September 2011 - Australian Veterinary Association
September 2011 - Australian Veterinary Association
September 2011 - Australian Veterinary Association
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ADVANCING<br />
VETERINARY SCIENCE<br />
<strong>Australian</strong> <strong>Veterinary</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />
<strong>September</strong> <strong>2011</strong><br />
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:<br />
• Presidents Word<br />
• AVA Involvement At St Lucia<br />
• New Graduate Support Scheme Testimonial<br />
• Editor’s Note<br />
• Wild Dog Management Strategy Released<br />
• Shared Approach To Wild Dog Management<br />
• Hello From The EO’s Desk<br />
• Farm Animal Law: Reflections From The<br />
European Union<br />
• GPS Tracking For Flying Foxes In Hendra Virus<br />
Research First<br />
• Hendra Virus Concerns: Comments From<br />
Concerned Members<br />
• To Treat Or Not To Treat? That Is The Question.<br />
Whether It Is Nobler…...<br />
• Batting For The Flying Fox<br />
• Euthanasia Of Dusty The Dog<br />
• Recommended Specimen Submission Guidelines<br />
For Hendra Virus Testing<br />
• Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy – Update<br />
March <strong>2011</strong><br />
• Communicating With Animals<br />
• AVA PetPEP<br />
• Marine Pollutants: Immuno-Suppressants<br />
• He Who Fails To Plan Is Planning To Fail<br />
• Vale..…Grant Frazer
AVA Tasmanian Division<br />
and BVP Conference <strong>2011</strong><br />
Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart<br />
4 - 6 November <strong>2011</strong><br />
Improving Your Outcome<br />
In Emergency Management<br />
Speakers will include:<br />
Associate Professor Edith Hampson Associate Professor Phil Moses<br />
Associate Professor Gary Wilson Dr Terry King<br />
Dr Brett Stone Dr Rob Webster Dr Bryan Walpole<br />
Please contact AVA Qld Division or go online http://www.ava.com.au/event-121<br />
for full details, Brochure and Registration Form<br />
AVA QLD DIVISION EXECUTIVE, STANDING & SUB-COMMITTEES<br />
President<br />
President Elect<br />
Honorary Treasurer<br />
Honorary Secretary<br />
Executive Committee Members<br />
Invited Executive Committee<br />
Members<br />
Honorary Newsletter Editor<br />
<strong>Veterinary</strong> Education<br />
Animal Welfare<br />
Tony Thelander<br />
Tess Guilfoyle<br />
Bob Rees<br />
Michael O’Donoghue<br />
Bruce Pott, Andrew Easton, Patricia Clarke, Robert Hedlefs, Nigel<br />
Thomas and Carmel Kerwick<br />
Malcolm McLennan, Jon Hill and Robert Cassidy<br />
David Paxton<br />
Michael O’Donoghue (Convenor), Sue Fowkes, Sue Lapham, Patricia<br />
Ray Barbero, Laurie Dowling and Robert Cassidy<br />
Body Corporate Rep. – AVA House John Odlum<br />
Historian<br />
Policy Councillor<br />
Malcolm McLennan<br />
Robert Hedlefs
AVA Qld Division President’s Word<br />
Tony Thelander<br />
Dear Colleagues,<br />
Part of the duties of the President is<br />
to represent the AVA at many and<br />
varied occasions; some of the occasions<br />
include the sad farewell of<br />
some our veterinary colleagues.<br />
Recently I have attended funerals of<br />
two of our colleagues – one was a<br />
celebration of a full and rich life<br />
which was an inspiration to all who<br />
attended. The other was a sad farewell of one of our colleagues<br />
taken from us far too early and to make sense of it<br />
all, one must try to draw a message to help make a positive<br />
contribution to our profession.<br />
We are a small profession and many of us work in small<br />
businesses or teams and as a result, we get to know our<br />
workmates extremely well, so it should be relatively easy in<br />
most cases for us to look out for each other. It is normally<br />
expected that employers are generally responsible for the<br />
welfare of their employees but all too often, no one is looking<br />
out for the employer or those in management. One of<br />
the benefits of a well-functioning team working environment<br />
is that everyone from the boss down is involved in<br />
running the business and as a result it is easier to watch<br />
out for one’s workmates.<br />
All too often, especially in larger businesses and institutions,<br />
people can become isolated, performance and accountability<br />
can become paramount and the stress of the<br />
job, no matter what level you operate at, becomes all consuming.<br />
If this situation is happening to you or a workmate,<br />
do try to reach out to someone or to that person in<br />
some way. It’s often the small things that make the difference<br />
to the lives of others and it is always too late when<br />
they are gone.<br />
On a brighter note, I recently attended the ASAVA conference<br />
on the Gold Coast which was attended by almost 400<br />
veterinarians. Those who attended were treated to a top<br />
class program on thoracic medicine and surgery delivered<br />
by 3 world renowned speakers; in addition there were<br />
workshops, the usual fantastic trade display and a great<br />
social program. The conference highlighted a couple of<br />
things: Firstly the importance of remaining “current” insofar<br />
as continuing education (CE) is concerned; secondly<br />
the importance of making the most of your AVA membership<br />
and becoming involved by joining a special interest<br />
group; and thirdly for networking with colleagues and industry<br />
so you know what is happening around you.<br />
Fortunately new Hendra cases (touch wood) seem to have<br />
subsided somewhat but it would appear that so long as<br />
bats and horses co-exist that the risk of fresh cases will<br />
continue. For horse owners and veterinarians alike, the<br />
Hendra vaccine cannot come soon enough. On the positive<br />
side of things, each case brings the opportunity to further<br />
our knowledge in prevention, control and eradication<br />
of the disease, not to mention improved safety procedures<br />
in practice and general public awareness of a dangerous<br />
disease.<br />
One of the incidents that caught everyone’s attention was<br />
the fate of ‘Dusty’ the dog who presented our profession<br />
with a unique opportunity to further understand the dis-<br />
ease as far as its transmission and manifestation in other<br />
species. Most of us accept the reasons for Dusty’s fate but<br />
we all hope that the opportunity to learn and to better protect<br />
other dogs that may come in contact with Hendra was<br />
not lost in bureaucracy. As a scientist, I, like all of us, will<br />
be keen to learn of Dusty’s contribution to science in the<br />
fullness of time, to know that he did not die in vain.<br />
A busy time lies ahead for our hard working committee in<br />
the next month with the organising of the Roma Roundup,<br />
the Divisional strategic planning weekend in <strong>September</strong>,<br />
the Central Qld Branch conference at Agnes Waters in October<br />
and the Brisbane Branch conference in Hobart in November.<br />
While we are talking of organising events, our congratulations<br />
go to our Executive Officer, Amanda who is currently<br />
organising her wedding for October. Yes, we are giving<br />
her time off for a honeymoon and our best wishes go to<br />
Amanda and Joe for their future together.<br />
In closing, if you have ideas, issues, criticisms or if you just<br />
need information, please make yourself known to your local<br />
Branch member or to our Executive Officer, Amanda<br />
(ph: 07 3423 1844) in our Brisbane office so we can respond.<br />
Remember, it’s your <strong>Association</strong> and we are here<br />
to help.<br />
Sincerely<br />
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AVA Involvement At St Lucia<br />
Ayrial Mammino (AVA senior student representative at UQ)<br />
New graduate Support Scheme Testimonial<br />
Dr Tessia Guilfoyle<br />
The veterinary school at UQ is always a busy place. Lecturers<br />
are busy filling students’ brains with all sorts of information<br />
from biochemistry to surgical techniques and<br />
even the odd clinical story from times long past. With such<br />
a brain overload the students need to let their hair down<br />
occasionally. By far one of the best events to do this at is<br />
the annual UQVSA (UQ <strong>Veterinary</strong> Students <strong>Association</strong>)<br />
ball where students and lecturers alike have trouble recognising<br />
each other out of their day to day attire (hoodies<br />
and uggs at the cold Gatton campus). The AVA is proudly<br />
sponsoring this social event this year, to take place on<br />
Saturday the 24 th of <strong>September</strong>.<br />
Throughout the year the AVA has focused on helping inspire<br />
and educate students by funding several extracurricular<br />
activities and lectures for the students. These<br />
events are always a hit because they give the students an<br />
opportunity to learn outside the usual gruelling timetable<br />
that can seem monotonous and overwhelming. Some of<br />
the activities the students have enjoyed being able to experience<br />
and participate in this year include:<br />
Cattle dehorning and hoof trimming workshops<br />
Cattle castration workshop<br />
Cattle AI, pregnancy diagnosis and foetal ageing<br />
workshop<br />
Equine lecture seminars given by esteemed<br />
lecturers and welcomed with<br />
enthusiasm and interest by the students.<br />
Topics covered included:<br />
◊ Orthopaedic surgery – given by Dr Steven Zedler<br />
◊ Diarrhoea in neonates – given by Dr Carlos Medina<br />
◊ Endometritis in the Mare– given by Dr Wynn Collins<br />
SIG (special interest group) workshop week (1 st – 5 th<br />
August) where each night the students were given the<br />
opportunity to be lectured on or participate in the following:<br />
◊ Emergency bandaging in the horse workshop<br />
◊ BAG (Bovine Appreciation Group) Mastitis dairy<br />
panel session<br />
◊ VOH (Vets in One Health) had two enjoyable lectures:<br />
Dr Nigel Perkins recounted some of his experiences<br />
as a vet in the epidemiological field and Dr Michael<br />
D’Occhio gave a lecture entitled ‘Vets feeding<br />
the world’.<br />
◊ Professor Trevor Heath, Dr Phil Thomas, Dr David<br />
Foote and Dr Liam Flannagan gave the students<br />
practical advice on vet school and the world beyond.<br />
◊ Dr Pearl Symmons and Dr Paul Eden gave the students<br />
a taste of wildlife veterinary medicine over the<br />
students lunch hours.<br />
◊ As well as many other riveting activities.<br />
The week was a great success and most importantly was<br />
considered very worthwhile by the students.<br />
VOH (Vets in One Health) night on the 22 nd August. We<br />
were fortunate to have Dr Sophie Constable from<br />
AMRRIC (Animal management in rural and remote indigenous<br />
communities)talk about her work in Antarctica,<br />
the Solomon Islands and in dog health and population<br />
control in NT Indigenous communities. Dr Rowland<br />
Cobbold also lectured on his career path in epidemiology.<br />
Dr Ristan Greer spoke about her cross over into<br />
human public health and medical research. Finally Dr<br />
Allison Crook, Director of Animal Biosecurity and Welfare<br />
at DEEDI (DPI) spoke about her career in government<br />
work and role in the equine Influenza outbreak.<br />
With the many extracurricular academic events and the<br />
many social events scattered throughout the year a UQ<br />
vet student’s calendar is never empty, just the way it<br />
should be!<br />
<br />
I am a mentor under the AVA<br />
Queensland − Cenvet New Graduate Support Scheme<br />
and I wish to let everyone know what a worthwhile and<br />
very important scheme this is.<br />
The first words of my newly graduated mentee, when I<br />
made contact, were “Thank God you’ve called, I’m having<br />
a really difficult time in my first job and need someone<br />
to talk to!”<br />
You can never underestimate the pressure new graduates<br />
are under – the floor has been ripped out from under<br />
their feet. Everything is new – the job, the location,<br />
the profession, pressure of possible financial constraints<br />
on both clients and employers and, of course, being removed<br />
from an environment where they’ve been closely<br />
surrounded by supportive peers for the past five years. It<br />
can be hard to cope, while feeling overwhelmed and isolated.<br />
It can be difficult to find someone to talk to who is<br />
unbiased and removed from the situation yet who is supportive<br />
and able to fully empathise with the new graduate’s<br />
position.<br />
By having this scheme in place I’ve been trained, as a<br />
2<br />
mentor, with the necessary tools to help my mentee think<br />
logically through the difficulties he or she is having and to<br />
come up with a “game plan” to improve the situation.<br />
Regular follow-up calls and emails with the mentee ensure<br />
that the problems don’t become insurmountable –<br />
“a problem shared, is a problem halved”.<br />
I’m very enthusiastic and excited by, what I believe, is a<br />
necessary scheme that is well structured and provides<br />
training in important life skills. A scheme such as this<br />
was well overdue and it’s disappointing to think of veterinarians<br />
already lost to the profession because there was<br />
no such support available to them.<br />
The program is an absolute credit to Dr Jodie Wilson and<br />
the hard working AVA executive and administration<br />
team. I encourage all veterinarians out there to become<br />
a part of it. By giving back a little and looking after our<br />
newer graduates we minimise the risk that they may become<br />
disillusioned and “lost along the way”.<br />
The New Graduate Support Scheme can only serve to<br />
strengthen and unify this great profession of ours.
