Articles

European bison | Photo credit: szczepank, AdobeStock

Jan 05, 2023 Measuring Biodiversity and Biodiversity Trends

Posted at 14:19h In Animal Well-being, Articles, Environment, Sustainability & Climate, Public Awareness/Attitudes, WellBeing News, Wildlife - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil

The report on the recent international meeting on biodiversity in Montreal describes some political considerations and challenges as the world attempts to protect and sustain biodiversity. But what is biodiversity, and how is it changing around the globe?Biodiversity refers to the variety and variability of...

Coral reef | Photo credit: whitcomberd, Adobe Stock

Jan 05, 2023 COP 15 – Can We Meet Biodiversity Goals & Targets?

Posted at 14:18h In Articles, Environment Well-being, Environment, Sustainability & Climate, Letter from the President, Public Awareness/Attitudes, WellBeing News - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil and Kathleen Rowan CEO, WellBeing International

IntroductionInitially scheduled to be held in Kunming, China, in 2020, the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP15) for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its additional protocols was postponed because of the COVID pandemic and rescheduled into two parts. The first part...

Five of the rescued lions waiting for a snack at the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado | Photo credit: Wild Animal Sanctuary

Dec 21, 2022 The Long Journey Home for the Holidays

Posted at 15:54h In Animal Well-being, Articles, Tales of WellBeing, Tigers in America, Ukraine Rescue, Relief & Rebuild, Wildlife - By Kathleen Rowan and Andrew Rowan

Many African cultures believe it takes a community to raise a child. It also takes a community of people, organizations, and supporters to rescue eleven lions from Ukraine and bring them to their forever homes for the holidays. The end-of-year holidays are traditionally a time...

Dec 21, 2022 The Tale of the Botswana Zebras

Posted at 10:14h In Articles, Public Awareness/Attitudes, Tales of WellBeing, Wildlife - By Kathleen Rowan

At the beginning of November, WellBeing International was in Gaborone, Botswana, to attend the Sixth African Animal Welfare Conference and, specifically, to participate in a special session on UNEP’s progress in addressing the UNEA Resolution on the Nexus between animal welfare, the environment, and sustainable...

Urban Fox | Video credit: attapun_an | shutterstock

Dec 06, 2022 Living with Urban Foxes

Posted at 16:10h In Animal Well-being, Articles, Environment, Sustainability & Climate, Public Awareness/Attitudes, WellBeing News, Wildlife - By John Hadidian, PhD

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most widely distributed wild carnivore on the planet, with a natural range that spans the entire Northern Hemisphere. Below the equator, foxes have been introduced to the Falkland Islands and Australia, where they cause widespread damage to domestic...

Fruits and vegetables in a market in India | Photo credit: saiko3p, AdobeStock

Dec 06, 2022 The Global Food System and Sustainability

Posted at 16:09h In Articles, Environment, Sustainability & Climate, Land Management, Public Awareness/Attitudes, Well-being, WellBeing News - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil

In the last few years, several major reports have all called for changes in the world’s food system – usually emphasizing the need to shift to diets that emphasize plant-based nutrition – to ensure a sustainable future for the planet. These reports include:-2015 WHO...

SDC clients and their owners | Photo credit: Street Dog Coalition

Nov 23, 2022 Meet Street Dog Coalition: Acting to Meet the Needs of Pets in the US and now in Ukraine

Posted at 09:21h In Articles, Companion Animals - Dogs, Street Dog Coalition, Tales of WellBeing, Ukraine Rescue, Relief & Rebuild - By Laura Gosse

Back in 2015, Colorado veterinarian Jon Geller recognized that the pets of people experiencing homelessness lacked access to primary veterinary care. He set up the first Street Dog Coalition clinic near a homeless day shelter and provided free veterinary care to 25 dogs and five...

Geese flying | Photo credit: tntemerson | iStock

Nov 10, 2022 The Nexus Between Animal Welfare, Environment, and Sustainable Development

Posted at 18:25h In Animal Sentience, Animals in Our World, Articles, Environment Well-being, Environment, Sustainability & Climate, Law & Regulations, WellBeing News - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil

The Nexus between Animal Welfare, the Environment, and Sustainable Development was the focus of a Resolution (sponsored by six African states and Pakistan) passed by consensus at the Fifth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) in March of 2022. The Resolution requested the United Nations Environment...

Lab mouse | Photo credit: fotografixx, iStock

Nov 10, 2022 Slowly but Steadily, Animals are being Replaced in Safety Testing

Posted at 18:21h In Articles, Ethics, Public Awareness/Attitudes, Research Animals, WellBeing News - By Andrew Rowan, DPhil

Periodically, WellBeing News (WBN) carries a story on using animals to test the safety of chemicals (see May 2021 and December 2021). Advocacy campaigns to switch from animal tests to non-animal alternatives started over a hundred years ago. Public policy initiatives and technological advances leading...

Oct 19, 2022 The Donkey: An Unsung Hero of Human Civilization

Posted at 20:33h In Animal Well-being, Articles, Farmed, Equid & Working Animals, Tales of WellBeing - By Andrew Rowan

Noted anthropologist and commentator on human-animal interactions and a great admirer of donkeys and their grit, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas wrote the Foreword for a 2010 book by Andy Merrifield, "The Wisdom of Donkeys." Thomas has great admiration for donkeys and their fortitude. In her Foreword...