Magyar Vad- és Állatkerti Állatorvosok Társasága

A scientific look at large scale, do-it-yourself, wildlife management*** *
UFAW International Animal Welfare Symposium, Zoological Society of
London, London UK* *
4^th May 2010*

In recent years, there has been a huge growth of interest in feeding
garden birds in many countries. In the UK, the amounts provided make a
significant contribution to the annual food requirements of many bird
populations. At a time when human changes to the environment are a major
threat to many other species, garden bird feeding is grass roots,
do-it-yourself wildlife management on a large scale.

Whether we like it or not, in meeting the needs of the vast and rapidly
growing human population and in tackling the associated environmental
consequences, the whole world is becoming a managed environment. Can
lessons learned from caring for free-living backyard wildlife be applied
more widely to help conserve biodiversity and to avoid adversely
affecting wildlife welfare?

The aim of this symposium is to consider these questions and to share
the results of recent research and advances in understanding on various
aspects of the feeding and management of garden birds (matters that UFAW
and others have been working on together in recent years through the
Garden Bird Health Initiative – see http://www.ufaw.org.uk/gbhi.php).
Topics will include nutritional aspects, effects on breeding and
survival, epidemiology of diseases, and technological advances.

*_Programme Details_*

Speakers who will be contributing talks to the symposium in the
following areas include:**
> >
> > * *James Kirkwood* (Universities Federation for Animal Welfare,
> > UK) Introduction: the garden bird health initiative
> > * *Chris Whittles* (CJ WildBird Foods Ltd) The history of garden
> > bird feeding
> > * *Darryl Jones* (Griffith University, Australia) Feeding wild
> > birds: why we need to know more about a global experiment
> > * *Jonathan Blount and Stuart Bearhop* (University of Exeter, UK)
> > Impacts of over-winter feeding on health and productivity
> > * *S James Reynolds* (University of Birmingham, UK) Effects of
> > food supplementation in spring and early summer on breeding
> > performance
> > * *Will Peach* (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK) The
> > RSPB house sparrow feeding trial in London
> > * *Mike Toms and David Glue* (British Trust for Ornithology, UK)
> > Provision of supplementary food at garden feeding stations and
> > its value to wild birds in Britain and Ireland
> > * *Liz Coiffait, **Liz Humphreys, Rob Robinson, Becki Lawson and
> > Mike Toms* (BTO and Institute of Zoology, UK) Factors
> > influencing disease transmission at garden feeding stations: a
> > national analysis
> > * *David Leech and Vivienne Greenough* (British Trust for
> > Ornithology, UK) Monitoring breeding success of urban birds: the
> > BTOs nest box challenge
> > * *Becki Lawson* (Institute of Zoology, UK) Trichomonosis – an
> > emerging threat to garden birds
> > * *André Dhondt* (Cornell University, USA) Dynamics of mycoplasmal
> > conjunctivitis in house finches
> > * *Scott McBurney, Spencer Greenwood, Raphaël Vanderstichel and
> > María Forzán* (University of Prince Edward Island, Canada) A
> > pilot study to determine epidemiological factors associated with
> > the emergence of trichomonosis in wild finch populations of the
> > Canadian Maritime Provinces
> >
*_Registration details:_**__*

The cost of registering for this meeting is £35.00. This price covers
attendance at the symposium and refreshments but delegates will have to
make their own lunch and accommodation arrangements. Further details,
including a registration form, can be found on the UFAW website -
http://www.ufaw.org.uk/wildbirdcareinthegarden.php.*_

Venue:_**__*

The symposium is being held in the Zoological Society of London’s Huxley
Lecture Theatre, which is located on the opposite side of the road to
the main entrance to London Zoo and to the right (ZSL, Outer Circle,
Regent's Park London NW1 4RY). Camden Town, on the Northern line, is the
nearest underground station.*_

Background to UFAW:_**__*

UFAW, the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, is an
internationally-recognised, independent, scientific and educational
animal welfare charity. The organization promotes high standards of
welfare for farm, companion, laboratory and captive wild animals and
those with which we interact in the wild. Information about the charity
is at www.ufaw.org.uk.*_

Contact Details:_*Stephen Wickens, Development Officer, UFAW, The Old
School, Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, AL4 8AN, UK. Tel:
+44 (0) 1582 831818; Fax: +44 (0) 1582 831414; Website: www.ufaw.org.uk
; Email: wickens@ufaw.org.uk