Hi, I’m Louise Rajack.
My love for nature and appreciation of the value of a respectful balance between human activity and the earth’s natural resources, including its fauna and flora, led me to pursue undergraduate studies in this field. In 1992, I graduated with a B.Sc. in Environmental Science from the University of Hertfordshire (UK), in the course of which I conducted field-based research on woodland fauna. During that time in the Greater London Area, I also worked as a Park Ranger.
Ph.D. Pets & Human Health. Human-Animal Interactions- University of Cambridge, UK.
M.Sc. Applied Animal Behaviour & Animal Welfare- University of Edinburgh, UK.
My resulting heightened awareness of the sentient nature of animals and the ways in which this is often overlooked and minimized in pursuit of short-term economic and scientific goals, motivated me to move to Scotland where a unique Masters in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare was offered at the University of Edinburgh. My M.Sc. thesis focused on public perception of zoo animals and was based on collecting and analyzing primary data. While there, I volunteered at the Scottish Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) helping to rehabilitate wildlife affected by marine oil spills among other activities.
Upon completion of my Masters, I was selected for a sponsored researcher role to investigate possible health benefits of pet-ownership, studying the recovery of hundreds of myocardial infarction patients from Addenbrookes hospital, one of the UK’s premier health institutions. That research was conducted at the University of Cambridge, resulting in my Ph.D. in Pets and Human Health - Human Animal Interactions.
In the Caribbean, I continued my engagement with animals providing a pet behavioral therapy advisory service to pet owners earlier on and later, voluntarily supporting the Director of the Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary in Barbados. Being passionate about dogs and animal welfare, we opened our home to provide a safe harbor and to regularly rehabilitate badly neglected dogs that were often too weak or vulnerable to survive or thrive even in designated shelters and sanctuaries.