Jacquie Rand

Jacquie Rand has an outstanding research career in veterinary science spanning 35 years. She has a proven track record in delivering industry-relevant research outcomes, and has authored over 115 journal articles, 118 abstracts, and 42 book chapters and is editor of three books. She is currently Emeritus Professor at the University of Queensland and Executive Director and Chief Scientist for the not-for-profit Australian Pet Welfare Foundation, which works with communities and stakeholders through research and advocacy to reduce euthanasia in shelters and pounds.

Professor Rand has been involved in shelter research over the last 15 years, including collaborative studies with the RSPCA Qld, Animal Welfare League Qld and City of Banyule. In the 3 years that the City of Banyule, Vic (pop 130,000) have been working with Professor Rand to target their free sterilization program for cats to the high complaint and impoundment suburbs (instead of using a scatter gun approach and offering free desexing of cats and dogs to any resident), Banyule’s impoundment of cats has dropped by 68% and the numbers of cats euthanased by 76%. Their intake is now 1 cats/1000 residents, whereas the average for Victorian local government areas is 7 cats/1000.

Professor Rand is the lead researcher for the Australian Community Cat Program. The aims and concepts of this project are novel and innovative in the Australian context. The project is a collaboration for the first time in Australia between academic researchers, national veterinary care organisations, animal welfare organisations and local governments, to implement a large-scale community cat program for urban stray cats based on desex/adopt/return principles.

Specifically, this research project aims to investigate whether a contemporary community cat program based on desexing for semi-owned, unowned and owned cats in targeted urban area. Furthermore, she has co-authored eight peer-reviewed articles related to urban stray cats. These argue that there is an urgent need to evaluate the benefits of city-wide programs based on desexing in Australia, and explore barriers to semi-owners taking ownership of the cat.