Kissing Sharks? Sarah Oxley Heaney - PhD Candidate
Outputs
I am a sixth-year, part-time PhD candidate in Anthrozoology at the University of Exeter. My doctoral project, Kissing Sharks?, examines the practice of shark-listening as a contribution to post-anthropocentric anthrozoology, challenging dominant perceptions of sharks. A post-anthropocentric lens also informs my wider interests in feline lives and animal abandonment, grounded in earlier MA research and long-term rescue practice in Saudi Arabia. Across my work, I seek to open up more post-anthropocentric ways of understanding multispecies worlds. I also value collaborative and participatory scholarship as a way of widening anthrozoological inquiry.
This section brings together research outputs from my doctoral work on shark-listening and post-anthropocentric anthrozoology.
This section presents research outputs on feline lives and animal abandonment, grounded in earlier MA research and long-term rescue practice in Saudi Arabia.
This section includes research outputs and initiatives developed through collaborative and field-building work in anthrozoology.
S. Oxley Heaney, C. Zenato (2025). ‘Listening’ for Silent Killers: Hooked on Holidays. Studies on the Human-Animal Relationship Anthrozoology Series. University of Debrecen Anthrozoology Research https://anthrozoology.acadiasi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Exploring-Connections.pdf p135-178
Also available here: (P135-178)
Oxley Heaney, S.; Zenato, C., (2025, 6 November) Listening to Pain: Shark Subjectivity, Corporeal Compassion, and Posthuman Inquiry.
The 8th Anthrozoology Symposium, Conscious Beings: Rethinking Animality and Awareness, The Institute of Economic and Social Research, Iași, Romania (Online 6).
Conference website here.
Book of abstracts is found here
Reference List: here
This presentation explores how shark pain might be understood differently through shark-listening, participatory inquiry, and posthuman ethics. Drawing on Acampora’s idea of corporal compassion, it argues for moving beyond human-centred assumptions in order to engage sharks as ethically significant beings.
S. Oxley Heaney (2025, 25 April). Reflecting on the messy edges of posthuman perspectives, optimism, discouragement and resistance. Presented at The University of Exeter's Anthrozoology MA Virtual Residential 2025.
Recording available here: https://youtu.be/zqDVu51yeLM.
Conference program found here.
Book of abstracts found here.Online 25th of April, 2025. Feedback can be given here
This presentation considers my search for a theoretical framework that fits both my doctoral research and my post-anthropocentric interests. It reflects on tensions within posthumanism and asks whether resistance to anthropocentric exclusion can still be a meaningful form of advocacy.
Oxley Heaney, S., Zenato, C., Shark Sensation Shock: The Media’s Shark Fear Makeover! - “Perspectives of the Human-Animal Relationship", organised by The Institute of Economic and Social Research, Iași, Romania (Hybrid). Conference website here. Book of abstracts found here.Online 3rd and 4th of October, 2024.
This presentation examines how media representations of sharks continue to rely on fear-based framing. Using qualitative analysis and participatory reframing, it explores how shark-listening and posthuman perspectives can help challenge those narratives and open up alternative ways of seeing sharks.
Oxley Heaney, S., Zenato, C., Hooked on Holidays. The 7th Anthrozoology Symposium, organised by “Gh. Zane” Institute of Economic and Social Research (Romanian Academy – Iasi Branch), Conference website here. Book of abstracts found here. Online 7th and 9th of November 2024
Abstract
This presentation explores the harm caused to sharks through recreational fishing linked to holiday leisure in the Bahamas. Drawing on interviews and shark-listening, it considers injury, grief, and the unravelling of shark-human bonds when human recreation takes precedence over more-than-human lives.
S. Oxley Heaney (2023, 9 March). Fishing For Families. Emerging Voices for Animals in Tourism (EVAT) - Virtual Conference 2023. Program available here: Recording available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjS-qRYfRHI
This presentation critiques recreational fishing as a normalised part of human leisure and tourism. It argues that family bonding and entertainment often depend on ignoring the suffering inflicted on targeted marine animals.
