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Few works explore the assessments that laypeople make about practices that involve animals. This study tests the multiple sorting tasks (MST) as a method to explore perceptions of animals. 115 people of different genders, and age groups, and the condition of owning a pet or not, assessed practices that make use of animals. The inquiry was made through an interview based on a conceptualisation of the free sortings of 18 cards with text and 18 images that contain practices involving animals, and whether the condition of having a pet or not influenced their conceptualisations. A multidimensional scaling analysis (MSA), indicates that people classify the practices based on the function animals have for society, however are worried about the conditions in which animals are used. The results discuss the importance that laypeople give to the ethics of animal uses, and the role of having a pet or not, showing that young people are more sensitive to the welfare of animals. The results conclude that the participants conceptualise images differently according to whether they are asked to evaluate the practice represented only by text; using images induces more moral conceptualisations than text. This demonstrates the utility of the MST and provides theoretical and practical implications for exploring people's perceptions and educating them on animal welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Given its importance in evaluating the digestibility of ruminant foods for ruminants, the paper aimed to bring information on some general aspects of the in vitro gas production technique and refers to the uses that are given to it. Development: The origins of the technique date back to the work in 1979. Since then there have been changes in the way it is applied, maintaining the essence of measuring the gas production that occurs when the sample is inoculated with rumen fluid, feces or enzymes in a buffered mineral medium based on bicarbonates that releases an amount of gas proportional to the volatile fatty acids produced. The way in which the amount of gas is measured has changed till the now mainly used transducers that are coupled to computers. The technique has been used for multiple studies that were reviewed, as well as some works dedicated to its improvement based on difficulties that arose. Conclusions: It is concluded that the in vitro gas production technique is probably the most versatile tool for measuring digestibility; it presents didactic and accessible procedures; entails fewer costs and also represents a more compatible alternative for animal welfare legislation, by using voided feces as inoculum and that still needs more to be done in order to achieve better precision and accuracy, and the possible application in other fields of animal food evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1937 the British Parliament passed the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act, prohibiting the exhibition and distribution of films in which suffering might have been caused to animals. "Cruel animal films," especially those depicting violent combat, captured the nationalistic anxieties of interwar British animal protectionists, social moralists, animal behavior experts, and legislators. The act symbolically resolved their worries, all of which centered on the morality of British audiences. Attempts to regulate cruel animal films also illuminated contemporary ambiguities about representation in film. Film separated what was being filmed in production from what was shown in the film product, so that the two no longer needed to correspond, while simultaneously maintaining an illusion of direct representation. Critics thus found it difficult to pinpoint whether their concern was with "real" cruelty to animals in production or with the effects of "representations" of cruelty on audiences. Animal behavior experts reframed this problem of ambiguous representation as one they could solve: they assessed the behavior of animals in cruel animal films, using science to evaluate film's claim of realism. This essay argues that these experts used science to manage film's simultaneous cleavage and coupling of reality and representation and, in doing so, regulated elites' anxieties about the degradation of British audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is structured in four approaches: historical, literary, anthropological and philosophical. From the historical perspective, it addresses the origins of the relationship between man and animals, in addition to considering the interactions that took place between the viringo and the Peruvian historical tradition. From the literary point of view, the naturalistic and symbolic representation of the canine in Peru is described, applied to narrative situations of shepherd dogs and urban stories as the case of parallels with militarized school life. From the anthropological point of view, it focuses mainly on the insertion of animals in culture, highlighting the religious and ritual aspect. From the moral or ethical philosophy, the mechanistic position of Descartes, the deontological ethics of Kant and the different theories of ecological ethics in defense of animals, such as the position of Bentham, Singer, Regan and Nussbaum, are approached. The logic of Cartesian dominion and the different naturalist positions in favor of animal law, who apply the concept of personhood to irrational beings, are criticized. Finally, a realistic animal ethics is proposed, which helps to avoid any kind of mistreatment, abuse and exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explains what suffering-focused ethics are, and presents some of the main reasons in their support. It then discusses their implications for the moral consideration of animals. The paper