WBI Studies Repository (WellBeing International)
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Donald Griffin: A visionary in science and consciousness
Get PDFI share some reflections on a sabbatical with Donald Griffin a half-century ago, with fieldwork on bats and echolocating swiftlets in Australia and our discussions of animal behavior and consciousness. Griffin\u27s influence has been vast, from recent advances in bat research, including learning, navigation, and longevity, to his enduring legacy as a pioneer in animal cognition
Beyond human perception: the remarkable science of Donald R. Griffin
Get PDFCarolyn Ristau shows how Donald Griffin’s revolutionary science sometimes progressed from ridicule, to opposition, to being self-evident. Griffin’s work involved phenomena beyond human perception, making it sometimes difficult for others to fathom. His work on ultrasonic echolocation, navigation and animal cognition has shifted established paradigms. His ‘zoomorphic’ approach provides a realistic framework for understanding how other animals perceive the world
Other perspectives on animals, their sentience and cognition
Get PDFFor those of us who work to achieve legal recognition that animals are sentient beings, and should in many cases be allotted personhood, Donald Griffin is indeed an inspiration and a true game-changer. He put paid to the narrow behaviourist interpretation of animals’ lives promoted by Skinner et al. He became a real heir to Darwin’s belief in animal emotions. He enabled campaigners for animal welfare and indeed animal rights to quote his work as a distinguished scientist to give gravitas to their calls for legal recognition and protection of animals
Not just bony fish: all nonmammalian and nonavian animals are neglected in both welfare and general research
Get PDFThe lack of research on fish welfare highlighted by Oldfield & Bonano (2024) is only part of a more general problem: a relative neglect of animals other than mammals and birds. The causes are our lack of knowledge, our negative view of what we consider to be “lower” animals and our underestimation of their intelligence and sensitivity. Our estimation will increase as our knowledge increases. As a broader view spreads to the public through the media, it should gradually increase the demand to expand both research and welfare, especially beyond mammals and birds
Psychological and social well-being of bony fishes in zoos and aquariums
Get PDFResearch on the behaviour of animals in zoos has been conducted for decades, and observations have provided information that has improved the psychological and social well-being of animals. However, research on fishes in zoos and aquariums seems to be lacking. Here, we assess the current state of research on fishes in zoos and aquariums by surveying the peer-reviewed literature. Our assessment differs from previous surveys in that we examine the taxonomic classes Chondrichthyes (sharks and rays) and Osteichthyes (bony fishes) separately. Our survey finds that bony fishes have been drastically underrepresented in zoo journals, more drastically than chondrichthyans, revealing an urgent need for zoos and aquariums to conduct research on the behaviour of the bony fishes in their care to ensure a positive state of psychological and social well-being. We conclude that data-driven analyses of fish behaviour could aid in the development of evidence-based practices that enhance the well-being of bony fishes in zoos and aquariums, just as they already do for terrestrial animals
COP29 Selected Dynamics andContext in Baku, Azerbaijan
Get PDFUN’s climate change conferences have grown dramatically since the first COP in Berlin but still struggle to achieve sustainable greenhouse gas emission targets
Pet Demographics: Evolving Numbers and Insights
Get PDFProducing accurate estimates of dog and cat populations around the world is much more challenging than one might expect
Children Observing Violence and Public Health Outcomes
Get PDFChildren observing violence is a public health threat that deserves increased global awareness
Health and Nature, A Walk in the Park
Get PDFNature promotes mental and physical health, but we do not fully understand how
Norms and variance fail to predict butterfly effects on social dynamics by idiosyncratic individuals
Get PDFAdaptations and adjustments to current environmental conditions are manifest in behavioral norms. Knowing norms facilitates population-level prediction, but doesn’t predict individual behavior where idiosyncrasies might trigger “butterfly effects. Knowledge of individual quirks is particularly important for risk assessment and management during close encounters between humans and potentially lethal wildlife, including bears (Ursus spp.). Innovative foraging techniques can alter population vigor and viability. Traits at the tails of a bell curve might hold the greatest potential for adapting to environmental change