Worried by the cruelty suffered by animals especially the livestock from rearers, a non- governmental Organisation (NGO), ‘The Animal Welfare Society of Nigeria (AWSON), has organised a sensitisation lecture on animals’ welfare to stakeholders in Bauchi state.
The public lecture with the theme, “Towards a Better Animals Welfare in Our Society” was held at Bauchi State College of Agriculture and attended by students, agriculturists, animal production stakeholders, lecturers and herdsmen among others.
In his address, the national president of the society, Professor Mohammed Sanusi, said the purpose of the lecture was to improve and promote animals’ welfare and prevent cruelty to animals in the country.
According to the national president, the organisation intends to achieve the goal through education, advocacy, public awareness and legislation.
“Unfortunately, in Nigeria, animal welfare is still not part of the educational curricular and continuous professional development. Profound knowledge, good practical skills as well as strong awareness on animal welfare are essential for a lasting improvement of animal wellbeing in the country,” he said.
Sunusi also disclosed plans by the organisation to establish animals’ welfare contact groups in all the 36 states and FCT, train students of colleges of agriculture across the country, animals’ farmers and establish care centres for stray animals in all state capitals.
Guest lecturers at the occasion included Professor Usman Sarki Abdullahi who delivered a paper on how to assess animals for meat production and Dr. Mohammed Abdullahi who made a presentation on animal fattening for healthy wholesome meat.
