Current areas of focus are the live animal export trade, companion animal welfare and intensive farming systems. Further details can be found on the Sentient website www.sentient.org.au/ or by emailing contactus@sentient.org.au
Multispecies Education International (MEI) Multispecies education is a new concept. It is essentially an extension of the already mainstream and respected concept of multicultural education. Multicultural education was developed to meet the challenge of how humans of different races and cultures could learn how to live together fairly on this Earth. Multispecies education has the same goal, but extends beyond the species divides. If you take as a starting premise that humans cannot survive on this planet without other species ... then the challenge we face is not just conserving species, but learning to live with biodiversity. If you recognise that beyond pure survival needs, human quality of life can often be enriched by the existence of other species, then our challenge is also about learning to respect, understand and potentially cooperate with other species. Whilst some segregation of species may be necessary, most areas of the Earth are going to have to be shared, multispecies environments or communities. Currently, a range of inter-species conflicts exist around the world, resulting in conservation, health and welfare problems for both humans and animals. At Multispecies Education International, they believe that education is a critical key to solving the challenge of sharing this Earth. Not just education of humans, but when appropriate, education of non-human species also. Given the advances in animal education methodologies based predominantly on positive reinforcement, new possibilities are becoming evident for opening up lines of communication between species that may eventually enable us to find solutions to the interspecies conflict, health and welfare issues that exist today. Multispecies education international is working hard to develop an internationally replicable and adaptable model for the cultivation of Multispecies Community Zones, supported by Multispecies Education Centers. They are currently working on their first project in Bogor, Indonesia. For more information or to contact see http://www.supportmei.org/index.html
Voiceless: The Animal Protection Institute Eureka Prize The $10,000 Eureka Prize for Scientific Research that Contributes to Animal Protection, sponsored by Voiceless, has been awarded to Professor Clive Philips. For details see under Australian Museum above.
Animals and Society Institute Course Awards Nominations The 13th annual Animals and Society Course Awards, presented by the ASI and The Humane Society of the United States, is now accepting nominations. The awards recognize excellence in courses concerning the human-animal bond, human obligations toward animals, the status of animals, and related topics. Competitive entries for the awards would be courses that bring the study of animals and society into new arenas; approach the field from a novel perspective, or make use of novel teaching methods; provide exposure to
32