Social responsibility
What your money can do
- Two donors each giving £50 will pay for a farmer information pack suggesting short term solutions.
- Five donors each giving £100 will pay for a researcher to travel to a relevant conference to share information about causes and possible solutions to this problem.
- 50 donors each giving £50
will pay for a summer student to work for three months on a project examining housing designs that minimise the risks of damaging 'crash landings' by hens.
Whether through research that helps us to understand our planet’s climate better or inspiring local communities through education and sport, Bristol donors are helping people around the world.
Do you care about animal welfare?
If you care about animal welfare, chances are the poached egg on your Sunday morning muffin is free range; and medium sized, too. Whilst the welfare benefits of allowing laying hens the freedom to roam in the fresh air and the importance of egg size to their well-being are common knowledge, other health hazards for these animals are not yet adequately addressed.
For instance, the University of Bristol Animal Welfare Group is researching the causes of broken bones in laying hens, with a concerning 50 to 80 per cent of hens estimated to be affected – even in free range conditions. A serious fracture of the breast bone will be painful and will seriously affect the ability of the hen to move freely between food, water, nesting and perching facilities. Please help us to investigate the reasons for this increasing problem and highlight possible solutions.
Areas supported in 2011/12
- A low-cost wooden bike. A wind turbine made out of local materials. These are just two of the projects made possible by your support for our engineering students. Working with Engineers Without Borders, an international development organisation which brings sustainable industry to communities in developing countries, Bristol students gain hands-on experience while helping others.
- Your gift of £15,000 funded research that demonstrated farmers can count on an increase in overall egg productivity by improving the welfare of their chickens. Bristol vets are now investigating the link between animal welfare and commercial productivity through diet and other interventions.
- A recent £3,500 donation from an alumnus bought a thermal imaging camera for the School of Veterinary Sciences. This non-invasive tool will aid accurate diagnoses, and will inform vital treatment decisions.