Unit information: Wildlife Care and Rehabilitation in 2013/14

Unit name	Wildlife Care and Rehabilitation
Unit code	VETSM0037
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Ms. Barrows
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Bristol Veterinary School
Faculty	Faculty of Health Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

The aim of this unit is to provide students with practical skills in wild animal handling, husbandry and nursing, and the ability to administer first aid to wildlife found injured or otherwise incapacitated. Topics to be covered will include animal capture and handling techniques, the assessment, emergency stabilisation and transport of injured animals, subsequent treatment (including wound care, management of fractures and administration of medication), the maintenance of captive animal health, hand-rearing of neonates, zoonoses of wildlife, and the release and rehabilitation of wildlife back into the wild as well as post-release monitoring. Attention will also focus on the major causes of wildlife casualties, the limitations of ‘non-professional’ treatment, welfare and ethical issues associated with treating wildlife and methods of emergency euthanasia. By the end of this unit students should have both the theoretical knowledge and practical competency to deal with a wide variety of practical situations that they might encounter while working as professional Wildlife Biologists.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On completing this unit students should be able to:

• describe the main causes of wildlife casualties both in Britain and overseas.
• understand how to assess the health and condition of wild animals.
• provide first aid to, as well as to stabilise, injured animals.
• describe appropriate capture techniques for a range of wild animals.
• understand methods of physical restraint and the principles of chemical restraint of wild animals.
• be able to demonstrate correct animal handling and transportation techniques for selected species.
• understand the principles of caring for pregnant, juvenile and orphaned neonatal animals in captivity.
• understand the steps involved in the release and rehabilitation process of wildlife and the importance of post-release monitoring.
• understand the limitations (both practical and legal) of what is possible in wildlife care and nursing, and where the input of a veterinary clinician is required.
• evaluate the welfare and ethical issues regarding care of wildlife casualties.

Teaching Information

This unit will be taught using a combination of lectures, seminars, video and practical classes based at Langford and Bristol Zoo. Practical demonstrations by qualified wildlife clinicians will be used to teach applied subjects such as handling small mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, remote injection techniques, measuring temperature, pulse and respiration, bandaging materials and techniques, assisted feeding and the correction of dehydration. Subgroup teaching (of 3 or 4 students at a time) will be used for some clinical topics. The students will be provided with e-resources for this unit through the Blackboard online learning environment. These resources will include all the lecture notes and handouts, additional background reading, supporting material and links to subject-related websites.

Assessment Information

The students’ performance on this unit will be assessed using:

• a series of practical-based assessments during which students will be required to demonstrate a high level of competency in applied skills such as animal handling, bandaging and first aid (20%).
• scenario-based assessments, allowing students to demonstrate that they understand the principles of wildlife care and medicine (20%).
• a written assignment, allowing students to demonstrate their intellectual skills and understanding by describing the type of wildlife casualties they might expect from a real-world incident such as an oil spill and what emergency measures they would implement to prepare for this (20%).
• a written examination consisting of essay-style questions covering the full breadth of material taught on this unit (40%)

Reading and References

The following are some examples of basic texts - others will be recommended by individual tutors during their teaching sessions:

• Gage, L.J. (2002) Hand-reading wild and domestic mammals. Blackwell Publishing.
• Gage, L.J. & Duerr, R.S. (2007) Hand-rearing birds. Blackwell Publishing.
• McKenzie, A. (ed) (1993) The capture and care manual: capture, care, accommodation and transportation of wild African animals. Wildlife Decision Support Services.
• Mullineaux, E., Best, R. & Cooper, J.E. (2002) BSAVA Manual of British Wildlife Casualties. British Small Animal Veterinary Association.
• Myers, D.A. (2006) Common procedures and concerns with wildlife. Vet Clinics of North America Exotic Animal 9: 437-460.
• Stocker, L. (2005) Practical wildlife care (2nd ed). Blackwell Publishing.