Further information
For more information, consult the following on the RSPCA Knowledgebase:
RSPCA key links
RSPCA policies
- GP - General policies
- A - Companion animals
- B - Farm animals
- C - Animals in sport, entertainment, performance, recreation and work
- D - Animals in research and teaching
- E - Wild animals
- F - Transportation of animals
- G - Humane killing
Knowledgebase articles
- What are the effects of drones on wildlife and domestic pets?
- What is virtual fencing (and virtual herding) and does it impact animal welfare?
- Is the use of electronic dog collars legal?
- What are the animal welfare issues with electric shock collars on dogs?
- Will the welfare of farm animals improve with the use of CCTV?
- What are the animal welfare benefits of an electronic identification (NLIS) tag for farm animals?
- RSPCA Policy C07 Training behaviour modification and invasive procedures
- Animal-welfare-in-slaughtering-establishments-regulatory-scorecard.pdf
- How is animal welfare regulated at Australian abattoirs and poultry processors?
- How is animal welfare regulated at Australian knackeries?
- How can I be a responsible cat owner?
- I think my cat has arthritis, what should I do?
- What do I need to know about gum and mouth inflammation (gingivostomatitis) in cats?
- Why is anaesthesia important for dog and cat dentistry?
- How can pain be recognised and monitored in cats?
- I think my dog has arthritis, what can I do?
- RSPCA Policy E5 Public exhibition of and interaction with wild animals
- The-welfare-of-dolphins-in-captivity.pdf
- What is the RSPCA’s view on petting zoos and other types of animal encounters?
- RSPCA Policy A8 Housing and environmental needs of companion animals
- Why is enrichment important for dogs?
- How can I use environmental enrichment to provide opportunities for my chickens to experience good welfare?
- How can I keep my rabbit entertained, alert, and interested in their surroundings?
- Why is environmental enrichment important for pig welfare?
- Why is environmental enrichment important for meat chicken welfare?
- How can I use environmental enrichment to provide opportunities for my rats to experience good welfare?
- What are the welfare issues with animals used in research?
- How is animal research regulated in Australia?
- How many animals are used in research in Australia?
- What are the 3Rs in animal research?
- What is the RSPCA’s view of the use of animals in research?
- Why are animals used in research?
- RSPCA Policy D8 Animals in teaching
- What are the animal welfare issues with chick hatching in schools?
- RSPCA-Guidelines-for-the-Online-Advertising-of-Pets.pdf
- Is there a safe way to look for a new companion animal online?
- Where should I get my reptile?
- What can I do if I’m concerned about the treatment of animals in a film, television or theatrical performance?
- What are the penalties for animal cruelty offences?
- Is there a link between domestic violence and animal abuse?
- What are the welfare risks of animal tourist attractions and selfies with animals?
- What is the illegal wildlife trade and why is it inhumane?
- RSPCA Policy C02 Performing Animals
- What is the RSPCA’s view on pet shops?
- How will I keep my bird safe against household hazards?
- What is the RSPCA’s view on keeping native animals as pets?
- Can native animals be kept as pets?
- What are the animal welfare issues with pets wearing costumes?
- How can our animal welfare laws be improved?
- PP-GP1-Animal-welfare-legislation.pdf
Further reading and external references
- Acarcinom Cancer Data Portal: https://www.acarcinom.org.au
- Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities. https://www.amrric.org
- Animal welfare incident reporting for Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Animal welfare incident reporting - DAFF
- Animal Welfare Indicators at the Slaughterhouse - aWISH
- Social Media Animal Cruelty Coaltion: https://www.endcrueltyonline.com
- Brereton JE, Tuke J, Fernandez EJ. Incorporating the enclosure MonitoR use (EMU) app to ZooMonitor observations technical report. Zoo Biology. 2025;44:383–90. https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21909
- Campbell D, Erasmus M. Poultry welfare monitoring: wearable technologies. Understanding the behaviour and improving the welfare of chickens [Internet]. 1st edition. Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing; 2020. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9781003048039-6/poultry-welfare-monitoring-wearable-technologies-dana-campbell-marisa-erasmus
- Carvalho AF, De Morais IOB, Souza TB. Profiting from cruelty: Digital content creators abuse animals worldwide to incur profit. Biol Cons. 2023;287:110321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110321
- Cave, N (2025) Beef on the brink of a tech revolutions: Wearables on NZ Hill Country. Natasha-Cave_K-54-Kellogg-Report.pdf
- Coghlan S, Parker C. Harm to nonhuman animals from AI: a systematic account and framework. Philos Technol. 2023;36:25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-023-00627-6
- Coghlan S, Parker C. Helping and not harming animals with AI. Philos Technol. 2024;37:20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-024-00712-4
- Dawkins MS. Smart farming and Artificial Intelligence (AI): How can we ensure that animal welfare is a priority? Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2025;283:106519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106519
- Englefield B, Starling M, Wilson B, Roder C, McGreevy P. The australian roadkill reporting project—applying integrated professional research and citizen science to monitor and mitigate roadkill in australia. Animals. 2020;10:1112. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10071112
- Feighelstein M, Riccie-Bonot C, Hasan H, Weinberg H, Rettig T, Segal M, et al. Automated recognition of emotional states of horses from facial expressions. PLoS ONE. 2024;19:e0302893. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0302893
