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Mar 2026

1. University of Edinburgh MSc Programme: The MSc/PGDip/PGCert in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare is a full-time one year on-campus degree programme, positioned on the Vet School Campus, outside Edinburgh. The programme has a known international reputation and highly respected research and teaching staff. It offers graduates a wide range of career opportunities and advancements in animal behaviour and welfare. Visit the website for further information. Deadline for international applications is July 2026 and for UK applications is Aug 2026 – apply now!
2. Report: The collaboration between Wild Welfare and the Animal Welfare Centre commenced more than five years ago. In 2021, a free-to-use digital education programme, Wild About Welfare was launched, to provide animal care staff with an opportunity to engage with a course (now in five languages) and has been accessed across 70 countries and with 33,000 downloads. Read the report and find out more about the programme.
3. Conferences: Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) has various conferences throughout 2026 (including Bristol, Cambridge and Edinburgh). Visit the website for dates and abstracts/paper deadlines.
4. New publication: Kosin, L., O’Hara, E., Johnston, A.R., Henderson, L.J. & Meddle, S.L. (2026) The effect of light during incubation and dark shelter enrichment on chick growth and behavior. Poultry Sci. 105:106144. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2025.106144  Read the news article
5. New publication: Clutton, R. E. (2026). Pain and Suffering in Farmed Animals: First Steps in Better Understanding and Management. (1st ed.). Springer.
6. New publication: Watson, W., MacKay, J.R.D. and Dwyer, C. (2026) ‘Friends, forage, freedom: A cluster analysis investigating horse management styles and welfare in the UK and Ireland’, Animal Welfare, 35, p. e15. https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2026.10073
7. Book review: Naydani, C.J. (2026) ‘Review of The Omnivore’s Deception: What We Get Wrong About Meat, Animals, and Ourselves - John Sanbonmatsu (2025). Published by NYU Press, 360 pages. ISBN (hardback) 1479825964. Price $30 (hardback).’, Animal Welfare, 35, p. e9. doi:10.1017/awf.2026.10067.

Feb 2026 

1. SAVE THE DATE: Come and join us, with colleagues from GASL, FAO, WOAH and AMR MSPP for a webinar on Sustainable livestock transformation: animal welfare solutions for resilient agrifood systems on 26 February 2026. Details and registration can be found on the website
2. Survey: If you are a vet nurse, animal care assistant, or veterinary paraprofessional (UK and international) we would be delighted if you could take 5-10 minutes to complete our online survey. We want to understand what topics and species are priority for different audiences; as well as understanding what barriers or challenges exist relating to delivery approaches or engagement.survey link (and QR code)
3. Publication (pre-print): members of the Centre, Jill MacKay and Louise Connelly, provide a pre-print of their recent article. MacKay, J., & Connelly, L. (2025). Tail Wagging Cats: Veterinary Implications of AI Generated Video. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202512.1631.v1
4. Publication: Olivia Curry, a PhD student at the Animal Welfare Centre publishes findings from her research.  Curry, O., Everett, A., Pearson, G., Dwyer, C., & Duncan, J. (2025). Preliminary investigation of equine veterinary hospital staff attitudes towards pain assessment in a single centre. Veterinary Record. https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.6122
5. Publication: An MSc Clinical Animal Behaviour student, along with supervisors from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Copenhagen, recently published aspects from their dissertation.  Weber, T., Lund, T. B., Forkman, B., McPeake, K., Meyer, I., & Sandøe, P. (2026). Dog Owners’ Use of Training Methods and Their Ethical Stance on the Treatment of Animals. Anthrozoös, 39(1), 41–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2025.2597086 

Updates - 2026

Updates - 2025

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