Name
Dispersed geographies: Mobility issues in interspecies care practices
Date & Time
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM
Description
This paper focuses on the mobility issues surrounding interspecies care, a lesser-known form of care referring to a range of actions performed by human caregivers – mostly women - toward free-ranging animals.
The care practices comprise actions such as feeding, healing, spaying/neutering, rehabilitating and protecting free-ranging urban animals (any species, excluding pets). These actions are carried out on a voluntary basis, with the intention of improving the well-being of urban animals. Literature tends to show that these practices are carried out on a micro-scale, in private or public spaces that are an extension of the home. However, little attention has been paid to the question of mobility involved in these actions.
The analysis reveals that animal care actions involve far greater mobility than anticipated, both on the part of the carers and the animals themselves. In fact, my data show that carers travel considerable distances to help animals. Their actions often involve moving the animals during and beyond care. For example, an injured wildlife animal may be found at location X, rehabilitated at location Y, then released at location Z. In addition, the location of specialized animal resources such as shelters, sanctuaries and clinics across the territory, and the extent of informal care networks, create widely-spread interspecies care geographies. Moreover, a significant proportion of carers do not own a vehicle. In many cases, the use of public transport is not an option, either because the practices sites are not connected, the equipment is too heavy, or the animals are simply not allowed in. The latter are then forced to limit their interventions, ask for help, or adapt their methods.
Drawn from qualitative doctoral research on the phenomenon of interspecies care in the greater Montreal area, the empirical results are based on the analysis of 30 interviews with caregivers and participant observation of their practices. Through a feminist geography theoretical framework, the presentation will focus on mobility issues surrounding animal care practices. The proposal is in line with the sub-theme “Care and mobility in and beyond the urban”.
Location Name
Mackenzie (ME) 3356
Session Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract ID
323
Speaker Name
Gabrielle Perras St-Jean
Speaker Organization
Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)
Session Name
CS102 Geographies of care and mobility