-23232-ragg7d.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85605/original/image-20150618-23232-ragg7d.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85605/original/image-20150618-23232-ragg7d.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85605/original/image-20150618-23232-ragg7d.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85605/original/image-20150618-23232-ragg7d.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Teaching kids through songs from the world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Murat Yilmaz</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is called the “international children’s song approach” and uses songs from around the world to teach English to kids. Children can learn a version of the song their peers are learning around the world. Examples can be found in the English language program I coauthored, <a href="http://ngl.cengage.com/ourworldtours/welcome-to-our-world/ae/songs/">Welcome to Our World</a>.</p>
<p>Instead of singing “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” to learn about farm animals, children can sing a song in English that originally comes from another country or culture. </p>
<p>For example, children in Turkey learn a song about farm animals through a similar song in Turkish, called <a href="http://dinolingo.com/blog/2011/05/15/ali-babas-farm-ali-babanin-bir-ciftligi-var-ciftliginde/#.VWOaQ0s-Cpo">Ali Babanın Çiftliği</a> or Ali Baba Has a Farm.</p>
<p>See the original song and a translation in English below.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Ali Babanın bir çiftliği var (Ali Baba has a big farm.)</p>
<p>Çiftliğinde inekleri var (On his farm, there are cows.)</p>
<p>Mö, möö diye bağırır (Moo moo, they go.)</p>
<p>Çiftliğinde Ali Babanın (On Ali Baba’s big farm.)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The melody for Ali Baba Has a Farm is completely different from Old MacDonald; but similar to its American counterpart, the Turkish song has a catchy, rhythmic tune that is repeated with other animals and their corresponding sounds.</p>
<p>Using the international children’s song approach, teachers from around the world can use an English adaptation of Ali Baba Has a Farm in their English language curriculum. </p>
<figure>
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<p>This is a way to introduce children to different cultures through music and songs using English as a global language. Children in any country can enjoy learning about farm animals in English by singing about Ali Baba’s farm, even children in Turkey! </p>
<p>From Mexico to Greece, from Egypt to Japan, children from over 20 countries around the world have been learning English and sharing culture through international songs using <a href="http://ngl.cengage.com/ourworldtours/welcome-to-our-world/ae/songs/">Welcome to Our World</a>. This series for three- to five-year-old learners of English includes 24 songs that originated from 18 countries, such as I Have a Ball from Tunisia, Three Bears from Korea, and Tiny Little Boat from Spain, to name a few.</p>
<p>Of course, they continue to learn English through the typical children’s songs from American and British culture, but they also learn through English adaptations of their own as well as other international songs.</p>
<h2>English is a global language</h2>
<p>English is the <a href="http://www.tesol.org/docs/pdf/10884.pdf?sfvrsn=2">most commonly taught foreign language worldwide</a>. Statistics show that there is a <a href="http://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/sites/ec/files/books-english-next.pdf">“wave of English”</a> building up in this century. This is hardly surprising considering English is the language of science, technology, commerce, diplomacy, tourism and the internet.</p>
<p>An estimated <a href="http://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/sites/ec/files/books-english-next.pdf">two billion people are learning English</a> — that is, almost a third of the world’s population. In many countries where English is not widely spoken, there are government <a href="http://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/research-papers/global-practices-teaching-english-young-learners">mandates</a> to teach English as a foreign language in primary schools.</p>
<p>In countries such as South Korea, Turkey and Brazil, many children begin learning English in addition to their native language as early as three years of age.</p>
<p>Whether children are learning English as a second language, or even a third or fourth language, they are being exposed to it at earlier and earlier ages worldwide.</p>
<p>Using international children’s songs from around the world is an effective approach for teaching English as a global language to kids.</p>
<p>Language is a carrier of culture, and English is uniquely positioned to communicate across cultures around the world. Materials to teach it <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.1949-3533.2000.tb00276.x/abstract">should embrace all cultures</a>.</p>
<p>Why only sing about Old MacDonald and his farm? Why not sing about Ali Baba and his farm too?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/42736/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joan Kang Shin is a co-author and series editor for Welcome to Our World published by National Geographic Learning.</span></em></p>English songs from the US and the UK are typically taught to kids around the world. With English now a language of many cultures, why not incorporate songs from the world?Joan Kang Shin, Associate professor, George Mason UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.