Editor’s Note<br />
Dr David Paxton<br />
In this issue are comments that research on transmission<br />
of Hendra virus to horses be undertaken more seriously.<br />
nauseous. While washing flying fox faeces off my car on<br />
many occasions, I have noticed, and railed at, their molasses-like<br />
There is an article on the ecological importance of flying<br />
tenacity. Remembering my colleague’s experi-<br />
foxes. There is a statement from the Minister for Agriculture<br />
ence, I have resisted the temptation to have a taste.<br />
that a more concerted research effort is being In this issue is an important situation report on farm animal<br />
planned. Among the comments is reference to HeV in welfare in the European Union. The pluses seem to outnumber<br />
the minuses, and huge food marketers are react-<br />
mosquitoes. There is a great deal that needs to be learned<br />
because the risk is real.<br />
ing positively to consumer demands for ethical production.<br />
Other comments the Editor is aware of are the possibilities<br />
of transmission by, for example, cockroaches moving between<br />
feed troughs and leaf litter under flying fox colonies,<br />
and through spread by ectoparasites of the flying foxes. A<br />
This is to the good while the EU stays affluent and consumers<br />
exercise choice. Less affluent cultures are rapidly<br />
becoming wealthier and this may provide opportunities for<br />
better standards globally.<br />
thought which occurs to me is that millions of <strong>Australian</strong>s It is highly recommended that readers see the motion picture<br />
film Red Dog. Remember to turn off your mobile<br />
enjoy − indeed, relish − the regurgitations of Apis mellifera,<br />
the European honey bee, which is an active feeder on nectar<br />
and an important pollinator. Presumably, over millen-<br />
Koko the dog, in several guises, acts out some quite com-<br />
‘phone (or you might be assaulted) and take lots of tissues.<br />
nia, human beings have evolved an adaptation to any organisms<br />
present in honey. The faeces of nectar feeding cate with him at a deep level – mess with his head, like a<br />
plex emotions. Perhaps his keeper was able to communi-<br />
flying fox may be a confection for some horses, with the good director should. Serendipitously, in this issue of QN<br />
difference that the horses are only now being exposed significantly<br />
to HeV. It is sensible to protect horse feed and pathically.<br />
we have an article on communicating with animals tele-<br />
equipment from contamination by flying fox faeces in the<br />
I hosted Isobel Johnstone on a tour of Coochiemudlo on 6<br />
various ways that guidelines recommend. Dusty the dog<br />
<strong>September</strong>. Isobel communicated with 8 dogs, a donkey, a<br />
may have had a sweet tooth.<br />
goat, a sheep and a piglet. All animals are intensely socialised<br />
with people and well looked after. I am not at all<br />
Please note, I am NOT suggesting any reader sample flying<br />
19/10/09 fox faeces! It 3:43 could PM be dangerous. Page 1 Years ago, I tele-<br />
informed in this area. However to save leaving the reader<br />
NEW<br />
phoned a colleague at a research institute in a State Department<br />
of Agriculture: he groaned when he answered the seemed to be like communicating with a 3 to 4 year-old<br />
spell-bound, I add that the quality of communication<br />
telephone. He had, in a spirit of enquiry, just consumed child, with adult overtones.<br />
raw an amount of macerated sheep muscle containing a<br />
E<br />
large number<br />
THOUSANDS<br />
of cysts. The paste had made him feel very<br />
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Wild Dog Management Strategy Released<br />
The term “wild dog” refers collectively to purebred dingoes,<br />
dingo hybrids, and domestic dogs that have escaped<br />
or been deliberately released. In central southern<br />
Queensland a wild dog barrier fence protects 26.5 million<br />
hectares of sheep and cattle country from wild dog<br />
attacks.<br />
The wild dog is a Class 2 declared animal under Queensland<br />
legislation. It is the responsibility of landholders to<br />
control wild dogs on their land.<br />
A summary is given below.<br />
Readers are invited<br />
to visit the Queensland<br />
Government/DEEDI/<br />
Primary Industries and<br />
Fisheries website for the<br />
Wild Dog Management<br />
Strategy <strong>2011</strong>−16, including<br />
further information on<br />
Wild Dog Barrier Fence<br />
dingoes, impacts, control,<br />
fluroacetate baits, barrier fences and best practices.<br />
Executive Summary – Wild Dog Strategy:<br />
Wild dogs in Queensland have a number of adverse impacts.<br />
They attack livestock, prey on native species,<br />
spread disease, dilute ‘dingo’ genetics and threaten human<br />
safety and the general enjoyment of rural residential<br />
properties. The diverse nature of these impacts<br />
means that an integration of planning and control practices<br />
across local, regional, state and national levels is<br />
required. A blanket approach to wild dog management is<br />
not effective.<br />
Wild dogs are present in all areas of Queensland. In the<br />
remote and far western areas, the percentage of dingoes<br />
is higher, whereas in closely settled areas there is<br />
a higher percentage of hybrid animals.<br />
The challenges to the effective management of wild dog<br />
impacts in Queensland are significant.<br />
Changing land use, juxtaposition of different land uses,<br />
environmental factors, the increasing proportion of hybrid<br />
animals and varying community attitudes are some<br />
of these challenges.<br />
As wild dogs are declared Class 2 pest animals, land<br />
managers in Queensland—private individuals, companies,<br />
local and state government agencies—have a legal<br />
responsibility under the Land Protection (Pest and<br />
Stock Route Management) Act 2002 to control wild dogs<br />
on their land.<br />
This strategy sets a framework for coordinating the actions<br />
of all stakeholders, which will maximise the effective<br />
use of physical and economic resources used for<br />
wild dog management in Queensland.<br />
Vision<br />
The impact of wild dogs on Queensland’s biodiversity,<br />
agricultural assets and social values is minimised.<br />
Desired outcomes<br />
The strategic actions for wild dog management in<br />
Queensland will be delivered, based on five desired outcomes.<br />
The first three of these desired outcomes are<br />
based on management zones, the other two are common<br />
to all zones.<br />
Desired outcomes based on management<br />
zones<br />
1. Zero tolerance of wild dogs inside the WDBF<br />
• Reduce wild dog numbers and impacts to as<br />
close to zero as is practicable.<br />
2. Control wild dogs elsewhere in the State<br />
• Achieve effective control of wild dogs across all<br />
tenures.<br />
3. Reduce wild dog impacts in the coastal, periurban<br />
and rural residential management zones<br />
• Wild dog impacts in the coastal, peri-urban and<br />
rural residential management zones are reduced<br />
through community action.<br />
Desired outcomes common to all zones<br />
(Statewide)<br />
4. The community is informed and committed to wild<br />
dog management and has the most current control<br />
methods and management techniques available<br />
• Develop and implement a communication and<br />
extension program to ensure landholders are<br />
aware of their responsibility in rural areas<br />
• Develop and implement a communication and<br />
extension program to ensure that all stakeholders<br />
are aware of their responsibility and the<br />
need to control wild dogs in peri-urban areas<br />
• Develop improved control practices.<br />
5. Conservation of dingo populations in Queensland<br />
• Maintain an understanding of currently available<br />
science on dingo genetic identification techniques<br />
and population ecology<br />
• Manage populations of dingoes of conservation<br />
significance<br />
• Balance the conservation of the dingo with other<br />
management<br />
objectives, including<br />
the protection<br />
of rural<br />
enterprises and<br />
public safety.<br />
5
Shared Approach To Wild Dog Management<br />
Minister for Agriculture, Food and<br />
Regional Economies Tim Mulherin released a finalised<br />
Wild Dog Management Strategy for Queensland on 20<br />
July, <strong>2011</strong>. Updated from the 2002 Wild Dog Strategy,<br />
the new <strong>2011</strong> – 2016 document is a result of a review<br />
by the Queensland Wild Dog Offensive Group (QDOG)<br />
in conjunction with key stakeholders.<br />
Minster Mulherin said the aim of the latest Strategy was<br />
multi-pronged, addressing social, economic and conservation<br />
issues. The Strategy will assist stakeholders in<br />
developing integrated management plans for their sites<br />
to effectively manage wild dogs in the longer-term. Its<br />
purpose is also to minimise the overall impact wild dogs<br />
have on Queensland's livestock industries, to reduce<br />
stress caused to landholders, and address biodiversity<br />
issues..<br />
Actions for managing wild dogs in Queensland will be<br />
based around five desired outcomes:<br />
zero tolerance of wild dogs inside the wild dog barrier<br />
fence<br />
control of wild dogs elsewhere in the state<br />
reduction of wild dog impacts in the coastal, periurban<br />
and rural residential management zone<br />
keeping the community informed and committed to<br />
wild dog management<br />
conservation of dingo populations in Queensland.<br />
QDOG chair Brent Finlay said all land managers, public<br />
and private, have a responsibility to participate in the<br />
renewed focus on wild dog management to effectively<br />
mitigate the problem. As QDOG's aim is to source and<br />
<br />
Hello from the EO’s desk— Amanda Pollard<br />
We recently held a very successful final Infection Control<br />
Workshop in conjunction with the Roma Round Up.<br />
This event was well attended by over 30 veterinarians<br />
and veterinary nurses. The Roma Round Up was a<br />
Provet and AVA (Darling Downs Branch) initiative and<br />
those who attended were treated to a great educational<br />
and social program over the weekend!<br />
At this event AVA Qld presented Ms Patricia Coward<br />
with an AVA MSA Award for her contribution to the<br />
AVA, particularly the Qld Division through her participation<br />
in this Infection Control training of our members.<br />
The collective efforts of these Infection Control presenters;<br />
Dr Sue Fowkes, Dr Robert Hedlefs, Dr Bruce Pott<br />
and Dr Andrew Easton (AVA Qld), Trish Coward<br />
(Workplace Health and Safety Qld), Lawrence Gavey,<br />
Rick Whittle and Louise Mullemeister (DEEDI) and<br />
Nicolette Newell (REM Systems) along with our sponsors<br />
– DEEDI, Provet, CH2 and REM Systems have<br />
made these workshops possible. Over the last three<br />
years nine workshops were conducted and over 250<br />
vets and vet nurses have attended these events. A<br />
great effort from all involved!<br />
We have also held a number of other geat events<br />
throughout the state providing fabulous learning and<br />
manage the resources to mitigate the impacts wild dogs<br />
on the livestock industries, communities and the environment,<br />
we welcome the refocus and intensifying of<br />
efforts to control wild dogs across the State. The good<br />
season has seen an explosion in the number of wild<br />
dogs and we urge all landowners to use all tools available<br />
to address this problem in a coordinated and strategic<br />
manner.<br />
Member for Mount Isa Betty Kiernan welcomed today’s<br />
announcement, saying stakeholder support had been<br />
generally strong for the Wild Dog Management Strategy.<br />
The Queensland Government has taken on board<br />
stakeholders’ views and she is confident the strategy<br />
will allow for greater control of wild dogs in Queensland,<br />
while maintaining a balance with conservation.<br />
Biosecurity Queensland received 66 Strategy review<br />
submissions and these were essential in producing the<br />
improved document for stakeholder implementation<br />
across Queensland. Several challenges have been addressed,<br />
including the availability of funding and resources<br />
and the difficulties in controlling wild dogs in<br />
peri-urban environments. The strategy also emphasises<br />
the importance of the humane control of wild dogs<br />
in response to concerns from animal welfare groups.<br />
The term ‘wild dog’ refers collectively to purebred dingoes,<br />
dingo hybrids, and domestic dogs that have escaped<br />
or been released. Wild dogs are Class 2 declared<br />
pests under Queensland legislation and it is the<br />
responsibility of all landholders to control wild dogs on<br />
their land.<br />
The Wild Dog Management Strategy <strong>2011</strong>-16 can be<br />
downloaded from www.biosecurity.qld.gov.au<br />
social opportunities for members. These have included<br />
the very well attended AVA Qld Division, Hill’s Pet Nutrition<br />
and AVDS Dental Workshop held at Gatton, another<br />
(sixteenth in fact!) very successful Sunshine Coast<br />
<strong>Veterinary</strong> Industry Golf Day, BVP President’s Drinks<br />
and BVP Race Day. Some Branches have also held<br />
dinner meetings and evening get-togethers. Our Central<br />
Queensland, North Queensland and BVP Branches still<br />
have some fabulous events planned for later in the year.<br />
Check out the advertisements in this newsletter or contact<br />
AVA Qld for further information on upcoming<br />
Branch and Division events. You can also check out<br />
upcoming events on the AVA website at http://<br />
www.ava.com.au/Events . Don’t forget to save the date<br />
for the AVA Qld Division Conference 23-25 March 2012,<br />
at the Gold Coast.<br />
AVA Representatives have been extremely busy over<br />
the last few months representing AVA Qld in a variety of<br />
forums. These have included meeting with the VSB,<br />
DEEDI, Q Health, QWH&S, Industry and other <strong>Association</strong>s<br />
(Pharmacy Guild). In mid-<strong>September</strong> the AVA Qld<br />
committee and branch representatives will meet for two<br />
days of planning. During this planning session we will<br />
set our strategic direction for the year ahead. We will be<br />
joined for this meeting by Debbie Neutze, National<br />
Strategy and Services Manager from AVA National.<br />
6
Farm Animal Law: Reflections From The European Union<br />
Peter Stevenson (Chief Policy Advisor of Compassion in World Farming) courtesy of Voiceless<br />
The European Union (EU) comprises<br />
27 Member States with a population of 502 million<br />
and 23 official languages. It is the world’s largest<br />
importer of agricultural products and together with the<br />
United States is the world’s leading agri-food exporter.<br />
Three institutions combine to formulate EU legislation.<br />
Under the EU Treaty, it is only the European Commission<br />
that can propose new legislation. The Commission’s<br />
proposal is then considered and developed by the<br />
European Parliament and the Council of Ministers who<br />
must jointly agree upon the legislation in a co-decision<br />
procedure. In the case of agriculture and farm animal<br />
welfare the Council consists of the Agriculture Ministers<br />
of the Member States.<br />
EU legislation takes the form of Directives or Regulations.<br />
Both are legally binding.<br />
<br />
Sentient beings<br />
EU legislation on animal protection is underpinned by<br />
the EU Treaty which recognises animals as “sentient<br />
beings”.<br />
In 1991 we presented to the European Parliament a petition<br />
with over one million signatures calling for animals<br />
to be given a new status in law as “sentient beings”.<br />
This led initially to a Declaration recognising animals as<br />
sentient beings, being annexed to the Treaty of Rome –<br />
the EU’s founding Treaty. The Declaration, though welcome,<br />
was non-binding. We continued to lobby and a<br />
few years later a legally binding Protocol was annexed<br />
to the Treaty and eventually in 2007 a full Article was<br />
