Relationships between animal welfare, health and environment

The definition of Animal Health includes Welfare

The health of an animal encompasses both physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

This includes :

  • physical fitness,

  • freedom from infectious and non-infectious diseases,

  • absence of abnormal behaviour, pain and suffering and

  • the ability to carry out essential life maintaining tasks.

Health (of a human) is the state of an individual enjoying complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO).

Definition based on relation between the animal and its environment

ReminderA good level of animal welfare

  • Based substantially on an undisturbed, species specific and ethologically adequate life situation (German Animal Protection Act, 1985)

  • In harmony with itself and the environment (after Hughes, 1976)

  • The welfare of an individual is its state as regards its attempts to cope with its environment (Broom, 1986, 2000)

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