Scientific Seminar
The RSPCA Australia Scientific Seminar is a key national event for the RSPCA. The Seminar brings together leading experts in animal industries to explore the latest developments in animal welfare research, knowledge and practices.
The Seminars are designed to cover a broad spectrum of opinion, encourage audience participation, and have a reputation for provoking lively and constructive debate.
When coping is not enough -
Promoting positive welfare states in animals
The 2013 Seminar explored animal welfare assessment in the context of quality of life and positive welfare states and how these approaches may change the direction in which animal welfare science and welfare assessment is headed. The concept of animal welfare and what it represents has evolved over the last couple of decades, from Don Broom’s ‘coping’ based definition and a focus on biological functioning to, more recently, the promotion of positive affective states and the absence of negative ones. Speakers at the 2013 Seminar addressed the practical side of promoting positive welfare states from the perspective of areas relevant to RSPCA’s work, i.e. companion animals, working animals, farm animals, zoos, and animals used in research.
We were very pleased to have Professor David Mellor, Co-Director of the Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre at Massey University in New Zealand as our Chair. Dr James Yeates from RSPCA UK was the theme keynote speaker.
Program: download (PDF)Proceedings: download (PDF)
Miss out on James Yeates' public lecture tour? Watch the Melbourne lecture here.
Previous Scientific Seminars
- 2012 Animal welfare & ethics
- 2011 Modifying the behaviour of animals
- 2010 Wildlife management and conservation
- 2009 Animals and human health.
- 2008 Animals in transit: The journey ahead.
- 2007 How much space does an elephant need? The impact of confinement on animal welfare.
- 2006 The Five Freedoms and beyond: improving welfare of production animals.
- 2005 Cruelty to animals: a human problem.
- 2004 Welfare underwater - issues with aquatic animals.
- 2003 Solutions for achieving humane vertebrate pest control.
- 2002 Equine welfare: balancing tradition and science.
- 2001 Pets or pests? The future of companion animal ownership.
- 2000 Animal welfare in the new millennium: towards a national approach.
- 1999 Scientific evidence and improvements in animal welfare: are we ignoring the obvious?
This project is supported by the Commonwealth Government through
a grant-in-aid administered by the Department of Finance and Deregulation