WBI Studies Repository (WellBeing International)
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The dissonance between knowing animals are sentient beings yet eating them
Get PDFAnimal sentience is linked to the bigger picture of climate and health crises and “carnism” is a factor in the dissonance among (1) knowing animals are sentient, (2) caring about their feelings, and (3) not acting accordingly. We discuss our responsibility as researchers and as individual human beings
Is Time with Pets Good for our Cardiovascular Health? The surprising results of 129 studies on dogs’ effect on human health.
Get PDFhttps://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/sc_herzog_comphealth/
The well-studied health benefits (of pet ownership) are claimed to be much greater than the research results actually support. For example, it is claimed that a beloved dog will lower a person’s blood pressure, reduce stress hormones, calm anxiety, and even make it easier to interact with other human beings. A recent systematic review indicate that the physiological effects of interacting with a pet may not be as strong as is commonly reported
More Evidence Suggests that Vegetarianism is Mostly Due to Genes
Get PDFThe relative influence of genes and environment on human behavior is one of the most persistent, interesting, and divisive issues in psychology. The human penchant for eating animals is a good example. Clearly, culture has a huge influence on the amount of flesh people consume. The average American, for example, consumes about 240 pounds of meat a year while per capita meat consumption in India is only 10 pounds per year. And your chances of being a vegetarian or vegan are nearly seven times higher if you live in India than in the United States (39% versus 6%). Further, cultures vary widely in the types of animals that are considered to be edible (e.g., cats in Madagascar, termites in Tanzania)
Do Kids and Adults Value Animal Lives Differently
Get PDFHumans have various reasons for valuing some species over others. Researchers asked adults and children of different ages to rank animals from people to worms in the order they would give them a lifesaving drug. In some ways, the children were similar to adults in how they valued the species, but in other ways they were very different. There are subtle shifts in how humans prioritize different species as we develop from childhood into adults
The Nexus Between Animal Welfare, Environment, and Sustainable Development
Get PDFThe Nexus between Animal Welfare, the Environment, and Sustainable Development was the focus of a Resolution (sponsored by six African states and Pakistan) passed by consensus at the Fifth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) in March of 2022. The Resolution requested the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Executive Director produce a report on the Nexus between animal welfare, the environment, and sustainable development
The Magic of Being Among Gorillas in Rwanda
No full textWBI Board member, Rick Bernthal, describes his visit to Rwanda and the Virunga Mountains to see Mountain Gorillas
The Long Journey Home for the Holidays
No full textThe Ukraine war threatens animals in zoos. Read about the journey for eleven lions from Ukraine to new homes in the United States and South Africa
Human-Wolf Conflict and Wolf Protection
Get PDFWhile there may be as many as one billion domestic dogs in the world today, estimates of the global population of grey wolves (from whom domestic dogs evolved) put the number at a paltry 200,000-250,000. Once, there were an estimated 2 million wolves in North America alone, but the wolf has long been hated and persecuted by humans. From the 1600s to seventy years ago, those who wanted to eradicate wolves dominated wolf policy, and wolves were hunted out of most of Central Europe and the lower 48 states of the United States of America (USA), with only small relict populations left in northern Minnesota and Michigan. The 1950s through the 1980s were the low point for wolf populations in Europe. In 1984, in an article entitled “The big bad wolf?,” Stephen Mills reported less than 1,000 wolves in Western and Northern Europe. But, as attitudes to carnivores began to change, the number of people supporting wolves grew, leading to increased advocacy on their behalf
Decapods as food, companions and research animals: Legal impact of ascribing sentience
Get PDFThis commentary provides an overview of the practical implications of attributing sentience to protect decapods as food, companion and research animals in the UK context. Recognising their capacity to suffer has implications for humane slaughter in farming and fishing sectors. It should also place a greater duty of care on owners of captive decapods, considering their needs and avoiding unnecessary suffering. The recognition of decapod sentience should also have an impact on their protection as research animals, although research with a potential to cause suffering may be needed to better understand decapods’ capacity to suffer
Nexus Between Animal Welfare, Environment, and Sustainable Development: Resource Document
Get PDFThis Resource Document has been developed to explore the Nexus (links) between Animal Welfare, the Environment, and Sustainable Development. The document includes relevant citations and reports addressing the topics encompassed by the Nexus. It will be maintained as a “living document” (subject to revision) in the WellBeing International Studies Repository. The original document and subsequent revisions will be kept in the Repository to provide a record of the changes