Links between animal welfare and “One Health”: perception and implementation in Latin America

IntroductionThe recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the crucial role of the “One Health” (OH) concept in the prevention, early detection, and mitigation of health issues involving humans, animals, and the environment. Recognizing the intrinsic interdependence among human health, animal health, and environmental well-being is crucial, demanding heightened emphasis. Many health challenges stem from situations that compromise animal welfare (AW), human well-being, environmental sustainability, and vice versa. Recognizing the significance of AW across its five domains is essential for preventing future pandemics and advancing global objectives such as food security, reduction of human suffering, biodiversity conservation, and enhanced productivity in the agricultural-livestock sector.MethodsFrom March to May 2023, we conducted an online survey using QuestionPro® to explore perceptions, experiences, ongoing strategies, and activities within disciplines linked to AW and the OH approach in Latin America. Respondents included stakeholders from various disciplines associated with OH and AW.ResultsOur findings reveal that both concepts are currently undergoing an expansion phase in Latin America. However, the interdependencies between AW and OH are not widely recognized. While animal welfare frequently receives significant attention from diverse educational perspectives, the OH approach has gained considerable momentum over the past decade. Academic sectors and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are driving initiatives bridging AW and OH in Latin America, underscoring the need for robust public policies to ensure sustainable strategies.DiscussionAdvocating for greater awareness of the interdependence between AW and OH, this study highlights knowledge gaps among the scientific community and policymakers. Actively engaging with these connections can foster comprehensive strategies to address global health challenges and enhance overall well-being. The “One Welfare” framework and other integrative frameworks hold promise in strengthening the linkages between AW and OH, facilitating theory translation into practical action. Establishing comprehensive, integrated policies that unite these domains is imperative for addressing complex health challenges and advancing the welfare of both animals and humans. Further research and collaborative efforts are essential to transform these concepts into tangible, impactful outcomes

Ackonc-AWA : A multi-species animal welfare assessment protocol for wild animals under human care to overcome the use of generic welfare checklists

Maintaining a high level of animal welfare is essential in zoos, sanctuaries and aquaria for ethical, legislative and functional reasons. Therefore, it is necessary to have welfare assessment protocols that can be incorporated into daily management programs. Currently, there are different approaches to assessing animal welfare in zoos. Those that can be applied to multiple species consist of checklists or qualitative assessments, with limitations, especially regarding the lack of guidance in the selection and interpretation of indicators. Validated protocols also exist, but they are for very few wild species. This study aimed to develop, test in the field, and describe an animal welfare assessment protocol for wild animals under human care, that can be applied to multiple species, intended to overcome the use of generic welfare checklists and offer an alternative to challenging and time consuming species-specific tools. The development process consisted of the elaboration of a protocol, substantiated by published literature on zoo animal welfare and multidisciplinary focus group work, and its on-field feasibility test. This was performed on 14 species of different taxa housed in an Argentinian zoo. The protocol was structured in two forms: an initial form to serve as scan using various animal-based (ABM), resource-based (RBM), and management-based measurements (MBM), and a follow-up form using exclusively ABM. The protocol also included a user's manual with information about preliminary preparation, equipment required, steps from arrival until completion, and details on how to assess each indicator. The scoring method consisted in rating each indicator on a 3-point scale. 23 ABM, 19 RBM, and three MBM were tested and selected to integrate Ackonc-AWA, a multidimensional protocol covering the five animal welfare domains and applicable to multiple species. This protocol was entirely developed in Spanish and can be applied noninvasively and at a low cost, which constitute features of high relevance for Latin America. Further applications of the described welfare assessment tool in other species and different institutional contexts will reinforce the validation of the proposed measurements and allow the systematic and routine evaluation of animal welfare in zoos

Links between animal welfare and “One Health”: perception and implementation in Latin America

Introduction: The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the crucial role of the “One Health” (OH) concept in the prevention, early detection, and mitigation of health issues involving humans, animals, and the environment. Recognizing the intrinsic interdependence among human health, animal health, and environmental well-being is crucial, demanding heightened emphasis. Many health challenges stem from situations that compromise animal welfare (AW), human well-being, environmental sustainability, and vice versa. Recognizing the significance of AW across its five domains is essential for preventing future pandemics and advancing global objectives such as food security, reduction of human suffering, biodiversity conservation, and enhanced productivity in the agricultural-livestock sector. Methods: From March to May 2023, we conducted an online survey using QuestionPro® to explore perceptions, experiences, ongoing strategies, and activities within disciplines linked to AW and the OH approach in Latin America. Respondents included stakeholders from various disciplines associated with OH and AW. Results: Our findings reveal that both concepts are currently undergoing an expansion phase in Latin America. However, the interdependencies between AW and OH are not widely recognized. While animal welfare frequently receives significant attention from diverse educational perspectives, the OH approach has gained considerable momentum over the past decade. Academic sectors and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are driving initiatives bridging AW and OH in Latin America, underscoring the need for robust public policies to ensure sustainable strategies. Discussion: Advocating for greater awareness of the interdependence between AW and OH, this study highlights knowledge gaps among the scientific community and policymakers. Actively engaging with these connections can foster comprehensive strategies to address global health challenges and enhance overall well-being. The “One Welfare” framework and other integrative frameworks hold promise in strengthening the linkages between AW and OH, facilitating theory translation into practical action. Establishing comprehensive, integrated policies that unite these domains is imperative for addressing complex health challenges and advancing the welfare of both animals and humans. Further research and collaborative efforts are essential to transform these concepts into tangible, impactful outcomes.Fil: Racciatti, Débora Silvia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Wiemeyer, Guillermo Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: González Gracia, Luis Andrés. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Blanco, Carlos. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Szmelc, Andrea Tamara. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Orozco, Maria Marcela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Table_1_Ackonc-AWA: A multi-species animal welfare assessment protocol for wild animals under human care to overcome the use of generic welfare checklists.xlsx

IntroductionMaintaining a high level of animal welfare is essential in zoos, sanctuaries and aquaria for ethical, legislative and functional reasons. Therefore, it is necessary to have welfare assessment protocols that can be incorporated into daily management programs. Currently, there are different approaches to assessing animal welfare in zoos. Those that can be applied to multiple species consist of checklists or qualitative assessments, with limitations, especially regarding the lack of guidance in the selection and interpretation of indicators. Validated protocols also exist, but they are for very few wild species. This study aimed to develop, test in the field, and describe an animal welfare assessment protocol for wild animals under human care, that can be applied to multiple species, intended to overcome the use of generic welfare checklists and offer an alternative to challenging and time consuming species-specific tools.MethodsThe development process consisted of the elaboration of a protocol, substantiated by published literature on zoo animal welfare and multidisciplinary focus group work, and its on-field feasibility test. This was performed on 14 species of different taxa housed in an Argentinian zoo. The protocol was structured in two forms: an initial form to serve as scan using various animal-based (ABM), resource-based (RBM), and management-based measurements (MBM), and a follow-up form using exclusively ABM. The protocol also included a user's manual with information about preliminary preparation, equipment required, steps from arrival until completion, and details on how to assess each indicator. The scoring method consisted in rating each indicator on a 3-point scale.Results23 ABM, 19 RBM, and three MBM were tested and selected to integrate Ackonc-AWA, a multidimensional protocol covering the five animal welfare domains and applicable to multiple species.DiscussionThis protocol was entirely developed in Spanish and can be applied noninvasively and at a low cost, which constitute features of high relevance for Latin America. Further applications of the described welfare assessment tool in other species and different institutional contexts will reinforce the validation of the proposed measurements and allow the systematic and routine evaluation of animal welfare in zoos.</p