Tyler (T.J.) Kasperbauer gained his PhD in Philosophy from Texas A&M University where he wrote a dissertation on moral psychology and animal ethics.
He is currently completing post-doctoral research at the University of Copenhagen, working with the well-known Peter Sandøe.
T.J.’s main areas of research are applied animal and environmental ethics, moral psychology, and philosophy of psychology.
In this episode, we explore his interesting research into the area of disgusting animals and their traits, why they disgust us, why they should, and what it means for people’s relationships with them.
“Do goats have emotions?” is something rarely searched for on Google, but if you think about it, it’s a very good question.
The answer is yes, goats do have emotions.
Believe it or not, they also have social networks, puzzle solving skills, and impressive long term memories?
We’re not even kidding! Alan McElligott is based at the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at the Queen Mary University of London, where he and his team research cattle, fallow deer, and goats.
In this episode, we talk about their recent work, and how it contributes to improved understanding of animal behaviour and behavioural ecology, raising important considerations for animal husbandry and welfare of goats in companion animal, livestock and pest contexts.
Briefer, E. F., de la Torre, M. P., & McElligott, A. G. (2012). Mother goats do not forget their kids’ calls. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0986.
Are jockeys using whips to steer and stay safe, or are they simply whipping tired horses?
These are questions that prompted Professor Paul McGreevy of the University of Sydney to research the use of whips in horse racing.
Paul is recognised by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as a specialist in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine.
His research focuses on the behaviour and welfare of horses and dogs, and he is the author of six books and over 120 peer-reviewed articles on animal behaviour.
Paul’s award-winning research examining the use of whips in horse racing aims to further our awareness of the experience of horses, extending to a recent experiment capturing the thermographic effects of his own leg being hit with a padded whip.
As the Spring horse racing carnival hits its peak in Melbourne, Australia this week, we asked Paul to discuss his findings and what it means for horses, beyond the glamour and excitement of race day.
Podcast
Publications
Paul McGreevy – Why are whips used in horse racing?
Here’s a fact: bees are responsible for the successful production of around a third of the food you eat.
As one of our oldest domesticated animals, bees and people share an amazing history.
But the future is uncertain, with devastating global declines in both feral and managed populations.
Boris Baer and Barbara Baer-Imhoof, in conjunction with their colleagues at the Centre for Integrative Bee Research at the University of Western Australia, are researching many aspects of honey bees, in the field and in the lab.
In our first episode featuring an invertebrate species, we learn more about our relationship with bees, what would happen if they vanish and ways we can help them thrive.
Podcast
Video – More Than Honey Trailer
Bees! More than Honey trailer
Publications
Boris Baer & Barbara Baer-Imhoof – The importance of bees. Photo: Andrew Ritchie
Stuerup, M., Baer-Imhoof, B., Nash, D. R., Boomsma, J. J. & Baer, B. When every sperm counts: factors affecting male fertility in the honeybee Apis mellifera, . Behav. Ecol. 24(5): 1192-1198. View online at Behavioral Ecology.
Louise holds a PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health, a Masters in Marketing and a Bachelor of Art in Applied Psychology.
She also has a gorgeous German Shepherd, named Kyla, who she participates with in search and rescue, as an Irish Search Dog member.
In this episode, we hear from Louise about her research investigating the effects of assistance dogs to children with autism spectrum disorder and their families.
This episode of Human Animal Science will change the way you look at a chicken wishbone, forever!
Naomi Sykes is an Associate Professor in Zooarchaeology (the study of human-animal relationships in archaeology) at the University of Nottingham, UK.
Her research focuses on human-animal-landscape relationships and how they inform us about the structure, beliefs and practices of past societies.
Naomi’s approach in the exciting area of zooarchaeology has wide application across different geographical areas and time.
Her fascinating research integrates animal bone data with other categories of physical culture, and with wider archaeological, historical, scientific and anthropological discussions.
Dr. Pauleen Bennett is Director of Regional Operations in the School of Psychological Science at La Trobe University.
Pauleen combines her academic work at La Trobe with a range of community activities designed to improve human-companion animal relationships.
She leads a highly productive team of researchers at the Anthrozoology Research Group and is director and chair of the Australian Anthrozoology Research Foundation, a non-profit foundation set up to raise money to support students investigating the potential benefits for human health of engaging with companion animals.
Pauleen has adjunct appointments at Monash University and The Ohio State University (USA) and enjoys spending her free time hanging out on her farm with her dogs, horses and goats.
In this episode (#19) we talk to Pauleen about the exciting but relatively new field of positive psychology.
Bennett, P.C. (2010). People, pets and positive psychology (transcribed from Radio Australia). Second Australian Positive Psychology and Well-Being Conference, February 12-13, Caulfield, Victoria, Australia.
Hal Herzog is recognised as one of the world’s leading anthrozoology experts, having researched human-animal relations for over two decades.
He is particularly interested in how people negotiate real-world ethical dilemmas, and has studied animal activists, cockfighters, animal researchers and circus animal trainers.
A professor of psychology at Western Carolina University, Hal blogs at Psychology Today and his work has been widely published in journals and books.
Mark Farnworth, from the Department of Natural Sciences at Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand, is curious about cats.
Cats as pets and cats as pests. Are cats a threat to biodiversity or are they possible caretakers of biodiversity?
This interview was fascinating, and the topic complex, so we are releasing it in two parts.
In this – part one – we introduce Mark’s research examining the issues, impact and attitudes toward free roaming (both owned and unowned) cat populations in New Zealand.
Dr Kirrilly Thompson, Research Fellow in Cultural Anthropology at CQ University in Adelaide, Australia, is a cultural anthropologist with varied research experience and interests.
In this episode of Human Animal Science, we get an overview of her ground breaking research into the effect of the human-animal bond in relation to natural disaster preparedness and survival.
