Celebrating World Animal Day 2022 with a focus on ILRI’s research on animal welfare

World Animal Day is an international day of action for animal rights and welfare celebrated annually on 4 October, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. It is a global initiative aimed at raising the status of animals and improving animal welfare standards.

The Animal and Human Health program of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to effectively manage or eliminate livestock, zoonotic and foodborne diseases that matter to the poor through the generation and use of knowledge, technologies and products, leading to higher farmer incomes and better health and nutrition for consumers and livestock.

To commemorate World Animal Day 2022, we bring you a curated selection of recently published research outputs on animal welfare authored and co-authored by scientists from ILRI’s Animal and Human Health program.

• Dione, M.M., Oba, P., Nsadha, Z., Asmare, K., Knight-Jones, T.J.D. and Doyle, R.E. 2022. The status of pig welfare in selected districts of Uganda: Implications for health and productivity interventions. Frontiers in Animal Science 3: 878359.
• Doyle, R.E., Campbell, A.J.D., Dione, M., Woodruff, M., Munoz, C., Alemayehu, G., Berhe, T. and Knight-Jones, T. 2022. The role of animal welfare in improving the future of farming. Animal Production Science 62(11): 937–943.
• Lemma, M., Doyle, R., Alemayehu, G., Mekonnen, M., Kumbe, A. and Wieland, B. 2022. Using community conversations to explore animal welfare perceptions and practices of rural households in Ethiopia. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9: 980192.
• Doyle, R.E., Wieland, B., Saville, K., Grace, D. and Campbell, A.J.D. 2021. The importance of animal welfare and veterinary services in a changing world. Scientific and Technical Review 40(2): 469–481.
• Smith, A., Bidesi, S., Wijerathna, Y., Doyle, R., Shonara, L., Jordan, D., Toribio, J.-A., Purdie, A., Sinh Dang-Xuan, Luong Nguyen Thanh, Trang Le Thi Huyen, Hung Nguyen-Viet, Phuc Pham-Duc, Hai Ngo Hoang Tuan, Chi Nguyen and Unger, F. 2021. Animal welfare along the smallholder pig value chain in Vietnam: Current status, legal perspectives and way forward. ILRI Research Brief 101. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI.
• World Animal Protection, International Livestock Research Institute, University of Liverpool and University of Nairobi. 2021. Food safety, antimicrobial use, and animal welfare in the Nairobi pork value chain. Nairobi, Kenya: World Animal Protection.
• Bekele, T., Szonyi, B., Feleke, A. and Grace, D. 2020. Assessment of small ruminant welfare in Ethiopia – An abattoir-based study. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 23(3): 356–365.
• Qekwana, D.N., McCrindle, C.M.E., Cenci-Goga, B. and Grace, D. 2019. Animal welfare in Africa: Strength of cultural traditions, challenges and perspectives. IN: Hild, S. and Schweitzer, L. (eds). 2019. Animal welfare: From science to law. Paris, France: La Fondation Droit Animal, Éthique et Sciences (LFDA): 103–107.
• Qekwana, D.N., McCrindle, C.M.E., Oguttu, J.W., Grace, D. and Cenci-Goga, B.T. 2017. Assessment of welfare issues during traditional slaughter of goats in Pretoria, South Africa. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 20(1): 34–41.

Photo credit: A Borana woman with her small ruminants, Yabello, Ethiopia (ILRI/Camille Hanotte)