FAQs on Animal Welfare

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What is animal welfare?

Animal welfare refers to the physical and psychological state and well-being of animals – whether or not he/she is healthy, comfortable, well nourished, safe, able to express natural behaviors, and not in pain, fear or distress.
WSPA assesses animals’ welfare conditions using the “Five Freedoms”:

• Freedom from hunger and thirst (fresh water and a diet to maintain full health)
• Freedom from discomfort (appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area)
• Freedom from pain, injury or disease (the prevention or rapid diagnosis of illness, and treatment)
• Freedom to express normal behavior (sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind)
• Freedom from fear and distress (conditions and treatment that do not cause mental suffering)

The “Five Freedoms,” were developed by the UK Farm Animal Welfare Council in 1992 to measure animal welfare in a scientific way.

What is sentience?

Sentience describes the ability of creatures to feel or perceive pleasure and pain, experience emotions and experience a level of conscious awareness.

It may seem obvious to anyone that has ever interacted with companion animals (dogs and cats) that they can feel pain and experience emotions. However, there is also growing scientific evidence to support the existence of animal sentience in almost all animals. The growing recognition of the sentience of animals only reinforces the need to respect their welfare needs.

WSPA works to protect the welfare of animals because we recognize animals as sentient beings who are capable of suffering and experiencing pain.

What is the campaign for a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW)?

Animals’ welfare is under threat from widespread cruelty, ignorance and neglect. A UDAW is simply an agreement among people and nations to:

• Recognize that animals are sentient and can suffer;
• Respect their welfare needs (measured using the Five Freedoms); and
• Work to end unnecessary animal cruelty.

The philosophy behind a UDAW is that animal welfare is important to animals and the people who rely on them, as well as to the environment.

WSPA has been promoting a UDAW to governments, individuals and organizations around the world, in many cases successfully using it as a lever to encourage national change. Once adopted, peers and animal welfarists will encourage UN Member States to adhere to the values and principles established in a UDAW.

How does animal welfare affect human welfare?

By promoting better living standards for animals we are in fact improving the lives of people. People worldwide rely on animals for food, labor, income, companionship, health, environmental protection and recreation. Some of the human welfare issues that animal welfare affects include:

• Human Health – good animal care reduces the risk of diseases being transmitted to humans (also known as zoonoses) and of food poisoning;
• Poverty and Hunger Reduction – looking after animals properly improves their productivity and helps farmers provide food for themselves, their families and communities;
• Environmental Sustainability – responsible animal management positively affects land use, climate change, pollution, water supplies, habitat conservation and biodiversity; and
• Social Development – people’s attitudes and behavior toward animals overlap with their attitudes and behavior towards each other.

Despite this, there’s currently no global recognition of animal welfare. Achieving an international commitment to animal welfare, and recognizing the indisputable link between better living standards for animals and global social development, is crucial to human welfare.

What is the difference between animal welfare and animal rights?

The philosophies behind animal welfare and animal rights are fundamentally different.

Animal welfare advocates endorse the responsible use of animals for human needs (i.e., companionship, sport, food, clothing, etc.). They require that animals experience no unnecessary suffering and have access to the “Five Freedoms” in the process.

Animal rights advocates do not distinguish between the rights of human being and animals. They reject all animal use, no matter how humane.

What is the difference between animal welfare and conservation?

While there is some certainly some overlap – for example, when issues such as pollution or urban development create both welfare and conservation problems – conservation and welfare focus on different issues.

Conservation focuses on wild animals, works at the population, species or genetic level, and deals with threats to ecological systems and biodiversity.

Animal welfare typically focuses on those animals who are used by humans for various purposes (for e.g., companionship, food, labor, transportation, entertainment, etc.), works at the individual or group level, and deals with threats to animals’ health and quality of life – especially if the “Five Freedoms” are compromised.

How does WSPA’s disaster management work affect animal welfare?

During a natural or man-made disaster, animals can be displaced or abandoned in disaster zones, suffer terribly from injuries and disease, or die from hunger and dehydration. WSPA protects the welfare of animals in disaster situations because we believe they can suffer and feel pain. We not only provide aid and treatment to animals affected by a disaster but also work with affected community members to minimize potential animal suffering through risk reduction, rapid response and rehabilitation.

In the developing world, WSPA’s disaster management benefits the human victims of disasters because healthy animals are often an integral part of communities (e.g., jobs/economy, food security, physical security, transportation, health and culture). A disaster can leave people jobless if their working animals are killed, injured or lost. Furthermore, the loss of companion animals can add to human psychological distress.

What is WSPA’s philosophy?

WSPA aims to promote the protection of animals, to prevent cruelty to animals, and to relieve animal suffering in every part of the world. We provide relief to animals via hands-on projects, humane education programs, lobbying corporations and promoting the development of comprehensive laws and enforcement mechanisms to protect animals.

WSPA looks beyond the conservation of a species to the welfare of individual animals. We believe that each individual animal has an intrinsic value and should be respected and protected. Animals have biologically determined instincts, interests and natures, and can experience pain. Thus, WSPA believes that animals have the right to live their lives free from avoidable suffering at the hands of humans.