What I’ve learnt from researching animal advocacy interventions across the African continent
By Guest Author - Joy Muthanje Mwaniki
In July 2021, I joined Animal Advocacy Africa as a research intern to conduct a study on farmed animal advocacy interventions - specifically individual outreach, institutional interventions, capacity building, and direct help - that are most likely to succeed in South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ghana.
Before I embarked on this study, the extent of my personal efforts in animal advocacy were donating towards conservation efforts and speaking out against animal abuse that I witness in my daily life. However, this research study was the ideal opportunity for me to contribute towards improving animal welfare through my professional skills and experience. In retrospect, the study itself was an extensive task. Looking at four types of animal advocacy interventions in five countries was taxing, especially given the burden of extensive information gaps and lack of research data. This was the case with several of the countries involved in the study. This was also the first time I used a new methodology to score interventions based on several weighted criteria. The learning curve was steep as the model was complicated. Nonetheless, learning the model and conducting this study has armed me with a wealth of knowledge and lessons that I am eager to continue using as an animal advocate. I am also keen to share these learnings with other advocates in the hopes that this will help them in their own work.
Animal welfare is not widely understood
The first and perhaps main lesson I learnt is that animal advocacy is not widely understood across the continent, even within my immediate circle. When I spoke about animal welfare, most people thought that I was referring to the reduction of animal abuse against domestic animals, such as dogs and cats; or as conservation efforts towards wild animals, such as elephants. Thoughts are rarely given to the welfare of farmed animals, such as the use of cages and stunning of animals during production. Most are unaware that consumers have the power to effect changes that would enhance animal welfare. This also means that there is vast, untapped potential for consumers to partake in institutional outreach across all five aforementioned countries. Organisations focusing on animal protection should therefore consider tapping into this realm and improving the level of action consumers can take to help animals e.g. through the lobbying of both governments and consumer brands. It was also clear that while in some countries, such as South Africa, there is a significant portion of the population who focus on supporting animals through diet change, most Africans do not think of switching to plant based diets to protect farmed animals. Instead, such diets are often adopted due to financial or health reasons.
The quality of political structures affects animal welfare
Not only does weak political structures affect the socioeconomic ecosystem in their countries, the quality of institutional interventions are also affected. Animal advocates face challenges in lobbying for policy reform as some governments see no benefit in creating such laws. Even when laws are passed, weak enforcement mechanisms mean that the implementation of policies, and prosecutions of crimes is severely compromised. Another challenge is that laws may have existing gaps that do not address the welfare of specific animals such as farmed animals, as once again, most of these laws tend to focus on domestic animals or wildlife.
Religious ideologies play a role in animal welfare
Animal protection is sometimes motivated by religious inclinations. This is where people are motivated to protect animals as they believe that they have been granted dominion over animals, and are required to ensure that these creatures are well taken care of. However, sometimes, cultural and religious ideologies are in conflict with ideals of animal welfare. For example, some cultures place great importance on the slaughter of animals during cultural festivals, sometimes without the use of stunning. Any undertakings regarding animal welfare should consider the ideologies and religious persuasions of people across the continent. Of course, this is not an easy task as there are a wide range of cultures and religious denominations across each country in question. Therefore, extensive participatory research should be done prior to introducing an intervention to avoid any pushback or negative impact.
African veg*ns face biases in their diet change
Race and cultural biases play a role in how animal advocacy plays out, especially with regards to diet change. In Egypt, South Africa and Rwanda, vegan and vegetarian lifestyles are viewed as being unAfrican and even as anti-black. Most people who avoid meat or dairy products do so due to the high costs related to these goods. Thus, saying that they are veg*n by choice, and not by financial circumstance, are often met with negative reactions including laughter and scepticism. Further, these perceptions of anti-blackness and unAfricanness are not adequately acknowledged within the vegan space, where black Africans are often the minority. It is therefore important that organisations promoting diet change across the continent should consider the fact that such lifestyles often attract backlash. Thus, these interventions should go hand-in-hand with normalising the idea of Africans embracing vegan and vegetarian diets and the benefits of doing so.
The pandemic presents challenges and opportunities for animal welfare interventions
COVID-19 has introduced a wide range of challenges, as well as opportunities for animal welfare interventions. Firstly, restrictions around the number of people allowed in gatherings are likely to affect institutional interventions that require large protests. Activists are at risk of coming into direct conflict with the law and risk jail time or fines, depending on the restrictions of the country in question. The pandemic has also limited humane education, as fewer people can attend classes. However, technology has enabled individual outreach to be conducted online, as organisations can now hold animal welfare awareness workshops on platforms such as Facebook and Zoom. Not only has this ensured the continuity of awareness creation efforts, it has widened the reach of activists. Several activists have taken to blog posts and social media to engage with international audiences across the globe. It is worth noting that the pandemic has also created greater awareness on the risk of zoonotic diseases spreading to humans, and sparked conversations on how animals are treated. This can hopefully translate to increased protection of animals across the continent.
There is still plenty of work to do towards improving animal welfare
A wide range of animal advocacy work still needs to be done to protect animals in Africa. Despite the great work that existing animal advocates are doing, there are still gaps in animal protection and the enforcement of existing laws. These gaps may be attributed to weaknesses in political institutions and educational structures. If educational structures do not perceive animal welfare as integral components of public outreach efforts, then the impact of animal advocacy work is compromised. Therefore, animal advocates must not work in silos but instead engage with stakeholders working to improve legislative, informational, and educational structures.
On-the-ground research is key
Conducting this study reinforced the importance of primary, on-the-ground research when it comes to data and information about animal welfare across the five countries. While I conducted this research as rigorously as I could, relying on desk research meant that several assumptions had to be made about the context of each country. Primary research would likely provide new and unique insights to the animal welfare ecosystem. Researchers should consider making use of qualitative interviews and quantitative data collection, especially to understand the cost-effectiveness of various interventions.
There is a place for animal welfare in one’s personal life
I realised that one does not have to advocate for animals professionally in order to make a difference. Consumers wishing to see changes in the way that their food is produced have the power to drive change through their buying habits alone. Producers are more likely to adhere to animal protection regulations if it affects their bottom line. Concerned citizens can talk about animal welfare and animal sentience on their personal social media channels or blogs, in order to increase awareness within their social circles. In addition, activists can support farm rescue centres in their personal time through volunteering, donating or adopting an animal. Indeed, several rescue shelters I looked into, such as the Animal Welfare Society of South Africa and the Kenya Society for the Protection and Care of Animals, depend heavily on the support they receive from the public and almost definitely require more backing.
Overall, I learnt not only how to conduct research through this study, but also a great deal about animal advocacy in Africa. I feel that I am better placed to work towards improving animal welfare, and I hope that the study is a useful foundation from which future research can be conducted.