​Thanks to generous funding from the ASPCA, the Animal Law and Policy Institute welcomes Christine Ro as one of our summer media fellows. Christine worked for environmental and international development organizations before becoming a freelance journalist. This year she’s writing for the BBC, The Guardian, Forbes, and Nature. She’s especially interested in the interconnections among human, animal, and environmental welfare.

While in Vermont, Christine is taking the course Undercover Investigations of Animal Operations exploring the legal considerations of investigations. Students examine the intersection of criminal law, tort, and ethical issues, as well as what does and does not constitute actionable animal cruelty. They discuss how undercover investigations have changed the legal landscape for animals as well as the methods by which the industry has pushed back at this animal advocacy tactic.

Watch her Hot Topics presentation: Do Animals Get Bored? Does It Matter?

From pets to livestock, from lab animals to animal performers, many species show signs of understimulation. Talking of animal boredom runs the risk of anthropomorphizing animals, or distracting from more urgent animal welfare concerns. This talk will explore some of the biological and neuroscientific research into animal boredom, and what the implications might be for the way animals are treated in practice.