University LINKs Scheme
Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile (Chile)
Professor Cristian Bonacic
Dept de Ciencas Forestales
Email: faunaaustralis@gmail.com
2017:
Educational initiatives on animal welfare in Chile
Universidad de las Américas, Chile (LINK: Dr Hernan A. Cañon Jones)
With support from the UFAW LINK scheme, Dr Hernan Cañon Jones at the Universidad de las Américas, Chile has been able to carry out two big intra and extramural events.
The first of these was a one day conference on “Animal Welfare Research and Education: past, present and future”, that featured Professor Donald Broom (University of Cambridge) as the keynote speaker. The conference was attended by nearly 100 people from different universities, local and national governmental and non-governmental agencies and also featured talks from Chilean governmental agencies (both for the terrestrial and aquatic animal), producers, small animal practitioner and national zoo veterinarians. After the conference, all undergraduate student doing their thesis in animal welfare had the chance to speak with and present their work to Professor Broom in a more informal tea-time seminar session, which they all enjoyed.
The second was to support the “IV Seminar on Ethology and Animal Welfare on Wild Animal”, which was coordinated with the National Zoological Garden of Chile, and in which students from UDLA actively participated. The event was a great success and attracted 150 attendees.
In addition, the UDLA UFAW Animal Welfare LINK group set up by Dr Cañon Jones were successful in establishing a formal Animal Behaviour and Welfare course for undergraduate students. Dr Cañon Jones indicates that initially, during 2018, the course will be open for veterinary students in Santiago (300-400 students in total/academic year) and that the idea is to expand it to other departments of the university.
We wish him, and those helping him, every success with this exciting initiative.
