Animal Breeding, Welfare and Society

Download or read book Animal Breeding, Welfare and Society written by Jacky Turner and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-08-12 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The determination of when, how, how often and with whom an animal breeds has moved away from evolutionary pressures towards our own purposes: these include the breeding and use of around 50 billion mammals and birds for food production annually, the breeding of pedigree dogs, cats, racing dogs and horses, specialized laboratory animal strains and the use of reproductive science to breed endangered species in zoos and to attempt to limit unwanted populations of pests and non-native species. This book discusses the methods, the motivations and the consequences of human intervention in animal breeding in terms of what we know about animal behavior and well-being. It sets out to challenge both our practice and our assumptions- those of society as a whole and the many professionals involved in the worldwide animal reproduction business. It explores where we are now and proposes a future where we have more respect for animals as sentient beings and have loosened the reins of reproductive control.