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Let's Get Down To The Basics, Shall We?

 


What does animal welfare mean to you? Do you feel that an animal which gets all its adequate needs like food, water and shelter is having good welfare? Indeed animal welfare is an extremely subjective issue which can be interpreted in a million different ways and a good example is when some people think that killing animals for consumption is bad animal welfare whereas some do not.

Thus in this article I will attempt to clear up some misconceptions regarding animal welfare as well as guide the general public as to the basic principles on which any interpretation of welfare should be based on. Before I continue with the principles, one needs to understand the distinction between animal welfare and animal rights as there can be a blurred line between these two terms. Simply put, animal welfare is the maintenance of the physical and physiological well-being of animals. On the other hand, animal rights is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings.

So once you have made that distinction, you can make a choice as to what kind of person you are. Are you a welfarist? Or are you a rightist? Or are you someone who is on the fence? No matter what kind of person you are, we can all agree that the main principles of animal welfare is to the benefit of the animals and to an acceptable degree, allow the animal to live comfortably and free of overt physical, physiological or mental pain.

The first principle that animal welfare is based on is Freedom from Hunger and Thirst. Of course, this is one of the most primal and basic needs of any animal. It is obviously cruel to starve a cat or dog to death and have it dying of dehydration, but keep in mind that giving an animal just any food does not suffice. In the pet world we relate mostly to dogs and cats, and many times I meet people who tell me they feed their dogs only plain white rice. Yes, the dog is free from hunger, and yes the dog is free from thirst, but is the dogs nutritional requirements met? Wouldnt the dog suffer from other malnutrition diseases in the long run if all it eats is just white rice? So, here we can see a clear example as to how different the interpretations of welfare can be and it is important to remember that this principle must be species specific so that the animals hunger is satiated but with a diet that meets or at least attempts to meet all its nutritional needs.

The next principle is the Freedom from Discomfort. Now this is a tricky one. Many times people think that providing a place for the animal to live in is good enough. But does the animal have adequate space to turn around and lie down? Are its paws hurting from the grills of the cage floor? What about shelter from the sun and rain? Many times owners tend to leave their animals unattended outside of the house without ensuring that the animal has adequate shelter from the elements of nature. Just imagine yourself stuck under the hot Malaysian sun without any shelter!

The Freedom from Pain, Injury and Disease is related to all the other freedoms as the animal should be kept as healthy as possible through any means either by its diet, housing or healthcare regime. Of course, animals will occasionally fall sick but any disease or injury should be prevented as much as possible and if the animal does fall sick, then appropriate medical treatment should be sought for it. This is usually where the issue of finances come in. Many times, owners do not vaccinate their animals or bring their animals for yearly check-ups and boosters as they save some money by doing so. But think about it, wouldnt it be cheaper to prevent, rather than cure? Of course, everything must be done in consideration as to what the owner can afford but the owner or caretaker of the animal should try their best to minimize the discomfort of the animal.

Imagine a dog which is fed nutritious food and has plenty of access to water and shelter and given nice comfortable bedding. It gets it annual vaccinations and its owner takes it to the vet when it gets sick. But this dog is kept in its cage all day long, with no interaction with its owners and no space to run around. Do you think this is a good life for a dog? The Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour is defined as providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animals own kind to allow it to do the things that it would naturally do.

Last but not the least is the Freedom from Fear and Distress. Imagine having a pet bird which is kept next to a cats cage. Every day the bird is subjected to mental torture as to whether or not it will be eaten by the cat. I dont know about you but that sounds like a Saw movie everyday to me. Not at all a situation any of us humans or animals would like to be in, dont you think?

These are just the basic theories in which I base most of my welfare opinions on. Of course, there will be lots of debate about how far these theories span and the personal abilities of each individual to care for the animals, but like every vertebrate, the animal welfare issue needs to have a backbone to rely on and this should be it.


 

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Chengy

What can I say about myself? Happy, optimistic, and absolutely in love with animals big or small, I'm just a person with a big heart and open mind.

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