S. Oxley Heaney (2022, 29 April). Losing a Limb in a Candy Shop. University of Exeter's MA Anthrozoology Virtual Residential.
This presentation asks what happens when shark-watching industries prioritise profit and entertainment over the wellbeing of individual sharks. It considers the ethical tensions within shark tourism and the limits of relying on economic value as a basis for protection.
Oxley Heaney, S. (2023) ‘Arabian feline (Felis silvestris catus) lives: Insights into abandonment’, EASE Working Paper Series, 1, pp. 54–88. Available at: https://anthrozoologyassymbioticethics.wordpress.com/ease-working-paper-series-volume-1-emerging-voices/
Hill, K., Szydlowski, M., Oxley Heaney, S., & Busby, D. (2022) ‘Uncivilized Behaviors: How Humans Wield “Feral” to Assert Power (and Control) over Other Species’, Society and Animals, 21(4), pp. 1–19. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1163/15685306-bja10088.
Oxley Heaney, S., Hill, K., Szydlowski , M., Hooper, J., & Aiello, T. (2022). Members only? A posthuman view of otherthanhuman-animal immigrants across human-defined borders. TRACE ∴ Journal for Human-Animal Studies, 8. Available at: https://doi.org/10.23984/fjhas.110811.
Oxley Heaney, S. (2024) Abandonment in Arabia: Acknowledging Feline Experiences (Felis silvestris catus). In László,B. and Lovas,A. (Eds.), Studies on the Human-Animal Relationship Anthrozoology Series III. University of Debrecen Anthrozoology Research Group, ISBN 978-963-490-644-5, pp 49-83. Available at: https://antrozoologiakonf.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/borbala-laszlo-antal-lovas-kiss-eds_studies-on-the-human-animal-relationship-2024-1.pdf.
S. Oxley Heaney (2023, 4 October). Perspectives on cat (Felis silvestrus catus) Abandonment in Saudi Arabia. 2nd International Anthrozoology Conference - “Perspectives of the Human-Animal Relationship, The Institute of Economic and Social Research, Iași, Romania (Hybrid). Program available here: https://antrozoologiakonf.wordpress.com/english-2/. Recording available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjSAHprB884
This presentation explores street-living feline welfare in Saudi Arabia. While many felines in Saudi Arabia are in human homes, a great number of cats live in the streets. This presentation frames the effects upon cats living and being abandoned on the streets, through the Five Animal Welfare Needs.
S. Oxley Heaney (2021, 4 December). Do you know me? CATegorising Saudi Arabia's Abandoned Cats - Saudi Arabian Landscape of Feline Lives. Reframing Anthrozoology as Symbiotic Ethics (RASE) Conference, The University of Exeter, UK.
Much academic literature looks at domestic cats outside home environments through an anthropocentric lens, as objects categorised for human control purposes. This paper, in line with EASE aim iii attempts to consider the perspective of cats through their experiences as street-living cats. This article questions how human-constructed cat categories fail to consider cat biographies, personalities, agencies ...
S. Oxley Heaney (2021, 21 October). Saudi Arabian Landscape of Feline Lives: Reducing Domestic Cat Abandonment, InSPAration The University of Exeter, UK.
This presentation explores street-living feline welfare in Saudi Arabia. While many felines in Saudi Arabia are in human homes, a great number of cats live in the streets. This presentation frames the effects upon cats living and being abandoned on the streets, through the Five Animal Welfare Needs.
K. Hill, M. Szydlowski, S. Oxley Heaney (2025, 23-24 August). Caring and Coexistence with Cats and Dogs in Rural Nepal. The International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO) Conference. Well-being for all: Innovation and insights in human-animal interactions, Amsterdam, NL https://conference.iahaio.org/ Conference paper contribution, presented by K.Hill.