inserted into the body of the Treaty.<br />
Article 13 of the Treaty provides that in:<br />
“formulating and implementing the Union’s agriculture,<br />
fisheries, transport, internal market, research... policies,<br />
the Union and the Member States shall, since animals<br />
are sentient beings, pay full regard to the welfare requirements<br />
of animals”.<br />
Ban on barren battery cages<br />
In 1996 the EU’s expert body – then called the Scientific<br />
<strong>Veterinary</strong> Committee – produced a report which<br />
stressed that hens have powerful drives to lay their eggs<br />
in a nest, peck and scratch in the ground, dust-bathe<br />
and perch. None of these natural behaviours is possible<br />
in the battery cage. The report concluded that “because<br />
of its small size and its barrenness, the battery cage as<br />
used at present has inherent severe disadvantages for<br />
the welfare of hens”.<br />
On the basis of this report the Commission proposed a<br />
Directive that would give hens a little more space in their<br />
cages. We then lobbied the Parliament arguing that if<br />
the EU wished to make good its claim to base its decisions<br />
on the scientific evidence it should prohibit battery<br />
cages - not just make them a bit bigger.<br />
We also pointed out that industry data show that the<br />
extra farm-level costs of producing barn or free range<br />
eggs rather than battery eggs were relatively small.<br />
Consumers could change to non-cage eggs for just a<br />
few pence each per week − provided that the supermarkets<br />
charged no more extra than was needed to cover<br />
the additional cost of producing these eggs.<br />
The Parliament and the Council listened to these arguments,<br />
rejected the Commission’s proposal and in 1999<br />
banned the use of barren battery cages as from 1st<br />
January 2012. Many egg producers and a number of<br />
Member States have pressed for the ban to be postponed<br />
but the Commission, the Parliament and the<br />
Council have all stressed that there is no justification for<br />
postponement and that the ban must come into force as<br />
scheduled in 2012. It is heartening to see government<br />
holding firm in the face of intense pressure.<br />
Farmers were given an extremely generous phase out<br />
period of 12.5 years, the thinking being that during this<br />
period a substantial proportion of cages would come to<br />
the end of their working life and so farmers would in any<br />
event have to invest in new housing.<br />
A key factor that gives authority and integrity to EU legislation<br />
in this field is the fact that it is based on scientific<br />
evidence. Before the Commission draws up proposed<br />
legislation, it receives a detailed report from its expert<br />
body; today this is the Scientific Panel on Animal Health<br />
and Welfare of the European Food Safety Authority.<br />
This report reviews the relevant scientific literature.<br />
From 2012 only three systems will be lawful in the EU:<br />
free range, barn and, regrettably, “enriched” cages.<br />
These cages provide just a little extra space as compared<br />
with barren battery cages and perches, a nest<br />
box and litter. However, these facilities are so meagre<br />
and the extra space so small that enriched cages cannot<br />
properly fulfil the birds’ welfare needs. We are<br />
pressing farmers not to use enriched cages.<br />
The ban on barren cages is being increasingly supported<br />
by retailers and other food businesses, many of<br />
whom are going further and are also refusing to sell or<br />
use eggs from enriched cages. All German, Dutch, Belgian<br />
and Austrian supermarket chains are now cagefree<br />
on shell eggs. Many UK retailers are cage-free on<br />
shell eggs and some are cage-free on products that<br />
contain egg as an ingredient.<br />
McDonald's is the EU’s largest food service company.<br />
Over 90% of McDonald’s eggs across 23 EU countries<br />
are now free-range. Unilever, one of the EU largest<br />
food manufacturers, is cage-free in its mayonnaise and<br />
dressings across Western Europe and has committed to<br />
use only cage-free eggs in the Czech Republic, Poland,<br />
Slovakia and Hungary.<br />
Breeding sows<br />
There are two main kinds of pigs on farms: breeding<br />
sows whose role is to produce piglets and fattening pigs<br />
who are reared for their meat.<br />
In intensive production most sows are confined through-<br />
7
out their 16.5 week pregnancy in sow stalls. These<br />
metal-barred stalls are so narrow that the sow cannot<br />
even turn around. She is kept like this for one pregnancy<br />
after another, i.e. for most of her adult life. In an<br />
alternative version, the back of the stall is open so, to<br />
prevent her escaping, the sow is tethered to the floor by<br />
a neck or belly chain.<br />
In 1991 the EU banned the tethering of sows from 2006.<br />
Then in 1997 the Scientific <strong>Veterinary</strong> Committee published<br />
a report that was highly critical of sow stalls.<br />
Armed with this and economic data showing that housing<br />
sows in groups added little to the cost of producing<br />
pork, we pressed for an EU ban on stalls.<br />
The industry responded by stressing the risk of aggression<br />
among group housed sows. We pointed out that<br />
many UK farmers had been using group housing for<br />
some years and had learned that the way to prevent<br />
aggression lies in avoiding competition at feeding and<br />
not mixing unfamiliar sows.<br />
My experience is that politicians will only agree to a reform<br />
if they are convinced firstly that it enjoys wide public<br />
support, secondly that it is supported by scientific<br />
evidence, thirdly that it will not lead to a significant increase<br />
in costs and fourthly that the proposed alternatives<br />
are viable i.e. that they will not cause more problems<br />
than they solve.<br />
In this case, politicians were convinced and in 2001 the<br />
EU enacted a ban on sow stalls. This comes into force<br />
on 1 January 2013. From that date sows will have to be<br />
housed in groups.<br />
Unfortunately, the legislation allows, even after 2013,<br />
sows to be kept in stalls for the first four weeks of the<br />
pregnancy; this provision is criticised in a 2007 report by<br />
the European Food Safety Authority which concludes<br />
that allowing sows to be kept in stalls until four weeks<br />
after mating severely restricts their freedom of movement<br />
and causes stress, and that the lack of exercise<br />
leads to impaired bone and muscular strength and reduced<br />
cardiovascular fitness. In the UK and Sweden<br />
gestation stalls have been banned for many years and<br />
the bans apply throughout the pregnancy; there is no<br />
“first four weeks” exception.<br />
I would like to see sows being kept outdoors or indoors<br />
in pens with a deep bed of straw. In the UK 40% of<br />
sows are kept free range.<br />
Fattening pigs<br />
In industrial systems, most fattening pigs are kept indoors<br />
in conditions of extreme deprivation – in overcrowded,<br />
barren, often dirty sheds. Most are kept on bare concrete<br />
or fully slatted floors with no straw or other bedding.<br />
Stocking densities are often high.<br />
In order to improve pig welfare, the EU Pigs Directive has<br />
since 2003 required pigs to “have permanent access to a<br />
sufficient quantity of material to enable proper investigation<br />
and manipulation activities”. The Directive requires<br />
provision of materials “such as straw, hay, wood, sawdust,<br />
mushroom compost, peat”.<br />
Scientific research shows that in natural conditions pigs<br />
are highly active, spending 75% of their day rooting, for-<br />
aging and exploring. Such activities are impossible for<br />
factory farmed pigs. Bored and frustrated, they turn to<br />
the only other “thing” in their bare pens: the tails of other<br />
pigs. They begin to chew and then bite those tails.<br />
To prevent tail biting, farmers slice off (dock) part of the<br />
piglet’s tail. However, scientific research shows that the<br />
correct way to prevent tail biting is not to dock the tails<br />
but to keep the pigs in good conditions. Recognising<br />
this, the Directive has since 2003 prohibited routine tail<br />
docking.<br />
The Directive requires farmers to try to prevent tail biting<br />
by improving inadequate conditions. Only when they<br />
have done this are they permitted, if they still have a tail<br />
biting problem, to tail dock. A scientific report by the<br />
European Food Safety Authority concludes that the major<br />
causes of tail biting are lack of straw and a barren<br />
environment. Thus a farmer who does not provide<br />
straw or some similarly effective material has not<br />
changed “inadequate conditions” and so cannot lawfully<br />
tail dock.<br />
Currently, many pig farmers are failing to comply with<br />
the law on enrichment and tail docking but we are working<br />
hard to secure improved enforcement of these crucial<br />
laws which, if properly enforced, would make it impossible<br />
to keep pigs in barren factory farms.<br />
The castration of pigs by means that involve the tearing<br />
of tissues has been prohibited in the EU since 2003.<br />
Despite this most male pigs continue to be surgically<br />
castrated which invariably entails the tearing of tissues.<br />
In order to achieve improved compliance, the Commission<br />
has brought key stakeholders together and, in an<br />
interesting interplay between the law and voluntary action,<br />
a number of EU pig farmers and other stakeholders<br />
have agreed in the <strong>2011</strong> European Declaration on alternatives<br />
to surgical castration of pigs:<br />
from 1 January 2012, that surgical castration of pigs,<br />
if carried out, shall be performed with prolonged analgesia<br />
and/or anaesthesia, and<br />
secondly, surgical castration should be abandoned<br />
by 1 January 2018.<br />
Veal crates<br />
In the veal crate system the calf is kept in a solid-sided<br />
crate of wood, which is so narrow that he cannot even<br />
turn around from the age of two weeks.<br />
Peter Roberts, the founder of Compassion in World<br />
Farming, brought a private prosecution against a UK<br />
veal crate farm run, ironically, by monks. The prosecution<br />
failed but led to such a high degree of public concern<br />
that the UK government banned veal crates from<br />
1990.<br />
In the early 90’s the UK exported 500,000 calves a year<br />
to continental veal crates even though the system had<br />
been banned in the UK. The UK also exported 2 million<br />
sheep a year for slaughter abroad. The live export<br />
trade was strongly opposed by the public but the government<br />
argued that under the EU’s free trade rules<br />
they could not ban calf exports.<br />
We brought judicial review proceedings against the gov-<br />
8
ernment, arguing that they had misadvised themselves<br />
as to the law. The case went all the way to the European<br />
Court. The case was lost but again had led to<br />
widespread awareness of the cruelty of veal crates.<br />
At the same time, a 1995 report by the EU Scientific<br />
<strong>Veterinary</strong> Committee was highly critical of this system.<br />
Pursuant to this report and public pressure, in 1997 the<br />
EU banned the use of veal crates from 2007.<br />
UK live exports have fallen dramatically since the mid<br />
90’s though there continues to be a trade and we continue<br />
to campaign against it.<br />
Chickens reared for meat<br />
Broilers are the chickens reared for meat. Intensively<br />
reared broilers are kept in huge windowless sheds that<br />
are so overcrowded that, as the birds grow bigger, one<br />
can barely see the floor so thickly is it “carpeted” with<br />
chickens. Up to 50,000 chickens may be crammed into<br />
one of these sheds.<br />
The Broilers Directive, which came into force in 2010, is<br />
disappointing. The Directive allows the broilers to be<br />
stocked up to a maximum of 39 kg/m2. As chickens<br />
weigh around 2 kg at slaughter 39 kg/m2 means that 19<br />
chickens are crammed into each square metre; this<br />
represents severe overcrowding.<br />
Despite its limitations, the Directive has made a start to<br />
legislating in this field. The EU has a good record in<br />
strengthening its legislation over time. For example, the<br />
1991 Pigs Directive only banned the tethering of sows<br />
whereas the 2001 Directive went further and prohibited<br />
the use of sow stalls. Hopefully in time the Broilers Directive<br />
will also be strengthened.<br />
Antibiotics<br />
Antibiotics are used in three ways in industrial farming:<br />
therapeutically, as growth promoters and as prophylactics<br />
to prevent disease. Antibiotics are regularly added<br />
to the feed and water of industrially reared animals to<br />
suppress the diseases that would otherwise be inevitable<br />
when large numbers of animals are crammed together<br />
in overcrowded conditions.<br />
It has for many years been clear that the over-use of<br />
antibiotics in industrial farming is contributing to the<br />
emergence of bacteria that are resistant not only to the<br />
antibiotics used in farming but to related antibiotics<br />
used to treat serious human illness.<br />
Alert to this danger the EU banned the use of antibiotics<br />
as growth promoters in 2006. However, the very considerable<br />
prophylactic use of antibiotics means that antibiotic<br />
use in farming continues to pose a threat. In<br />
April this year the World Health Organisation said “the<br />
use of antibiotics in food animal production contributes<br />
to increased drug resistance. Approximately half of current<br />
antibiotic production is used in agriculture, to promote<br />
growth and prevent disease as well as to treat<br />
sick animals. With such massive use, those drug resistant<br />
microbes generated in animals can be later transferred<br />
to humans.”<br />
The time has come for the use of antibiotics as growth<br />
promoters and as prophylactics to be prohibited world-<br />
9<br />
wide. The only legitimate use of antibiotics in farming is<br />
therapeutically, to treat individual sick animals. The<br />
prevention of disease should be achieved not by the<br />
use of antibiotics but by good housing, husbandry and<br />
hygiene.<br />
Cloning and genetic engineering<br />
Just as the EU begins to unravel some of the worst aspects<br />
of factory farming, new threats appear.<br />
The aim of cloning is to produce genetically identical<br />
copies of the highest yielding cows and fastest growing<br />
pigs. Most clones die during pregnancy. Of those that<br />
survive, many die in the early stages of life from a range<br />
of problems including cardiovascular failure, respiratory<br />
difficulties or defective immune systems. Pregnancy<br />
abnormalities, difficult births and Caesarean sections<br />
are all more common with clones.<br />
Cloning is arguably unlawful under EU Directive 98/58<br />
which provides that: “Natural or artificial breeding or<br />
breeding procedures which cause or are likely to cause<br />
suffering or injury to any of the animals concerned must<br />
not be practised.” However, the position should be<br />
clarified by passing a law that expressly addresses<br />
cloning.<br />
The European Parliament recently considered a proposed<br />
new Regulation on Novel Foods and voted for a<br />
ban − on animal welfare and ethical grounds − on the<br />
sale of meat and dairy products from clones and their<br />
descendants. The Commission and the Council were<br />
willing to ban the sale of food from clones but not from<br />
their descendants. The Parliament rightly argued that if<br />
the sale of food from the descendants is permitted,<br />
cloning − with all its adverse impact on welfare – will be<br />
encouraged. The Parliament refused to dilute its position<br />
and eventually the conciliation procedure between<br />
the Parliament and the Council mandated by the EU<br />
Treaty failed to produce an agreement. Accordingly,<br />
the talks on the Regulation collapsed. This is the first<br />
