About this course
We have a responsibility to promote optimal welfare for animals housed in zoos and aquariums. This course provides the essentials of current animal welfare science and best practices relevant to zoos with an emphasis on veterinary care. Practical examples, case studies, and best practices will be discussed. This course is aimed at veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses/technicians and students working within or with an interest in this field.
This 20-hour CPD course is delivered through a collaboration of Dr Sarah Chapman from Chapman Zoo Consultancy and Sabrina Brando MSc from AnimalConcepts.
What you will learn
After this course you will be able to:
- Define animal welfare and care
- Describe the holistic approach to animal welfare
- Recognise the importance of ethics
- Understand the approach to preventative health care
- Identify concerns and challenges affecting the welfare of the animal
- Identify opportunities for promoting positive animal welfare
- Describe animal welfare assessment methods
- Recognise the importance of meaningful record keeping
- Understand the differences between input resources and outcome (animal-based) parameters
- Recognise the importance of applied science
- Understand the importance of assessing and managing ageing animals
- Appreciate the challenges around euthanasia and how to overcome them
- Recognise the need for human wellbeing in conjunction with animal care
Recent reviews
I got a lot out of the course, including being part of the PAWS platform, on which continuingly new information, webinars and podcasts are added. It tis a dynamic website. I missed practical exercises, for example a case put on and being analyzed. Or some questions to answer. It is a free and pure on own "drive" course. A lot of extra reading material was given, which were sometimes to much for me but it is good to have the references. Some is really basic information, especially on the veterinarian part. I personally believe the Veterinarians are having such a big task and doing things that the keepers/ senior keepers and curators need to do. But for sure a team effort and monitored by the veterinarians. Due to the very busy schedule of the vets team, things go slow, while I think if the keepers are being more trained on certain aspects, some pressure of the vet team is taken away and things will be better maintained and more consistent. The presentation style is good, although a bit monotone or repetitive word usage. I am happy to have done the course and be part of the PAWS platform. And I recommend to any keeper especially beginners.
It was great to be able to dive in to the subjects and learn and review the different aspects of animal welfare related to the veterinary practice and beyond. The online format is quite convenient and the possibility to return to subjects was key for me. I Would love to have more bibliography on site available, instead just references. Would love to see updates and extensions. I did not take full advantage yet of the reviewing capacity but will do once I can!