5 Freedoms for animal health & welfare
Freedom from hunger and 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 a 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 care which avoid mental suffering
Educating the public on animal health and welfare.
To try and prevent people neglecting animals through ignorance or misinformation.
Animal welfare education Promotes knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes, values related to human involvement in animals lives and the effects on animals’ abilities to satisfy their needs, and human responsibilities as a result. When children learn about safety when around animals and animal care they are more likely to enjoy healthy relationships with animals throughout their lives. Educating future owners helps to prevent animal overpopulation and cruelty.
Animal Welfare Act 2006 states any person responsible for an animal on a permanent or temporary basis, has a legal responsibility to ensure the animal/s needs are met. include;
• its need for a suitable environment;
• its need for a suitable diet (food and fresh water);
• its need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns;
• any need it has to be housed with, or apart from, other animals, and
• its need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.
Pet Animals Act 1951 prevents the sale of animals to children under 12 yrs of age.
Wildlife + Countryside Act 1981 + related laws have strict protection to a wide range of species,
The 10 types of animal behaviour Sexual, Maternal, Communicative, Social, Feeding, Eliminative, Shelter seeking, Investigative, copied, Maladaptive. Learned Behaviour Habituation, imprinting, classical +/or operant conditioning, and cognitive learning. Types of animal communication visual – auditory – chemical / pheromones tactile. How animals adapt to environment Camouflage – Behavioural – Defensive – Dietary The 2 types of animal behaviours innate + learned behaviours. Learned behaviour develops during an animal’s lifetime. Animals with more complex brains exhibit more behaviours that are the result of learning. The behaviour of insects, spiders, and other arthropods is mostly instinctive behaviour. 2 factors influence animal behaviour Genes, via influences on morphology + physiology, create a framework within which environment acts to shape the behaviour of an individual. The environment can affect morphological and physiological development; in turn behaviour develops as a result of that animal’s shape and internal workings
Education and animals in schools.
– Studies show that the presence of animals tends to lessen tension in the classroom.
– Improves school attendance and teaching children about responsibility
– Improves moral in the classroom
– Children with no exposure to animals or nature in their home environment can make
connections to the wide world of animals.
– Observing and caring for an animal instills a sense of responsibility and respect for life.
– Brings increased sensitivity and awareness of the feelings and needs of others
—both animals and humans.
– Aids learning that all living things need more than just food and water for survival.
– See directly how their behavior and actions affect others.
– Studies show that children from families with pets are better equipped to fight off infection than from non-pet households, showing significantly higher levels of immune system performance.
– it’s never too early to start teaching children proper animal care.
– When school attendance records were compared side by side, researchers discovered
that students with pets averaged more days at school every year than their pet-free
counterparts.
– Studies show that children turn to their pets for emotional well-being, with 40% of
children choosing pet companionship when feeling down.
– Children were also found to seek out their pets when feeling tired, upset, scared or
lonely, and 53% of respondents said they enjoy doing homework with pets nearby.
– These relationships help to strengthen a child’s social skills, giving them the potential to
do better in school and have higher levels of self-esteem than those without pets. –
Animals in the National Curriculum. Animals can be a fantastic resource.
In all stages of learning from pre-school to secondary pupils in several subjects. L.E. Mathematics – Animals weights, Feed amounts, Feed values,
English Science Geography Religion
– Oral / written presentations on animal welfare, – Animal biology, Breeding, Animal survival
– Environments animals originated from
– What animals are relevant to different religions.