time that the Parliament has felt so strongly that they<br />
have rejected major new legislation which was not primarily<br />
about animal welfare because of its adverse implications<br />
for animal welfare.<br />
The Commission will now have to produce a new proposal.<br />
I hope this will lead not just to a ban on the sale<br />
of food from clones and their offspring but a prohibition<br />
on the use of clones and their offspring on EU farms.<br />
Hot on the heels of cloning comes genetic engineering.<br />
The Commission has commissioned a study to provide<br />
policy recommendations regarding the development<br />
and commercialisation of genetically engineered animals<br />
in the EU.<br />
Genetic engineering often involves inserting a gene<br />
from one species into another species. For example<br />
human growth genes have been inserted into pigs with<br />
the aim of producing faster growth. All too often genetic<br />
engineering entails animal suffering.<br />
Legislation is urgently needed to prohibit both cloning<br />
and genetic engineering. The EU has previously acted<br />
positively in this field. In 1999 the EU prohibited the<br />
use of Bovine Somatotrophin (BST). Bovine Somatotrophin<br />
is a genetically engineered version of the dairy
cow’s own growth hormone. It is administered to dairy<br />
cows to boost their milk yield despite that fact that yields<br />
are already so high that they have a detrimental impact<br />
on welfare. The EU’s prohibition is based on a report by<br />
the Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal<br />
Welfare which concluded that “BST administration<br />
causes substantially ... poorer welfare because of increased<br />
foot disorders, mastitis, reproductive disorders<br />
and other production-related diseases.”<br />
Economic considerations<br />
A key constraint to the EU – or other countries – introducing<br />
higher welfare standards is the cost of doing so.<br />
There is a perception that improved welfare entails substantially<br />
increased costs for farmers and much higher<br />
food prices for consumers. In some cases this will be<br />
so. However, analysis of industry data shows that in certain<br />
cases higher welfare farming adds little to farm level<br />
production costs. For example, a free range egg costs<br />
just over 2 UK pence – 3 <strong>Australian</strong> cents − more to produce<br />
than a battery egg and housing sows in groups<br />
rather than stalls adds just 1-2 eurocents – at most 3<br />
<strong>Australian</strong> cents - to the cost of producing 1 kg of pork.<br />
Moreover, improved welfare can lead to economic benefits.<br />
In better welfare systems, animals will tend to be<br />
healthier. This can lead to savings in terms of reduced<br />
expenditure on veterinary medicines and lower mortality<br />
rates. The provision of straw and/or additional space for<br />
finishing pigs can result in better feed conversion ratios<br />
and improved growth rates.<br />
We need to challenge the notion that enhanced welfare<br />
is always economically burdensome. Research is<br />
needed to identify win-win scenarios where better welfare<br />
can also produce economic benefits.<br />
World Trade Organisation<br />
Another major constraint is fear of the World Trade Organisation<br />
(WTO). The common view is that WTO member<br />
countries cannot restrict imports on animal welfare<br />
grounds. Hence the fear that any increase in EU welfare<br />
standards makes its farmers vulnerable to lower welfare<br />
and thus cheaper imports from outside Europe. It is this<br />
concern that led to the Broilers Directive being unambitious<br />
and that fuelled the attempts – happily unsuccessful<br />
– to delay the ban on battery cages.<br />
In fact this fear is not necessarily borne out by recent<br />
WTO case law. Article 3 provides that imported products<br />
must be afforded treatment no less favourable than<br />
“like” domestic products. The conventional wisdom is<br />
that in determining whether two products are not “like”<br />
one another – and so capable of being accorded different<br />
treatment – no account may be taken of the way in<br />
which they have been produced. From this viewpoint<br />
battery eggs and free range eggs are “like” products.<br />
However, WTO case law has emphasised that, in assessing<br />
“likeness”, it is important to consider consumers’<br />
tastes and habits, their perceptions and behaviour. If<br />
consumers view two products as different products because<br />
of the way in which they have been produced, the<br />
WTO may be prepared to accept that they are not “like”<br />
products. And that would mean that it would be permissible<br />
for one product − that which has been produced<br />
10<br />
inhumanely – to be treated less favourably than a humanely<br />
produced version of the product.<br />
Moreover, even where a measure is found to be inconsistent<br />
with the WTO rules it may be possible to justify it<br />
under the Article XX Exceptions. These permit measures<br />
to be taken that are necessary to protect, inter alia,<br />
public morals and animal health. WTO case law used to<br />
interpret these exceptions very restrictively but more recently<br />
it has been giving a wider scope to the exceptions.<br />
Clearly the WTO continues to place tough restrictions on<br />
trade-related measures but it has nonetheless been accepting<br />
the need to find a proper balance between trade<br />
liberalisation and other legitimate public policy considerations.<br />
The EU has to a degree recognised this and,<br />
accordingly its new Regulation on slaughter, requires<br />
imported meat to be derived from animals that have<br />
been slaughtered to welfare standards equivalent to<br />
those of the EU.<br />
The inefficiencies of industrial livestock production<br />
We are often told that industrial livestock production is<br />
necessary to feed the growing world population. That it<br />
is super-efficient. But is it? Industrial production is dependent<br />
on feeding substantial quantities of cereals and<br />
soy to animals. Research shows that the nutritional<br />
value consumed by animals in eating a given quantity of<br />
cereals is much greater than that delivered for humans<br />
by the resultant meat. Using cereals and soy as animal<br />
feed is a wasteful use not just of these crops but of the<br />
scarce land, water and fossil fuel energy used to grow<br />
them.<br />
Through its dependence on feeding grain to animals,<br />
industrial livestock production is responsible for pollution.<br />
Much of the synthetic nitrogen fertiliser used to grow<br />
feed crops for animals and the nitrogen in concentrate<br />
animal feed is not absorbed by the crops and animals<br />
and runs off to pollute water and aquatic ecosystems. A<br />
new UN report states that “Intensive livestock production<br />
is probably the largest sector-specific source of water<br />
pollution”.<br />
The drive to grow more animal feed has been a major<br />
factor in the intensification of crop production which is<br />
leading to erosion of biodiversity. Huge swathes of biodiversity-rich<br />
tropical rainforest and savannah are being<br />
cleared in South America to grow soy to feed industrially<br />
produced livestock. This releases huge amounts of<br />
stored carbon into the atmosphere, thereby contributing<br />
to climate change.<br />
The high levels of meat consumption that have been<br />
made possible by industrial production are having an<br />
adverse impact on human health. Some meat and dairy<br />
products can be high in saturated fat; which is linked<br />
with obesity and an increased risk of heart disease and<br />
certain cancers. The recent UN report states that “the<br />
number of undernourished people worldwide (1 billion) is<br />
matched by the number of those who are overfed and<br />
obese”.<br />
These various damaging impacts are referred to as<br />
“negative externalities”. These represent a market fail-
ure in that the costs associated with them are borne by<br />
third parties or society as a whole and are not included<br />
in the costs paid by farmers or the prices paid by consumers<br />
of livestock products. There is growing recognition<br />
by bodies such as the World Bank and the UN Food<br />
and Agriculture Organisation of the need to internalise<br />
these externalities in the costs of meat and dairy production<br />
and thus in the price paid by consumers.<br />
Conclusion<br />
In conclusion, it is clear, using the EU as a case study,<br />
that legislation has a pivotal role to play in improving the<br />
welfare of farm animals. We must work closely with researchers<br />
(who provide the scientific rationale for legislative<br />
improvements) and economists as we develop a<br />
greater understanding of how better welfare can sometimes<br />
be economically beneficial and how industrial production’s<br />
adverse impact on the environment, biodiversity<br />
and human health and its inefficient use of crops,<br />
water, land and energy entail very real costs.<br />
End Note<br />
Voiceless was founded in 2004 by philanthropist Brian<br />
Sherman and his daughter Ondine Sherman. Its pri-<br />
mary focus areas are factory farming, the kangaroo industry<br />
and animal law. It aims to bring the institutionalised<br />
suffering of animals to the forefront of Australia’s<br />
agenda, ensuring that animal protection is the next great<br />
social justice movement. Voiceless operates by:<br />
creating and fostering networks of leading lawyers,<br />
politicians, businesspeople and professionals, to influence<br />
law, policy, business practices and public opinion;<br />
conducting high quality research and analysis of animal<br />
industries, exposing legalised cruelty and promoting<br />
informed debate;<br />
creating a groundswell for social change by building<br />
and fortifying the <strong>Australian</strong> animal protection movement<br />
with Grants and Prizes, and by growing animal<br />
law as a mainstream practice area advocating for<br />
change in the courts and in legislation; and<br />
informing consumers and empowering them to make<br />
animal-friendly choices.<br />
Major sponsors include the Berg Family Foundation and<br />
Hunter Hall International Ltd.<br />
GPS Tracking For Flying Foxes In Hendra Virus Research First<br />
In an <strong>Australian</strong> first, Queensland<br />
scientists are fitting flying foxes with GPS data loggers<br />
in an effort to find out where they are going and what<br />
they’re up to.<br />
Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Economies<br />
Tim Mulherin said this technology is being used as part<br />
of a range of ongoing Hendra Virus research being undertaken<br />
in Queensland. “When attached to a flying<br />
fox, the GPS data loggers tell us whether the bat is<br />
feeding, sleeping or flying, and where it is flying to,” Mr<br />
Mulherin said. “This will help us better understand<br />
movement between colonies, which in turn helps modelling<br />
when looking at the spread of Hendra virus between<br />
bat populations. By researching flying fox movements<br />
we can provide a clearer picture of why there are<br />
more confirmed cases of Hendra virus in some years<br />
and during certain months. This technology will allow<br />
us to measure movement to a very fine degree over a<br />
period of weeks, to build up a detailed picture of animal<br />
movements at a regional level.”<br />
Mr Mulherin said yesterday’s (25 August <strong>2011</strong>) announcement<br />
by Biosecurity Queensland of the eleventh<br />
positive Hendra case in a horse in Queensland this<br />
year, again heightens the importance of our ongoing<br />
research.<br />
“The recently announced additional $12 million in funding<br />
from Queensland, NSW and Commonwealth Governments<br />
will continue to expand and accelerate this<br />
research,” he said. “We acknowledge there is much<br />
more research needed to understand the virus. The<br />
Bligh Government is providing the funding needed for<br />
our internationally renowned scientists to accelerate<br />
<br />
this research. This ongoing Hendra virus research<br />
builds on our knowledge that bats are a natural reservoir<br />
for the virus and its presence is widespread but<br />
fluctuates throughout their populations. Each incident<br />
we deal with helps increase our knowledge base about<br />
this disease. We need to ensure we are working toward<br />
a safer environment for horse owners, vets and<br />
the community. Using cutting edge technology such as<br />
these GPS data loggers helps us to achieve this goal.”<br />
Queensland scientists have previously used the technology<br />
overseas while co-leading flying fox movement<br />
behaviour research for the United Nations Food and<br />
Agriculture Organisation in The Philippines.<br />
Current Hendra Virus research includes:<br />
three year study into the frequency of Hendra virus<br />
infection and excretion in flying foxes in northern<br />
Australia<br />
three year study begun earlier this year looking at<br />
Hendra virus strain diversity in Queensland and<br />
northern Australia<br />
identifying the risk factors for Hendra virus incidents<br />
in horses (including risk mapping)<br />
modelling the infection in flying foxes<br />
examining interactions between horses and nocturnal<br />
wildlife<br />
modelling flying fox-horse-human interactions.<br />
11
Hendra Virus Concerns: comments from concerned members — The following comments<br />
were received by email to the Executive during July and are reproduced here to stimulate thought and debate<br />
The <strong>Australian</strong> <strong>Veterinary</strong> <strong>Association</strong> through Equine<br />
Veterinarians Australia should make known, at the level<br />
of the Animal Health Committee and higher, that the real<br />
situation with HeV is not known. The Queensland government<br />
has not done enough to allow identification of<br />
all cases and to support the existing diagnostic service<br />
for horses and owners and veterinarians.<br />
Seventeen years have elapsed since the first case of<br />
Hendra virus was diagnosed in Queensland and in that<br />
time there has been no ongoing active surveillance for<br />
the disease in horses or any other animals.<br />
Initial surveys were ceased when flying foxes were determined<br />
to be the reservoir host but no work on how the<br />
disease is transferred to horses apart from observational<br />
work on flying fox colonies has been conducted.<br />
Initial screens detected the virus in a pooled sample of<br />
mosquito blood but no further work or publications appear<br />
to be produced.<br />
The true surveillance prevalence of HeV in horses, cats,<br />
dogs or pigs is not known nor seriously being investigated<br />
at present in Australia. All the work is in flying<br />
foxes.<br />
There is mis-information being presented on sites such<br />
as Promed and others which needs to be corrected by<br />
government publishing all work being undertaken and<br />
results of any surveillance or experimental work to the<br />
profession.<br />
Results of research are not being conveyed to veterinary<br />
practitioners and horse owners in a timely fashion<br />
nor is feedback accepted.<br />
The Queensland diagnostic testing protocol requires all<br />
samples to be consigned at owner’s (or veterinarian’s)<br />
expense to Brisbane on the basis that PC3 laboratory<br />
conditions are required to perform the diagnostic test.<br />
NSW has a single central laboratory but pays for transport<br />
of samples to encourage submission of suspect<br />
samples.<br />
No supportive testing is done, only Hendra exclusion,<br />
and during this time (up to four days) the animal as a<br />
Hendra suspect is under strict quarantine and no treatment<br />
is permitted.<br />
The tests for HeV do not require PC3, they can be undertaken<br />
in all laboratories, with training, and every<br />
laboratory must have a process to treat equine blood as<br />
potentially infectious regardless of the suspicions of the<br />
submitting veterinarian. Haematology is useful and<br />
