The essential text on understanding and improving animal welfare
Understanding Animal Welfare, 2nd Edition is revised and expanded to incorporate new research and developments in animal welfare. Updated with greater accessibility in mind, the reader is guided through animal welfare in its cultural and historical context, methods of study, and applications in practice and policy. Drawing examples from farm, companion, laboratory and zoo animals, the text provides an up-to-date overview of research and its applications, while also tracing how concepts and methods have evolved over time.
Readers of the second edition of Understanding Animal Welfare will also find:
- New developments in understanding positive animal states
- The importance of human actions in determining animal welfare
- New content on “One Welfare”
- How free-living wild animals are affected by human technology and climate change
Originally intended for scientists and professionals, Understanding Animal Welfare has also found a home in undergraduate classrooms. It is now the essential text for students, practitioners, veterinarians, and researchers in animal welfare and related fields.
Arvustused
"The progression of ideas in this volume is logical and all abstract concepts are grounded in real-world contexts, using examples taken from around the globe. This makes the book eminently accessible and relatable. Few readers will fail to recognize at least one of the many global controversies that the author uses to skilfully introduce and situate some complex ideas...I highly recommend this volume to anyone with an interest in animal welfare. I think that any reader could pick this book up, and walk away having an excellent understanding of the place of animal welfare in contemporary society. " - Jordan O. Hampton, School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, Australia. Published in The Quarterly Review of Biology (100:2 2025)
"Whether someone wants to learn about animal welfare from the start, or wants to broaden their perspective on the topic, the book Understanding Animal Welfare is a must-read.... Overall, the book is very complete. Fraser is excellent at extracting the key information from the wealth of scientific literature." Irene Camerlink, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Sciences; Published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science ( Vol 280/ Nov 24)
Preface to the Second Edition ix
Acknowledgements x
Introduction 1
Part I Animal Welfare in Context 9
1 Animals in the Human Mind 11
2 A Good Life for Animals 28
3 A Science of Animal Welfare 47
Part II Studying Animal Welfare 63
4 Disease, Injury and Productivity 65
5 Stress 83
6 Abnormal Behaviour 104
7 Affective States 124
8 Positive Affect and the Science of Affect 146
9 Natural Living 166
10 Preferences and Motivation 186
Part III From Science to Policy and Practice 209
11 Integrating Different Aspects of Animal Welfare 211
12 Policies, Standards and Assessment Programmes 226
13 Facts and Values in Mandated Science 244
Part IV New Directions 257
14 The Human Dimension and One Welfare 259
15 The Welfare of Free- living Wild Animals 281
16 Animal Welfare and the Evolution of Animal Ethics 299
Coda: Animal Welfare, the Science and the Cultural Context 314
References 322
Index 353
The Author
David Fraser, CM, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in the Animal Welfare Program at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Through 50 years of research on farm, companion, laboratory and wild animals, he is recognized as a pioneer of animal welfare science.