Oxley Heaney, Sarah. 2026. “Pakadora: Rescue at the Edge of Capacity.” Theportugalnews.com. The Portugal News. February 13, 2026. https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2026-02-13/pakadora-rescue-at-the-edge-of-capacity/957194.
Oxley Heaney, S. (2025, 12 November) ‘In the Shadows and the Sun: Reflections on Cats, Dogs and a Multispecies Community: Bonded Coexistence in Sauraha’s Sharing Society’, Society for Companion Animals. Available at: https://www.scas.org.uk/blogs/in-the-shadows-and-the-sun.
2023 - date
Pakadora Association, Committee Member. https://pakadoraassociation.com/
2023 - date
Cat Academic Think Tank (e-CATT), Co-Founder. E-Catt - Cat Academic Think Tank
2005 - date
Tabuk Paws - Founder and co-director
Society for Companion Animal Studies. Co-Grantee (2024):
Pump-priming grant (£9,983), awarded to Principal Investigator, M. Szydlowski (K. Hill and S. Oxley Heaney, Co-Is) Society to investigate: Companion Cats and Dogs in Nepal: A New Frontier.
Szydlowski, M., Hooper, J., Oxley Heaney, S., & Hill, K. (2026). The Ethics of Privacy and Consent in Anthrozoological Investigations. Privacy Studies Journal, 36–59. https://doi.org/10.7146/psj.v.166782
K. Hill, S. Oxley Heaney, J. Hooper, M. Szydlowski, T. Aiello (2025). From Dogs to Frogs: A Summative Content Analysis of Four Decades of Scholarly Contributions to Anthrozoology. Anthrozoös https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2025.2496033.
Oxley Heaney, S.; Szydlowski, M.; Hill, K.; Hooper, J. (2025) Rethinking Animal Welfare in a Globalised World: Cultural Perspectives, Challenges, and Future Directions. Animals, 15, 891. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15060891.
Szydlowski, M., Hill, K., Oxley Heaney, S., Hooper, J., Howarth, G., Perrett, I., Hayward, L., and Aiello, T. (2024). Anthrozoology as International Practice (AIP): A Student Conference in Animal Studies 2023. Society & Animals (published online ahead of print 2024), Available at: https://doi.org/10.1163/15685306-bja10204.
David A. Fennell, Carol Kline, Mucha Mkono, Bryan S. R. Grimwood, Valerie A. Sheppard, Katherine Dashper, Jillian Rickly, Georgette Leah Burns, Giovanna Bertella, Erica von Essen, José-Carlos García-Rosell, Yulei Guo, Hin Hoarau-Heemstra, Álvaro López López, Gino Jafet Quintero Venegas, Patrick J. Holladay, Christina T. Cavaliere, Kellen Copeland, Brian Danley, Jessica Bell Rizzolo, ChrisE. Hurst, Rie Usui, Mikko Äijälä, Émilie Crossley, Kristine Hill, Michelle Szydlowski, Daniel Bisgrove, Samuel Blythe, Samuel R. Fennell, Sarah Oxley Heaney, Caroline Schuhmacher, Paul Tully, Sarah Coose, Jes Hooper & Rebecca Madrid (2024) Tourism, animals & the vacant niche: a scoping review and pedagogical agenda, Current Issues in Tourism, DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2023.2280704 Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1080%2F13683500.2023.2280704.
Hooper, J., Aiello, T., Hill, K., Szydlowski, M., and Oxley Heaney, S. (2023) Nothing More than ‘Anti-Cull Activists’: Accusations of Bias and the Politics of Research that Advocates for Non-Human Animals. Animal Studies Journal 12(1): 70–95. Available at: https://doi.org/10.14453/asj/v12i1.6.
