Rebecca Meagher
@rkmeagher.bsky.social
Animal behaviour and welfare researcher. Assoc Prof at Dalhousie. Fond of cows, mustelids, cats and nerdy humour.
Done!
Science for Animal Welfare is excited to announce that we have been entered into the Benefact Group Movement for Good Animals & Wildlife Special Draw, where 10 charities will each receive £5,000.
👉 Nominate us here: https://ow.ly/wEv350ZUr7H
Thank you for your support.
#MovementForGood
👉 Nominate us here: https://ow.ly/wEv350ZUr7H
Thank you for your support.
#MovementForGood
October 8, 2026 at 5:04 PM
Done!
As someone who was just told screening mammograms where I live are booking for *2028*, I really hope they make progress with this quickly!
🩺 Nova Scotia is launching new initiatives to improve women’s healthcare across the province. Official source:
news.novascotia.ca/en/2026/09/1...
#NovaScotia #WomensHealth #Healthcare
news.novascotia.ca/en/2026/09/1...
#NovaScotia #WomensHealth #Healthcare
September 14, 2026 at 6:49 PM
As someone who was just told screening mammograms where I live are booking for *2028*, I really hope they make progress with this quickly!
Reposted by Rebecca Meagher
Free e-copies of “Assessing Animal Welfare - A Guide to the Valid Use of Indicators of Affective States” are available for applicants in low-income countries working in animal welfare, thanks to funding from Coefficient Giving and a discount from Wiley. Apply by 15 November https://ow.ly/6lYi50ZNnNt
September 14, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Free e-copies of “Assessing Animal Welfare - A Guide to the Valid Use of Indicators of Affective States” are available for applicants in low-income countries working in animal welfare, thanks to funding from Coefficient Giving and a discount from Wiley. Apply by 15 November https://ow.ly/6lYi50ZNnNt
Reposted by Rebecca Meagher
"people are anthropomorphizing LLMs because they are so astonishingly good at processing human thought and language" people will anthropomorphize a chair if you put the stitches in the right place.
September 7, 2026 at 10:33 PM
"people are anthropomorphizing LLMs because they are so astonishingly good at processing human thought and language" people will anthropomorphize a chair if you put the stitches in the right place.
Reposted by Rebecca Meagher
5 former chairs of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, myself included, raise alarm over the Carney gov't proposed 'major projects' initiative. It will lead to extinctions, likely including southern resident killer whales www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
Proposed changes to endangered species law would 'stab it to death,' says scientist | CBC News
The former chairs of a panel that advises the federal government on endangered wildlife have published an open letter highlighting concerns over proposed changes to the Species At Risk Act, which they...
www.cbc.ca
August 20, 2026 at 12:22 PM
5 former chairs of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, myself included, raise alarm over the Carney gov't proposed 'major projects' initiative. It will lead to extinctions, likely including southern resident killer whales www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
Reposted by Rebecca Meagher
🔬 New funding opportunity!
Apply for a $100,000 USD Systematic Review Grant from AAALAC International and Science for Animal Welfare.
Support evidence-based best practices for laboratory animal welfare.
Deadline: 1 Nov 2026.
🔗 https://ow.ly/9l1h50ZAr8I
#ResearchFunding #SystematicReview
Apply for a $100,000 USD Systematic Review Grant from AAALAC International and Science for Animal Welfare.
Support evidence-based best practices for laboratory animal welfare.
Deadline: 1 Nov 2026.
🔗 https://ow.ly/9l1h50ZAr8I
#ResearchFunding #SystematicReview
August 17, 2026 at 11:30 AM
🔬 New funding opportunity!
Apply for a $100,000 USD Systematic Review Grant from AAALAC International and Science for Animal Welfare.
Support evidence-based best practices for laboratory animal welfare.
Deadline: 1 Nov 2026.
🔗 https://ow.ly/9l1h50ZAr8I
#ResearchFunding #SystematicReview
Apply for a $100,000 USD Systematic Review Grant from AAALAC International and Science for Animal Welfare.
Support evidence-based best practices for laboratory animal welfare.
Deadline: 1 Nov 2026.
🔗 https://ow.ly/9l1h50ZAr8I
#ResearchFunding #SystematicReview
Today I learned BC has lakes officially named "Another Lake" "And Another Lake". apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/n... Thank you social media. 😆
BC Geographical Names
apps.gov.bc.ca
August 11, 2026 at 7:28 PM
Today I learned BC has lakes officially named "Another Lake" "And Another Lake". apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/n... Thank you social media. 😆
Reposted by Rebecca Meagher
Mason, Nielsen and Mendl’s great textbook on animal emotions is out, with a chapter on vocal indicators by former postdoc A. Villain & me. We follow the book’s format, exploring responsiveness & selectivity of vocalisations as indicators (3 years In press but hopefully still up to date).
