by Chirantana Mathkari | Feb 7, 2025 | Staff
Chirantana Mathkari
Dr. Chirantana Mathkari, assistant professor of animal behavior, ecology, and conservation and anthrozoology, published an article titled “The Cow Paradox—A Scoping Review of Dairy Bovine Welfare in India Using the Five Freedoms” in Animals, an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal devoted entirely to animals.
Mathkari’s article analyzes the effects of socio-cultural norms on dairy cow and buffalo welfare in India, the largest producer and consumer of milk. Through her research, Mathkari argues that the compromised welfare of the animals presents itself as a paradoxical situation where the acclaimed sacrality of the cow shapes the welfare of the cows negatively, and nurtures a complete disregard for the welfare of the buffaloes, what Mathkari calls “the cow paradox.”
This study brings to light the largely ignored but crucial role that culturally shaped human influences play in the husbandry of dairy animals, creating grounds for studying the human-animal relationships through a holistic, interdisciplinary approach.
Read Mathkari’s article for free here
Submitted by: Chirantana Mathkari, Assistant Professor, Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation and Anthrozoology
by Chirantana Mathkari | May 17, 2024 | Staff
Dr. Chirantana Mathkari, assistant professor in the Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation (ABEC) and Anthrozoology Department, was invited as a guest lecturer in the Life Science Career Lab, a STEM career exploration program for 9th-12th graders hosted by the Buffalo zoo on May 11, 2024.
Teenagers who plan to make a career in animal-related STEM fields such as veterinary medicine, animal behavior, and anthrozoology, analyzed career paths, discussed educational pre-requisites offered at Canisius, and even opened up on personal experiences with Dr. Mathkari, all in an active learning environment.
Some of the current ABEC and Anthrozoology students are the past participants of the Life Science Career Lab, and a continued involvement of the faculty at the lab exhibits the potential to engage more students in the University’s degree programs.
Submitted by: Chirantana Mathkari, Assistant Professor, Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation & Anthrozoology
by Chirantana Mathkari | Mar 20, 2024 | Staff
Drs. Chirantana Mathkari and Sue Margulis (center), pictured alongside their spouses
Faculty from the Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation (ABEC) and Anthrozoology departments, along with their spouses, served as judges in the Terra Western New York STEM Fair held at D’Youville University on Saturday, March 16.
The science fair provides middle and high school students the opportunity to engage in authentic scientific research or engineering practice and to share their experiences and findings with the public. Focus is also on incentivizing the underserved and under-represented, including women in STEM.
A variety of projects relating to diverse disciplines such as biomedical health, animal studies, environmental engineering, and chemistry, were evaluated by the judges to nominate the students for awards in recognition of their work and for future presentations of their projects.
Submitted by: Chirantana Mathkari, Assistant Professor, Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation & Anthrozoology
