Animals in Translation is a podcast brought to you by hosts from across the globe who talk with experts about their animal welfare work. The goal? To deconstruct animal issues into palatable pieces for listeners wanting to dig deeper into international animal welfare, ethics, or policy. Tune in monthly for new episodes.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcast | Website | Spotify | RSS
In this episode of Animals in Translation, Kerri and Sophie interview Dr. Inés Sánchez-Garcia about her MSc dissertation on the motivation and cognitive abilities of pigs. Ines is a laboratory animal veterinarian at Newcastle University. She is responsible for, monitors and provides advice on the health, welfare and treatment of animals in research, with a particular interest in animal welfare, motivation and cognition. After graduating from Complutense University of Madrid, she pursued an international career across three continents as a veterinary clinician. Her passion for animal welfare drove her to complete a master’s degree at the University of Edinburgh in applied animal behaviour and welfare.
Inés explains the complex relationship between motivation, behavior, and cognition, and how it should be considered in animal research to help reduce bias and support the 3R-s, particularly the reduction of animals used. Inés walks listeners through the concepts of contra freeloading, such as cat predation, and reward anticipation through learned experience, such as training a dog with treats. She also touches on the variation in cognitive styles, such as in humans using different skills to solve a math problem. Here’s a link to a video about her research.
Inés’ study supports the claim that food restriction is not necessary for cognitive behavioral research on pigs. The study also suggests that pigs with environmental enrichment tend to perform better on cognitive tests. Inés highlights the need for better welfare standards in animal husbandry, particularly eliminating the use of farrowing and gestation crates, and providing straw to pigs in commercial farms.
In this episode of Animals in Translation, Sophie and Kerri provide an informative discussion on domestic pigs, examining their intelligence, lifestyle, and preferences. They delve into the roles pigs play in society as companion animals, sources of food, and subjects …continue
Proudly brought to you by: 1 May 2025
Sophie and Kerri interview bioethics professor, Peter Sandøe, about his long career in animal ethics and companion animal welfare at University of Copenhagen. Sandøe values cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary discussions when it comes to animals. In this interview, he explains the need for …continue
Proudly brought to you by: 23 May 2025
In this episode of Animals in Translation, Sophie and Kerri provide an informative discussion on domestic pigs, examining their intelligence, lifestyle, and preferences. They delve into the roles pigs play in society as companion animals, sources of food, and subjects …continue
Proudly brought to you by: 1 May 2025