should be done concurrently so the animal can be<br />
treated if possible. Equine encephalitis cases need to<br />
be considered as differential diagnoses: some of them<br />
are also fatal zoonoses.<br />
The costs of endemic diseases should be borne by the<br />
animal owners unless the public health benefits indicate<br />
there should be a public funding responsibility.<br />
The current quarantine policy is possibly infecting more<br />
horses and increasing the risk to human beings. Isolation<br />
is preferred to quarantine.<br />
12<br />
So, where to?<br />
The Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement<br />
describes Hendra virus as a Category 2 disease. This<br />
means the management of an outbreak may be funded<br />
under a cost sharing principle where industry contributes<br />
20 % of the agreed costs of the response. The equine<br />
industry has had arrangements in place since December<br />
2010 to collect moneys for disease control purposes<br />
from their members. This mechanism stayed the hand of<br />
the Agriculture Minister on allowing equine influenza<br />
vaccine importation and use by the thoroughbred industry.<br />
It would be nice to see this mechanism applied to<br />
more direct actions to control outbreaks of Hendra virus<br />
rather than emergency response at unexpected times<br />
and places.<br />
It would be ideal to see in future:<br />
Biosecurity Queensland develop a policy that for future<br />
incidents of any endemic diseases of horses,<br />
direct veterinary costs will be the responsibility of<br />
owners with the exception that the costs of isolation,<br />
confirmatory testing and control methods undertaken<br />
for reasons of public health will be the responsibility<br />
of Industry – Government sharing arrangements.<br />
Government promoting testing for HeV, Kunjin, MVE,<br />
RRV, etc by routine diagnostic pathology providers,<br />
with a system in place to support their competency.<br />
Where HeV is confirmed, any remaining ill horses are<br />
ordered to be isolated from other horses, not quarantined<br />
together and examined daily, which only increases<br />
the likely exposure between horse and human.<br />
A surveillance system that is open to consultation<br />
and review by veterinarians to ensure that satisfactory<br />
surveillance is undertaken annually in horse, cat,<br />
dog and pig populations in all States of Australia.<br />
A sound management program managed by Animal<br />
Health Australia that ensures everybody has access<br />
to correct and current information on infection control,<br />
incidence, research and vaccine progress.<br />
Apart from public opposition to the current system, it is<br />
difficult to see a way forward.<br />
Within Queensland, veterinarians need to hammer<br />
home the message that the current lack of collaboration<br />
with the practicing veterinary population is wrong. Providing<br />
immediate notification of public media releases is<br />
not sufficient to engage the profession in the science of<br />
detection, management and control of this disease.<br />
Refunding costs of gloves and other Personal Protective<br />
Equipment is not the issue to improve veterinary health<br />
and safety! The issue is the mind-set that makes a risk<br />
assessment unnecessary or poor and leads to a spiral<br />
of bad habits that puts everyone at risk. While public<br />
relations feel-good messages are the only ones reaching<br />
the inbox of veterinarians they will continue to believe<br />
this disease is random and rare. This disease is a
isk to our lives every day. The status of the disease<br />
now is very different to what was seen in 1994. How<br />
long will it take for the profession to refuse to accept the<br />
public spin from government and ask for serious responses<br />
to serious questions of veterinary science?<br />
It may be time to seek <strong>Veterinary</strong> Surgeons Board assistance<br />
to ensure an infection control program is a legal<br />
requirement for every veterinary premise registration.<br />
This may be the preferred option for government<br />
as it will cost government nothing to implement and<br />
compliance will be easy as they will come to the attention<br />
of public health officials at each incident. Does our<br />
profession want to be regulated by force?<br />
Something needs to be done urgently.<br />
Editor’s Note <br />
In this issue there is an announcement by Minister Mulhearn<br />
of proposed tracking of flying foxes and listing<br />
other recently commissioned research initiatives. Also<br />
in this issue is an article on the ecological importance of<br />
flying foxes. Clearly the above comments of concern<br />
underline that we may be dealing with an emerging disease<br />
and problem, the dimensions of which have been<br />
barely glimpsed. It is unsatisfactory for the problem to<br />
be dismissed as a rarity requiring little intellectual input.<br />
To treat or not to treat? That is the question. Whether it is nobler …<br />
Dr Justin Schooth, Gympie <strong>Veterinary</strong> Services<br />
Dr Justin Schooth, Gympie <strong>Veterinary</strong><br />
Services, writes to the Divisional Executive: We<br />
are often presented with the clinical/ethical dilemma of<br />
the client who does not have the money to pay for even<br />
an initial consult. What are our responsibilities with regards<br />
to seeing these clients/patients, either when the<br />
animal needs urgent (but not emergency) treatment or<br />
when the animal does need emergency attention?<br />
A couple of not-so-hypothetical examples Dr Schooth<br />
offers are:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Client rings up at night after hours with a fitting kitten<br />
and wants to be seen but doesn't have enough<br />
money to pay for initial after hours consult let alone<br />
any treatment or further workup.<br />
Client rings up after hours and has a horse that is<br />
colicky and needs attention. The client lives 85 km<br />
from clinic and has no money to pay for consultation<br />
or travel.<br />
The specific question is, are we required to see these<br />
patients and if so what level of treatment do we need to<br />
offer, given there is no prospect of receiving any remuneration<br />
for treating these animals?<br />
The Animal Care and Protection Act (AC&PA) address<br />
a veterinarian’s duty of care responsibilities but not ethics.<br />
The Registrar of the <strong>Veterinary</strong> Surgeons Board of<br />
Queensland advises that the Board has no jurisdiction<br />
in terms of ethics.<br />
Duty of care responsibilities under the<br />
AC&PA<br />
The owner always has a duty of care, even when the<br />
animal is temporarily in a veterinarian's care.<br />
A veterinarian, when examining and treating an animal,<br />
has temporary custody of the animal and so has a duty<br />
of care. The duty of care in this situation would include<br />
appropriate handling of the animal, providing appropriate<br />
conditions and, when an animal is held, appropriate<br />
housing. In deciding what is appropriate, regard must be<br />
made for the species, environment and circumstances<br />
of the animal and the steps that a veterinarian under<br />
thecircumstances would reasonably be expected to<br />
have taken. If an animal in the veterinarian´s custody is<br />
in pain, analgesics should be used appropriately. Any<br />
13<br />
manipulations undertaken without analgesia (e.g. to assist<br />
in diagnosis) should be kept to a minimum.<br />
The veterinarian´s duty of care to an animal extends to<br />
members of staff associated with the practice.<br />
The veterinarian does not have sole duty of care −<br />
rather it is a duty shared with the owner (or owner´s representative).<br />
The owner always has a duty of care even<br />
when the animal is temporarily in the care of the veterinarian.<br />
The animal´s owner, for example, is responsible for deciding<br />
what (if any) treatment that the veterinarian offers<br />
is given. The veterinarian is responsible for providing<br />
the owner with information on the animal welfare consequences<br />
of such decisions. If an animal suffers because<br />
of a decision (or lack of decision) by the owner who has<br />
been informed of the possible consequences, the owner<br />
is the responsible person.<br />
If the owner indicates a preferred treatment but is unable<br />
to pay for that treatment, the veterinarian may wish<br />
to negotiate further options. There are obviously professional<br />
ethical considerations that a veterinarian may<br />
wish to consider, however under the Animal Care and<br />
Protection Act 2001 (the ACPA), the owner is responsible<br />
for the animal. A lack of ability to pay does not pass<br />
that responsibility to the veterinarian.<br />
If a person brings an animal that has been found injured<br />
to a veterinarian, and the owner is not known, the veterinarian<br />
assumes a duty of care obligation if he/she accepts<br />
the care of the animal. If the animal´s owner is<br />
located, it is again a duty shared with the owner.<br />
There are numerous possible scenarios and circumstances<br />
that may occur where an animal is presented<br />
and the owner is not known. The ACPA does not define<br />
all possible circumstances; rather it qualifies the duty of<br />
care obligation to say that, in deciding what is appropriate,<br />
regard must be given to the circumstances and the<br />
steps a reasonable person would be expected to take. A<br />
veterinarian, acting reasonably, has nothing to fear from<br />
the AC&PA in this regard.<br />
The AC&PA, while allowing a veterinarian to euthanase<br />
animals, does not confer any right to do this. Inspectors,<br />
under the ACPA, and the police do have the power, under<br />
certain conditions, to destroy an animal if the in-
spector or officer believes it is cruel to keep it alive.<br />
For the sake of comparison, Dr Robert Hedlefs has<br />
provided the following excerpt from the Royal College of<br />
<strong>Veterinary</strong> Surgeons guide to professional conduct:<br />
16. The cost of providing professional attention outside<br />
'routine hours' is high and the RCVS accepts that<br />
clients may be required to pay a premium for emergency<br />
veterinary attention out of hours.<br />
17. A veterinary surgeon or a lay member of staff accepting<br />
telephone calls must not refuse veterinary<br />
attention because the caller is unable to make immediate<br />
payment for the treatment. Arrangements<br />
for payment should be discussed at an early stage,<br />
but immediate first aid and pain relief should not be<br />
delayed while financial arrangements are agreed.<br />
18. The RCVS is aware that it may be appropriate to<br />
advise euthanasia to relieve suffering, if the owner<br />
is unable to afford the fees and is ineligible for<br />
charitable treatment.<br />
19. The RCVS has no power to set the fees that a<br />
practice charges.<br />
Dr Hedlefs comments: In the United Kingdom the legislation<br />
covers the opinion of the veterinary surgeon that<br />
euthanasia is the best option for the animal, the owners<br />
ability to pay and the veterinarian’s right to not lose<br />
funds. This is reinforced by clause 18. In Queensland<br />
however, veterinarians do not have this protection of<br />
their opinion. The owner has to agree to euthanase the<br />
animal or an RSPCA or other authorised inspector under<br />
the AC&PA has to approve the euthanasia on welfare<br />
grounds.<br />
If I was in practice I would be marketing hard to any cli-<br />
Batting for the Flying Fox<br />
Courtesy Louise Saunders (President) and Bat Conservation and Rescue Qld Inc<br />
Most readers will have received a<br />
series of Communiques from the Chief <strong>Veterinary</strong> Officer<br />
on the status of Hendra virus incidents in Queensland<br />
and other States. Those who do receive these may consider<br />
registering at www.deedi.qld.gov.au<br />
Queensland News will not go over the Hendra virus<br />
situation other than to note that it is unprecedented, with<br />
incidents in the double digits and occurring well south of<br />
Queensland, many horses and a dog euthanased, and a<br />
laudable observance of biosecurity precautions, especially<br />
at attendance of clinical cases and at the Royal<br />
National Agricultural exhibition, the Ekka. There has<br />
been very good support for the Roma Roundup held 19-<br />
21 August to show-case biosecurity. The veterinary and<br />
horse industry response has been effective and positive.<br />
However, certain politicians, seeking to advance their<br />
prospects in the Federal and State arenas, have reportedly<br />
chosen to play the fear card, apparently delighting in<br />
setting less critical members of the public the task of trying<br />
to bite their own tails.<br />
Queensland News is going in to bat for the flying fox and<br />
invited input from Bat Conservation and Rescue Qld Inc<br />
(BCRQ), www.bats.org.au<br />
<br />
14<br />
ents the value of insurance to pet owners and working<br />
on letting all ambulatory clients know that a credit card<br />
payment at time of visit is the only way the practice can<br />
afford to continue to provide the service.<br />
If I was a practitioner member of AVA I would be looking<br />
to my <strong>Association</strong> to be proactive in marketing to the<br />
public the costs of veterinary fees and the lack of suitable<br />
services provided by governments or charitable<br />
agencies to assist those who genuinely are caught in<br />
the hardship struggle. I would also consider the promotion<br />
to government of selected veterinary services such<br />
as those to assistance animals to be funded on a copayment<br />
system or bulk billed to Medicare as they are a<br />
genuine health care expense, to be a worthy cause for<br />
the profession.<br />
In a nutshell, the standard line has to be that veterinary<br />
professional services are not community funded, veterinarians<br />
get no tax relief or special financial rewards for<br />
any of the pro bono work they do and as such the duty<br />
of care as well as the fiscal responsibility is firmly with<br />
the owner of the animal and requester of the service.<br />
As a profession, we have to lobby hard to ensure the<br />
government includes the right for veterinarians to euthanase<br />
animals to allow protection when expensive and<br />
obviously, or even agreed, out of reach treatments are<br />
impracticable under the AC&PA. And we need to lobby<br />
even harder for the review of the <strong>Veterinary</strong> Surgeons<br />
Act to include all persons treating any animal, to ensure<br />
expensive treatments by veterinarians are not replaced<br />
by cheap lay technicians offering cheap quack alternative<br />
treatments to owners who are ill informed and dollar<br />
motivated.<br />
Readers who would like to comment further are welcome<br />
to contact the AVA Queensland office.<br />
BCRQ has a newsletter, Bat Chatter and is clearly an<br />
active and rather over-worked organization. Its President,<br />
Louise Saunders, has this to say in a plea for a<br />
balanced, naturalistic approach (light editing used for<br />
consistency with the Queensland News):<br />
Your email to the Department of Environment and Resource<br />
Management has been passed to myself and to<br />
Dr Peggy Eby. Peggy has been researching the foraging<br />
habitat of the Grey-headed flying fox across its range<br />
and has been doing important research on flying foxes<br />
for about 20 years. There are few flying fox researchers<br />
and most are time poor and struggling in the current bat<br />
bashing climate. All good bat defenders are suffering<br />
overload and burnout, there are just not enough of us to<br />
do the work and governments for their own reasons have<br />
let this get way out of hand. Scientists excited about new<br />
viral discoveries have brought the flying fox to a place so<br />
low in people’s minds with fear of disease, I think it will<br />
be a long hard road to return from here.<br />
I’m very pleased you would like to do an article for the<br />
AVA (Q) Queensland News.<br />
