Daniel wins RSPCA Farm Animal Welfare Award

Daniel Jackson has been named the winner of the RSPCA Farm Animal Welfare Award 2020.

The prize is awarded to the student who produced the best farm animal welfare Honours Research Project (HRP). Daniel’s paper was entitled Investigating the Impacts of Media on the Public’s Perception of Welfare in the UK Dairy Industry.

Daniel, 23, from North Somerset, took his passion for working with animals from a young age and channelled this into his studies. Completing his BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour and Welfare (Top-up) degree, Daniel valued the hands-on teaching experience as well as the university’s dedication to animal studies and facilities.

During his placement year, Daniel worked for Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm. There he worked as an animal keeper for hoof stock - cows, goats, reindeer, and American bison - as well as reptiles, birds of prey, big cats, and South American animals including Andean bears, tapirs and llamas.

Speaking about a typical day on placement, Daniel said: “I would clean the enclosures and then provide the animals with their breakfast. Once this was done any extra jobs for the day would be completed. This would normally be producing enrichment for all the animals on each section. After this afternoon jobs such as further cleaning and feeding would be completed.” 

Over the course of his placement year, Daniel discovered some useful information that contributed to his dissertation. He said: “I learnt about how livestock are cared for when not in a farming environment which I could then compare to farming environments in my final year.”

Following graduation, Daniel now works in an independent pet shop. He said: “I chose this role as it allows me to use my knowledge and experiences to help people who are seeking welfare advice for their pets.”

For further information on our animal science degree pathways, please click here.