Kate Mornement is an animal behaviourist who engages in regular ongoing professional development.
When it means interacting with beluga whales, exotic parrots, lions and gorgeous puppies, why wouldn’t she?
Tim and Mia talk to Kate to find out more about the application of learning theory across this wide range of animals, and what’s really going on in animal training.
Dr Holly Lane is an Associate Professor in the School of Special Education, School Psychology and Early Childhood Studies at the University of Florida’s College of Education.
Her research focuses on literacy intervention and prevention of reading difficulties through effective early literacy instruction and teacher education.
Holly’s first observations as a classroom teacher with her own dog, Floyd, led her to notice how dogs helped to motivate students.
Fast forward to now, and she’s getting the opportunity to research the growing field of canine-assisted reading programs, with promising future directions.
Listen in and find out what she has to say about reading with dogs!
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.
Dr Rachel Casey is a veterinary surgeon, animal behaviourist and welfare scientist working at the University of Bristol Veterinary School in the United Kingdom.
Rachel has a PhD in animal behaviour and leads a research group investigating aspects of companion animal behaviour and welfare.
Her recent research on aggressive behaviour in dogs has highlighted important new information regarding prevalence, risk factors and occurrence in difference contexts.
In Part 2 (catch up on Part 1 here) of our conversation with Mark Farnworth of Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand, we learn what the scientific research can tell us about the success of methods to control free roaming (owned and unowned) cat populations – and what it can’t.
We talk about Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) versus lethal control, where does responsibility lie and can an effective population management compromise be reached without all the facts?
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 Kersti Seksel, registered specialist in veterinary behaviour medicine and behavioural science major in human psychology, explains the complicated and sensitive topic of animal hoarding.
This issue is difficult to research and complex to resolve, but help is available.
Find out more about animal hoarding in our interview with Kersti.
Are we guilty of anthropomorphism in dogs? As dog owners it’s very easy to humanise our pets.
Julie Hecht, MSc, is a researcher and science writer fascinated not just by animal behaviour and welfare, but how we think about animals and the consequences of those thoughts.
Take anthropomorphism (attributing human characteristics to animals or objects) as a key example.
In this episode of Human Animal Science we explore what actually happens when we think that dog is guilty; or that cat is grumpy.
We discuss why we anthropomorphise and how it impacts on the animals.
Podcast
What is anthropomorphism in dogs?
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human entities.
In dogs, it can manifest as attributing emotions such as love, loyalty, and happiness to dogs, or expecting dogs to understand and communicate with us in ways that they do not. At least not in the same ways we do.
Do dogs know the difference between humans and dogs?
Dogs are intelligent creatures who are capable of complex social interaction, which means they’re able to pick up on our cues and learn from us.
However, studies show dogs actually see us as a member of their pack, not a separate species.
This means dogs do not necessarily know the difference between humans and dogs, but are capable of forming attachments to both.
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.