Hill, K., Szydlowski, M., Oxley Heaney, S., & Busby, D. (2022) ‘Uncivilized Behaviors: How Humans Wield “Feral” to Assert Power (and Control) over Other Species’, Society and Animals, 21(4), pp. 1–19. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1163/15685306-bja10088.
Oxley Heaney, S., Hill, K., Szydlowski , M., Hooper, J., & Aiello, T. (2022). Members only? A posthuman view of otherthanhuman-animal immigrants across human-defined borders. TRACE ∴ Journal for Human-Animal Studies, 8. Available at: https://doi.org/10.23984/fjhas.110811.
Szydlowski, M., Hill, K., Oxley Heaney, S., & Hooper, J. (2022) ‘Domestication and domination: Human terminology as a tool for controlling otherthanhuman animal bodies’, TRACE ∴ Journal for Human-Animal Studies, 8(2022). Available at: https://doi.org/10.23984/fjhas.110388.
S. Oxley Heaney, K.Hill, I Perret, G, Howarth (2025, 25 April). Mastering Anthrozoology: A Participatory Learning Quiz at The Anthrozoological Arms. The University of Exeter's Anthrozoology MA Residential. The University of Exeter, Devon, UK. (Online)
M. Szydlowski, K. Hill, J. Hooper, S. Oxley Heaney (2024, 27 June). But What is Anthrozoology? A Collaborative Workshop on the Practices and Future of the Field. International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) 2024. Watch and Learn: The value of observing and being with animals, Hosted by Hartpury University (Gloucestershire, UK)
K. Hill, J. Hooper, S. Oxley Heaney, M. Szydlowski (2023, 7 July). ‘Integrity is doing the right thing when you don’t have to–when no one else is looking or will ever know’ (Marshall, 2002, p142). Research Ethics Conference 2023 (REC2023), University of Bath, UK (Hybrid).
Kris Hill, Jes Hooper, Oxley Heaney, S. Michelle Szydlowski, Thomas Aiello (2022, 6-7 October). Collaborating for a less anthropocentric anthrozoology. SPSPA PGR Conference, University of Exeter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEiP0cyyfJ8
J. Hooper, S. Oxley Heaney, K. Hill, M. Szydlowski (2021, 3 December). Problematizing the Ethics Process: An Anthrozoological Perspective. Reframing Anthrozoology as Symbiotic Ethics (RASE), University of Exeter, UK (Online).
J. Hooper, K. Hill, S. Oxley Heaney, M. Szydlowski (2021, 8 November). The Ethics of Privacy in Anthrozoological Investigations. Animal Privacy: Historical and Conceptual Approaches University of Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen / University of Kent workshop.https://animalprivacy.wordpress.com/ https://youtu.be/tfMujAcWeIM
J. Hooper, S. Oxley Heaney, K. Hill, M. Szydlowski (2021, 25 June). Problematizing the Ethics Process: An Anthrozoological Perspective. Research Ethics Conference 2021 (REC2021), University of Exeter, UK (Online).
K. Hill, M. Szydlowski, S. Oxley Heaney (2025, 23-24 August). Caring and Coexistence with Cats and Dogs in Rural Nepal. The International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO) Conference. Well-being for all: Innovation and insights in human-animal interactions, Amsterdam, NL https://conference.iahaio.org/ Conference paper contribution, presented by K.Hill.
