Is going to the vet a nightmare? Is your parrot driving you insane with incessant noises? Are you afraid that your dog is going to bite someone? How do you design the best zoo primate enclosure?

My vocation is improving captive animal welfare, and I’m an associate professor of Ethology who teaches and writes about behaviour management. Due to copyright rules, I’m not allowed to post scientific articles here. Not to worry, just look here and select the one you’re interested in – I’ll email it to you.

Karolina Westlund, PhD

I have a solid background in ethology, but find that the best approach to behaviour management is interdisciplinary. It is when you mix different scientific perspectives that the true magic happens…

The field of applied ethology’s  main contribution to animal welfare is how to provide great enrichment. An example may be reducing stereotypic behaviour in farm animals, optimizing zoo animals’ use of their enclosures, and keeping them busy and out of mischief…

One of the most important contributions from the field of Animal training to me is about teaching animals to be active participants in their own care. For instance, improving relationships between humans and their beloved pets, and giving our furry, feathered and scaled friends the ability to control important events. How do we communicate what we want the animal to do, and motivate them to want the same thing?

Sometimes we’re baffled by persistent behaviour that annoys us. Tapping into the behaviour analytical perspective , we can solve problem behaviours by better understanding the function they serve. What are the antecedents and consequences that currently maintain the behaviour, and what may we do about them in order to bring about a behaviour change?

For me, the study of animal emotions and affective neuroscience has brought my understanding of animal behaviour to a new level. This branch of science helped me prioritize  – which behaviours are important? Practically speaking, it might have to do with reducing or eliminating fear or the risk of defensive aggression, or encouraging play opportunities – vital for brain development!

In this hearty mix I find my own take on behaviour management, based on scientific principles but with a solid practical perspective. I teach animal professionals as well as engaged pet owners, and discuss pets, zoo animals, farm animals, and laboratory animals.

My focus is improving welfare, helping the animals in our lives thrive living with us weird humans.

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[…] Then I serendipitously met Dr. Karolina Westlund (PhD) online. Karolina has been an associate professor of ethology (looking at animal behaviour from the evolutionary perspective), but with wider interests in scientific disciplines like affective neuroscience and applied behaviour analysis. She is an animal welfare consultant now with a passion for anything and everything to do with captive animal behaviour and improving the lives of animals. She also helps others understand animal emotions (https://illis.se/en/). […]