argues that under according to these views, the harmful use as resources of animals should be rejected. It then examines those positions that accept the use of animals as long as it takes place in ways that reduce the harm inflicted by them. The paper presents several reasons why such positions can be challenged and why they conflict with what suffering-focused ethics imply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The application of tissue engineering in the repair of spinal cord injury is a focus of research in recent years, and most of the studies are still invitro stage. OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of repairing spinal cord injury with tissue-engineered spinal cord that was composed of new collagen nanofiber membrane and neural stem cells. METHODS: Collagen was used as raw material, and the nanofiber membrane with parallel arrangement and staggered arrangement of fibers was prepared by electronic spinning technology. The spinal cord derived neural stem cells of neonate rats were cultured on two kinds of nanofibers for 7 days to construct the tissue-engineered spinal cord. Sprague-Dawley rat models of spinal cord hemisection were randomly divided into five groups. In the blank control group, any material was not used. In the parallel tissue engineering group and cross tissue engineering group, corresponding tissue-engineered spinal cord was used. In the parallel group and cross group, corresponding nanofiber membrane was used. At 1-8 weeks after the operation, modified BBB scores of the rats were recorded. At 8 weeks after operation, the spinal cord was taken and stained with hematoxylin and eosin and received immunohistochemistry. The experiments were approved by experimental animal welfare and Ethics Management Committee of Harbin Medical University. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The BBB scores in the parallel tissue engineering group were higher than those in the other four groups (P < 0.05). The BBB scores in the staggered tissue engineering group, the parallel group and the staggered group were all higher than those in the blank control group (P < 0.05). The BBB scores in the staggered tissue engineering group were higher than those in the parallel group and the staggered group at 2-8 weeks after operation (P < 0.05). The BBB scores in the parallel group were higher than those in the staggered group at 1 and 2 weeks after operation (P < 0.05). (2) Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that there was almost no cell structure in the injury area of the blank control, and a large number of scar tissue formation was seen. The formation of scar tissue was inhibited in the parallel group and the staggered group, and the tissue repair was not obvious; the scar formation in the adjacent tissue and no cell connection was established between the injury area and the surrounding area. There were a large number of cell components in the scaffold degradation area of the two tissue engineering groups, and there were obvious tissue regeneration, more cells distributed along the direction of the scaffold; connections were built among the cells and with normal tissues. (3) Immunohistochemistry staining showed that neurons were seen in the two tissue engineering groups. (4) The results showed that the effect of nano tissue engineering on the repair of spinal cord injury was good, and the effect of parallel nano fiber membrane was better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we develop and defend an account of the normative significance of nonhuman animal agency. In particular, we examine how animals' agency interests impact upon the moral permissibility of our interactions with them. First, we defend the claim that nonhuman animals sometimes have rights to self-determination. However, unlike typical adult humans, nonhuman animals cannot exercise this right through the giving or withholding of consent. This combination of claims generates a puzzle about the permissibility of our interactions with nonhuman animals. If animals sometimes have rights to self-determination, but lack the capacity to consent, then when, if ever, is it permissible for us to touch them, hold them, bathe them, or confine them? In the second half of the article, we develop a solution to this puzzle. We argue that while we cannot obtain animals' consent, they can engage in authoritative communications of will through acts of "assent" and "dissent." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Our previous studies have constructed polyglycolic acid-human dental pulp stem cells complex, and it is shown that mechanical stimulation of the complex can be effective in the construction of tissue-engineered tendons or ligaments. OBJECTIVE: We assume that tissue-engineered tendons or ligaments constructed by polyglycolic acid and canine dental pulp stem cells may promote the healing of periodontal tissue defect, so we verify the promoting effect of the complex for repairing canine one-wall periodontal defects. METHODS: One-wall acute periodontal defect models of six Beagle dogs were prepared. The models were randomly assigned to experimental group(canine dental pulp stem cells-polyglycolic acid complex) and control group(without any implanting). Periodontal regeneration was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and AZAN staining at 12 weeks after implantation. The animal experiment was approved by the experimental animal welfare and ethics committee of Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Military Area Command. