Understanding Animal Welfare

The Author David Fraser, CM, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in the Animal Welfare Program at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Through 50 years of research on farm, companion, laboratory and wild animals, he is recognized as a pioneer of animal welfare science.

"The progression of ideas in this volume is logical and all abstract concepts are grounded in real-world contexts, using examples taken from around the globe. This makes the book eminently accessible and relatable. Few readers will fail to recognize at least one of the many global controversies that the author uses to skilfully introduce and situate some complex ideas...I highly recommend this volume to anyone with an interest in animal welfare. I think that any reader could pick this book up, and walk away having an excellent understanding of the place of animal welfare in contemporary society. "- Jordan O. Hampton, School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University,  Australia. Published in The Quarterly Review of Biology (100:2 2025)"Whether someone wants to learn about animal welfare from the start, or wants to broaden their perspective on the topic, the book Understanding Animal Welfare is a must-read.... Overall, the book is very complete. Fraser is excellent at extracting the key information from the wealth of scientific literature."—Irene Camerlink, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Sciences; Published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science ( Vol 280/ Nov 24)

• Preface to the Second Edition ixAcknowledgements xIntroduction 1Part I Animal Welfare in Context 91 Animals in the Human Mind 112 A Good Life for Animals 283 A Science of Animal Welfare 47Part II Studying Animal Welfare 634 Disease, Injury and Productivity 655 ‘Stress’ 836 Abnormal Behaviour 1047 Affective States 1248 Positive Affect and the Science of Affect 1469 ‘Natural’ Living 16610 Preferences and Motivation 186Part III From Science to Policy and Practice 20911 Integrating Different Aspects of Animal Welfare 21112 Policies, Standards and Assessment Programmes 22613 ‘Facts’ and ‘Values’ in Mandated Science 244Part IV New Directions 25714 The Human Dimension and ‘One Welfare’ 25915 The Welfare of Free- living Wild Animals 28116 Animal Welfare and the Evolution of Animal Ethics 299Coda: Animal Welfare, the Science and the Cultural Context 314References 322Index 353