Harold Gonyou, who officially retired in July from the University of Saskatchewan but remains active, “left a positive impact on the field of ethology, animal welfare in general, the industry and society,” it was noted at his induction as an Honorary Fellow of the International Society for Applied Ethology, at their recent annual meeting in Indianapolis, IN.

The society’s 45th international conference provided a “forum for the presentation and discussion of advances in applied animal behavior science and education and inspires further innovations,” according to the group.

Gonyou has been an active member of the society throughout his career, serving as president of the society and co-editor-in-chief of the Applied Animal Behaviour Science Journal.

Gonyou’s career spans appointments at the University of Illinois, where he studied multiple animal species and at Prairie Swine Centre, where he focused primarily on pigs when he joined the staff in 1992.

His legacy includes several academic and industry awards and recognitions for his ability to apply the science of animal behavior to practical production challenges.

During his career, he established the methodology for assessing feeder effectiveness, establishment of measuring stress-induced behavior in moving and transport of pigs, refining the space requirements for all classes of swine using a novel body area formula, understanding social conditioning to better manage growing pigs and gestating sows, and assisting in developing new management practices for large group housing systems.

Gonyou continues to oversee graduate students, consult on the research program he established at Prairie Swine Centre and deliver special lectures at the University of Sasketchewan and elsewhere.

Gonyou serves as a member of a national committee reviewing the codes of practice for swine, and is currently publishing a series of articles on current topics in pork production and how the science of behavior can play a role in solving production issues and societal impressions of modern pork production.

Prairie Swine Centre, located near Saskatoon, is a non-profit research corporation affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan.