I SEE YOU

Our I SEE YOU flower has developed over years of thinking about how we at AnimalConcepts embody a culture of care. This includes the animals in our care, people, the greater community of life, and the planet we share. Notice a theme here? Yes! Also this connects to INTERBEING and everything and everyone being interconnected. Compassion is an important way of being and skill. We often say that compassion is empathy combined with action. We invite you to explore the I SEE YOU flower and through this lens explore your views, beliefs, and actions towards others of all kinds. While created before AnimalConcepts became an Earth Charter International friend and partner, it aligns with its spirit. The month of April on the human wellbeing platform is all about compassion. The I SEE YOU concept has, and will continue to evolve, expanding the circle of kindness and compassion for all beings of all kinds and this beautiful planet we share.

Celebrating our renewed corporate...

HOT OFF THE PRESS: 

The Pacific Marine Mammal Center, in collaboration with Kore Zoo, AnimalConcepts and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance recently published a groundbreaking study titled Environmental Enrichment Devices Are Safe and Effective at Reducing Undesirable Behaviors in California Sea Lions and Northern Elephant Seals during Rehabilitation 

The use of environmental enrichment with wild animals in rescue and rehabilitation facilities has not always been welcomed, appreciated for its opportunities, or utilised. This collaborative study was conducted by the staff and volunteers at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in California, USA on Northern Elephant seals and California sea lions. The positive outcomes hopefully encourage more organisations to use as well as study the benefits of environmental enrichment to support positive wellbeing through cognitive, social, physical, and other challenges. Enrichment devices can assist young animals during critical...

Integrate values and learnings

Our focus for March on the planetary wellbeing platform was on values and learnings integration, and how to develop our own morals, values, and code of ethics in the direction of positive change. Irma Verhoeven, Programme and Partnership Development Manager at Earth Charter International Secretariat, shares in this podcast her insights and experiences on why education plays such an important role in human behaviour changes and empowerment. AnimalConcepts is a proud Earth Charter International Partner since 2020. 

Interested in education, conservation, and research? Want to learn about animal, planetary and human wellbeing? INTERBEING is the podcast series by AnimalConcepts that shares stories, experiences, science, and practices related to animal welfare and care, and the wellbeing of animal care professionals as well as the Earth Charter related to planetary wellbeing, and ultimately wellbeing for all. Listen to it HERE

The importance of...

Fish cognition and welfare

This month on the animal wellbeing platform is about animal cognition. This concept refers to a suite of mental processes of non-human animals, including perception, learning, decision-making, and memory.

Research on animal cognition has revealed that many species of animals possess complex mental abilities that were once thought to be unique to humans. For example, chimpanzees have been shown to be able to use tools, solve complex problems, and communicate with each other using a complex system of gestures and vocalisations. Birds have demonstrated the ability to use tools, recognise themselves in mirrors, and remember the location of hidden food caches.

Over the last decades, we have seen an increased interest in fish cognition and welfare. The ability to feel pain has gained interest in research, with several studies focusing on understanding pain experiences and welfare issues in fish. This Science into Practice resource of a review article by Lynne U....

Watch the welcome message from Irma Verhoeven and Sabrina Brando on planetary wellbeing. It was filmed earlier this month in the Dordogne in France, inspired by stars, the forest, all kinds of neighbours and mosses! Another year has started to learn, share, and discuss how to create a global movement towards a more just, sustainable and peaceful world for everyone.

Another Science into Practice is available on the PAWS platform!

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