Articles Archive

Nov 12, 2026 Rabies at Sea: South Africa’s Unprecedented Seal Outbreak

Posted at 10:19h In Animals in Our World, Articles, Human-Animal Interaction, One Health, WellBeing News - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil

Something alarming began happening along the coast near Cape Town. Cape fur seals, a familiar presence on beaches and around harbors, were behaving in unusual and sometimes dangerous ways. Seals charged at people and dogs. Surfers, swimmers, and other beachgoers reported bites. Some animals appeared reluctant to...

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Nov 12, 2026 Do Fish Feel Pain?

Posted at 09:55h In Animal Sentience, Articles, Letter from the President, Wild Animals in Water - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil

A fish is caught on a hook. It struggles to escape, but does it actually feel pain? Or are its struggles automatic behaviors that occur without any conscious experience? Behind that seemingly simple question lies a much bigger one: Does feeling pain require a mammalian-style brain...

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Nov 12, 2026 The Remarkable Turnaround of Pet Overpopulation in the United States in the Past 50 Years

Posted at 09:34h In Animals in Our World, Articles, Companion Animals, WellBeing News - By Laura Gosse

In the 1960s and 1970s in the United States, animal shelters were inundated with stray and unwanted dogs and cats. In 1973, for example, animal shelters in the United States took in 15-17 million dogs and cats. They euthanized approximately 13.5 million, according to a...

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Oct 29, 2026 From Petition to Policy: Europe’s Changing Approach to Farmed Animal Welfare

Posted at 09:07h In Advocacy, Animals in Our World, Articles - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil

In 2021, 1.4 million European Union citizens signed the End the Cage Age petition, calling for an end to the use of cages for farmed animals. The petition was submitted through the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), a mechanism designed to increase citizen participation in EU...

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Oct 29, 2026 Mittens and Boots: From Outdoor Visitors to Family

Posted at 09:03h In Animals in Our World, Articles, Companion Animals - Cats, Tales of WellBeing - By Jennifer Sullivan

Mittens, the older of the two outdoor cats, first announced her presence by looking through the window of my friend's house. My friend, Laura Collins, sent me the photo of Mittens, and we decided to start feeding the cat. We started on Laura's porch, but gradually...

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Oct 29, 2026 Book Review: “Fighting for Farmed Animals: Campaigning on the Shoulders of Giants,” edited by Amy Odene

Posted at 08:58h In Animals in Our World, Articles, Book Review, Tales of WellBeing - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil

Farmed animal advocacy has advanced substantially since the two giants alluded to in the book's title first raised the issue. Ruth Harrison drew attention to the welfare of farmed animals in her influential 1964 book, Animal Machines. The book, which includes a foreword by Rachel...

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Oct 04, 2026 What Does the World Feel Like to Another Animal?

Posted at 11:00h In Animal Sentience, Animals in Our World, Articles, Letter from the President - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil

A dog waits by the door for a human caretaker to return. An elephant remains close to a calf struggling to escape the thick mud at the edge of a waterhole. An octopus investigates an unfamiliar object. A fish moves away from perceived danger. What might...

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Oct 04, 2026 Hope on Three Legs: Umka’s Journey from Ukraine to a New Beginning

Posted at 10:56h In Animals in Our World, Articles, Companion Animals, WellBeing News - By Kathleen Rowan CEO, WellBeing International

On World Animal Day, we celebrate the power of compassion to change lives. This is the story of one dog, one shelter, and a partnership that crossed borders to create hope. If dogs could smile, Umka would have been smiling. When Kristína Devinská of Sloboda Zvierat and...

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Oct 04, 2026 Policy Brief Review: Wild Animal Welfare in Local Policies on Human-Wildlife Conflict

Posted at 10:47h In Animals in Our World, Articles, Human-Animal Interaction, WellBeing News - By John Hadidian, PhD

In this policy brief[i], a multidisciplinary team of scholars explores how municipalities can respond to human-wildlife conflict while recognizing wild animal welfare as a central consideration in local policy development and governance. The idea that wild animals living in cities could be differentiated from their...

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Sep 01, 2026 World Animal Day: A Century of Speaking Up for Animals

Posted at 11:00h In Animal Sentience, Animals in Our World, Articles, Tales of WellBeing - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil and Kathleen Rowan CEO, WellBeing International

Every October 4, people around the world come together to celebrate World Animal Day, recognizing the many ways animals enrich our lives and sustain the world we share. Whether providing companionship, supporting healthy ecosystems, or inspiring wonder and discovery, animals play a vital role in...

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