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Hematoxylin-eosin staining: There were numerous new bones at the site of the periodontal defect; there were still differences between the new bone structure in the distal part of the root surface defect and the normal bone structure; the fibrous connective tissue above was thick in the experimental group. There was only a small amount of new bone at the site of the defect, and the gingiva and the root surface did not combine to form long junctional epithelium structure in the control group. (2) AZAN staining: Compact new bone formation, periodontal membrane regeneration and thin cementum formation could be seen at the site of the periodontal defect; new periodontal membrane was close to the normal periodontal membrane tissue in the experimental group. There was only a small amount of new bone formation at the site of the defect, almost no new periodontal membrane, and the upper part was gingival connective tissue, and the gingiva and the root surface did not combine to form long junctional epithelium structure in the control group. (3) Histological quantitative analysis results showed that the length of junctional epithelium, new cementum, new periodontal membrane, new bone height, and new bone area were more in the experimental group than in the control group(P < 0.05). (4) These results confirm that canine dental pulp stem cells combined with polyglycolic acid contribute to periodontal regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory cells or inflammatory factors participate in the proliferation and differentiation of skeletal muscle satellite cells after denervation injury, and play an important role in the pathological process of skeletal muscle denervation. OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of passive training on skeletal muscle structure, function and expression of Actin and inflammatory factors in rats with denervated muscle atrophy. METHODS: Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, model group and training group. In the model group and the training group, the sciatic nerve was exposed and cut off the sciatic nerve, while the sciatic nerve in the sham operation group was exposed but not cut off. Two months after modeling, rats in the training group underwent passive rehabilitation training with self-made drum for 2 months, and then the degree of muscle atrophy and motor function were evaluated by muscle wet weight ratio and Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan score. The muscle fiber fine structure and cross-sectional area were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining, and the expression of Actin, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 and interleukin-1β in each group was detected by immunohistochemical staining. The study protocol was approved by the Laboratory Animal Welfare Ethics Committee of Shenyang Medical College with the approval No. SYYXY2015010601. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan score of the training group was higher than that of the model group. The wet weight ratio of the training group was higher than that of the model group; however, the cross-sectional area of the muscle fibers was lower than that of the model group (P < 0.001, P < 0.05). The expression of Actin in the training group was higher than that in the model group (P < 0.001), and the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 and interleukin-1β in the training group were lower than those in the model group (P < 0.001 or P < 0.05). To conclude, passive training can help to recover the muscle structure and function of denervated muscles, reduce the levels of inflammatory factors, prevent further muscle atrophy, and improve skeletal muscle strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature presents a broad approach to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which aggregates a diversity of issues, such as the environment, labor conditions, and human rights. We addressed the impact of increasing CSR demands during the internationalization of emerging market multinationals (EMNs) on one particular subject, animal welfare (AW). This subject raises important ethical concerns, especially as we understand that animals are sentient beings. Through content analysis of annual reports, we tracked the evolution of AW-CSR activities throughout the internationalization of two large Brazilian meat-processing multinationals as they accessed markets with complex AW regulations. We also synthetized findings on broiler chicken on-farm AW research in Brazil and conducted interviews to gauge the impact of CSR standards on animals. Our findings show that, although EMNs that enter developed markets engage with various standards, the impacts of standard enforcement on actual welfare are not straightforward and call for broader AW and animal ethics developments. Uneven results among AW criteria indicate that some aspects are prioritized over others. Furthermore, some actions of actors such as EMNs and low-tier suppliers seem to counterbalance the expected impact of normative pressures to change the lives of animals for the better. We conclude that AW standards may improve AW in emerging markets; but these standards do not appear to be sufficiently stringent, and require improvements to have a more significant positive impact. A major signal emerging from this research is the fundamental need to broaden the animal ethics debate regarding the use of animals to produce meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild animals are used in scientific research in a wide variety of contexts both in situ and ex situ. Guidelines for best practice, where they exist, are not always clearly linked to animal welfare and may instead have their origins in practicality. This is complicated by a lack of clarity about indicators of welfare for wild animals, and to what extent a researcher should intervene in cases of compromised welfare.This Primer highlights and discusses the broad topic of wild animal welfare and the ethics of using wild animals in scientific research, both in the wild and