Reviewed by Andrew Rowan - This book by science writer and journalist David Quammen about pandemic threats to humans arising from animal pathogens (zoonotic) was first published in 2012, eight years before the current coronavirus pandemic that appears to come from bats, possibly with a...
Introduction to Promoting Well-Being: Human-Animal Interaction to Improve Mental and Physical Health and the Quality of Life by Alan E. Kazdin, PhD by Andrew Rowan, DPhilAs the world negotiates its interactions with and responses to an emergent coronavirus, it seems like an appropriate time for WBI...
At the beginning of this century, a review paper (Daszak et al, 2000) highlighted the importance of the consumption of wildlife as a major source of a series of dangerous new “emerging” pathogens.The most well-known of these is the AIDS virus that was first recognized...
In February 2019, Wellbeing News carried an article discussing ideas relating to the state of well-being of People, Animals and the Environment. This article was followed by an item on the United Nations’ World Happiness Report in Tales of WellBeing. The World Happiness Report is issued...
For the past two months, the news has been full of stories about the fires in Australia. Australia has always had to deal with fires but recently they have been different in both magnitude and intensity. To date, with at least six weeks of fire...
The Federal Government in Australia was warned by a group of ex-fire chiefs early in 2019 that the country was facing a potential fire disaster scenario that was in part due to the ongoing and significant effects of climate change. The group asked for a...
The summer fires in Australia mark a cataclysmic reminder that climate change is hurting our planet and that we need to recognise it and plan for a future that minimises the risk to humans and wildlife.[caption id="attachment_7320" align="alignright" width="378"] Burned Australian Forest,, Photo by D....
South Africa, like many countries around the world, is struggling to balance the needs of the environment as well as the development and infrastructure needs of the people. The Western Cape (in the southern portion of the country) is the home of a unique Cape...
Introduction by Andrew Rowan There are numerous projects around the world that team animals and people in constructive partnerships that help the people, the animals or, more often, both people and animals. From Dr. Dog projects in China and India to Animal Assisted Activities in the...
Since 2015, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have served as a framework for a holistic approach to development that recognizes the need to incorporate non-economic measures of growth and human well-being. The SDG guidelines are a bold attempt to accomplish some of the most...
