Workshop on Positive Welfare
Date: 31/12/2024
Hybrid meeting - Ekiti State University and Online
“Recent advances in positive animal welfare – application in Nigeria and beyond”
Meeting POSTPONED, new date to be confirmed soon.
Overview of meeting:
Animal welfare has not been given a sufficient pride of place in the African continent and that includes Nigeria. Despite the 15 Universities offering training in veterinary medicine and 30 offering training in animal science (at all levels i.e. Bachelor’s, Masters and Ph.D. respectively) in the country, there is no undergraduate programme in animal welfare. This speaks to the low priority the central Government has placed on animal welfare which bears correlation with human well-being and environmental sustainability. Also, no clear cut section of the Nigerian constitution is devoted to animal welfare; though animal cruelty is frowned against subtly under the penal code. It is to this end that we deemed it fit to organize a significant conversation around the theme: “Positive animal welfare dynamics”.
The workshop intends among other things to take advantage of the new ministry of livestock development that has just been created by the Nigerian Government to ensure a department of animal welfare is carved out. This will over time be replicated across the states and local Governments in the country. The necessity of such an intervention is tied to the fact that among other things positive animal welfare would embrace preventive veterinary medical care, ensure optimal comfort for animals and contribute to achieving one health.
The workshop will include talks from experts in the area and an opportunity for interaction between the virtual and on-site delegates so as to conceive at least three research proposals (each falling under the three sub-themes on which the three lead speakers would have made presentations about). This would also help foster meaningful collaborations between AWRN members and Nigerian researchers.
Program plan:
Starting at 10am on Thursday 17th October, there will be a morning of talks including Professor Siobhan Mullan on “Positive animal Welfare dynamics”, Dr Oluwaseun Iyasere on “Positive animal welfare: behaviour says a lot” and Professor Emmanual Ewuola on “Biodiversity: a crucial tool for animal welfare enhancement”. The afternoon will have interactions between virtual and in-person participants to lead to development of three proposals.
Registration:
Attendance at the event is free, AWRN members can book a space using the online form found here:
If you have any questions about this event then please do not hesitate to get in touch.