2011 Modifying the behaviour of animals
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.
All work and no play? Modifying the behaviour of animals
Tuesday 22 February 2011, CSIRO Discovery Centre, Canberra
The 2011 Scientific Seminar explored the animal welfare implications of training animals by asking how our attempts to modify animal behaviour affect the animals themselves. Is making animals work for our own purposes justified? How do we motivate animals to perform, or behave the way we want them to, and do any of them actually enjoy it? Can we use training to improve the welfare of individual animals? And are the training methods used always acceptable, even when they are out of public view?
The Seminar presented the views of a range of experts in animal behaviour and training with experience with companion animals, working animals, livestock, zoos and animal parks. The Seminar was chaired by Dr Paul McGreevy, Professor of Animal Behaviour and Welfare at the University of Sydney.
As is the tradition with this Seminar Series, the program aimed to cross conventional topic boundaries, challenge current thinking, and stimulate further discussion.
Program: download (PDF doc)
Proceedings: download (PDF doc)
Previous Scientific Seminars
- 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