Animal welfare scientist to give public talk tonight
An animal welfare scientist from a New Zealand university will discuss how negative and positive emotions affect animal behaviours during a public discussion in Charlottetown.
David Mellor of the University of Massey will present “Thriving, not merely surviving: A fresh perspective on animal welfare,” this evening at the Atlantic Veterinary College.
Mellor will offer a fresh perspective on animal welfare management through promoting positive states and minimizing negative ones, and consider the interaction between them.
Much of the professor’s pioneering work in the field of animal welfare centres on animal emotions and behaviour and the promotion of positive welfare states in companion animals, farm animals and others.
His talk begins at 7 p.m. His contributions to animal welfare cover many aspects of the science, including the welfare and development of young animals, how to assess animal welfare comprehensively and systematically, investigation of negative experiences such as breathlessness, thirst, hunger and pain and the study of positive emotional states in a range of animals.
Mellor received a Global Health and Pharma Animal Welfare Award in 2016 for his work, along with the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare medal in 2015.