in controlled conditions. Throughout, we discuss issues associated with the capture, handling, housing and experimental approaches for species occupying varied habitats, in both vertebrates and invertebrates (principally insects, crustaceans and molluscs).We highlight where data on the impacts of wild animal research are lacking and provide suggestive guidance to help direct, prepare and mitigate potential welfare issues, including the consideration of end‐points and the ethical framework around euthanasia.We conclude with a series of recommendations for researchers to implement from the design stage of any study that uses animals, right through to publication, and discuss the role of journals in promoting better reporting of wild animal studies, ultimately to the benefit of wild animal welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The welfare of aquatic animals is receiving increasing attention around the world, and this should be reflected in the veterinary curricular. Veterinary students in Australia and New Zealand ranked the importance of five pre-selected topics on aquatic animal welfare and ethical issues for newly qualified veterinarians in an online survey. They ranked aquatic animals' health and welfare issues, husbandry techniques of farmed fish, and the use of antibiotics as being of high importance for their first day in practice, with pain and distress associated with angling and trawling practices (fishing) and euthanasia ranking moderate to high. Females assigned more importance to fishing, health and welfare issues, and husbandry techniques of farmed fish than did males. Students in the early stages of study assigned more importance to fishing than did senior students. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to investigate what importance veterinary students place on their competence regarding aquatic animal welfare and ethics. Gaining an understanding of how veterinary students prioritize these issues, and if this differs based on gender and stage of study, will help veterinary educators to better prepare graduates to address concerns surrounding the welfare of aquatic animals. This could be achieved by careful consideration of course content and where in the curriculum this material is taught, as well as reiterating key messages in the senior years and addressing changing student attitudes as they progress through the course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism literature on animal ethics and animal welfare has given scarce consideration to how tourists become enrolled into caring, responsible practices towards animals. The objective of this paper is to contextualize a process of moral development – and specifically the emergence of an ethic of care – through the narratives and experiences of captive elephant volunteer tourists in Thailand. Guided by tenets of ecofeminism and a narrative methodology, our study forefronts how relational experiences prompted compassion and empathy as storied by 12 women volunteers. These volunteer tourists described how they shaped their own moral and ethical patterns through practices of witnessing abuse, questioning moral responsibilities, connecting with elephants, and advocating for improved conditions of captive individuals. As storied by the volunteers, processes of witnessing–questioning–connecting–advocating were deeply transformational, and inspired what we interpret as the development of an ethic of care. The research advances understandings of how intentional, relational engagements that prioritize animal wellbeing have the potential to facilitate among tourists processes of becoming care-full. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on ethics and the environment, along with information on the ethical challenges faced by the environment. It mentions the need to incorporate ecofeminism into environmental ethics and praxis as ecofeminism builds on work in feminist philosophy that uncovers various biases that distort the knowledge and the relationships.

Following ethical contextualism, this article situates different animal ethical principles, from anthropocentrism to non‐anthropocentrism and relational caring ethics, in Thai social contexts in order to examine whether these principles can lead to a sustainable ethical practice in elephant conservation. The results show that, as non‐anthropocentrism, animal rights ethics are impractical in Thailand because of temporal, spatial, economic and social constraints. As weak anthropocentrism, animal welfare ethics endorse the tourism industry to commercialise the encounter value of elephants by developing elephant camps. Along with animal welfare, relational ecofeminism justifies the emerging model of elephant sanctuaries. Both camp and sanctuary models create a work‐for‐care cycle, in which elephants work to generate economic gains, some of which are in turn used to care for elephants. However, because of evolving social situations, such as potential market competition and poaching of wild elephants, the morality of the work‐for‐care cycle is weak and can be challenged. Nevertheless, sanctuaries offer a direction for a local solution because of their potentially responsible business model. In conclusion, there is not a single set of ethics that can solve all problems and be sustainable in all contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an overview of the contemporary animal advocacy movement (AAM) as well as the ways in which animal welfare and rights ideologies are represented in law. It mentions obstacles to granting rights to animals and the merits of developing an animal rights framework. It also mentions case for granting legal rights to animals, with reference to human rights literature and Animal Welfare Act provides minimum acceptable standards for the care and treatment of animals.

