Exhaustive read, but a step in the right direction?

[daftscotslass]

Having looked around the net for something else I stumbled across the following report:

http://www.cawc.org.uk/documents/CAWCRepNDA.pdf

It is the first, major report I have seen anywhere that suggests breeding of any species for a specific trait is often to its detriment. Ever been asked elsewhere, "where is your proof for your statistics that breeding risks the life of your sow?"? Here it is. Written, accurately referenced information that states ANY breeding of ANY animal risks the life of the mother. End of.

I was very refreshed to see that there was particular concern for the breed standard in peruvian cavies that the hair should obscure the face. Was disappointed to see that skinnies were not discussed (though they are a fairly recent "trend" over here) but was interested to see the problems associated with hairless breeds of other species (sphynx cats etc).

It's another step in the right direction as the Animal Welfare Bill passes its way through parliament in the UK, the first overhaul of such legislation in nearly a century.

[FoolOnTheHill]

Couldn't read the link, it went wierd. (I think it's my computer though) Could you explain more about the Animal Welfare Bill? It sounds like a great idea.

[CavySpirit]

It's not a link to a page it's a link to a PDF document. So if you don't have the Adobe PDF reader installed on your computer (I thought practically everyone had this), you won't be able to read it.

[CavySpirit]

Holy Moly. It's 50 pages!

[CavySpirit]

HOLY CRAP!! This ties back to a lot of my effort and your support in 2002!

[FONT=TimesNewRomanPSMT]Pet shops and breeders should provide information on the care and management of the species that they sell. The Model Standards for Pet Shop Licensing Conditions (Local Government Association, 1998) state that pet shops should provide such information, free of charge. The [/FONT][FONT=TimesNewRomanPSMT]nature of this information is not specified, but leaflets produced by livestock wholesalers, product manufacturers, and the Pet Care Trust are widely used. We understand that provision 26 of husbandry information at the point of sale has recently become a legal requirement in California.[/FONT]

As soon as I read the first sentence, I thought 'that sounds like our pet store bill in California!' Dang! You see? One person CAN make a difference. Everything you do MATTERS! And sometimes you never know how far-reaching and long-lasting those efforts might be!

[CavySpirit]

WOW. Great document. Yes, no perfect, but so what. GREAT document. The reference list looks good too. Keep us posted on the status of this.

[daftscotslass]

Oh, just realised there were two articles and I've only referenced one. Just the welfare one, not the breeding one. This one is MUCH more up to date (May 2006) - http://www.cawc.org.uk/documents/CAWCModifications.pdf. Only 80 pages .

[CavySpirit]

THANKS! Great stuff.

[zambonigirl]

I'm just at the introduction right now to the second article, where it talks about breeding animals for certain traits rather than improving on the welfare of the animal itself, and how those traits, while aesthetically pleasing to some humans, can be injurious to the animal. I keep thinking about poor little dachshunds and their long backs and small legs, which create so many problems in their lives.

Conclusion 2. (See Section 2.8) In the breeding of companion animals there has been, and continues to be, selection for a wide range of often arbitrary features according to the tastes, preferences and whims of individuals or breed societies. These features include aspects of, for example: body size (larger or smaller); conformation of body, head, limbs or tail; colour; fur or feather type; and behaviour.