Honorary President
Mark Evans
BVet Med MRCVS

Mark has always loved animals and his childhood ambition to become a vet was fulfilled when he graduated from RVC in 1987 and began working for the PDSA vet charity. Mark’s fascination with human-animal interactions and the emerging science of anthrozoology grew as his career in practice progressed and he realised that the relationship between people and their pets played a central role in the wellbeing of companion animals.

Mark first discovered the opportunity to harness the power of television to change the way people think about, and behave towards, other animals when he saw a daytime feature celebrating fat cats.  Having just set up the first UK weight watchers clinic for pets, he was incensed by this and contacted the Channel to complain. A few weeks later, Mark found himself a guest on the show, invited on to put things straight, and that was the beginning of his television career. Since then Mark has presented hundreds of pet-related TV programmes including Channel 4’s long running series, Pet Rescue, BBC1’s Barking Mad and Pedigree Dogs Exposed, as well as the popular Channel 4 series, Dogs: Their Secret Lives. He has also written 12 books on animal care and welfare.

In 2007, Mark joined the RSPCA as its Chief Veterinary Adviser and established a new science department dedicated to improving the welfare of pets and working animals. Supported by a team of scientists, Mark worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the serious, widespread and largely ignored welfare issues suffered by huge numbers of purebred dogs as a result of the way they are bred. Mark gave a voice to these dogs, successfully campaigning to convince the BBC to axe Crufts after 40 years because of its historic role in the problems. 

Mark is the ideal President for FABC as he is a passionate advocate for harmonious relationships between people and their pets