Anthrozoology, the study of human-animal interactions (HAIs), has experienced substantial growth during the past 20 years and it is now timely to synthesise what we know from empirical evidence about our relationships with both domesticated and wild animals. Two principal points of focus have become apparent in much of this research. One is the realisation that the strength of these attachments not only has emotional benefits for people, but confers health benefits as well, such that a whole area has opened up of using companion animals for therapeutic purposes. The other is the recognition that the interactions we have with animals have consequences for their welfare too, and thus impact on their quality of life. Consequently we now study HAIs in all scenarios in which animals come into contact with humans, whether as pets/companions, farm livestock, laboratory animals, animals in zoos, or in the wild. This topical area of study is of growing importance for animals in animal management, animal handling, animal welfare and applied ethology courses, and also for people within psychology, anthropology and human geography at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level. It will therefore be of interest to students, researchers, and animal managers across the whole spectrum of human-animal contact.

About the Author:
Geoff Hosey, Formerly Principal Lecturer in Biology, University of Bolton, UK, Vicky Melfi, Principal Lecturer: Human-Animal Interactions, Hartpury University Centre, Hartpury College, Gloucester, UK

Geoff Hosey gained a BSc (Hons) in Zoology in 1970 and a PhD in Behavioural Ecology in 1974 from Manchester University. In 1976 he joined Bolton Institute (now University of Bolton) as a lecturer, and stayed there until his retirement in 2006, teaching behavioural biology, research methods and other aspects of biology to students in Biology and in Psychology. His research interests during this time became concentrated on primate behaviour and zoo animal welfare, both of which he still enjoys, though now as a hobby rather than as a job!

Vicky Melfi is Principal Lecturer in Human-Animal Interactions at Hartpury University Centre, Gloucestershire, UK. She has worked for over 25 years in the zoo profession in the UK, Ireland and Australia, and founded the conservation programme Selamatkan Yaki in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Vicky has held various academic appointments at the Universities of Exeter, Plymouth and Sydney. She gained a PhD in Zoology (Trinity College Dublin), an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare (University of Edinburgh) and a BSc (Hons) in Animal Science (University of Nottingham). She is a passionate advocate of professional/academic collaborations to support evidence based practice, to better understand human-animal interactions and improve animal welfare and conservation outcomes.