Veterinary practitioners are thought of as guardians of animal health and wellbeing, and are considered important in the development of policies on animals. Measuring veterinary students' attitudes toward animals and animal use is needed when assessing the effectiveness of education programs focused on animal welfare and ethics. The present study examined Spanish veterinary students' attitudes toward different types of animal use, their human-directed empathy, and the relationship between these and various personal variables. The sample comprised 200 students who completed an online questionnaire. Attitudes toward animal use varied significantly, depending on the type of use in question. There was also a relationship between attitudes toward animal use, one component of human-directed empathy, "Empathic Concern," and a number of personal variables such as gender, career choice, and contact with animal welfare organizations. Concern about the use of animals for research and animal management was lower in students who were in the later years of their studies. Reasons for this and the role of veterinary education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the idea of moral offsetting: the idea that good actions can offset bad actions in a way roughly analogous to carbon offsetting. For example, a meat eater might try to offset their consumption of meat by donating to an animal welfare charity. In this paper, I clarify the idea of moral offsetting, consider whether the leading moral theories and theories of moral worth are consistent with the possibility of moral offsetting, and consider potential benefits of moral offsetting. I also compare moral offsetting to a related practice that I call 'moral triaging'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the South Korea's Animal Protection Act and its limitations in preventing animal cruelty. Topics discussed include history of South Korea, its legal system, and the development of the first animal cruelty law; overview of the U.S. and Swiss animal protection legislation; and examination of the effect of South Korean media sources, animal activism and public opinion on its animal cruelty law.

The article reports a majority of animal welfare and animal rights theorists have dismissed philosopher Immanuel Kant's ethical theory due to its speciesism, though Kant prohibits the mistreatment of animals on moral grounds. Topics discussed include the authors defense of Kant's view that animals are only indirectly considerable.

Despite abundant focus on responsible care of laboratory animals, we argue that inattention to the maltreatment of wildlife constitutes an ethical blind spot in contemporary animal research. We begin by reviewing significant shortcomings in legal and institutional oversight, arguing for the relatively rapid and transformational potential of editorial oversight at journals in preventing harm to vertebrates studied in the field and outside the direct supervision of institutions. Straightforward changes to animal care policies in journals, which our analysis of 206 journals suggests are either absent (34%), weak, incoherent, or neglected by researchers, could provide a practical, effective, and rapidly imposed safeguard against unnecessary suffering. The Animals in Research: Reporting On Wildlife (ARROW) guidelines we propose here, coupled with strong enforcement, could result in significant changes to how animals involved in wildlife research are treated. The research process would also benefit. Sound science requires animal subjects to be physically, physiologically, and behaviorally unharmed. Accordingly, publication of methods that contravenes animal welfare principles risks perpetuating inhumane approaches and bad science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the moral obligation of a state towards the welfare and justice of animals, which can be brought about with contractarianism, as a brand of political teleology. Topics discussed include domesticated animal citizenship, democratic decision making, and references of philosophers such as Kenneth Goodpaster, Mark Rowlands, and Christine Korsgaard.

