CHB Vets' Dr Karen Phillips back at work after her trip to Thailand. Photo / Warren Buckland
Animal welfare has been at the heart of almost everything CHB vet Karen Phillips has done since she decided she wanted to become a vet as an animal-loving 7-year-old.
Not only has she practised it day-in, day-out during her 27-year veterinary career, including the past 19 years as foundation staff member at CHB Vets in Waipukurau, she has helped draft national legislation on animal-welfare standards and practices, and is continuing her education in the area as part of her post-graduate studies.
The 48-year-old from Poukawa recently returned from a week-long fact-finding mission to Thailand where she assessed three animal facilities as part of the Advanced Animal Welfare course.
Phillips said considering Thailand's cultural and societal differences, all three facilities - a shelter for disabled dogs, a pig farm and a zoo, all located within a two-hour drive of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok - compared well with those in New Zealand.
"In Thailand, because of the Buddhist religion, euthanasia of animals is not generally acceptable, although is not illegal. So with this option less available, many injured and disabled animals need to be cared for to live out their natural lives," she said.
Disabled dogs were cared for very well at the shelter, which she said relied on donations and volunteer workers.
Some of the dogs had owners who would visit them regularly but the majority were street dogs or strays, she said.
She described the pig farm she visited as an indoor, semi-intensive system that was not too different to those she had seen in New Zealand, but with important differences.
"They [the Thai people] have many diseases to deal with that we are lucky not to have in New Zealand.
"These diseases really affect animal welfare, production and export opportunities, and the farmers have to vaccinate against them - including foot and mouth disease."
Other difficulties locals faced included the heat, said Phillips, as well as a limited supply of clean water.
Daytime temperatures during her visits reached 38C, coupled with high humidity, and local farmers worked hard to achieve their results, she said.
The third facility was a zoo open to the public.
"The zoo has over 1600 species of animals and has worked hard to design the enclosures to suit the animals.
"It was interesting to see the range of animals that suited the hotter climate, like the bears and jungle cats, and penguins and polar bears were noticeably missing!"
Back home, Phillips was a member of the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee involved in the 2015 Animal Welfare Act Amendment.
She also works with the local CHB SPCA on any animal-welfare issues that arise and acts as an expert witness.
She often accompanies the local SPCA Inspector on welfare complaint visits to assess the conditions of animals and provide advice.
She described animal welfare as an emerging science, and said New Zealand is at its forefront.
"New Zealand is considered one of the world leaders in animal welfare and we need to keep moving forward to retain this position."
She said informed consumers could have a huge influence on what happened in animal production systems, and she hoped better education on both the supply and demand sides would ensure animals in those systems enjoyed the best welfare possible in a sustainable way.
"There are many things that can be done that don't entail large costs and yet improve the lives of animals involved," said Phillips, who also believed many aspects of companion animal ownership would benefit from increased education about animal welfare.
"Good welfare doesn't just mean lack of cruelty - it means having a good life.
"A good life for a companion animal can be many things and sometimes putting human values on to animals is not in their best interests."