Unit name | Behaviour, Welfare, Ethics and Law for Wildlife Professionals |
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Unit code | VETSM0043 |
Credit points | 10 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Professor. Main |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
Attendance on VETSMNEW9 - "Biology of Behaviour and Welfare" |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | Bristol Veterinary School |
Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
The unit is intended to be an introduction to applied animal behaviour, animal welfare science, ethics and law relevant to wildlife management and health. It will include demonstration and consideration of how animal behaviour can be applied to practical problems in wildlife conservation, and how animal welfare science can be applied to tackle health and management problems in captivity. In addition, the students will learn to illustrate and reflect on welfare problems, demonstrating their attitude to wildlife welfare, and their recognition and analysis of ethical and legal dilemmas affecting wildlife health and management worldwide.
The aim of this unit is to enable students to develop an understanding of the practical application of animal behaviour, and of the fundamental concepts of animal welfare science, ethics and law as they relate to global wildlife health and management.
The student will be able to:
Combination of lectures, seminars, practicals, and self-guided learning.
Assessment will be by a combination of in-course work (60%) and by an end-of-unit written examination (40%).
The in-course work will consist of two application tasks (20%, ILOs 1,8) and 10 case exposures (40%, all ILOs). Formative feedback will be provided after the first three case exposures. The remaining seven will be formally assessed. Each will have a case number and date followed by a short paragraph under each of the following subheadings:
Presenting the scenario
Underlying issue or cause
Action taken
Outcome
Identification, reflection and conclusion on scientific, ethical and legal considerations, dilemmas and/or problems relating to animal welfare in the situation. This may include discussion of behavioural and practical elements where appropriate.
An upper limit of 1,000 words will apply to any case exposure and most will be substantially shorter. Cases should be based on the candidate’s personal experience or intended employment.
It is permissible for individual case exposures to emphasise one aspect (behaviour and welfare science, ethics or law) primarily, though each case exposure should make reference to all three. Each aspect should form the primary focus for at least 3 cases within the final portfolio. Cases must cover a broad range of animal species and scenarios.