Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Welfare of Animals in Australia
We report on the various responses in Australia during 2020 to minimize negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the welfare of animals. Most organizations and individuals with animals under their care had emergency preparedness plans in place for various scenarios; however, the restrictions on...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-01-01
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Series: | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
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Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.621843/full |
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Article |
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DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Jacqueline Baptista Dominique Blache Dominique Blache Keren Cox-Witton Nicola Craddock Toni Dalziel Nicolas de Graaff Jill Fernandes Jill Fernandes Ronda Green Helen Jenkins Sarah Kahn Deborah Kelly Mariko Lauber Shane K. Maloney Shane K. Maloney Bridget Peachey Ian Rodger Jeremy Skuse Alan J. Tilbrook Alan J. Tilbrook Frederick Rohan Walker Frederick Rohan Walker Kelly Wall Sarah Zito |
spellingShingle |
Jacqueline Baptista Dominique Blache Dominique Blache Keren Cox-Witton Nicola Craddock Toni Dalziel Nicolas de Graaff Jill Fernandes Jill Fernandes Ronda Green Helen Jenkins Sarah Kahn Deborah Kelly Mariko Lauber Shane K. Maloney Shane K. Maloney Bridget Peachey Ian Rodger Jeremy Skuse Alan J. Tilbrook Alan J. Tilbrook Frederick Rohan Walker Frederick Rohan Walker Kelly Wall Sarah Zito Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Welfare of Animals in Australia Frontiers in Veterinary Science animal welfare COVID-19 pandemic cross-sectoral collaboration stakeholder networks Australia |
author_facet |
Jacqueline Baptista Dominique Blache Dominique Blache Keren Cox-Witton Nicola Craddock Toni Dalziel Nicolas de Graaff Jill Fernandes Jill Fernandes Ronda Green Helen Jenkins Sarah Kahn Deborah Kelly Mariko Lauber Shane K. Maloney Shane K. Maloney Bridget Peachey Ian Rodger Jeremy Skuse Alan J. Tilbrook Alan J. Tilbrook Frederick Rohan Walker Frederick Rohan Walker Kelly Wall Sarah Zito |
author_sort |
Jacqueline Baptista |
title |
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Welfare of Animals in Australia |
title_short |
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Welfare of Animals in Australia |
title_full |
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Welfare of Animals in Australia |
title_fullStr |
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Welfare of Animals in Australia |
title_full_unstemmed |
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Welfare of Animals in Australia |
title_sort |
impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the welfare of animals in australia |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
series |
Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
issn |
2297-1769 |
publishDate |
2021-01-01 |
description |
We report on the various responses in Australia during 2020 to minimize negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the welfare of animals. Most organizations and individuals with animals under their care had emergency preparedness plans in place for various scenarios; however, the restrictions on human movement to contain the spread of COVID-19, coupled with the economic impact and the health effects of COVID-19 on the skilled workforce, constituted a new threat to animal welfare for which there was no blueprint. The spontaneous formation of a national, multisectoral response group on animal welfare, consisting of more than 34 organizations with animals under their care, facilitated information flow during the crisis, which helped to mitigate some of the shocks to different organizations and to ensure continuity of care for animals during the pandemic. We conclude that animal welfare is a shared responsibility, and accordingly, a multisectoral approach to animal welfare during a crisis is required. Our experience demonstrates that to safeguard animal welfare during crises, nations should consider the following: a national risk assessment, clear communication channels, contingency plans for animal welfare, a crisis response group, and support systems for animal care providers. Our findings and recommendations from the Australian context may inform other countries to ensure that animal welfare is not compromised during the course of unpredictable events. |
topic |
animal welfare COVID-19 pandemic cross-sectoral collaboration stakeholder networks Australia |
url |
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.621843/full |
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doaj-f28a0a980f9942c4ab4601ba7134a2d72021-01-28T06:42:28ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692021-01-01710.3389/fvets.2020.621843621843Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Welfare of Animals in AustraliaJacqueline Baptista0Dominique Blache1Dominique Blache2Keren Cox-Witton3Nicola Craddock4Toni Dalziel5Nicolas de Graaff6Jill Fernandes7Jill Fernandes8Ronda Green9Helen Jenkins10Sarah Kahn11Deborah Kelly12Mariko Lauber13Shane K. Maloney14Shane K. Maloney15Bridget Peachey16Ian Rodger17Jeremy Skuse18Alan J. Tilbrook19Alan J. Tilbrook20Frederick Rohan Walker21Frederick Rohan Walker22Kelly Wall23Sarah Zito24JB Consulting, Seaforth, NSW, AustraliaSchool of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, AustraliaThe Animal Welfare Collaborative, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, AustraliaWildlife Health Australia, Mosman, NSW, AustraliaZoo and Aquarium Association, Mosman, NSW, AustraliaDepartment for Environment and Water, Government of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, AustraliaZoo and Aquarium Association, Mosman, NSW, AustraliaThe Animal Welfare Collaborative, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, AustraliaThe Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, AustraliaWildlife Tourism Australia, Running Creek, QLD, AustraliaAnimal Health Australia, Turner, ACT, Australia0Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Government of Western Australia, South Perth, WA, AustraliaDepartment for Environment and Water, Government of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia1Greyhound Racing Victoria, West Melbourne, VIC, AustraliaThe Animal Welfare Collaborative, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia2School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia3Australian Wool Innovation Limited, Sydney, NSW, Australia4Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland Government, Brisbane, QLD, Australia5Animal Welfare Connections, Hurstbridge, VIC, AustraliaThe Animal Welfare Collaborative, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, AustraliaThe Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, AustraliaThe Animal Welfare Collaborative, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia6School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, AustraliaAnimal Health Australia, Turner, ACT, Australia7RSPCA Australia, Deakin West, ACT, AustraliaWe report on the various responses in Australia during 2020 to minimize negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the welfare of animals. Most organizations and individuals with animals under their care had emergency preparedness plans in place for various scenarios; however, the restrictions on human movement to contain the spread of COVID-19, coupled with the economic impact and the health effects of COVID-19 on the skilled workforce, constituted a new threat to animal welfare for which there was no blueprint. The spontaneous formation of a national, multisectoral response group on animal welfare, consisting of more than 34 organizations with animals under their care, facilitated information flow during the crisis, which helped to mitigate some of the shocks to different organizations and to ensure continuity of care for animals during the pandemic. We conclude that animal welfare is a shared responsibility, and accordingly, a multisectoral approach to animal welfare during a crisis is required. Our experience demonstrates that to safeguard animal welfare during crises, nations should consider the following: a national risk assessment, clear communication channels, contingency plans for animal welfare, a crisis response group, and support systems for animal care providers. Our findings and recommendations from the Australian context may inform other countries to ensure that animal welfare is not compromised during the course of unpredictable events.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.621843/fullanimal welfareCOVID-19 pandemiccross-sectoral collaborationstakeholder networksAustralia |