Animal Welfare through Competence (WtC) is a novel animal management and facility design concept Jon developed for zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. The idea is that with excellent health care and diet zoo animals may appear happy and healthy. But can they do anything for themselves, or are they “welfare dependent” on their carers to provide everything for them? Do they have strength, dexterity, and fitness, inquisitiveness, and social skills typical of their wild cousins? How can they be impowered to be more self-directed and competent? Jon explores this idea in a new paper published in Frontiers of Veterinary Science co-written with Dr Sarah Webber and Dr Mia Cobb, both of Melbourne University. Together they develop a framework incorporating the popular 5 Domains of Animal Welfare model into a design process centered on the animals themselves.
Have a look: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.885973
Also available here on this website