ABSTRACT In this article, we empirically test explanations for variation in support for animal rights at the individual level and across the United States. We draw on a combination of national public opinion surveys and cross-sectional data on animal rights laws from the fifty US states. We find a strong connection between recognition of human rights and animal rights both at the individual attitude level and at the US state policy level. Our results demonstrate that support for animal rights strongly links to support for disadvantaged or marginalized human populations, including LGBT groups, racial minorities, undocumented immigrants, and the poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the ethics of provisioning wildlife to enhance tourist interactions at a whale shark tourism site in Oslob, Philippines. TripAdvisor comments (n = 947) and tourist surveys (n = 761) were used to better understand tourists' perceptions of whale shark provisioning in Oslob. The ethical decisions made were then critically assessed using utilitarian and animal welfare ethical philosophies. The majority of respondents supported whale shark provisioning, despite many being aware of the ethical complications of provisioning sharks for tourism purposes. Respondents justified their participation in this activity using mainly economic, human enjoyment, and animal welfare arguments. A utilitarian assessment of the potential costs and benefits of this activity highlighted the gaps in our knowledge regarding the economic and social benefits of this activity, as well as the negative impacts on the sharks’ welfare. Until such analyses are completed, significant ethical questions remain regarding the provisioning of these sharks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pictures of sides of beef, hanging from overhead rails in refrigerated warehouses and meat-processing plants, often leave a feeling of unease. These pictures provoke the notion that human beings have no right to inflict suffering and death on other sentient beings for the sole purpose of providing food. However, the ethical analysis conducted in this study shows that meat production, if animal welfare and deaths per calorie created are considered, is less of a pressing problem compared to the production of milk. While meat can be provided with minimal suffering to animals, the consumption of milk is always associated with considerable suffering during the dairy cow’s life-span and the lives of their offspring. Moreover, more bovine deaths per unit of calorific value created are associated with milk production compared to meat production. The vegan movement, which is currently growing, wishes to minimise farm animal suffering as much as possible. However, if a vegan diet is not possible, consumers should make an informed decision about the products they consume. Replacement of the calories obtained from meat with those from milk and dairy products is not rational if animal welfare is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cat and Dog Fur Regulation, which bans the importation and exportation of real cat and dog fur, has been in force since 2008. The Regulation was a welcome development, however, a recent investigation carried out by the Humane Society International/UK and Sky News uncovered the sale of items of clothing containing real cat fur on the British high-street. This discovery, coupled with a recent report by the European Commission on the application of the Cat and Dog Fur Regulation, has undermined the efficacy of the Regulation. It raises questions as to the enforcement of the Regulation, and indeed the enforcement of EU animal welfare protection and legislation in general. The Cat and Dog Fur Regulation is but one piece of legislation, however, using this Regulation on a micro-level, helps understand the EU’s approach on a macro-level. The Cat and Dog Fur Regulation typifies the supineness of the EU when it comes to dealing with ethical issues. The European Commission needs to ensure that Member States are fulfilling their obligations under the Regulation and EU animal welfare provisions in general, by adopting a more forceful approach, which may necessitate it taking infringement proceedings under Article 258 TFEU. There is a need for Member States to carry out DNA testing for real cat and dog fur on goods purchased online, especially those coming from outside the EU. There is a dearth of academic commentary on the Cat and Dog Fur Regulation. The lack of discussion undermines the importance of this piece of legislation. Brexit also has implications for EU animal welfare. UK had already banned fur farming before the Regulation, thus the ban on the importation and exportation of fur should remain under domestic law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Philosophical reflections on our ethical responsibilities toward urban wildlife populations have tended to be based on a "parallel planes" framework. This framework is insufficient when it comes to looking after the well-being of city-dwelling wild animals. A different starting-point in thinking about urban wildlife ethics, informed by phenomenology, can bring a number of possible obligations to the fore--for example, an ethics of attentiveness, flexibility, adjustment, and change; virtues associated with an ethic of care from attentiveness through generosity to empathy; and a practice of hospitality. These obligations are moral rather than political; their "ought" is generated from the perspective of an ethic of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing need for sexed semen of cattle in India. Farmers prefer female calves of cows or buffalos than male calves as they can produce milk in the future which is economically more beneficial. Very few bulls are required for breeding in herds and they are no more required in agricultural fields due to mechanization of cultivation and transportation. Therefore these extra bulls/oxen are often sold at low prices to the meat industry. This is an animal welfare concern and can also cause communal tensions due to differences in belief systems of religious sects. At present there is no indigenous technology for producing sexed semen although artificial insemination with non-sexed semen is a well-established method of breeding among cattle farmers. The imported sexed semen is not easily available and also not affordable for most Indian farmers. There is a need for the development of cost effective indigenous sperm sexing techniques as an alternative to fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Recent developments in microfluidics and BEMS (bio electromechanical systems) may hold the key to the development of a portable device for semen sexing with minimal tampering of the sperm structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue regarding animal ethics that includes analysis of the Animal Welfare Impact Assessment (AWIA); information on bovine Tuberculosis (TB); and interpretation of animal rights.

