Stirling Human Animal Interaction Research (SHAIR)

What does SHAIR cover?

SHAIR is a group that showcases and develops synergies in human-animal interaction research across the University, and in collaboration with external partners.

Humans share this planet with other animals and our interactions are at the core of our everyday lives. We farm and eat animals, we keep them as companions and for work, as models for humans in laboratory research, in animal-assisted interventions for positive behaviour change, and in education, entertainment and ecotourism. 

Depending upon our perceptions and attitudes towards animals, and in relation to the impact they have on us and the environment, we may actively attempt to conserve them, domesticate them or eradicate them. 

Despite the breadth of research conducted on human-animal interactions, interdisciplinary links are rarely made, providing an incomplete understanding of the interactions and mechanisms underlying their costs and benefits.