Bats are not the bad guys here and it seems they have<br />
owned Hendra virus for many hundreds, if not thousands,<br />
of years just as they have with <strong>Australian</strong> Bat
Lyssavirus (ABLV) a very rare virus in bats. ABLV would<br />
have to be the rarest fatal disease in the world having<br />
killed 2 people in history, one from a microbat, the other<br />
a Black flying-fox. This person did not receive treatment.<br />
Over 16 years since, with routine vaccinations for anyone<br />
bitten by a positive bat (less than .5% may have the<br />
virus) no humans should die. All flying-fox rescuers and<br />
carers are vaccinated and this has proven to be effective.<br />
Queensland Health initially dealt very badly with<br />
ABLV but since liaising more widely, their key people<br />
now spread a very good and balanced message. I have<br />
also been happy with their Hendra virus media releases.<br />
This is their latest fact sheet: Bats and Human Health.<br />
Also find: Living with Flying Foxes - Health and Conservation<br />
issues for people living near flying fox communities.<br />
The Department of Employment, Economic Development<br />
and Innovation’s (DEEDI) initial media about Hendra Virus<br />
was particularly worrying as their message was not<br />
balanced in regard to Hendra virus. Scientists were excited<br />
about this new virus and did not seem to understand<br />
the consequences of their discovery and how it<br />
would eventually be interpreted by the media and the<br />
public. I told a group of scientists back in 2009 that if<br />
they continued with their disease theories without balanced<br />
education about bats, bats would suffer through<br />
public fear and ignorance. Thankfully DEEDI now have<br />
a bat liaison group and have taken a One Health approach,<br />
explaining how people can protect their horses,<br />
their health and how to live with wildlife.<br />
Sadly our organisation is seeing more bats left to die as<br />
well as a few cruel acts being perpetrated on flying-foxes<br />
which we can only say is a result of the awful media<br />
frenzy to desensitize the public to bat welfare. With flying-foxes<br />
now pregnant and birthing season coinciding<br />
with people using drape netting on backyard fruit trees<br />
we fear our job in the coming months will be a tough one<br />
for our volunteers. Bats are without doubt ecologically<br />
and economically vital to <strong>Australian</strong> forests and our<br />
economy through pollination and seed dispersal and it is<br />
vital this message is given and protection laws enforced.<br />
We will ensure that authorities are given information<br />
about cruelty cases whenever appropriate.<br />
DERM have recently published good fact sheets — Living<br />
near flying-foxes... health and conservation issues<br />
answered and Living near flying-foxes... frequently<br />
asked questions. DERM have not issued much media in<br />
relation to bats and diseases that we have seen but<br />
these fact sheets are a great new resource. We hope<br />
they will be distributed to communities where needed<br />
and not just left on their website.<br />
We have tried to do media but struggle to get anything<br />
printed. When we do, the journalists slash the facts, and<br />
sensationalise and distort truths. The most important<br />
facts about flying-fox behaviour are being forgotten.<br />
The flying fox populations always wax and wane during<br />
winter in South East Queensland. It’s not surprising that<br />
after good rain there is great flowering of native forests:<br />
that is why there are so many flying-foxes here at present,<br />
but their populations are certainly not out of control.<br />
We witnessed a starvation event last year like no other<br />
that had ever been witnessed. The usual flowering plants<br />
never produced nectar so flying foxes made unheard of<br />
15<br />
journeys, travelling hundreds<br />
of kilometres over unsupported<br />
territories. Many thousands<br />
perished up and down<br />
the east coast of Australia.<br />
Bats were “jumping off” the<br />
end of Victoria trying to find<br />
new food territories. They<br />
ended up on oil rigs and<br />
washed up on the shores.<br />
Many never made it to their<br />
destinations. There have<br />
been about nine reported<br />
sightings of flying-foxes in<br />
Tasmania. There, they will<br />
not survive as there are not<br />
enough supporting nectar plants, unlike here in SEQ<br />
where there are more winter flowering plants than in any<br />
other region in Australia. It was a very tough time for<br />
carers. I thought there would be a lot more than just one<br />
Hendra incident due to the deaths and obvious abortions<br />
occurring then.<br />
So, bats are having a torrid time, not just in the media<br />
but in so many other ways. We’d love to hear from any<br />
veterinarians happy to give us a hand, bats are remarkable<br />
creatures. They astound me constantly with their<br />
intelligence and their healing powers are truly remarkable.<br />
They are great patients.<br />
Louise Saunders contributed an article to <strong>Australian</strong><br />
Mensa magazine, stressing the significant ecological importance<br />
of flying fox. The ancestor of flying foxes may<br />
be a primitive primate, while micro-bats originate from a<br />
shrew like ancestor. <strong>Australian</strong> hardwood forests, heathlands<br />
and rainforests rely upon long distance pollinators,<br />
unlike some flora in other parts of the world , which depend<br />
on wind pollination. A single flying fox can disperse<br />
up to 60,000 seeds per night. The brush-like anatomy of<br />
the flying fox tongue shows they are nectar specialists,<br />
though the specialization varies through Little Red, Greyheaded<br />
to Black, the latter being the most generalist<br />
feeders (including fruits and leaves). It is while feeding<br />
on the nectar that their facial fur becomes coated with<br />
pollen. Most <strong>Australian</strong> eucalypts release nectar mainly<br />
after midnight and their pollen receptors shut down at<br />
dawn. Thus they have evolved an ancient dependence<br />
on flying foxes to maintain and build themselves, not to<br />
mention allowing the survival of other iconic <strong>Australian</strong><br />
fauna who also depend upon the forests. (Ed. A sobering<br />
thought: unless eucalypts and other trees have pollinators,<br />
how will they have the genetic variability to adapt<br />
to and survive the recent occurrence and spread of Myrtle<br />
Rust?)<br />
For <strong>Australian</strong>s in particular, the economic importance of<br />
flying foxes is so significant, it may be incalculable. Bat<br />
Chatter (Fifteenth Edition) calls for some wisdom in the<br />
debate, pointing to the close association that carers have<br />
had with flying fox for many years, as they rescue flying<br />
fox caught in horticultural drape netting or on barbed wire<br />
fences, without cases of Hendra virus occurring in humans.<br />
(Ed. Wisdom? In an election? As Hugh Walpole wrote,<br />
if I remember correctly: It was a pearl beyond price.<br />
Therefore it had no value.)
Euthanasia of Dusty the Dog<br />
Letter from Dr Peter Reid as requested by Honorary Editor<br />
I hope the following short piece is relevant and suitable,<br />
and I haven't included or discussed the historical information<br />
on relapsed Hendra and Nipah human patients<br />
which is a very big subject in itself.<br />
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results reported to the<br />
Office International des Epizooties on Dusty were negative<br />
on 4/7/11 and 25/7/11. Serology results reported<br />
were the Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)<br />
test and Virus Neutralisation Test (VNT) which were<br />
positive on 25/7/11. There was no report of an ELISA<br />
antibody test being performed on 4/7/11. Serology was<br />
reported to have been performed at the <strong>Australian</strong> Animal<br />
Health Laboratory (AAHL), Geelong and a subsequent<br />
serological test performed after 25/7/11 was reported<br />
to confirm a positive result before Dusty was<br />
euthanased by the owners’ private Veterinarian on<br />
31/7/<strong>2011</strong> although appearing well at the time.<br />
We've known since 1995 that dogs are capable of being<br />
infected experimentally, although they did not appear to<br />
show symptoms (Westbury et al 1995 AAHL experimental<br />
data), by mounting a serologically detectable immune<br />
response. In addition, a survey of dogs in Malaysia<br />
after the Nipah outbreak in 1999 confirmed seropositives<br />
and apparent deaths attributed to acute infection.<br />
Therefore in my view it wasn't unexpected to find a dog<br />
naturally infected or seropositive during an outbreak<br />
situation of HeV here in Australia.<br />
What is unknown is whether dogs are infectious at<br />
some stage after initial exposure. The exposure capable<br />
of causing a detectable infection could occur after<br />
the dog became infected by oro-nasal and/or mucous<br />
membrane contact with an infected horse shedding virus,<br />
or by the body fluids or excreta on the ground from<br />
an infected horse, or even presumably by contact with<br />
an infected bat shedding virus, e.g. mouthing and/or<br />
eating an infectious bat, or by licking bat excretions containing<br />
an infectious dose of virus.<br />
Whether dogs are likely to relapse, and, even if they do<br />
relapse, whether they are likely to be infectious, is also<br />
unknown based on our current level of knowledge and<br />
requires urgent scientific investigation and clarification.<br />
We also need to know the minimum infectious viral dose<br />
capable of causing infection, the pattern of antibody response<br />
and duration of immunity and it is hoped that<br />
these studies will be undertaken at AAHL following the<br />
announcement of State and Commonwealth funding for<br />
further research.<br />
If we look at what has occurred with the closely related<br />
Nipah virus (NiV) overseas, in one study published in<br />
2000 after a Nipah outbreak, Parashar et al concluded<br />
that direct, close contact with pigs was the primary<br />
source of human Nipah infection, but other sources,<br />
such as infected dogs and cats, could not be excluded.<br />
Mills et al in another Nipah study published in 2009<br />
found that the absence of NiV antibody in dogs less<br />
than 15 km from the epidemic area, and the low prevalence<br />
in populations nearer the epidemic, provided evidence<br />
that the virus was not spreading by dog-to-dog<br />
transmission and that the dog population was not acting<br />
as an amplifying reservoir for NiV in the absence of infected<br />
pigs. In addition, there were no reports of unusual<br />
numbers of dead or sick dogs outside the immediate<br />
disease-endemic area.<br />
However, Mills et al concluded that they could not exclude<br />
the possibility that dogs may have remained infectious<br />
for some period after infection or that other dogs or<br />
even humans may have become infected through contact<br />
with infected dogs. In their view, the results indicated<br />
that such infection was rare and was insufficient<br />
to maintain and spread NiV in dog populations in the<br />
absence of infected pigs.<br />
Dusty the dog was challenged with live virus and seroconverted.<br />
The difference between Dusty and vaccinated<br />
horses is that it looks from the experimental data<br />
so far that horses vaccinated with the sG (soluble G glycoprotein)<br />
which are subsequently challenged with live<br />
virus, will be protected and will not shed virus, that is not<br />
only do the horses not succumb to Hendra disease, but<br />
they are not infectious for humans. AAHL are also developing<br />
a test to differentiate naturally acquired immunity<br />
from vaccine induced immunity, i.e. the vaccine will<br />
have so called DIVA capability.<br />
_ References <br />
Westbury HA, Hooper PT, Selleck P W, Murray P K.<br />
(1995) Equine morbillivirus pneumonia: susceptibility of<br />
laboratory animals to the virus. Aust Vet J 72:278<br />
Parashar UD, Sunn LM, Ong F, Mounts AW, Arif MT,<br />
Ksiazek TG, et al. Case-control study of risk factors for<br />
human infection with a new zoonotic paramyxovirus,<br />
Nipah virus, during a 1998–1999 outbreak of severe<br />
encephalitis, Malaysia. J Infect Dis. 2000;181:1755–9<br />
Mills JN, Alim ANM, Bunning ML, Lee OB, Wagoner KD,<br />
Amman BR, et al. Nipah virus infection in dogs, Malaysia,<br />
1999. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2009<br />
Jun [date cited]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/EID/<br />
content/15/6/950<br />
Honorary Editor’s Note:<br />
We are indebted to Dr Reid for this information. Peter is<br />
the Divisional representative on the Horse Industry Biosecurity<br />
and Market Access Liaison Group (acronym<br />
“Hamburger”).<br />
Celebrating 250 years of the veterinary profession — Vet<strong>2011</strong><br />
16
Recommended Specimen Submission Guidelines For Hendra Virus Testing<br />
Equine Veterinarians Australia and <strong>Australian</strong> <strong>Veterinary</strong><br />
<strong>Association</strong> (Queensland Division) have prepared the<br />
following guidelines for veterinarians wishing to submit<br />
specimens for Hendra virus testing to Queensland laboratories.<br />
Veterinarians are strongly advised to phone<br />
ahead to advise the laboratory of the impending submission<br />
so appropriate arrangements to facilitate testing<br />
can be made.<br />
During business hours contact:-<br />
Biosecurity Sciences Laboratory (Coopers Plains):<br />
(07) 3276 6062<br />
Tropical & Aquatic Health Laboratory (Oonoonba):<br />
(07) 4760 1524<br />
Animal Disease Surveillance Laboratory<br />
(Toowoomba): (07) 4688 1364<br />
After-hours testing is available by contacting the<br />
Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline:<br />
Veterinarians will be put in contact with a Biosecurity<br />
Queensland <strong>Veterinary</strong> Officer to discuss the case and<br />
make the appropriate arrangements.<br />
After hours contact:<br />
Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline 1800 675<br />
888<br />
IMPORTANT: Announce yourself as a veterinarian,<br />
and you will be transferred to a Biosecurity Queensland<br />
veterinarian.<br />
Biosecurity Queensland advises that it is not appropriate<br />
for specimens to be left at the Department of Employment<br />
Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI)<br />
offices. In the event of this occurring please be advised<br />
that these specimens will not be accepted. Submissions<br />
need to be made directly to any of the three Biosecurity<br />
Queensland veterinary laboratories located at:<br />
Biosecurity Sciences Laboratory (BSL)<br />
Health and Food Sciences Precinct, Specimen Receipt<br />
(Loading Dock 12), 39 Kessels Road, Coopers<br />
Plains, Qld 4108<br />
Tropical & Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory<br />
(TAAHL)<br />
180-202 River Boulevard, Oonoonba, Qld 4811<br />
Animal Disease Surveillance Laboratory (ADSL)<br />
203 Tor Street, Toowoomba, Qld 4350<br />
Submissions received at TAAHL or ADSL will be transported<br />
to BSL where Hendra virus testing is conducted.<br />
To ensure the most efficient test turn-around times,<br />
specimens should be submitted directly to BSL. Submissions<br />
for Hendra virus disease investigation are exempt<br />
from a service fee; however, packaging costs and<br />
courier arrangements need to be met by the submitter.<br />
Hendra virus health testing will incur a service fee in line<br />
with the laboratory submission policy. Biosecurity<br />
Queensland does not supply specimen containers or<br />
consumables. Submitters are reminded to please complete<br />
the sample/specimen submission forms found at<br />
the bottom of the following BQ website page, as completely<br />
as possible: http://<br />
www.dpi.qld.gov.au/4790_6661.htm<br />
Important reminders regarding Packaging and<br />
Transport<br />
It is the sender’s responsibility to ensure specimens are<br />