Objective To determine what veterinary students in Australia and New Zealand consider important competences in companion animal welfare and ethics ( AWE) required on their first day of practice, and to explore how their priorities relate to gender and stage of study. Methods Undergraduate students at all veterinary schools in Australia and New Zealand were sent an online survey. A subset of questions required participants to rank the importance of preselected AWE topics pertaining to companion animals. Data were analysed to determine differences in the way students of different gender or academic stage prioritised each of these AWE topics. Results Of 3220 currently enrolled students, 851 participated in the survey: 79% were female, 17% male, 4% unspecified. Ranking of the AWE topics, from highest to lowest importance, was: neutering, companion animal husbandry, euthanasia, behaviour and training, animal breeding, over-servicing in relation to animal needs and cosmetic surgery. Female students consistently ranked competency in AWE issues surrounding neutering more highly than male students (P = 0.006). Students in senior years of study ranked the importance of competency in animal abuse/hoarding (P = 0.048), shelter medicine (P = 0.012) and animal breeding (P = 0.002) less highly than those in junior years. Conclusions Australasian veterinary students placed more importance on competency in AWE issues associated with clinical practice (such as neutering and euthanasia) than on professional behaviours (such as over-servicing and animal breeding). However, we consider that emphasis should still be placed on developing graduate competency in the latter categories to reflect growing societal concerns about companion animal over-supply and inappropriate professional conduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS), which was signed by the European Community, Canada, and Russia in 1997, killing devices used for the capture of canids and other fur-bearing nonhuman animals should render an animal irreversibly unconscious within 300 s. However, killing neck snares are not included in the agreement. In this commentary, a parallel is drawn between injuries caused by steel-jawed leghold traps, which have been banned by the AIHTS signatory countries, and killing neck snares to demonstrate that these snares should also be included in international humane trapping standards (i.e., AIHTS). Previous scientific investigations have shown that neither manual nor power-killing neck snares can consistently render canids unconscious rapidly. Animals caught in killing neck snares suffer injuries that are similar to or worse than those reported for leg-captured canids. The authors strongly recommend that AIHTS be modified to include killing neck snares and that such devices be subject to the criteria applied to other trapping devices. Alternative restraining trapping devices, which are effective and more humane, are available for capturing wild canids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of animals is essential in biomedical research. The laboratory environment where the animals are housed has a major impact on them throughout their lives and influences the outcome of animal experiments. Therefore, there has been an increased effort in the refinement of laboratory housing conditions which is explicitly reflected in international regulations and recommendations. Since housing conditions affect behaviour and brain function as well as well-being, the validation of an animal model or paradigm to study the brain and central nervous system disorders is not complete without an evaluation of its implication on animal welfare. Here we discuss several aspects of animal welfare, comparing groups of six rats living in the PhenoWorld (PhW), a recently developed and validated paradigm for studying rodent behaviour, with standard-housed animals (in cages of six rats or pair-housed). In this study we present new data on home-cage behaviour showing that PhW animals have a clearer circadian pattern of sleep and social interaction. We conclude that, by promoting good basic health and functioning, together with the performance of natural behaviours, and maintaining animals’ control over some of their environment but still keeping some physical and social challenges, the PhW stimulates positive affective states and higher motivation in rats, which might contribute to an increased welfare for animals living in the PhW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of two types of commercial suspension (leaf-spring (LS) vs. air suspension (AS)) installed on two similar double-decked trucks on blood cortisol and lactate concentration, lairage behavior, carcass skin lesions and pork quality traits of 120 crossbred pigs. The suspension type neither influenced pig behaviour in lairage nor blood cortisol and lactate concentrations (p > 0.10). However, when compared with the AS suspension system, the use of LS increased the number of skin lesions in the back and thigh (p = 0.03 and p = 0.01, respectively) and produced thigh with lower pHu (p < 0.001) and yellower colour (higher b* value; p = 0.03), and paler back muscles (subjective colour; p < 0.05), with a tendency to lower pHu (p = 0.06). Therefore, the use air suspension system can improve carcass and meat quality traits of pigs transported to slaughter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whip use in horseracing is increasingly being questioned on ethical, animal welfare, social sustainability, and legal grounds. Despite this, there is weak evidence for whip use and its regulation by Stewards in Australia. To help address this, we characterised whip rule breaches recorded by Stewards using Stewards Reports and Race Diaries from 2013 and 2016 in New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). There