Vocal Signals
This chapter analyses if, based on current evidence, vocalisations have construct validity as indicators of emotional valence across species. It then explores the responsiveness and selectivity of vo...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
August 4, 2026 at 7:27 PM
Mason, Nielsen and Mendl’s great textbook on animal emotions is out, with a chapter on vocal indicators by former postdoc A. Villain & me. We follow the book’s format, exploring responsiveness & selectivity of vocalisations as indicators (3 years In press but hopefully still up to date).
I wrote a chapter for this with my excellent colleague Carole Fureix at University of Bristol, on reward sensitivity and affect (particularly boredom and depression). I think it's a very useful book.
We are delighted to announce the publication of Assessing Animal Welfare. Edited by Georgia Mason, Birte Nielsen and Michael Mendl, the book provides a practical guide to validating and using indicators of animal welfare.
🔗 Purchase the book: https://ow.ly/een550ZqRos
#AffectiveStates
🔗 Purchase the book: https://ow.ly/een550ZqRos
#AffectiveStates
August 3, 2026 at 11:30 AM
I wrote a chapter for this with my excellent colleague Carole Fureix at University of Bristol, on reward sensitivity and affect (particularly boredom and depression). I think it's a very useful book.
Reposted by Rebecca Meagher
Letter from 5 former chairs of COSEWIC to Canadian gov't expressing alarm over plans to ignore Species at Risk Act and other environmental legislation if they feel like it. Liberals will let orcas go extinct to subsidize big oil, Imagine what a future tory gov't may do 😱
www.sfu.ca/~amooers/sci...
www.sfu.ca/~amooers/sci...
www.sfu.ca
July 29, 2026 at 12:25 AM
Letter from 5 former chairs of COSEWIC to Canadian gov't expressing alarm over plans to ignore Species at Risk Act and other environmental legislation if they feel like it. Liberals will let orcas go extinct to subsidize big oil, Imagine what a future tory gov't may do 😱
www.sfu.ca/~amooers/sci...
www.sfu.ca/~amooers/sci...
Reposted by Rebecca Meagher
I love raptors, but disappointed the suggested names of Donair Force One and of course Choppy McChopface didn't make it... too unserious for this role? www.facebook.com/watch/?v=878... #novascotia
14K views · 136 reactions | 🚁 The names are in! 🚁 After nearly 10,000 suggestions and a province-wide vote, Nova Scotians have chosen the names of our four new helicopters: Spirit of the Eagle Spirit of the Hawk Spirit of the Falcon Spirit of the Osprey These aircraft will support wildfire response, search and rescue, emergency operations, scientific research and more, helping keep Nova Scotians safe from coast to coast. Thank you to everyone who submitted ideas and cast a vote. Your new fleet is ready for takeoff. | Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources
🚁 The names are in! 🚁 After nearly 10,000 suggestions and a province-wide vote, Nova Scotians have chosen the names of our four new helicopters: Spirit of the Eagle Spirit of the Hawk Spirit of the...
www.facebook.com
July 15, 2026 at 12:15 PM
I love raptors, but disappointed the suggested names of Donair Force One and of course Choppy McChopface didn't make it... too unserious for this role? www.facebook.com/watch/?v=878... #novascotia
How animals perceive the world matters for their welfare, and for trying to work with them. This review covers what we know and don't know about cattle sensory systems & what this means for management. Thanks to @drmariarorvang.bsky.social for inviting me to be part of it! doi.org/10.1016/j.ap... 🐄
Redirecting
doi.org
July 9, 2026 at 6:48 PM
How animals perceive the world matters for their welfare, and for trying to work with them. This review covers what we know and don't know about cattle sensory systems & what this means for management. Thanks to @drmariarorvang.bsky.social for inviting me to be part of it! doi.org/10.1016/j.ap... 🐄
Reposted by Rebecca Meagher
I mean I know I’m biased as a weird little nerd with her own weird little niche interests but this is factually correct
There’s literally other weird little nerds who studied this stuff
There’s literally other weird little nerds who studied this stuff
You just gotta let scientists be weird little nerds in their weird little niche interest areas and accept that the benefits to the wider community, and thus to The Economy, will flow naturally from that
June 27, 2026 at 10:26 AM
I mean I know I’m biased as a weird little nerd with her own weird little niche interests but this is factually correct
There’s literally other weird little nerds who studied this stuff
There’s literally other weird little nerds who studied this stuff
Reposted by Rebecca Meagher
Reposted by Rebecca Meagher
Thinking about why women might not want to use a product that has forced itself into every software interface to confidently shout things that are wrong
One of the more misogynistic takes currently trending in the AI policy space is "women use less AI than men because they have less tech literacy" Ok but have you considered that women use less AI than men because we have more tech literacy?
May 30, 2026 at 4:09 AM
Thinking about why women might not want to use a product that has forced itself into every software interface to confidently shout things that are wrong
Worrying example of what's going on in higher ed. I noted lots of the comments are supportive of the prof - I'm not sure university leadership are reading people's feeling about new tech or even education correctly.