appropriately packaged and transported to the laboratory<br />
for analysis. It is the responsibility of the submitter<br />
to ensure that specimens are packed to comply with<br />
transport regulations and that they don’t deteriorate or<br />
break or leak during transit.<br />
The inclusion of sharps in submissions, or specimens<br />
provided in a grossly contaminated state, represent<br />
a workplace health and safety risk and are<br />
not acceptable.<br />
Submitters are also reminded that if they enlist horse or<br />
property owners, to deliver specimens to a laboratory<br />
that they should be comfortable with that driver’s emotional<br />
state given the stressful situation that a suspected<br />
Hendra virus case can cause.<br />
General Requirements, as précised from International<br />
Air Transport <strong>Association</strong> (IATA) Packaging<br />
Instructions 650<br />
Packaging must be constructed and closed so as to prevent<br />
any loss of contents that might be caused under<br />
normal conditions of transport. The packaging must<br />
consist of three components:<br />
a. a primary receptacle: Leak-proof. Absorbent material<br />
such as cotton wool must be placed between the<br />
primary receptacle and the secondary packaging,<br />
with a cold pack to maintain sample integrity.<br />
b. a secondary packaging: Also leak-proof. <strong>Veterinary</strong><br />
samples should be sent chilled, not frozen, and<br />
secondary packaging must be secured in outer packaging<br />
with suitable cushioning material between the<br />
secondary pack and the outer. A small foam esky is<br />
ideal.<br />
c. a rigid outer packaging. The outer packaging must<br />
not contain more than 4 litres. This quantity excludes<br />
ice, dry ice or liquid nitrogen when used to keep<br />
specimens cold.<br />
The current edition of The Dangerous Goods Regulations<br />
published annually by IATA should be consulted if<br />
you require extra advice on specimen packaging requirements.<br />
As requirements for transport can change,<br />
submitters should consult with their transport agent to<br />
obtain current requirements. Find more information regarding<br />
packaging specimens at http://www.iata.org<br />
Biosecurity Queensland routinely packages all specimens<br />
to comply with either IATA Packaging Instructions<br />
650 or 620 once a risk assessment has been made.<br />
17
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy – Update March <strong>2011</strong><br />
Dr Reg Butler Principal <strong>Veterinary</strong> Officer, Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry<br />
Classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (C‐type<br />
BSE) is a zoonotic, non-contagious transmissible<br />
spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that primarily affects<br />
bovine animals. The disease was spread from its origin<br />
in the United Kingdom to some other countries through<br />
the global trade in live cattle and livestock feeds. Cases<br />
of C‐type BSE were subsequently identified in indigenous<br />
cattle in mainland Europe, Japan, Canada and<br />
Israel. Primary variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease<br />
(vCJD) in people is orally acquired through foods containing<br />
specified risk materials from C‐type BSEinfected<br />
cattle. This same route led to C‐type BSE<br />
causing naturally occurring cases of TSE in domestic<br />
cats, some zoo animals, two goats and non-human primates.<br />
A short review is provided of the measures that<br />
were established in international standards and national<br />
legislation to minimise the risk of new cases in susceptible<br />
species. Epidemiological evidence is examined<br />
which points to the global eradication of C‐type BSE<br />
being within sight, provided measures are kept in place<br />
which prevent recycling of C‐type BSE in ruminant<br />
feeds. Global eradication of this disease may mean that<br />
current risk reduction measures can be rationalised in<br />
the future and possible options are explored in the areas<br />
of feed controls, food safety measures and surveillance.<br />
Three strains of BSE have been identified to date.<br />
Widespread surveillance for C‐type BSE in a number of<br />
countries has identified two additional and very rare<br />
strains, called low-type (L‐type) BSE and high-type<br />
(H‐type) BSE because of differences in the abnormal<br />
prion protein compared to C‐type BSE. L‐type BSE and<br />
H‐type BSE are also collectively called ‘atypical BSE’.<br />
Evidence is examined which supports the view that the<br />
two atypical strains cause diseases that are epidemiologically<br />
unrelated to C‐type BSE. This evidence is<br />
sourced from published challenge, diagnostic, and epidemiological<br />
studies. Parenteral challenge studies have<br />
shown that both atypical strains can infect cattle and<br />
that one may pose a zoonotic risk. However, there are<br />
some important unknown features of these strains.<br />
Identification and detailed study of additional naturally<br />
occurring cases would help confirm the hypothesis that<br />
they are sporadic or genetic diseases in aged cattle and<br />
are not contagious. Experiments underway overseas<br />
may help to clarify if any tissues outside of the central<br />
nervous system in infected cattle harbour significant<br />
levels of infectivity and whether these strains can be<br />
orally transmitted to cause disease in cattle, other livestock<br />
or humans.<br />
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) sets<br />
recommended risk reduction measures for BSE in the<br />
Terrestrial Animal Health Code, and countries can apply<br />
to the OIE to have the BSE-risk status of their cattle<br />
herds assessed. The BSE-risk status of the <strong>Australian</strong><br />
cattle herd has been protected through a ban on imports<br />
of meat and bone meal (except from New Zealand)<br />
since the 1960s, and more recently by controls on imports<br />
of live cattle, stockfeeds, stockfeed ingredients<br />
and veterinary therapeutics, restrictions on ruminant<br />
feeding and surveillance.<br />
Australia’s food safety policy for bovine spongiform encephalopathy<br />
(BSE) changed on 1 March 2010, supported<br />
by an independent review of BSE science. Countries<br />
that have reported one or more cases of BSE in<br />
indigenous cattle can apply to Food Standards Australia<br />
New Zealand for a food safety risk assessment against<br />
set criteria that are based on those established by the<br />
OIE. Separately, on 8 April 2010 three regulated import<br />
risk analyses (IRAs) of animal health issues related to<br />
beef and beef products were commenced by Biosecurity<br />
Australia for Canada, Japan and the United States.<br />
Reprinted from the <strong>2011</strong> AVA Queensland Division Annual<br />
Conference Proceedings.<br />
18
Communicating With Animals<br />
Dr Isobel Johnstone BVSc BSc PhD, johnstonei@optusnet.com.au www.animaltelepathy.com.au<br />
Generally, modern society has embraced the human-animal bond with love and respect. Many keepers regard their<br />
companion animals as part of the family and want the very best veterinary care for them, equivalent to the care they<br />
would seek for themselves.<br />
There is a means by which keepers can become closer to their animals and understand them better. This is the area<br />
of telepathic communication with animals. Now that I have retired from veterinary practice I have had the time to pursue<br />
this particular interest. Communicating with animals is a movement that, in the past 15years or so, has been<br />
quietly gaining momentum. People are discovering their closeness to and ability to reach the consciousness of animals.<br />
How did I get started in this area? I have always had a close rapport with animals, from a young child and throughout<br />
my veterinary career. As a child, I avidly read the Dr Dolittle books and longed to be able to talk with the animals<br />
as he did. I have always talked to the animals in my professional life; I found this helped immensely in establishing<br />
rapport with the animals with whom I was dealing. However, I always wished to be able to communicate with animals<br />
and I have read many books on the subject.<br />
I attended a course by Trisha McCagh, an animal communicator, held in Brisbane. This opened up my ability to talk<br />
with animals telepathically. There is nothing particularly remarkable about this, as telepathic communication is the<br />
universal language of the animal kingdom. Although telepathic communication has yet to be explained by modern<br />
science, all animals, both human and nonhuman, have the potential to communicate by this means.<br />
Telepathy is commonly defined as “communication from one mind to another at a distance other than through known<br />
senses”. Telepathy is the usual means of communication between animals, including humans. However, as we use<br />
the spoken word for most of our communication this inhibits our ability to communicate directly through thought. Our<br />
busy lives often create cluttered minds and we are not as open to thought transference, but when we become mindful<br />
of human and animal “others”, we can all become much more receptive telepathically. Telepathic communication<br />
can be in the form of seeing mind pictures, hearing words mentally, knowing and feelings. The communication is<br />
silent as it is done mind-to-mind.<br />
How does telepathic communication with animals work for me? I am able to tune into the animal’s thoughts and<br />
have a two-way mind conversation with the animal, writing down the conversation as it unfolds. Sometimes I see<br />
mental pictures, which then help to clarify what the animal is trying to get across. I discuss the conversation with the<br />
keeper, who can then ask further questions of the animal if they wish. The notes are later typed up and emailed to<br />
the keeper so that they have a copy for future reference.<br />
Mental pictures are actually a very common form of communication between animals and humans, often without the<br />
humans realizing it. For example, a friend was having trouble with her dog, in that when she called it to come back to<br />
her it always ran away. I asked if she was mentally picturing the dog running away when she called it and she said<br />
yes, so I suggested that she picture the dog running to her when she called it. This worked, and now the dog runs<br />
back to her when she calls it. It is very important to remember that animals can respond to your mental pictures.<br />
Telepathic communication assumes that animals are sentient beings with their own purposes, desires, choices, and<br />
manner of looking at the world. Sentience is the ability to feel, or perceive, or be conscious, or have subjective experiences.<br />
When Noel Fitzpatrick, veterinary surgeon and pioneer of bionic development for animals, was interviewed by Margaret<br />
Throsby on her show Mornings with Margaret Throsby, ABC Radio, he said “I have seen animals as sentient, that<br />
is they all have feelings needs and wants. The only way forward for mankind in my view is to understand that we<br />
have a responsibility for the animals on the planet and if we look after them we help ourselves.”<br />
Certainly many animals have desires and make choices. But can they communicate those desires and choices?<br />
Surely, a dog can communicate that it wants to go outside, by standing at the door and scratching at it or barking.<br />
There is a great leap, however, from saying that animals can communicate their needs in the familiar way that they<br />
do, to saying that they can do so through telepathic words and pictures (just as telepathy among humans is not an<br />
everyday event for most people).<br />
Over recent years discoveries have been made about the minds and communicative abilities of animals. A most notable<br />
example is Koko, a gorilla who was taught American Sign Language. Koko (born July 4, 1971, at San Francisco<br />
Zoo) is a Western Lowland Gorilla who, according to Francine (Penny) Patterson, her long-term trainer, is able<br />
to understand more than 1,000 signs and understand approximately 2,000 words of spoken English. As with other<br />
language experiments with apes, the degree to which Koko mastered these signs has been the subject of controversy,<br />
as has been the degree to which such mastery demonstrates language abilities.<br />
Another example is Alex, the famous African Grey Parrot. Alex (1976 to <strong>September</strong> 6, 2007) was the subject of a<br />
thirty-year experiment by animal psychologist Dr Irene Pepperberg, begun at the University of Arizona and later continued<br />
at Harvard and Brandeis Universities. The name Alex is an acronym for Avian Language EXperiment, but Dr<br />
Pepperberg later cited the name as meaning Avian Learning EXperiment to evoke further acceptance in her research<br />
19
field, a then touchy topic (explained in her book, Alex & Me). Alex had a vocabulary of about 150 words, but was exceptional<br />
in that he appeared to have understanding of what he said. He could identify 50 different objects and recognize<br />
quantities up to six. He could distinguish seven colours and five shapes, and understand the concepts of<br />
“bigger”, “smaller”, “same”, and “different”. In her book Dr Pepperberg says, “Scientifically speaking, the single greatest<br />
lesson Alex taught me, taught all of us, is that animal minds are a great deal more like human minds than the vast<br />
majority of behavioural scientists believed or, more importantly, were even prepared to concede might be remotely<br />
possible.”<br />
Over the years there have been pivotal books that have shaped the thinking on animal communication and telepathy.<br />
The classic book on animal telepathy was written by naturalist William Long in 1919 (How Animals Talk) and has now<br />
been reprinted.<br />
It was this book that inspired the research of biologist and academic Rupert Sheldrake. In the foreword of the reprint<br />
he says, “When I first read this book, it not only inspired me, but it changed me. It made me realise that unexplained<br />
abilities like telepathy and the sense of being stared at are widespread in the animal kingdom. When they occur in<br />
people, they are often called ‘paranormal’, literally meaning beyond the normal, or they are treated as weird or<br />
spooky, or simply dismissed as illusions. Reading this book convinced me that they are normal, not paranormal, and<br />
are part of our biological nature”.<br />
In 1999 he published his early research in his book Dogs that Know when their Owners are Coming Home and Other<br />
Unexplained Powers of Animals. How does a dog know when its keeper is returning home at an unexpected time?<br />
After five years of extensive research involving thousands of people who keep and work with animals, Rupert Sheldrake<br />
conclusively proved what many pet keepers already know: there is a strong connection between humans and<br />
animals that lies beyond present-day scientific understanding. His book is filled with the stories and analysis of the<br />
research.<br />
In 1954, J. Allen Boone in Kinship with All Life wrote of his experience with Strongheart, the famous dog who was a<br />
motion picture star, and how this dog and other animals taught him communication with animals.<br />
In 1982 pioneer animal communicator, Penelope Smith, first published her book Animal Talk: Interspecies Telepathic<br />
Communication which brought telepathic communication to the attention of a wider audience. Her animal communication<br />
classes were at the forefront of the animal communication movement.<br />
There are now many animal communicators all over the world and many have published books on their experiences.<br />
A Google search will discover many websites of animal communicators.<br />
Why communicate with animals?<br />
Telepathic communication with an animal can be very helpful because:<br />
• The keeper and the animal can forge a deeper understanding and appreciation of each other<br />
• It can reveal an animal’s feelings, wants and needs<br />
• When an animal is old or in poor health, its wishes can be conveyed to the keeper<br />