were more recorded breaches at Metropolitan (M) than Country (C) or Provincial (P) locations, and by riders of horses that finished first, second, or third than by riders of horses that finished in other positions. The most commonly recorded breaches were forehand whip use on more than five occasions before the 100-metre (m) mark (44%), and whip use that raises the jockey's arm above shoulder height (24%). It is recommended that racing compliance data be analysed annually to inform the evidence-base for policy, education, and regulatory change, and ensure the welfare of racehorses and racing integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many philosophers maintain that a being's moral status depends on its capacities, for example, whether the being is rational or sentient. In the notorious ‘argument from marginal cases’, animal rights advocates make use of this received view by arguing that because infants and the severely cognitively disabled have no more capacities than many animals, animals have status equivalent to humans and are entitled to equal moral consideration. But although capacities may be relevant to moral status, they do not determine it. Ultimately, we need to consider the objectives of morality in determining what obligations we have towards any group of beings, whether they are aliens, humans, or animals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Morally unequal treatment of different nonhuman species, like pigs and dogs, can seem troublingly inconsistent. A position Todd May calls moral individualism and relationalism appears to justify the moral discomfit attending such species-differentiated treatment. Yet some of its basic assumptions are challenged by a philosophical style Roger Scruton called narrative philosophy. Expanding upon Christopher Cordner's discussion of narrative philosophy, this paper develops a narrative-style philosophical critique of Todd May's moral individualism and relationalism, especially its reductionist understanding of moral reasons, consistency, and relevance. Such criticism opens up the possibility that the unequal treatment of nonhuman species like pigs and dogs is perfectly consistent and even justified. However, the paper then presents a narrative-style argument that such species-differentiated treatment may be morally inconsistent and unjustified after all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While animal rights have been a central topic within moral philosophy since the 1970s, it has remained virtually invisible within political philosophy. This article explores two key reasons for the difficulties in locating animals within political philosophy. First, even if animals are seen as having intrinsic moral status, they are often seen as ultimately distant others or strangers, beyond the bounds of human society. Insofar as political philosophy focuses on the governing of a shared social life, animals are seen as falling outside its remit. Second, even if animals are recognized as members of society, they are seen as lacking the capacities or competences said to be essential for politics, and for membership in the demos. We challenge both assumptions. Many animals live and work alongside us, within an interspecies society, and all members of society should have the right to shape decisions about how that society is governed. An interspecies society requires interspecies politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stephen Clark's article The Rights of Wild Things from 1979 was the starting point for the consideration in the animal ethics literature of the so-called 'predation problem'. Clark examines the response of David George Ritchie to Henry Stephens Salt, the first writer who has argued explicitly in favor of animal rights. Ritchie attempts to demonstrate-via reductio ad absurdum-that animals cannot have rights, because granting them rights would oblige us to protect prey animals against predators that wrongly violate their rights. This article navigates the reader through the debate sparked off by Clarke's article, with as final destination what I consider to be the best way to deal with the predation problem. I will successively discuss arguments against the predation reductio from Singer's utilitarian approach, Regan's deontological approach, Nussbaum's capability approach, and Donadson and Kymlicka's political theory of animal rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the concept of dignity as applied to animals. Topics discussed include the types of actions that can be considered a violation of animal dignity, the ethical issues that may arise from humans' treatment of animals, particularly those deemed to violate the latter's dignity, and the meaning of the concepts flourishing, consent and autonomy as applied to animal dignity and animal ethics.

This paper is an exploratory study designed to discover if an exploration of the natural history of the honeybee will affect attitudes toward the honeybee. Single session interviews were conducted with nine participants. Grounded theory was used to analyze the interviews and to develop a model that contained major themes about attitudes toward honeybees. A fourteenweek follow-up interview was conducted with four of the original participants. The follow-up was an opportunity for both the author and the participant to determine if that participant’s attitude toward the honeybee persisted over the intervening fourteen week period. Is it possible that our attitude, and social construction of the honeybee as a pest, colors what we see when we look at the honeybee? Exploring the natural history of the honeybee may not create a fondness for the insect but one might discover along the way that the honeybee is a creature worth getting to know. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]