Schneider Anna K E, Bubeck Marc J
FAU Kompetenzzentrum für interdisziplinäre Wissenschaftsreflexion, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany.
Faculty for Health Sciences Brandenburg, University of Potsdam, 14469 Potsdam, Germany.
Vet Sci. 2025 Jul 25;12(8):696. doi: 10.3390/vetsci12080696.
Caring for the lives and welfare of animals is central to veterinary and animal sanctuary work, yet the meaning remains a subject of complex debates. Different stakeholders negotiate what constitutes appropriate care, leading to conflicting demands and expectations from internal and external sources. This article is based on two qualitative studies: Study I explores the multifaceted aspects of death work in farm animal medicine, emphasising the practical, emotional and ethical challenges involved. Study II examines human-animal interaction in sanctuaries, which reveal tensions between instrumental and relational care in animal-centred work. Relational care represents a subjectifying approach with individual attention to animals, while instrumental care is a more objectifying perspective based on species representation. These demands can often be contradictory, complicating day-to-day decision making under pressure. To analyse these complexities, this study employs Clarke's situational analysis (social worlds/arenas mapping), providing a means of comparing care work across different fields. This approach highlights how actor constellations, institutional settings, and structural constraints influence the negotiation of care. Addressing these issues provides a more nuanced understanding of the professional challenges of animal-centred care and the necessary skills to navigate its inherent contradictions.
关爱动物的生命和福祉是兽医及动物庇护所工作的核心，但这一理念的内涵仍是复杂辩论的主题。不同利益相关者就何为恰当的照料进行协商，导致来自内部和外部的相互冲突的要求和期望。本文基于两项定性研究：研究一探讨了农场动物医学中死亡工作的多方面内容，强调其中涉及的实际、情感和伦理挑战。研究二考察了庇护所中的人-动物互动，揭示了以动物为中心的工作中工具性照料和关系性照料之间的紧张关系。关系性照料是一种关注个体动物的主观化方法，而工具性照料则是基于物种表征的更客观化视角。这些要求往往相互矛盾，使在压力下的日常决策变得复杂。为了分析这些复杂性，本研究采用了克拉克的情境分析（社会世界/领域映射），提供了一种比较不同领域照料工作的方法。这种方法突出了行动者组合、机构环境和结构限制如何影响照料的协商。解决这些问题能更细致入微地理解以动物为中心的照料所面临的专业挑战以及应对其内在矛盾所需的技能。