• It can forewarn an animal of moves or changes before they happen and allay their fears<br />
• It helps negotiating with feuding animals<br />
• It enhances an animal’s training<br />
• Behaviour problems can be discussed.<br />
What animals do makes perfect sense to them, from their viewpoint. By communicating with the animal we can learn<br />
its own personal and unique viewpoint, we can understand what they need and why they behave the way they do.<br />
And we can enlist their participation in resolving any issues, problem behaviour, or health problems. Who better to<br />
ask than the animal itself, when it is having a problem?<br />
Animal communication helps you to understand what the animal is thinking and feeling.<br />
Conversations<br />
In my conversations with animals I have found them to be very forthcoming with information and so excited that they<br />
now have a voice to tell their keeper all sorts of information. I ask the keeper to have a list of questions that they wish<br />
to ask the animal. I also ask the animal if it has anything it wishes to tell the keeper.<br />
Here are some examples from my conversations with animals:<br />
It is good for them to know that we think and that we appreciate them (a Labrador dog).<br />
You are welcome to talk to me, it is my opportunity to tell these people how much I appreciate their taking care of me.<br />
Thank them for taking me in, I am really grateful (a Terrier dog).<br />
It gives me a chance to discuss what is troubling me. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to explain myself (a<br />
20
Burmese cat).<br />
When I talk with an animal, I ask them to tell me something that they and the keeper would know, but that I would not<br />
know. This is important, as it is then something I can relay to the keeper so they know that I really have been talking<br />
with their animal and not making it up. For example, I asked a dog what treats it liked. When I told its keeper that<br />
the dog had answered: “I like liquorice, you know those nice lollies. If she wants me to do my best, then liquorice will<br />
do it to give me as a reward”. I found this a most confusing answer as I knew the keeper did not give the dog lollies.<br />
When I told the keeper, she laughed and brought out the dog’s Number One treat (he has many different treats as he<br />
does a lot of agility training and competition) and the dark dried lamb chunks did look just like liquorice!<br />
I am very grateful that I have the ability to communicate with animals, as then I can help other people to realise that<br />
they can and need to tune in to their animals. Talking telepathically with animals is something that we all can do. It<br />
just needs the time and inclination, practice and the right frame of mind. Please contact me if you require further information.<br />
It is good to be sceptical. While sceptics dismiss anything that does not comply with their concepts, once convincing<br />
proof of an incident is obtained, the true sceptic will accept it as genuine. Therefore, endeavour to have a mind that<br />
will look beyond what is currently known or accepted, and be open to new ideas.<br />
References <br />
Boone J. Allen, 1976. Kinship with All Life. Harper Collins, Australia<br />
Long William J., 2005 (1919). How Animals Talk and Other Pleasant Studies of Birds and Beasts. Bear & Co, Vermont<br />
Pepperberg I.M., 2008. Alex & Me. Scribe, Melbourne<br />
Sheldrake R., 2000. Dogs that Know when Their Owners are Coming Home and Other Unexplained Powers of Animals.<br />
Arrow Books, London<br />
Smith P., 2008. Animal Talk, Interspecies Telepathic Communication. Beyond Words Publishing, Oregon<br />
Other reading suggestions<br />
Bekoff, Marc, 2007. The Emotional Lives of Animals. New World Library, California.<br />
A leading scientist explores animal joy, sorrow, and<br />
empathy and why they matter.<br />
Dosa, David, 2010. Making the Rounds with Oscar,<br />
Headline, London. The inspirational story of a doctor,<br />
his patients and a very special cat.<br />
Lingenfelter, Mike & Frei, David, 2002. The Angel by<br />
My Side. Hay House. The true story of a dog who<br />
saved a man, and a man who saved a dog. This book<br />
shares the power of the human-animal bond with the<br />
world.<br />
Myers, Arthur, 1997. Communicating with Animals:<br />
The Spiritual Connection Between People and Animals.<br />
Contemporary Books, Illinois. An investigative<br />
reporter interviews many communicators and explores<br />
the phenomenon of human-animal communication.<br />
Paxton, David, <strong>2011</strong>. Why It’s OK to Talk to Your Dog:<br />
Co-evolution of People and Dogs.<br />
www.compositeconversationalist.com A profound reappraisal<br />
of human and dog evolution.<br />
Ranquet, Joan, 2007. Communication with All Life:<br />
How to Understand and Talk to Animals. Hay House,<br />
UK<br />
Schoen, Allen M., 2002. How the Remarkable Bond<br />
between Humans and Animals Can Change the Way<br />
We Live. Broadway Books. A veterinarian’s story of<br />
his life and the human-animal bond.<br />
Williams, Marta, 2003. Learning Their language: Intuitive<br />
Communication with Animals and nature. New<br />
World Library, California.<br />
A step-by-step ‘how to’ guide on animal communication.<br />
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21
AVA PetPEP is still proving to be a<br />
popular educational tool used in schools across Queensland with currently over 330 school visits already booked for<br />
<strong>2011</strong>. With wonderful support from our volunteer Vet practices it has been possible to continue promoting the program<br />
to schools to encourage the education of AVA PetPEP key messages. Trips have taken place in North QLD and<br />
Longreach to Emerald with more being planned for the AVA PetPEP Education Officer Jana Pini. These visits allow for<br />
face‐to‐face meetings and for practice staff to discuss the benefits of the program to the local communities.<br />
They also assist with incorporating relevant local animal issues into AVA PetPEP school visits.<br />
The <strong>2011</strong> Rural Discovery Day held at the RNA Show Grounds was a successful event for students<br />
from various schools around Queensland to learn about ‘all things rural’. The day allowed<br />
students to participate in a range of presentations that focused<br />
on the different areas of farming and agriculture. The<br />
Rural Discovery Day provided an opportunity for some of our<br />
Vets and Vet nurses to showcase the <strong>Veterinary</strong> profession<br />
by talking to over 365 students throughout the day about the<br />
importance of caring for all animals and the roles that Vets<br />
and Vet Nurses have in both rural and urban environments.<br />
It was a fantastic day with many of the children gaining important<br />
knowledge from the presentations.<br />
Buderim Mountain State School recently hosted the launch of AVA PetPEP in the local Sunshine Coast Regional<br />
Council area helping to celebrate the link between education and animal care. Along with the existing support of<br />
many veterinarians and veterinary nurses, AVA PetPEP now has the support from the Sunshine Coast Regional<br />
Council to work together with a variety of animal care professionals to educate children about the importance of<br />
pet care through the key messages focusing on responsible pet ownership.<br />
With positive feedback from both schools and AVA PetPEP supporters about school visits, we would encourage<br />
more vet practices to hop on board and make a difference in their local community.<br />
By sharing your knowledge, skills and passion for animal health you can help school children understand and<br />
value the responsibilities needed to be a good pet owner or maybe one day work in the animal profession.<br />
If you would like to get involved please call the AVA PetPEP Office on 07 3423 1788<br />
or email: petpepqld@ava.com.au<br />
22
Marine Pollutants: Immuno‐suppressants<br />
Letter from Dr Matt Landos, Director, Future Fisheries <strong>Veterinary</strong> Service P/L<br />
After the floods in Queensland in January <strong>2011</strong>, a spike<br />
in losses of turtles, dugongs and gropers has been reported.<br />
The losses have been attributed officially to the<br />
flood of freshwater killing vegetation upon which these<br />
animals feed. However, I am concerned that the losses<br />
may also be due to pollutants in the flood waters causing<br />
immuno-suppression and thus wildlife disease.<br />
My concern is shared internationally: http://<br />
www.rense.com/general38/tur.htm.<br />
The sediment dwelling marine worm (polychaete) populations<br />
in Moreton Bay have crashed post flood. Oysters<br />
have almost been eradicated from many polluted<br />
rivers, pipis have disappeared off beaches in the Northern<br />
Rivers district.<br />
In the search for definitive proof, are we losing sight of<br />
our capacity to interpret likely cause, permitting riskbased<br />
remedial actions to be implemented? Is there a<br />
chance we can engage the wider veterinary community<br />
in addressing the impact of pollutants on animal health?<br />
At the CSIRO conference “What’s in Our Water”, held in<br />
Canberra in November 2010, three presentations, each<br />
from a different State, described endocrine disruption<br />
occurring in aquatic animals in the wild.<br />
I consider this issue needs to move up the national veterinary<br />
agenda urgently. Some marine scientists are<br />
recognising immuno-suppression issues for Barrier Reef<br />
marine life, but veterinarians generally are silent on the<br />
issue. I congratulate Ben Diggles and Jon Brodie for<br />
speaking up in aquatic animal health forums, highlighting<br />
that the marine park proposals do not protect marine<br />
ecosystems from the more insidious threat of pollution<br />
by immuno-suppressants.<br />
I thank Queensland News for mentioning the issue on<br />
two occasions.<br />
As a profession we are quietly corralling ourselves into<br />
irrelevance, eroding our professional position. Other<br />
scientific disciplines are addressing animal health issues.<br />
With ever more veterinary graduates, it seems<br />
timely that the profession expand its vision to embrace<br />
this issue vigorously. I’ll be interested to hear any<br />
thoughts from readers.<br />
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Winston Churchill<br />
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A new partnership between Guild Financial Services and the<br />
AVA means there’s never been a better time for AVA members<br />
to make a plan to secure their financial future.<br />
Guild Financial Services is offering an exclusive discount to<br />
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Guild’s financial advisers can provide advice on:<br />
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To receive your $1000 discount voucher and take advantage<br />
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Guild Financial Services has a strong history of providing<br />
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For more information visit www.guildfinancial.com.au/avaoffer<br />
23
Vale...Grant Frazer<br />
It is with the deepest regret and sadness that we inform<br />
colleagues of the untimely passing of Professor Grant<br />
S. Frazer in late July <strong>2011</strong>.<br />
Professor Grant Frazer was a 1980 UQ graduate. He<br />
worked as a veterinarian in private practice for 7 years<br />
in Australia and for 23 years in North American referral<br />
hospitals. As a resident in Theriogenology at The Ohio<br />
State University, Grant was awarded a Masters degree<br />
in reproductive physiology and in 1987 gained his specialist<br />
diploma from the American College of Theriogenologists.<br />
As a Board certified specialist in Theriogenology<br />
(Animal Reproduction), Grant was a Lecturer<br />
at New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania from<br />
1986-1988. He returned to Australia in 1988 to work in<br />
private practice at Tatura for a year then in 1989 was<br />
resident veterinarian at the Haddon Rig Merino Stud in<br />
NSW. In 1991, Grant returned to Columbus, Ohio, as a<br />
very proud Faculty member in Theriogenology and Assistant<br />
Professor at The Ohio State University College<br />
of <strong>Veterinary</strong> Medicine. Grant worked tirelessly on behalf<br />
of the College and was particularly distinguished<br />
as a teacher and clinician which enabled him to gain<br />
tenure in 1997 and the rank of Associate Professor in<br />
Large Animal Theriogenology. Grant’s teaching was<br />
recognized by major awards including the prestigious<br />
Norden Distinguished Teacher Award in 1994. His clinical<br />
expertise and strong interest in obstetrics was well<br />
recognized and resulted in speaking engagements<br />
throughout the USA and Europe. Grant was a very active<br />
and admired leader in the American College of<br />
Theriogenologists and served as Treasurer from 1999-<br />
2002.<br />
In 2000 Grant moved across into the Department of<br />
<strong>Veterinary</strong> Preventive Medicine as an Extension Veterinarian<br />
in Reproduction. During this period Grant studied<br />
for an MBA through the Fisher College of Business,<br />
OSU and was awarded his MBA in 2003. Thus began a<br />
change in career direction towards business management<br />
and from December 2006-August 2009, Grant<br />
served as Director of the <strong>Veterinary</strong> Teaching Hospital<br />
at Ohio State University and member of the College of<br />
<strong>Veterinary</strong> Medicine Dean’s Cabinet. Grant was enormously<br />
proud of his achievements at OSU. As Director,<br />
he established a clinic management structure and policies<br />
that would guide the Teaching Hospital towards<br />
financial stability. In his earlier career as a teacher, he<br />
won praise for his dedication and rapport with students.<br />
Grant’s clinical and research focus was on obstetrics<br />
and the peri-parturient period and he chaired scientific<br />
conference symposia, was on review panels for several<br />
journals and was always a strong advocate for science<br />
based therapies in reproductive practice.<br />
In October 2009 Grant joined UQ, as Director of Clinical<br />
and Diagnostic Services with a strong reputation in veterinary<br />
hospital administration. Grant’s skills and enthusiasm<br />
lead UQ’s veterinary clinical services into a new<br />
phase as the School relocated to the Gatton Campus in<br />
2010. Over the past 18 months with UQ, Grant has been<br />
a dedicated leader and mentor for staff in the Clinical<br />
and Diagnostic Service groups. Grant focused on enabling<br />
these groups to provide the best possible care for<br />
the animals entrusted to UQ by their owners. Grant<br />
guided the clinical groups through the transition to the<br />
Gatton Campus and worked tirelessly to ensure the new<br />
<strong>Veterinary</strong> Medical Centre would achieve the level of<br />
construction excellence that would match the level of<br />
services VMC would offer to clients and their animals.<br />
The quality of finish of the small animal and equine hospitals<br />
is to a large part, due to Grant’s attention to detail,<br />
desire for excellence and tireless communications with<br />
project managers, builders and architects. The finished<br />
product of the magnificent new <strong>Veterinary</strong> Medical Centre<br />
at the Gatton Campus contains many of Grant’s<br />
ideas and initiatives which were all aimed creating the<br />
best possible work environment for his staff, and optimized<br />
facilities for animals under VMC care.<br />
Grant is survived by his wife, Lou, and their family,<br />
Belinda, Sean, Jocelyn, son-in-law Jonathan, and<br />
grandson Alec.<br />
sustainability<br />
AVA Annual Conference<br />
20-25 May 2012<br />
Canberra<br />
<strong>Australian</strong> Capital Territory<br />
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All AVA Branches are FREE<br />
This is the best way to network with the veterinarians<br />
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