Nat Waran from CANZ said they have also partnered with the International Society for Equitation Science, to bring a conference on horse welfare.
Nat Waran from CANZ said they have also partnered with the International Society for Equitation Science, to bring a conference on horse welfare.
Hamilton is fair purring with animal experts this week as host of the Companion Animals New Zealand Conference.
The global affair aimed to shed light on issues impacting animal welfare and has so far touched on everything from greyhound racing to a philosophical debate on whether cats are owned or masters of their own destiny.
More than 120 experts from all over the world have been prowling around the Novotel Hotel, including scientists, vets, and even the associate minister of agriculture Andrew Hoggard.
New Zealand is a pet-loving nation, with over two-thirds of households having at least one pet, but there has been no pussy-footing around the serious issues, which include evolving societal values and their impact on pet ownership and animal care.
One hot topic for delegates to chew over is the future of greyhound racing.
Speaking to the Waikato Herald at the conference, Professor of veterinary ethics, Madeleine Campbell, from the United Kingdom, believed that greyhound racing is indeed ethical.
Fluffy on the left is registered under the Companion Animals Register NZ, the country's pet microchip register. Is your pet registered? Photo / Malisha Kumar
“We’ve got a similar conversation going on in the UK right now, but I believe that it is possible to provide a good life for every racing greyhound across all stages of its life.
“That belief is based on welfare science and the evidence we have, therefore I think the continuation of greyhound racing is ethical.
“The problem is there’s just a lot of loud shouting going on saying it’s unethical, but there’s no justification for why. If there was researched evidence then we could research or debate the evidence.”
Campbell’s research is titled ‘Providing a good life for retired greyhounds - factors influencing successful homing and mitigations.
Other talking points from the day included Hoggard wading in on the relative roles of cats after the opening speaker and Companion Animals New Zealand (CANZ) chairman Steve Thompson’s suggested “we are the guardians of our pets.”
“One point of correction [Thompson],” Hoggard interjected, “I don’t think we’re the guardians of cats, we’re more their slaves.”
Hoggard should know. He is owned by two cats, and also has one dog, and multiple cows, and has had animals around him since the age of 2.
He said the animals are very much part of the family.
Hon Andrew Hoggard is the Minister for Biosecurity and Food Safety, and the Associate Minister of Agriculture (Animal Welfare, Skills) and for the Environment. Photo / Alex Burton
“Wednesday (newest cat) is going to rank as the most expensive cat in the country. She managed to break her foot and there were two options; amputate it or spend heaps of money to fix it.”
Wednesday is now running around on all four legs.
Hoggard told the Waikato Herald that animal welfare is significant in many ways, and he recognised the value of companion animals.
“You always want [companion] animals to have a good life, they put a lot of trust and faith into the humans that look after and guard them and it’s important to take care of that.
Interesting research topics were raised in the three themes of the day; Changing expectations, changing climate, and changing lifestyles.
Victoria University PhD student in health psychology Buda Szerelam-Tolnay shared his case study engagingly titled, ‘I don’t see him as just an animal: Uncovering and interpreting relationships of significance with companion cats through a phenomenological case study.’
A PhD student at Victoria University in Wellington, Buda Szerelam-Tolnay, wrote his case study on a person's relationship with their cat. Photo / Malisha Kumar
Szerelam-Tolnay explained to the Waikato Herald that his paper was about someone’s relationship with their cat.
“The study is an inductive, descriptive, and interpretive way of understanding another reality as they define it. It focuses on empathy and using empathy as a core way of taking someone’s word for it.”
He explored three categories in his research and had to put away his assumptions of what a cat is.
“The participant found the cat was more than just an animal. It had an elevated status of a friend, a companion, but also a controller and manipulator, like a substitute child hinted at. There was a sub-section that was firmly located on how they were perceiving that cat.
“The second category that emerged was perceptions of that relationship, figuring out what that relationship is like, is it a friendship or a feeding arrangement? There’s recognition of the animal in there as well as a human-animal relationship.
“The third category was perceptions of the self, so while they were examining that relationship with me, they began to examine themselves which is where the psychology part comes in.”
The future of animal welfare remains an ongoing discussion until March 16 but Hoggard did hint at a few new animal welfare policies.
He wouldn’t say too much as legislation was yet to make it to Parliament.
The conference would also look at the issues of the cost of living, cat management, environmental challenges, and the economic impact affecting pet owners globally.