- Fisher A, Cornish A. 2022. Independent scientific literature review on animal welfare considerations for virtual fencing. Report for Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
- Fogarty E, Swain D, Cronin G, Trotter M. A systematic review of the potential uses of on-animal sensors to monitor the welfare of sheep evaluated using the Five Domains Model as a framework. Anim Welf. 2019;28:407–20. https://doi.org/10.7120/09627286.28.4.407
- Geoghegan JL, Pirotta V, Harvey E, Smith A, Buchmann JP, Ostrowski M, et al. Virological sampling of inaccessible wildlife with drones. Viruses. 2018;10:300. https://doi.org/10.3390/v10060300
- Guzhva O, Siegford JM, Lunner Kolstrup C. The hitchhiker’s guide to integration of social and ethical awareness in precision livestock farming research. Front Anim Sci. 2021;2:725710. https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2021.725710
- Harrington LA, Elwin A, Paterson S, D’Cruze N. The viewer doesn’t always seem to care—response to fake animal rescues on YouTube and implications for social media self‐policing policies. People Nat. 2023;5:103–18. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10416
- Herlin A, Brunberg E, Hultgren J, Högberg N, Rydberg A, Skarin A. Animal welfare implications of digital tools for monitoring and management of cattle and sheep on pasture. Animals. 2021;11:829. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030829
- Hryhorenko L, McWhorter T, Whittaker A, Fernandez EJ. The use of technology as environmental enrichment in zoos: A scoping review. Anim Welf. 2025;34:e73. https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2025.10038
- Lee C, Campbell DLM. A multi-disciplinary approach to assess the welfare impacts of a new virtual fencing technology. Front Vet Sci. 2021;8:637709. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.637709
- Lucas, M. Digital innovations to improve animal welfare in education. https://padlet.com/meganlucas1/digital-innovations-to-improve-animal-welfare-in-education-vin2gvkpnbsk9np8
- Mahato S, Neethirajan S. Integrating Artificial Intelligence in dairy farm management − biometric facial recognition for cows. Inf. Process. Agric. 2025;12:312–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inpa.2024.10.001
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March, D. (2025) Collars, costs and returns: Assessing the value of cow wearables in the NZ pasture systems Kellogg_Rural_Leadership_Programme_NZ_David_March_2025.pdf
- Martvel G, Lazebnik T, Feighelstein M, Henze L, Meller S, Shimshoni I, et al. Automated video-based pain recognition in cats using facial landmarks. Sci Rep. 2024;14:28006. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-78406-2
- Mota-Rojas D, Whittaker AL, Coria-Avila GA, Martínez-Burnes J, Mora-Medina P, Domínguez-Oliva A, et al. How facial expressions reveal acute pain in domestic animals with facial pain scales as a diagnostic tool. Front Vet Sci. 2025;12:1546719. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1546719
- Neethirajan S, Scott S, Mancini C, Boivin X, Strand E. Human-computer interactions with farm animals—enhancing welfare through precision livestock farming and artificial intelligence. Front Vet Sci. 2024;11:1490851. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1490851
- Park S. Digital inequalities in rural Australia: A double jeopardy of remoteness and social exclusion. J. Rural Stud. 2017;54:399–407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2015.12.018
- Pirotta V, Hocking DP, Iggleden J, Harcourt R. Drone observations of marine life and human–wildlife interactions off Sydney, Australia. Drones. 2022;6:75. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6030075
- Raoult V, Colefax AP, Allan BM, Cagnazzi D, Castelblanco-Martínez N, Ierodiaconou D, et al. Operational protocols for the use of drones in marine animal research. Drones. 2020;4:64. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones4040064
- Rayner K, Wilson M. Distance examination of livestock with drones ‐ an effective method for assessing health and welfare. Aust Vet J. 2024;102:293–5. https://doi.org/10.1111/avj.13326
- Schork IG, Manzo IA, Oliveira MRBD, Costa FV, Young RJ, De Azevedo CS. Testing the accuracy of wearable technology to assess sleep behaviour in domestic dogs: a prospective tool for animal welfare assessment in kennels. Animals. 2023;13:1467. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13091467
- Siegford JM, Steibel JP, Han J, Benjamin M, Brown-Brandl T, Dórea JRR, et al. The quest to develop automated systems for monitoring animal behavior. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2023;265:106000. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2023.106000
- Stumpf A, Herbrandt S, Betting L, Kemper N, Fels M. Societal perception of animal videos on social media—funny content or animal suffering? A survey. Animals. 2024;14:2234. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14152234
- Walter M, Lovett R, Maher B, Williamson B, Prehn J, Bodkin‐Andrews G, et al. Indigenous data sovereignty in the era of big data and open data. Aust J Social Issues. 2021;56:143–56. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.141
- Webber S, Cobb ML, Coe J. Welfare through competence: a framework for animal-centric technology design. Front Vet Sci. 2022;9:885973. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.885973
- Wilkins CL, McGreevy PD, Cosh SM, Henshall C, Jones B, Lykins AD, et al. Introducing the Mellorater—the Five domains Model in a welfare monitoring app for animal guardians. Animals. 2024;14:2172. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14152172
- Wurtz K, Camerlink I, D’Eath RB, Fernández AP, Norton T, Steibel J, et al. Recording behaviour of indoor-housed farm animals automatically using machine vision technology: A systematic review. Raboisson D, editor. PLoS ONE. 2019;14:e0226669. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226669
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