M. Szydlowski, K. Hill, J. Hooper, Oxley Heaney (2024, 27 June). But What is Anthrozoology? A Collaborative Workshop on the Practices and Future of the Field. International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) 2024. Watch and Learn: The value of observing and being with animals, Hosted by Hartpury University (Gloucestershire, UK). https://www.isaz2024.net/programme. Conference paper contribution, presented by M. Szydlowski
S. Oxley Heaney, K. Hill, M. Szydlowski, J. Hooper (2023, 8 Nov). Snap Judgments: Ethical Complexities in Photographing More-Than-Human Animals. MASTERY – Managing Sensitive Topics in Teaching and Research Confidently, University of Birmingham. https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/social-policy/departments/health-services-management-centre/research/projects/2023/mastery-managing-sensitive-topics-in-teaching.aspx
K. Hill, J. Hooper, S. Oxley Heaney, M. Szydlowski (2023, 5 May). Taking on the more-than-human perspective on research ethics. Research Ethics Association (REA) blog, https://www.ethics-association.org/post/taking-on-the-more-than-human-perspective-on-research-ethics?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=blog.post-promoter&utm_campaign=4c225823-a622-4495-9aae-d0eff4293652
Special Issue Editors: K. Hill, M. Szydlowski, J. Hooper, S. Oxley Heaney (2023). Animal Welfare from a Cross-Cultural Perspective. Animals. Details available here: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/animals/special_issues/43L9ML67V1
TRACE: Journal for Human-Animal Studies, 2021- date
Society & Animals, 2020 - date
2024 - date
EASE Anthrozoology (AZ) Lens, Coordinator: The University Of Exeter.
2023 - date
Pakadora Association, Committee Member. https://pakadoraassociation.com/
2023 - date
Cat Academic Think Tank (e-CATT), Co-Founder. E-Catt - Cat Academic Think Tank
2022 - 2022
Beyond the Brick Campus: Building More Inclusive Academic Cultures. Co-founder and Organiser
2021 - date
Anthrozoology as International Practice (AIP), Co-founder and Organiser, Anthrozoology as International Practice
2020 - date
The Anthrozoology Podcast, Co-founder and host, The Anthrozoology Podcast
2020 - date
Exeter Anthrozoology as Symbiotic Ethics (EASE) Working Group , Affiliate Member, EASE Working Group
2005 - date
Tabuk Paws - Founder and co-director
Wenner-Gren Foundation, Co-Grantee (2024):
5000 USD awarded to support costs associated with hosting the fifth Anthrozoology as International Practice (AIP2025): A Student Conference in Human-Animal Studies
Society for Companion Animal Studies. Co-Grantee (2024):
Pump-priming grant (£9,983), awarded to Principal Investigator, M. Szydlowski (K. Hill and S. Oxley Heaney, Co-Is) Society to investigate: Companion Cats and Dogs in Nepal: A New Frontier.
The Australasian Animal Studies Association (AASA) Activities Grant (2023) Co-Grantee. 665 AUD awarded to Kris Hill, Sarah Oxley Heaney, Michelle Szydlowski, Jes Hooper, Thomas Aiello, to support merit-based awards and associated costs of hosting the fourth Anthrozoology as International Practice (AIP2024):: A Student Conference in Human-Animal Studies
The Australasian Animal Studies Association (AASA) Journal Article by an Early Career Researcher Prize Co-winner (2023). 500 AUD awarded to Jes Hooper, Thomas Aiello, Kris Hill, Michelle Szydlowski, Sarah Oxley Heaney, for “Nothing More than ‘Anti-Cull Activists’: Accusations of Bias and the Politics of Research that Advocates for Non-Human Animals”, Animal Studies Journal, 12(1), 2023, 70-95. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14453/asj/v12i1.6
The Australasian Animal Studies Association (AASA) Popular Communication of Animals Studies Prize Co-winner (2023).
500 AUD awarded to Kris Hill, Michelle Szydlowski, Sarah Oxley Heaney, Irene Perrett, Gill Howarth, Louise Hayward, Jes Hooper, and Tom Aiello for our work establishing and developing Anthrozoology as International Practice (AIP): A Student Conference in Human-Animal Studies.
Researcher-Led Initiative (RLI) funded by the University of Exeter Researcher Development and Research Culture team, (2022). 1000 GBP awarded to Kris Hill, Ben Cain, and Sarah Oxley Heaney for Beyond the Brick Campus: Building a more inclusive academic culture, an interactive workshop series and community to support distance-based options and opportunities.