[ Osinam Tate ]
Animal welfare:
Animal welfare means how an animal is coping with the conditions in which it lives. An animal is in a good state of welfare if it is healthy, comfortable, well-nourished, safe, able to express innate behaviour, and if it is not suffering from unpleasant states such as pain, fear, and distress.
Animal welfare can also be expressed in terms of following five freedoms:
# Freedom from hunger or thirst by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour.
# Freedom from discomfort by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and comfortable resting area.
# Freedom from pain, injury or disease by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
# Freedom to express normal behaviour by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.
# Freedom from fear and distress by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.
Veterinarian’s role
Members of the veterinary profession have a wide range of expertise and skills that make veterinarians unique in their understanding of animal behaviour and animal welfare. Veterinarians have the pragmatism to examine and assess the welfare of animals in their environment and to make recommendations to improve welfare where that is required.
Traditionally, the veterinary community has engaged in providing the means to accomplish good animal welfare. These activities encourage disease prevention and veterinary medical treatment, provision of appropriate shelter, good management, proper nutrition, humane handling, humane transportation and humane killing.
Veterinarians play a key role in the tripartite association formed by animals, animal owners and society but it could be different from region to region. This role shall be science-based objective, having independent and impartial modality.
Veterinarians shall be licenced and supervised by the independent veterinary statutory body of the country. Though the veterinary profession is committed to promote animal welfare through the state of art and science of keeping animals fit through attention to good husbandry, hygiene, preventive, medicine and prompt treatment of injury and diseases, it lacks in its attention to the study of how the animal feels.
Veterinary engagement in animal welfare must encompass a wide range of activities, including, but not limited to (OIE, 2008):
- Veterinarians’ daily practices: This is considered a professional obligation for any member of the veterinary community. In their everyday dealing with animals, veterinarians must always adhere to the principals of care and compassion, which can be and applying effective management protocols and techniques and sufficient and qualified staff to ensure routine veterinary activities to be performed with less duress to the animals and in an animal compassionate manner.
- Veterinary advocacy for animal owners: Veterinarians have the scientific and medical training as well as statutory accountability to ensure animal welfare expectations, and that the standards are met. Veterinarians are best positioned in the light of knowledge and skills about animal management and to motivate their owners. Veterinarian can teach animal owners and other members of community to protect and improve welfare of animals.
- Education and promotion of animal welfare to the public: Veterinarians shall become sufficiently influential and act as the society animal welfare source to give science-based expertise and educate the wide public on basic animal husbandry.
- Taking part in drafting animal welfare legislations and in animal welfare programmes: All the legislations related to animal welfare should be drafted in close cooperation with veterinarians and veterinary association. As the need for animal welfare voluntary and regulatory acts and assurance programmes increases, there is a role for veterinarians to play in both their development and implementation. Veterinarians need to assure that the animal welfare Acts and programmes are useful and truly serve societal needs as well as needs of the animals. (The contributor is a student of College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Selesih, Aizawl, Mizoram)