The professor said there were noticeable discrepancies in the results: students who performed exceptionally on the multiple-choice section were unable to apply that knowledge in the long answer.
There were also references to legal precedents that had never been mentioned in class.
There were also references to legal precedents that had never been mentioned in class.
Western prof suspected cheating in exams, so he scrapped them from final grades. The school intervened
Undergrad students were told this week that the multiple-choice section of their April assessment would count despite their professor’s concerns.
www.thestar.com
May 22, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Worrying example of what's going on in higher ed. I noted lots of the comments are supportive of the prof - I'm not sure university leadership are reading people's feeling about new tech or even education correctly.
Reposted by Rebecca Meagher
📢 We’ve launched a LIFT survey to support the development of Positive Animal Welfare (PAW) indicators for farm animals.
We are requesting input from farm managers and farmers’ associations, working with dairy cattle, beef cattle, pigs, layer poultry, broiler poultry, sheep and goats.
We are requesting input from farm managers and farmers’ associations, working with dairy cattle, beef cattle, pigs, layer poultry, broiler poultry, sheep and goats.
Surveys - LIFT - COST ACTION CA21124
COST Action LIFT 1st Round Stakeholder Consultation (until 31st of July 2026). Positive animal welfare is beyond good physical health and without animal
liftanimalwelfare.eu
May 20, 2026 at 11:13 AM
📢 We’ve launched a LIFT survey to support the development of Positive Animal Welfare (PAW) indicators for farm animals.
We are requesting input from farm managers and farmers’ associations, working with dairy cattle, beef cattle, pigs, layer poultry, broiler poultry, sheep and goats.
We are requesting input from farm managers and farmers’ associations, working with dairy cattle, beef cattle, pigs, layer poultry, broiler poultry, sheep and goats.
@owlstown.com Please add my academic website to the Owlstown Academic Gallery.
URL: rebecca-meagher.owlstown.net
URL: rebecca-meagher.owlstown.net
Rebecca K. Meagher
rebecca-meagher.owlstown.net
May 20, 2026 at 11:44 AM
@owlstown.com Please add my academic website to the Owlstown Academic Gallery.
URL: rebecca-meagher.owlstown.net
URL: rebecca-meagher.owlstown.net
This local nerd just got to fill out her long form!
Local nerd disappointed he didn’t get the long form census
Local nerd disappointed he didn’t get the long form census
TATAMAGOUCHE, NS - An event five years in anticipation turned to bitter disappointment this week, as a local census dweeb did not receive the coveted long form questionnaire.
www.thebeaverton.com
May 8, 2026 at 5:59 PM
This local nerd just got to fill out her long form!
Reposted by Rebecca Meagher
‘Uplift all people’: We must protect Nova Scotian universities
by Cathy Conrad @cathyconrad.bsky.social
by Cathy Conrad @cathyconrad.bsky.social
'Uplift all people': We must protect Nova Scotian universities - Halifax Examiner
Nova Scotia is a province blessed with outstanding higher educational institutions. With 10 universities, we are a knowledge society. And yet some would be quick to critique this fact, arguing that pe...
www.halifaxexaminer.ca
April 29, 2026 at 7:35 PM
‘Uplift all people’: We must protect Nova Scotian universities
by Cathy Conrad @cathyconrad.bsky.social
by Cathy Conrad @cathyconrad.bsky.social
Currently at the stage of planning trial where we have to figure out what kind of trouble young cattle might get into in a new space... including risk of them pulling the fire alarm!
April 1, 2026 at 12:51 PM
Currently at the stage of planning trial where we have to figure out what kind of trouble young cattle might get into in a new space... including risk of them pulling the fire alarm!
New paper! Review of how social factors might influence hens' use of enrichment. Jessica Gill led this paper while she was working on her MSc in our department. doi.org/10.1016/j.ap...
a group of white chickens with red crests
Alt: Cartoon of a group of white chickens with red crests popping up one by one
media.tenor.com
March 24, 2026 at 10:54 AM
New paper! Review of how social factors might influence hens' use of enrichment. Jessica Gill led this paper while she was working on her MSc in our department. doi.org/10.1016/j.ap...
Reposted by Rebecca Meagher
Aesop: I TOLD YOU
March 22, 2026 at 8:26 PM
Aesop: I TOLD YOU
This is the kind of news I needed today.
River otters have staged a remarkable comeback across North America’s Great Lakes after disappearing from many waterways by the 1970s. As apex predators, their return signals cleaner water and healthier ecosystems. Rewilding Magazine buff.ly/E3nOAiq
#ShareGoodNewsToo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
The River Otter's Remarkable Comeback
In North America’s Great Lakes region, river otters are coming back from the brink thanks to decades of effort on both sides of the border.
buff.ly
March 18, 2026 at 6:14 PM
This is the kind of news I needed today.